Congratulations to Ichiro! Truly one of the best hitters of all time, and seemingly one of the most respectful and grateful players off all time as well. I can't wait to see him hit 3,000 hits in his MLB career.

With just a small, spread out three games making up the early slate, I'll be focusing on the seven main games on Thursday. We have some interesting pitching prices that make this night oddly tricky. Let's see if we can break it down.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball MLB lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/16/16. 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.

 

DFS Lineup Stacks to Target on DraftKings

Boston Red Sox vs. Tyler Wilson

I am torn on whether this stack or a Baltimore stack against Eduardo Rodriguez is the best of the day, and Vegas' 9.5 o/u agrees with me. Both teams warrant stacking. Wilson is facing a nightmare lineup that has a combo of solid contact and power upside throughout. David Ortiz is very expensive, but he makes sense. The same goes for Mookie Betts. Now might be a good time to capitalize on Hanley Ramirez's depressed price. Travis Shaw and Jackie Bradley Jr. are fine bets for production too. Take your pick here.

Washington Nationals vs. Erik Johnson

The Nats travel to San Diego to take on Johnson and company. This should be a blowout. Ryan Zimmerman is my favorite sneaky part of this stack. He struggles mightily against the Cubs, so he'll be looking to snap out of it here. Bryce Harper, Wilson Ramos, and Daniel Murphy are good choices for expensive options. Anthony Rendon is still hitting the ball hard, and should be in line for a few RBI on Thursday.

Also Consider: Baltimore Orioles vs. Eduardo Rodriguez

 

DFS Starting Pitchers to Consider on DraftKings

Justin Verlander, DET at KC - $11,600

Verlander is by far the most expensive pitcher on the board, and it makes sense, as he's significantly better than the other pitchers available. Still, I can't completely wrap my mind around this price. Sure, he's been amazing lately, and the Royals haven't been the same offense we saw last year, but the following two pitchers have much better matchups. I'm fine with using Verlander in cash if you fall in love with some value bats, but I think I can build a better lineup without him.

Tanner Roark, WAS at SD - $10,300

Roark is also pretty expensive, but for him it's in terms of how reliable he is as a pitcher. The matchup is great without a doubt, but I still have nightmares of Roark implosions. Still, he has been dominant this season and especially of late, and the Nats should get him plenty of runs. If the price differential between Roark and this next pitcher wasn't so large, he would be my favorite pitcher on the slate. Regardless, he's a safe cash play with plenty of upside.

J.A. Happ, TOR at PHI - $7,300

Maybe DraftKings knows something we don't, because this price is absurd. Outside of a few poor starts against good offenses, Happ has been extremely effective this season. The contact he lets up is usually soft, and the occasional home run usually occurs with no one on base. I understand if you still can't trust this guy, but these are the matchups that make Happ worth using. He's my favorite pitcher on the day for both cash and tournaments, and it's not close. He should dominate the Phillies on Thursday.

 

DFS Infielders to Consider on DraftKings

Catcher (C)

Yasmani Grandal, LAD vs. MIL - $3,200

I like Grandal lately thanks to his ability to walk. He seems to draw at least one a game, and then you have his home run upside to go with it. Junior Guerra presents a good excuse to use Grandal.

Matt Wieters, BAL at BOS - $3,500

Wieters does a bit of walking himself, but I like him in tournaments thanks to the production that should be occurring around him. The Orioles should light up Eduardo Rodriguez, and Wieters has the chance to be right in the middle of the onslaught.

First Base (1B)

Ryan Zimmerman, WAS at SD - $3,500

After a rough series against Chicago, I'm banking on a big Zimmerman rebound in San Diego. He has an ideal lineup spot for RBI production, and Erik Johnson should be a nice opportunity for Zim to bounce back.

John Jaso, PIT at NYM - $3,000

Jaso is a stellar OBP hitter at the top of what should be an explosive lineup. Bartolo Colon lets up plenty of contact, so Jaso is a fine punt play that should provide a few hits/walks and a run or two.

Second Base (2B)

Daniel Murphy, WAS at SD - $5,000

No need for explanation here. If you have money to spend or are stacking the Nationals, Murphy provides a very high floor with a big upside to go with it.

Devon Travis, TOR at PHI - $3,500

Travis has seven hits in his last four games, and he's starting to hit laser line drives for extra bases. This is what the Blue Jays were waiting to see, and I'm fine with rolling with the hot hand here despite the tough matchup against Aaron Nola.

Shortstop (SS)

Corey Seager, LAD vs. MIL - $5,200

You can't possibly pay up for all of the studs, but I'm fine with this option too. Seager was hitless in his last two contests, so this smells like a bounce back game. Guerra provides a great matchup for the power hitting shortstop.

Eduardo Nunez, MIN vs. NYY - $4,500

C.C. Sabathia can't really be this good again, can he? Nunez is doing big things in the speed and power departments this season, and he price is beginning to reflect that. Still, I like his odds against a lefty in Sabathia, and he's almost on the same tier as Seager for a decent savings.

Third Base (3B)

Anthony Rendon, WAS at SD - $4,100

Unexciting results have depressed Rendon's price, but he's still hitting line drives consistently. The RBI chances should be plentiful on Thursday, and I'm willing to take advantage of the savings with this great hitter.

Travis Shaw, BOS vs. BAL - $3,900

Because of Shaw's lineup spot and inflated price, he may not be a popular pick among Boston stacks. If that's the case, he makes a great tournament option with big upside and a decent floor.

 

DFS Outfielders to Consider on DraftKings

Mookie Betts, BOS vs. BAL - $5,400

Mark Trumbo, BAL at BOS - $5,000

If you can fit them both, then great! However, these two should be the start to your stack. Betts might get on base five times, while three home runs seems oddly plausible for Trumbo these days.

Brett Gardner, NYY at MIN - $4,600

There's nothing quite like a Brett Gardner hot streak, and we're seeing one right now. Kyle Gibson lets up plenty of hard contact, so I'm banking on a multi-hit game with great peripheral stats from the Yankees' second hitter.

Justin Upton, DET at KC - $3,500

Upton is hitting balls hard, and the results are starting to show. He gets tons of RBI chances at the sixth spot in the Tigers' lineup, and he should be able to capitalize on at least one of them against Danny Duffy and the Royals.

 

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