3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Monday 7/3/23

In daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel, rostering the right high-salaried studs is an important aspect of building lineups.

For hitters, we're looking for guys with big numbers, strong matchups, and players around them who are likely to produce, as well, increasing our chances for runs and RBI. For pitchers, we want big strikeout numbers, while the ability to go deep in a game and pick up a win is also valuable.

With these high-salary picks playing such a big role in your lineup, you can't afford to miss on these guys, so let's take a look at a few top high-salary plays for Monday's main slate.

Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.

Logan Webb, SP, San Francisco Giants ($10,100)

Logan Webb looks to be the top starter today with Clayton Kershaw looking less and less likely to make his start, making Webb all the more valuable for DFS lineups.

Webb has been one of the best in baseball this season, leading the San Francisco Giants rotation and being a constant must-start in fantasy. It's well known that Webb is a force when it comes to forcing grounders, as he has the highest ground-ball rate of anyone at 61.0%.

The Giants' starter also ranks highly in other categories, including his 3.24 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), which is third-best amongst starters. Webb's 3.07 expected fielding independent pitching (xFIP) is the fifth-lowest in baseball, as well.

If there's any "knock" against the righty, it's that he doesn't log huge strikeout numbers like some of the other top starters in baseball (24.0% strikeout rate), but he can still put them up in any respect.

With a matchup against the Seattle Mariners, who strike out at the second-highest rate at 25.7%, Webb should be able to take advantage in all forms. Seattle has the worst implied total of the day at 3.48, setting up the Giants ace for a big outing.

numberFire's model has Webb projected for a big day at 36.4 FanDuel points.

Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves ($4,800)

At this point in the season, how do you not play Ronald Acuna?

If it wasn't for Shohei Ohtani's heroics on the mound and at the plate seemingly every single day, it'd be Acuna who would be the talk of the town in baseball this season. He still is to a degree, but with what he's done so far, he should be talked about even more than he already is.

The Atlanta Braves' outfielder has been sensational this season, rocking a .413 weighted on-base average (wOBA) to go along with his 21 home runs and 39 stolen bases -- meaning that a 40-40 season is very much in his grasp.

Maybe the craziest bit of dominance for Acuna comes in the form of his 12.6% strikeout rate, showing that he's putting the ball in play as much as possible, and it's how he's made good things happen all season long. Acuna ranks second behind Ohtani with a 171 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), too.

Acuna should be able to continue his unbelievable play against Gavin Williams and the Cleveland Guardians. In the first two starts of his career, Williams has a 4.63 SIERA, so Acuna shouldn't be the only Braves player you consider for DFS lineups today. With the second-best implied total of the day (4.94) that Atlanta has, the likes of Matt Olson and Michael Harris II should be considered if you stack the Braves.

Acuna is projected for 14.2 fantasy points today, per numberFire.

Mookie Betts, OF/2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,500)

Mookie Betts sets the table for the Los Angeles Dodgers from the leadoff spot and should do the same for your lineups on today's slate.

Betts has showcased his five-tool abilities this season as one of baseball's best, and it has kept the Dodgers' lineup among the elite. Betts has a .392 wOBA, good for seventh-best in the Majors, and we can look to his 22 home runs and 58 RBIs to get a full appreciation for his talent. The Dodgers' right fielder also has the eighth-best wRC+ at 148.

The matchup versus Mitch Keller isn't an easy one by any stretch, but Keller's June compared to his first two months of the season are much different. Keller had just a 19.8% strikeout rate while sporting a 4.29 xFIP that was almost double what he had done in May. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a 4.40 SIERA as a team, the seventh-worst in the league, and sets up the Dodgers lineup to take advantage.

numberFire's model has Betts projected for the second-most points of any batter today with 14.7 FanDuel points.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.