I'll tell you what, most days I wake up wishing I was an MLB player. This morning, I'm just glad that I'm no Michael Taylor. Five strikeouts and the game-ending error on a ground ball under his glove in center field. Ouch. With a fairly split day today, we have two slates to potentially worry about. So, half of my picks will be designated for the early slate (four games), and half will be designated for the main slate (five games). Let's get to it.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/23/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from high-priced to low-priced options and identify options who will out-perform their expectations, including sleepers and value plays on DraftKings.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium MLB Subscription for only $1.99 per week. We have all the tools to help win your seasonal and daily leagues: Hitter & Pitcher Streamers, Matchup Ratings for every player, Sleeper Surgers for AVG, HR, Ks, PLUS Daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids. 

 

DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings

Detroit Tigers vs. Adrian Sampson

The early slate doesn't offer much in terms of stacking. The Red Sox are certainly an option (as you'll see below), but James Shields is bound to have a decent outing eventually, right? Speaking of the Red Sox, that's who Sampson started his first and only MLB game against, and needless to say he struggled. While this stack would be much more appealing if Sampson were a southpaw and J.D. Martinez weren't injured, the Tigers are still a very good hitting team and the Mariners' young pitcher is still very mediocre. Miguel Cabrera is the expensive stud in the stack, and you have a plethora of big upside options in players like Ian Kinsler, Cameron Maybin, Nick Castellanos, Steven Moya, and Justin Upton. James McCann at catcher is a fine way to save some money in this stack, as he should be able to get on base a couple of times.

Chicago Cubs vs. Wei-Yin Chen

The late slate offers two intriguing options in terms of stacking. One comes from Coors Field (look below), but the other is the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs were swept by the Cardinals earlier this week, so you can imagine they're not a happy group of ball players. Chen is a lefty who lets up a ton of hits, so Joe Madden will certainly switch up the lineup to match that. My first looks at this stack will be Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Willson Contreras/David Ross. The lineup itself will determine who else, if anyone, I might want to include.

Also Consider: Boston Red Sox vs. James Shields, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Eddie Butler

 

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings

Jerad Eickhoff, PHI at MIN - $9,400

There isn't much I feel good about in terms of pitching on Thursday afternoon, so Eickhoff is kind of my best-of-the-worst pick. Still, he's shown plenty of upside before. And while the Twins have been hitting better lately, I still don't buy them as anything more than an average-to-bad offense. While is high price is tough to swallow, I don't think there are any other safe paths to take. For your second spot, you might as well throw a dart. Rick Porcello is the most skilled, and he'll probably be my pick, but the White Sox can hit anybody when they decide they want to.

Jon Lester, CHC at MIA - $11,700

Speaking of high prices, Lester's cost is pretty insane. However, he is the cash game play of the day, and I don't think you can fade him if you are in a head-to-head or 50/50 contest. Even in a tournament, he might strike out so many Marlins that you'll fall behind without him. There are enough value bats that can formulate a good team for Thursday with Lester as your ace.

Matt Harvey, NYM at ATL - $8,100

Here's a tricky one. Harvey very well may end up with the highest raw score of all pitchers on Thursday. Yet, his price is staggeringly low. I guess the idea is that he let up four runs and a bunch of hits to this same team about a weak ago. Still, the Braves have proven to us that they're a bad offense, as evidenced by Adam Conley's dominance yesterday. I think Harvey is a fairly safe cash play with huge tournament upside, despite the fact that he'll probably be highly owned.

 

DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings

Catcher (C)

James McCann, DET vs. SEA - $2,900

McCann should be in the lineup after getting the day off yesterday, so I think he's a fine, cheap play at catcher on a day in which the Tigers should score a bunch of runs. He's been getting on base once or twice a game recently, and that mini power upside always lurks in the back of his game.

Nick Hundley, COL vs. ARI - $2,800

Hundley has been flashing his home run power lately, and this price is way too low for the Rockies' catcher at home. Don't think twice on the main slate.

