3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 4/9/18

Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays

FanDuel Price: $4,300

Josh Donaldson has reportedly been dealing with a dead arm, but it's hard to tell from his numbers at the plate as he has already cranked a pair of home runs this season. However, one of the metrics that stabilizes the quickest, swinging-strike rate, has not been kind of Donaldson early on. His swinging-strike rate (the percent of pitches Donaldson sees that he swings and misses on) is the highest mark of his career. Whether this is related to the injury or just age, this is a concern.

But the bigger problem for Donaldson on Monday is his matchup against Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy. Bundy broke through last season, but he faded down the stretch. Some may chalk this up to the league figuring him out and making adjustments, but it could have been fatigue as he threw 60 more innings in 2017 than he ever had before in a single season.

With the season just getting under way, Bundy is looking sharp as he represents an imposing matchup for opposing hitters. Bundy has a 16.7% swinging-strike rate and 2.78 SIERA, both excellent marks, so far this year. Also, Bundy is tough on right-handed hitters, striking out 26.2% of the right-handed batters he has faced in his career.

Bundy obviously won't end the season with an ERA under 1.00, but his early-season success is more than legitimate. Donaldson, especially with uncertain health as his swinging-strike rate increases, is not worth paying up for in this particular matchup.