MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Hitters to Avoid on 9/2/16

Jordan Sharp  —  @TehSharp Sep 2nd, 2016
Jayson Werth has been red-hot lately, but he is up against Noah Syndergaard on Friday in a matchup you'll want to avoid.

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.

Jayson Werth, OF, Washington Nationals

FanDuel Price: $3,200

Jayson Werth has been sending the ball over the fence a lot recently. He has four homers in his last six games, including one on Wednesday in the Washington Nationals’ most recent game. However, tonight the Nationals and Werth have to face off against Noah Syndergaard in a matchup you will surely want to jump off the Werth train for.

Syndergaard has been devastating against righties, with a .256 wOBA and a 30.1% strikeout rate this season. Syndergaard has a nice 2.40 xFIP against righties this season, with just a 25.2% hard-hit rate.

While Werth has been hot lately, his overall splits against righties are lacking. He has just a .304 wOBA and 24.4% strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers this season. His isolated power falls to just .163 against them, and in his career against Syndergaard, he is just 2-for-11 with 5 strikeouts.

Justin Upton, OF, Detroit Tigers

FanDuel Price: $3,100

Another player getting hot at the right time for his team is Justin Upton, who has five homers in his last 10 games and has posted double-digit FanDuel points in seven of his last 10 games. However, tonight he and the Detroit Tigers are up against Danny Duffy. While Duffy has been much better against lefties, Upton has shown he is susceptible to getting out against southpaws more than righties this season.

Upton has a .292 wOBA and a 31.0% strikeout rate against left-handers this season, and his on base percentage falls to .297.

Duffy has held righties to a .304 wOBA and a 23.8% strikeout rate this season. If Upton isn’t getting ahold of one in this game, it’s hard to see him reaching value.

Marcell Ozuna, OF, Miami Marlins

FanDuel Price: $2,700

Marcell Ozuna was not in the lineup on Thursday and is considered day-to-day with his wrist injury. If he is back in the lineup on Friday night, it’s still a night where you’ll want to avoid the Miami Marlins’ outfielder as they are up against Carlos Carrasco.

Carrasco has been a key part of the Cleveland Indians’ rotation since coming off the disabled list, and he has been dominant against righties. Right-handed hitters have a .272 wOBA, a 25.9% strikeout rate, and a 4.7% walk rate against Carrasco this season.

Ozuna, on the other hand, has a .316 wOBA against righties this season. His isolated power is cut in half to .162 against righties, while his OPS also falls over 200 points to .736 against righty pitchers. Even if he is back in the lineup tonight, it’s best to leave him off your DFS rosters.