MLB

3 FanDuel MLB Hitters to Avoid on 9/16/16

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Sep 16th, 2016
Matt Kemp has been red-hot lately, but now against Max Scherzer on Friday night, it'a best to lay off the Braves' outfielder

As is the case in most daily fantasy sports, finding information on players you might want to roster is a lot easier than finding players to avoid.

While you can get away with a zero from a hitter in daily fantasy, you certainly don't want to target guys whose matchups aren't enticing.

Here are three hitters you may want to lessen your exposure to or even fade altogether on Friday.

Matt Kemp, OF, Atlanta Braves

FanDuel Price: $3,200

Matt Kemp has been surging over the last week and owns a seven-game hit streak heading into tonight. He is 12 for 29 with 3 homers, 5 RBI, and 7 runs scored during that stretch, while averaging 17.7 FanDuel points. However, tonight it may come crashing down for Kemp, as he runs up against Max Scherzer.

Scherzer has been dominant all season, and he is just the type of pitcher who can ruin Kemp’s recent hot streak. Righties have only a .196 wOBA and a 38 percent strikeout rate against Scherzer this season. With a 2.52 xFIP and a 26.2 hard-hit rate against righties this year, Scherzer makes Kemp’s prospects look unappealing.

Kemp has a .315 wOBA against right-handers overall this season, so with a battle with Scherzer looming, it’s definitely best to lay off Kemp. On top of that, in a career 38 plate appearances against the ace, Kemp has only 3 hits and a 26.3 strikeout rate.

Stephen Vogt, C, Oakland Athletics

FanDuel Price: $3,000

Stephen Vogt is coming off a five-RBI game against the Kansas City Royals last night, so even though he sometimes sits down against fellow left-handers, I doubt he sits down after last night’s performance. He has three doubles and seven RBI in his last four games, but tonight, he is up against Cole Hamels, so you won't want to chase his performance.

Vogt owns a .268 wOBA and a 22.5 strikeout rate against left-handers this season. He has a 27.5 percent hard-hit rate against southpaws and for his career, his isolated power against lefties is only .127.

Hamels bounced back last time out after two very poor outings prior to his last start, and a matchup with the Oakland Athletics -- who own an 85 wRC+ against lefties -- tonight is just what the doctor ordered. Lefties have just a .272 wOBA against Hamels, and the Texas Rangers’ southpaw has allowed only four homers to lefties this season.

James McCann, C, Detroit Tigers

FanDuel Price: $2,100

Another catcher who should probably be on the avoid list tonight is James McCann, who has to go up against Corey Kluber. McCann has posted two solid games over the last two nights and offers salary relief, but tonight against Kluber, it’s hard to see McCann putting up solid value.

McCann has only a .226 wOBA and a .067 isolated power against righties this season, with a 28.4 percent strikeout rate and a 26.1 percent hard-hit rate.

Kluber, on the other hand, has spent the entire season getting righties out. They have a .260 wOBA and a 29.1 percent strikeout rate against the Cleveland Indians’ ace this season, while Kluber has an excellent xFIP of 3.14 against righties. Don’t expect too much from the Detroit Tigers’ catcher tonight.