3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Thursday 9/14/23

Hitting on value plays in MLB DFS on FanDuel can make or break a lineup on any given day, but locking in strong performances with some of baseball's star players provides the backbone for any good DFS lineup.

These stars rightly come with high salaries as they usually live up to expectations and have the ability to outclass their peers at their position.

Here are three studs to target for Thursday's main slate.

All advanced statistics come from FanGraphs. All projections via numberFire.

Kevin Gausman, SP, Toronto Blue Jays ($10,300)

In the midst of a heated American League Wild Card race, the Toronto Blue Jays will host the Texas Rangers for the final contest of a four-game series. Attempting to play stopper, Kevin Gausman will get the ball for Toronto after his side has already dropped three crucial games to Texas this week.

In his 11th MLB season, Gausman is confidently enjoying one of his best campaigns to date. He was named an All-Star in 2023 for just the second time in his career, now giving him a nod in each league. However, perhaps most impressive for the right-hander is his proficiency in the strikeout department. At the moment, Gausman showcases a dizzying 31.5% K rate while serving as one of only six pitchers with more than 200 punchouts on the year.

On Thursday, Gausman carries a DFS projection of 36.9 FanDuel points against the Rangers, according to numberFire. He has seen Texas once this season (June 16), logging the win behind just one earned run and 37 FanDuel points.

When surveying numberFire's game projections, the Rangers projected run total of 3.89 is the main slate's bottom floor. Texas' lineup has been up and down over the past two weeks, and Gausman appears to be in a favorable situation at home this evening.

Yandy Diaz, 1B/3B, Tampa Bay Rays ($3,800)

Opening up a vital four-game series between AL East frontrunners, the Tampa Bay Rays visit the Baltimore Orioles down just two games in the standings. To start, we will see hurlers Aaron Civale and Kyle Bradish taking the mound for their respective sides.

For Thursday, Tampa infielder Yandy Diaz looms as a quality DFS selection. He is producing career-best numbers in several categories this year, such as wOBA (.395) and batting average (.324). Additionally, Diaz tends to see Bradish quite well, hitting .455 against his divisional rival in 11 head-to-head lifetime at-bats.

Per numberFire's model, Diaz is the third-best option at first base, showing a projection of 12.5 points. Considering that Diaz has crushed the baseball for an OPS of 1.224 (with two homers and six RBI) over his past seven games, I am eager to play the hot hand.

Mike Yastrzemski, OF, San Francisco Giants ($3,500)

Another team in the thick of the pennant race, the San Francisco Giants are attempting to regain Wild Card positioning after going 17-22 (.436) since the start of August. At the moment, San Francisco is tangling with three other NL sides (Arizona, Cincinnati and Miami) for the final Wild Card spot -- perhaps a series at Coors Field versus the Colorado Rockies can give the Giants a boost.

Against Colorado right-handed starter Chase Anderson (5.17 SIERA in 2023), lefty outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is lined up for an advantageous evening on Thursday. He previously missed some time with a hamstring issue this year, but he has thrived over the last week of baseball, hitting .556 in that span. On the entire season, Yastrzemski is showing a career-best 46.6% Statcast hard-hit rate.

Per numberFire, Yaz yields the highest DFS projection (17.6 FanDuel points) of all available hitters tonight. When factoring in Yastrzemski's power prowess along with the date at hitter-friendly Coors, I can fully get behind this. In 30 lifetime games played on Denver's Blake Street, Yastrzemski boasts an 1.076 OPS with 10 home runs and 32 RBI.

Looking back to the game projections on numberFire, San Francisco is yielding a projected run total of 6.68 runs, tops on the board. Look for Yaz to take advantage of his surroundings on Thursday.

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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.