3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 9/13/18

Clayton Kershaw, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

Price: $11,500

Saying that Clayton Kershaw is a stud pitcher to target on this slate doesn't mean a whole lot, because he is the stud pitcher on the slate -- the only one priced above $8,600. That's not to say that he isn't a strong play tonight; just that he's not the "jam him in your lineup in all formats" kind of stud we often have here.

His strikeout numbers are down significantly this year, but his 24.6% strikeout rate still isn't a bad mark by any stretch, and it comes with an 11.4% swinging-strike rate and only a 3.9% walk rate. Similarly, his skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) isn't as impressive as we were once accustomed to seeing from him, but a 3.29 mark is still very good.

His matchup tonight doesn't do him any favors, but it also might not be as bad as it looks on the surface. The St. Louis Cardinals rank 7th in wRC+ (104) and only strike out at the 19th-highest rate in the Majors (21.9%) against southpaws. If we just look at current active rosters, though, accounting for injuries and roster moves throughout the season, their wRC+ falls to 97 (12th) and their strikeout rate climbs to 22.9% (9th).

In this brutal matchup with Kershaw, the Cardinals' 3.24 implied total is also the day's lowest.