3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/9/18

Max Scherzer, P, Washington Nationals

Price: $12,600

The only game that oddsmakers project to be more one-sided than tonight's Nationals-Braves matchup is the Cleveland-Detroit game, and that one is in the afternoon, so not on the main slate for fantasy purposes on Monday.

The Nationals are huge favorites at -234, and the Braves have an ugly 3.02 implied total. The Atlanta offense is off to a hot start this season, but over a small sample, that looks a lot like variance so far. Their .325 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) ranks second in the majors, and that mark looks to be hugely unsustainable when you consider their 29th-ranked hard-hit rate (25.7%) and middle of the pack soft-hit rate (19.5%).

If we're expecting them to regress, there aren't many spots better for that to happen than in a matchup with Max Scherzer.

Scherzer ranked third among qualifying pitchers with a 2.98 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) in 2017, while his 34.4% strikeout rate ranked second. He's on a very similar pace to start the 2018 season, with a 2.32 SIERA and 35.4% strikeout rate through two starts, while his swinging-strike rate (a stat that stabilizes more quickly than strikeout rate) sits at a huge 18.6%. When we combine that small sample with his proven elite fantasy production in 2017, it's a safe bet that he will continue to be one of the top arms in fantasy for the remainder of the year.