MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 5/16/18

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Chris Sale, P, Boston Red Sox

Price: $11,400

Chris Sale's start to the 2018 season has been right in line with what he has shown us over the past few seasons. That is to say it's been outstanding.

Over nine starts, the lefty ace has a stellar 2.54 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), which comes with a huge 34.2% strikeout rate and career-low 4.8% walk rate. He is also on pace for a career-best 16.7% swinging-strike rate, after notching a career-high 14.9% in 2017. Sale's last two starts have seen him post 12 and 15 strikeouts, respectively, and he topped 60 FanDuel points in both of those outings.

Tonight he draws a good matchup against the Oakland Athletics, and their 3.12 implied total is the day's lowest, while the Boston Red Sox are also Wednesday's biggest favorites (-260 moneyline). Add in the fact that Oakland strikes out at an above-average rate against southpaws (23.0%), and Sale's ceiling is massive here.

The only real competition for the top pitching spot on this slate is Max Scherzer. His numbers have been even better than Sale's this season, but he draws a much tougher matchup against a New York Yankees team that's excelled against righties, giving Sale the edge.