First Base (1B)

John Jaso, PIT vs. SF - $3,200

If you can't pay up for Miguel Cabrera on the early slate, I like Jaso. He gets a mediocre righty in Albert Suarez, and he's been hitting the ball hard in the past couple of games. Jaso has always been a high OBP guy, and his power shows up every once in a while, as it did last night.

Will Myers, SDP at CIN - $5,400

There isn't much to pay down for at first base on the main slate, so you're stuck with either Paul Goldschmidt or this guy. Myers gives you the stolen base potential along with the power upside in a good park. He also gets a lefty, but I can understand going either way here.

Second Base (2B)

Andres Blanco, PHI at MIN - $3,500

After a big game yesterday, Blanco's ownership may be fairly high. Still, he gets a similar matchup with Ricky Nolasco, so I don't mind paying down here instead of someone like Ian Kinsler if you go elsewhere with the Tigers stack.

Brandon Phillips, CIN vs. SDP - $3,500

Phillips has been in a home run drought recently, but he's still getting on base at a decent rate in the past couple of weeks. Christian Friedrich could be the answer to his problems though, as Phillips has had success against mediocre lefties this season.

Shortstop (SS)

Jordy Mercer, PIT vs. SF - $2,800

Mercer has been crushing more than just lefties recently, as he extended his seven-game hitting streak with a pinch hit single last night. He should be in the lineup today barring an injury we don't know about, and Suarez provides a nice opportunity to keep that hit streak going.

Javier Baez, CHC at MIA - $3,800

Baez has been crushing lefties to the tune of a .357 batting average this season, so his matchup against Chen is perfect for the main slate. Thank DraftKings for keeping him at shortstop this long.

Third Base (3B)

Maikel Franco, PHI at MIN - $3,400

Franco has been slumping hard, but the power is still there. He makes for a good GPP play just because there's always a chance for a home run or two.

Eugenio Suarez, CIN vs. SDP - $3,900

Suarez had been much colder than Phillips prior to his two-hit game last night that included a three-run homer and a stolen base. However, the appeal here is very similar to Phillips'. Suarez presents more risk due to his strikeout rate, but he's a nice, cheaper alternative to the pricey Kris Bryant.

 

DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings

Nelson Cruz, SEA at DET - $4,500

Cruz crushes lefties every year, and this one has been no different. Daniel Norris is a good young prospect, but he's not polished enough for batters like Cruz to be worried. This is a great deal for this matchup.

Gregory Polanco, PIT vs. SF - $4,500

Polanco had one of his three-hit games last night that included a three-run homer. He gets an even better matchup today against Suarez. The stolen base potential is still there too. Fire him up.

Melky Cabrera, CHW at BOS - $2,700

I'm not sure how, but this guy keeps on hitting. I don't love his matchup, but the price is way too low for a solid contact hitter with a bit of power in the middle of the White Sox lineup. Go here if you need to save some cash.

Matt Kemp, SDP at CIN - $4,900

Kemp is seeing the ball really, really well right now, and his DK price reflects it. Still, like Cruz, he crushes lefties, and John Lamb is not overpowering. Use Kemp here if you have extra cash.

Max Kepler, MIN vs. PHI - $2,700

Kepler has been showing up Byron Buxton at the plate, as the young prospect now has an eight-game hitting streak with a home run and two stole bases in that span. The matchup against Eickhoff isn't great, but I can see Kepler getting on base a time or two in this one.

 

Full Season MLB & DFS Premium Pass

Get a Premium Pass for the entire MLB season - including the playoffs - for only $29.99. That's Premium access to over 10 tools, and over 20 valuable resources, for one incredible price. Here's a taste of what you get:

• DFS lineup picks and cheat sheets for FanDuel and DraftKings - seven days a week
• Three expert lineups: FanDuel, DraftKings, and Stack of the Day - seven days a week
• Top DFS value plays, avoids and injury updates - seven days a week
• Lineup tools: daily premium hitter and pitcher matchup ratings

All of this for just $29.99... it's simply the best deal around. No other site offers this type of deal. What are you waiting for?

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room