3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 5/3/19

Clayton Kershaw, P, Los Angeles Dodgers

Price: $11,300

Even though he fanned eight and dealt seven innings in his last game, the Chris Sale red flags are back. His fastball velocity in that game was his second-lowest in of his outings in 2019, and the apparent bounce-back on April 16 is looking more like an aberration, as his velocity has fallen in each of his two games since then. So with those concerns, we can instead look to Clayton Kershaw as our top high-priced pitching option.

Kershaw's sporting a terrific 3.04 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) through three starts this season. That's a small sample, but considering his marks of 3.45 and 3.04 in the last two seasons, even some regression isn't likely to pull that mark up too high.

After posting a 23.9% strikeout rate last year -- his lowest since 2008 and well below his 27.6% career-average -- he's showing some early signs of a bounce-back on that front. Three games isn't enough of a sample to get excited about his 28.8% strikeout rate, but it is backed up by a 13.0% swinging-strike rate, which is also a solid step up from the 11.0% mark he posted in 2018.

Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers come into this game as -152 favorites, and the San Diego Padres boast a slate-worst 3.21-run implied total.

The Padres are striking out at the third-highest rate in the Majors, and with that encouraging swinging-strike rate, Kershaw should be in for another strong fantasy outing here.