3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 8/27/21

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 8/27/21

Just like in other sports, the focal point of your daily fantasy baseball lineups will be your high-salary studs. These guys take up by far the biggest chunk of your cap space, but they also offer the highest ceiling. And in the case of pitchers, the high-salary options typically come with the highest floors, too.

For hitters, we’re looking for guys with big numbers, strong matchups, and with players around them that are likely to produce well, too, 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 your high-salary picks playing such a big role in your lineup, you need to be right on these guys, so let’s take a look at a few top-end options you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Gerrit Cole, P, New York Yankees ($11,200)

Friday brings us a full main slate, leaving us with a plethora of roster choices to consider. After revving up those engines for a big start following a COVID-19 break, Gerrit Cole makes for a good choice this evening.

Cole’s opponent, the Oakland Athletics, aren’t the easiest of matchups. Over the last month, they have been a middle-of-the-pack offense with a .313 wOBA and 20.1% strikeout rate. They don’t offer a lot of strikeout juice.

However, Cole ain’t your ordinary arm. He’s logged a 34.3% strikeout rate on the season to go with a microscopic 5.4% walk rate. He’s at the top of our projections and is a guy I’ll be locking in.

Brandon Lowe, 2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays ($3,900)

There’s definitely some folks on some heaters, and we gotta add Brandon Lowe to that mix right now.

Now up to 30 dingers on the season, the Tampa Bay Rays' second baseman has been absolutely sizzling at the dish, posting a massive 166 wRC+ at the plate so far in the second half. I guess that’ll play.

Oh and the opponent tonight? It’s Matt Harvey, who has allowed 1.43 homers per nine this season and owns a woeful 17.1% strikeout rate.

The Rays should mash – weather permitting – and Lowe figures to be a big part of it.

J.D Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox ($3,800)

It’s very easy to reconcile in your brain that platoon splits don’t matter. But when it’s J.D. Martinez against a lefty, they matter.

Let’s look at some short and long term splits. This season, he boasts a strong 107 wRC+ with the platoon advantage, and for his career, he’s logged a 151 wRC+ and gaudy .953 OPS in the split.

Logan Allen of the Cleveland Indians has been walloped this year. In 22 2/3 MLB innings, he’s allowed an absurd 3.57 dingers per nine with a 13.9% strikeout rate, and his minor-league numbers aren’t good, either.

Martinez can certainly take full advantage. Expect him to be a heavily rostered player, but he is chalk worth swallowing.

Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

Using studs: how to fit them, when to use them and choosing the right size according to ground conditions

Every competitive rider should have a stud kit in their grooming box, and know which size studs to use and when. Tricia Price, a UKCC Level 3 eventing coach who has ridden round both Badminton and Burghley on a home-produced horse, explains what a stud kit should include, how they work, and when and why you might choose to use them.

Kitted out

Problem: What should a comprehensive stud kit contain?

Tricia says… A basic stud kit can start from as little as £25 and will contain a spanner, a tool to clean out stud holes and normally four road studs. These are small, shallow studs that can be square or hexagonal in shape and are used to give a horse extra grip on good ground.

There will also be a selection of eight pointed and square studs. You can then add more types of studs to this to build your kit.

A comprehensive kit will include a range of studs for using on hard or wet ground, and everything in between.

Useful extras

In addition, I have a very useful magnetic stud bowl and I use a safety stud tap. A traditional stud tap has a spanner at one end, while the other end is used for screwing the empty stud hole before putting in the stud.

The safety stud tap, however, has a shallow, round shape as opposed to a spanner which, if a horse fidgets and stands on the tap, means they are less likely to injure themselves.

My kit also contains an adjustable spanner and either cotton wool or plastic plugs for packing the holes. Keeping stud holes clean and ready use, saves a lot of time on competition day!

Finding the balance

Problem: Can using studs affect a horse’s way of going? Can they become reliant on them and stop being able to balance when they are taken away?

Tricia says… I have never had an issue with a horse getting too used to wearing studs. I believe they will only improve a horse’s confidence, especially in slippery conditions.

On good ground, horses are able to balance themselves if ridden in a balanced way. Likewise, studs will not prevent a horse losing confidence if not ridden correctly. Horses cope well hunting without studs but this tends to involve less tight turning.

It is worth using studs for competition jumping, especially when speed and tighter turns may be involved.

When to use them

Problem: Do you need studs to compete at unaffiliated or low level events? How do you fit them?

Tricia says… Having had one of my worst-ever falls when a borrowed horse who did not have studs in slipped over on the flat on firm ground in the warm-up area, I am a huge believer in using studs at all levels when competing on grass. I think the benefits and confidence a horse gains are important, as long as appropriate studs are used in different ground conditions.

As soon as we start competing on grass, I get my farrier to put two stud holes in each shoe. I soak cotton wool in oil or use plastic stud plugs and plug them so they don’t get clogged up with mud or stones.

The night before a competition, I always check the stud holes are clean as there is nothing worse than struggling to get them clean after you arrive.

Some people only use one hole per shoe, but I think it is better for the horse’s balance to have two. The choice is yours.

Selecting the right size

Problem: How many and what type of studs should be used on hard ground, and after rain on hard ground?

Tricia says… For firm summer ground, small pointed studs or road studs in front and larger pointed ones behind are best. Smaller studs in front avoid unnecessary jarring on the horse’s front legs as the balance of the foot is altered as it hits the ground at a different angle. Larger studs are used behind as there is not the same impact as on the front feet, so they can be used to help prevent slipping. The wetter the ground, the larger the stud.

Protecting from injury

In order to prevent a horse catching itself I tend to put a slightly smaller stud on the inside and a bigger one on the outside. Studs are normally either square or hexagonal and used on the outside of the shoe, or blunter rectangular shapes which can be used on the inside where horses can knock themselves.

I would always recommend using a stud girth when jumping a horse in studs.

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Studs and Duds from Jets' preseason Week 2 win over Packers

It’s just the preseason, but the Jets have themselves a winning streak.

New York notched its second win of the preseason against the Packers on Saturday, defeating Green Bay, 23-14. Zach Wilson led the Jets to a 17-14 halftime lead with two touchdowns and New York’s reserve defense pitched a shutout in the second half to keep the Kurt Benkert-led Packers’ offense at bay.

Here are the studs and duds from Gang Green’s preseason Week 2 triumph.