5 Daily Fantasy Baseball Studs to Target on 5/11/16

Max Scherzer, P, Washington Nationals

FanDuel Price: $9,100

Max Scherzer hasn’t performed as well as he did last season, but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t an elite daily fantasy option. His strikeouts per nine innings rate has dropped from 10.86 to 9.63 and his walks per nine has increased from 1.34 to 3.14, which normally aren’t good signs.

However, his ground ball percentage and hard hit rates are in line with last year’s numbers. His swinging strike percentage is down from an unsustainable 15.3 percent to 12.6 percent, but it is still above his career average.

We can expect his 19.1 percent home run-to-fly ball rate to decrease soon enough, as it’s bloated by the four home runs he allowed to the Cubs in his last outing.

Despite his relative struggles, Scherzer has been consistent in the strikeout department -- he’s struck out six or more batters in all but one start this season, giving him a very high floor for cash games. Tonight, he’ll look to rack up more strikeouts as he faces the Detroit Tigers, who are 25th in strikeout percentage versus right-handed pitching at 24.4 percent.

Scherzer is a -165 Vegas favorite with a low game total of 7, and as only the fourth-highest priced pitching option on the main slate, he is an excellent value.