3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Wednesday 8/9/23

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 Wednesday's main slate.

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

Max Fried, SP, Atlanta Braves ($10,600)

Atlanta Braves stud Max Fried was dominant in his return to the mound last week, taking the Chicago Cubs through six scoreless frames before the Braves relieved him. He punched out eight batters while allowing a 0.50 WHIP in the process. Fried may have been on ice since the beginning of May due to a forearm strain, but it sure looked like he was ready to hit the ground running.

Albeit we're dealing with a small sample (32 innings), Fried will take his elite 3.02 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) -- a mark that trails only teammate Spencer Strider's absurd 2.67 SIERA at the top of the leaderboards this year -- to do battle with the Pittsburgh Pirates today. The Pirates have cooled off considerably since their hot start to the year; since the start of July, only four teams in Major League Baseball have a worse wRC+ than the Pirates' lowly 84 wRC+. Last year's NL Cy Young runner-up should have no problem dispatching the Bucs this afternoon.

The projections at numberFire favor the Braves heavily in this one, giving them a strong 69.7% likelihood of taking home the dub tonight. Fried has a great chance of adding another W to his stat card and is projected as the most likely starting pitcher to notch a win on today's main slate.

Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox ($3,500)

The Boston Red Sox fell apart in their 9-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night, but we like their chances tonight -- numberFire gives the Sox a 66.5% chance of winning tonight's tilt. Part of numberFire's confidence in the Sox tonight stems from opposing starter Jordan Lyles, whose 5.20 SIERA ranks as the worst among qualified starters in the majors this year.

Rafael Devers is set up well to capitalize on tonight's juicy matchup, boasting a career .897 OPS against right-handed pitchers. He often bats cleanup, as well, meaning he should be in a good position to knock in some runs from the four-spot later on today. numberFire's heat map backs that up, too, as the Red Sox have the highest implied total (6.12) on the slate.

Devers is projected to score 13.4 FanDuel points in tonight's tilt, tying him Austin Riley and Max Muncy for the most projected FanDuel points at the third base position on tonight's slate.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($4,000)

American League home run record holder Aaron Judge didn't quite look himself when he made his return to the New York Yankees' lineup earlier this month -- the star notched just two hits over 21 plate appearances in his first seven games back in action. But the slugger is starting to look more himself and is set to take advantage of a fantastic matchup with strugglingChicago White Sox starter Mike Clevinger. Clevinger's 5.18 SIERA is not far off of the aforementioned Lyles' league-worst 5.20 mark.

Judge's season was certainly interrupted by the toe injury that kept him out for most of the summer, but he's still mashing like a madman when he does make it to the plate. If it qualified, his 183 wRC+ would trail only Shohei Ohtani's for the best mark across the league. Even through his post-return slump, he has maintained an elite 1.053 OPS on the season and is slugging an absurd .639.

numberFire's model projects Judge to put up 17.5 FanDuel points against the White Sox tonight, the most among all batters and a full point more than the number-two bat -- Braves star Ronald Acuna, who might not even play tonight after being hit by a pitch on Tuesday night. Judge's $4,000 salary even comes in at a discount relative to some of tonight's other top players, meaning you can probably fit him into lineups with relative ease.

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.