3 MLB Studs to Target for Wednesday 8/2/23

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 the rest of their competition.

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

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

Shane McClanahan, P, Tampa Bay Rays ($9,700)

Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan gets an appealing matchup on Tuesday's slate, drawing a New York Yankees team that had been sorely missing star slugger Aaron Judge. Judge recently returned to the fold, but his .200 batting average indicates he could still be warming up.

McClanahan will be entering a pitching duel with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, but numberFire's models give the Rays an edge in the matchup with a 51.1% win probability.

This recommendation is as much about McClanahan's prowess as it is about the Yankees' struggles. While he hasn't quite reached the same heights he hit during the 2022 season, his 4.04 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) is still a top-30 mark among qualified pitchers this season.

The Yankees have put up a lowly .705 OPS, the eighth-worst mark. Their .237 batting average against left-handed pitchers ranks even worse, the sixth-worst.

A stud left-hander like McClanahan is a difficult matchup for the Yankees right now and is one that fantasy managers can capitalize on tonight.

Cody Bellinger, OF, Chicago Cubs ($3,700)

What year is it again? Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger, whose past few seasons have failed to live up to the standard set by his 2019 MVP campaign, has been on fire in 2023.

The star outfielder has been on such a tear that his play helped convince the Cubs to push their chips in at the trade deadline yesterday.

numberFire's projections have Bellinger slated for 15.2 FanDuel points in today's outing against the Cincinnati Reds, the second-highest projection among batters on the slate. With a salary of just $3,700, he's also one of the strongest values on the slate. He'll square off against Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson in this one, whose debut season in the Majors has amounted to a 4.48 ERA with a 1.337 WHIP through 13 games.

Bellinger has been crushing against LHPs this season. His 1.042 OPS and 179 wRC+ each rank 12th in the entire MLB against lefties, which is even more remarkable given that he's a left-handed batter himself. The league average OPS for lefty-lefty matchups sits at a lowly .687 mark, so Bellinger has clearly figured something out when it comes to his approach in that matchup.

With a revitalized roster backing him up, Bellinger is set up to rake in FanDuel points in today's tilt.

Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets ($4,200)

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso didn't quite look himself when he first returned from the wrist injury he suffered earlier this season, but the star has been heating up in recent weeks.

Alonso is poised to crush some dingers against a bottom-of-the-barrel Kansas City Royals team tonight. Alonso launched a homer last night against these same Royals and has two games with two home runs over the last week.

He'll face off against left-hander Cole Ragans, whose 4.77 SIERA would be a bottom-12 mark in the league if he qualified. Alonso is slugging at a .500 rate against left-handers this season, and he won't have to worry about former Royals closers Aroldis Chapman and Scott Barlow making things difficult at the end of the game, either.

Sometime fantasy baseball can be as easy as picking the guy with the league's third-most home runs for your lineups.

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.