3 MLB Studs to Target for Thursday 8/10/23

When building a daily fantasy baseball lineup on FanDuel, nailing the high-salary players is crucial to come out ahead of the pack.

For hitters, we want players with the capacity to put up big numbers, those with favorable matchups, and with a strong supporting cast that can increase their chances for runs and RBI. Looking at pitchers, strikeouts are king -- although, inning-eaters and win potential can't be ignored.

The high-salary picks are the backbone of your lineups, so we don't want to mess around. Let's take a look at some of the top high-salary players for Thursday's main slate on FanDuel, which begins at 6:40 p.m. EST.

All advanced statistics come from FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. All projections via numberFire.

Mookie Betts, OF/2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,400)

Mookie Betts leads off for today's DFS studs to target thanks to his mouth-watering matchup with the Colorado Rockies. Although the Los Angeles Dodgers won't have the luxury of playing at Coors Field, they'll still have plenty of opportunities to put up runs against lefty Ty Blach.

Despite a 4.85 ERA, Blach has actually outperformed expectations. With a measly 9.4% strikeout rate and .356 wOBA allowed, Blach's 5.08 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) and 6.62 xERA are much more indicative of the quality of pitcher he is. Additionally, the lefty was pounded for eight hits and four runs in just 4.2 innings of work in his most recent start.

That's music to Betts' ears as he has absolutely shredded southpaws this season.

Betts owns the fifth-highest wOBA (.441) against lefties, while his 183 Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) ranks eighth in that split. He's also hit the third-most home runs (11) in the split -- largely thanks to a fly-ball rate (58.0%) that ranks third among qualified hitters.

It doesn't hurt that, on top of Bach's handiness, his most-used pitch is the sinker -- which he throws 55.3% of the time. This season, Betts has hit .329 against sinkers while posting a run value of 11, per Statcast.

numberFire's projections love Betts today, forecasting him to score 14.7 FanDuel points -- the most of any hitter in the main slate. With the Dodgers owning the second-highest implied team total (5.47) of the night, Betts should have ample opportunities to rack up the counting stats -- making him a top MLB stud to target.

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies, P ($10,000)

Aaron Nola may not carry the highest salary in DFS tonight, but he carries numberFire's highest projection.

By a lot.

Nola's 36.8-point projection is 5.0 points more than the next-closest pitcher's, and it's for good reason.

Although the Philadelphia Phillies' ace has been maddeningly inconsistent this season, he has one of the best matchups he'll get all season tonight -- a home date with the Washington Nationals.

While the Nationals have averaged a healthy 4.92 runs per game since the All-Star break, they continue to be one of the worst lineups in the league against right-handed pitchers. Washington has the fifth-lowest wOBA (.302) and the third-lowest ISO (.135) against righties for the season. With their hitters generating ground balls at the second-highest rate (46.6%) and soft contact at the highest rate (17.3%) in that split, Nola has a chance to feast on a night that is short on quality pitching options.

Nola hasn't been at his best this season -- recording his highest skill-interactive ERA (3.82) since 2019 and his lowest strikeout rate (25.1%) since 2016. His biggest issues have come via the long ball as he's given up a career-high 1.63 HR/9. That should be mitigated tonight considering the Nationals have hit the second-fewest homers in the league.

Additionally, he still boasts some solid quality of contact numbers (notably, a 30.7% hard-hit rate) and has shown the ability to turn it on in certain starts with seven starts of 40-plus FanDuel points, including two 60-point outings.

With Washington owning the second-lowest implied team total of the slate (3.63), Nola is a dependable DFS stud on this small slate.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,500)

We're going back to Los Angeles to round out tonight's DFS studs -- targeting arguably the hottest hitter in baseball, Freddie Freeman.

Freeman has been nothing short of incredible over the second half of the campaign. Since the All-Star break, Freeman leads the league in wOBA (.524), OPS (1.262), and runs (29). He's driven in 20 and blasted 6 homers over that 24-game span while quietly swiping 4 stolen bases. With four consecutive multi-hit games, Freeman is seeing the ball better than anyone in the league right now.

Given how well Freeman is playing, he can crush it against Blach even though it's a lefty-lefty matchup.

Freeman has obliterated lefties this season. Among qualified hitters, he has recorded the second-highest wOBA (.470), the fifth-highest ISO (.360), and the most home runs (12) in the league against southpaws.

numberFire projects Freeman for 12.7 FanDuel points tonight. Given the Dodgers' high implied team total and Freddie's numbers in lefty-lefty matchups, there is upside for a whole lot more.

Looking to build some MLB DFS lineups? Check out FanDuel’s daily fantasy baseball lobby to see all the offerings for today’s slates.

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.