Instead of just giving you one lineup for the DraftKings Team of the Day, I thought it would be helpful to give you options in various price ranges at each position. I like to spend big on pitching and find value at the plate, but if you like to do things differently, you can do so with these recommendations. But I have included asterisks next to the names of players on my team for the day.

I’m playing in the Daily Dollar today, which you can sign up for here. And don’t forget to get your deposit bonus here.

Starting Pitchers

Luxury pick: Stephen Strasburg* ǀ $10,500 ǀ vs. Milwaukee – You wouldn’t know it from his player rater number on ESPN (2.11 over the last 30 days), but Strasburg has been as beastly as ever this year. He has a 2.41 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 24.3% strikeout rate, and 51.7% groundball rate. Unfortunately, he’s only getting 2.60 runs of support per game, which is the lowest among all qualified starters. But a win on DraftKings is only worth four points, so it’s not imperative that a pitcher get one to have a good day. The most important factors are that Strasburg is pitching well (sub-2.00 ERA in May/June), and his match up isn’t a bad one (the Brewers are 22^nd in wRC+ vs. RHP).

Reasonable and reliable pick: Patrick Corbin* ǀ $8,500 ǀ @ Mets – Corbin wasn’t as good in June as he was in April and May, but he was still pretty damn good. He posted a 3.05 ERA with a 3.81 xFIP. His K% and GB% were down, but his control was still great. There may be some more regression coming, but it’s unlikely that the Mets take on the form of the regression monster. The Mets have the 7^th worst wRC+ vs. LHP and the 5^th highest K% vs. LHP.

Cheapest guy I could pick: Corey Kluber ǀ $6,400 ǀ @ Kansas City – I’ve talked a lot about Kluber recently because I’m an absolute sucker for good strikeout and walk rates. And Kluber has them. His K% is 23.2%, and his BB% is 4.4%, which gives him a ridiculously good K%-BB% of 18.8. Today he’ll face the Royals who are the 4^th worst team vs. RHP like Kluber (according to wRC+).

A quick note on how I pick hitters before we get to the lineup. My basic strategy when picking hitters is very simple. I’m looking for a guy I know is capable of being a good hitter who is facing a bad pitcher of the opposite handedness. And if the hitter happens to have been performing well lately, or if the game is in a favorable ballpark for hitters, that’s a bonus. If I name a player below, you can (almost always) assume he meets these criteria. I’ll only highlight a few of the selections rather than repeating the same analysis for each player.

Catcher

Luxury pick: Joe Mauer ǀ $4,600 ǀ vs. Phil Hughes

Reasonable and reliable pick: Matt Wieters ǀ $3,800 ǀ vs. John Danks – Wieters is a switch-hitter who fares much better from the right side, which is where he’ll be hitting from against left-hander Jordan Danks today.

Cheapest guy I could pick: Miguel Montero* ǀ $3,400 ǀ vs. Scott Feldman

First Basemen

Luxury pick: Joey Votto ǀ $5,000 ǀ vs. Tim Lincecum

Reasonable and reliable pick: Eric Hosmer* ǀ $4,100 ǀ vs. Corey Kluber –I don’t like to pick hitters that will be facing pitchers I recommend. But to avoid a hitter just because I’m also picking the pitcher he is facing is bad strategy. It’s as bad as not starting a stud receiver in fantasy football because he’s matched up against the defense that you own. But I watch these games every night and don’t like having mixed interests. I want to root for something. But Hosmer is on fire, and the price is too good.

Cheapest guy I could pick: Matt Adams ǀ $3,500 ǀ vs. Jered Weaver

Second Basemen

Luxury pick: Jason Kipnis ǀ $5,900 ǀ vs. Luis Mendoza – We are all fully aware that no one is hotter than Yasiel Puig right now. Puig has a 234 wRC+ over the last 30 days. But Kipnis is the closest thing to as hot as Yasiel Puig as he has a 231 wRC+ over the last 30.

Reasonable and reliable pick: Matt Carpenter* ǀ $4,200 ǀ vs. Jered Weaver

Cheapest guy I could pick: Derek Dietrich ǀ $3,100 ǀ vs. Kris Medlen

Third Basemen

Luxury pick: Manny Machado ǀ $4,900 ǀ vs. John Danks

Reasonable and reliable pick: Pedro Alvarez ǀ $4,200 ǀ vs. Jonathan Pettibone

Cheapest guy I could pick: Ryan Roberts* ǀ $2,300 ǀ vs. Erik Bedard – Roberts was demoted when Wil Myers got the call, but he’s back up with Evan Longoria ailing. He got the start at 3B last night and hit a home run off lefty Dallas Keuchel. It doesn’t seem like Longoria will be ready to play the field today, so I expect Roberts to get the start against another Houston left-hander. If you’re not comfortable with Roberts or if he doesn’t start, Danny Valencia is a decent cheap option ($3,500). He’s the third Baltimore right-hander I’ve mentioned facing the left-handed Danks.

Shortstops

Luxury pick: Hanley Ramirez ǀ $6,900 ǀ vs. Roy Oswalt

Reasonable and reliable pick: J.J. Hardy* ǀ $4,000 ǀ vs. John Danks – Hey look! Another Oriole righty against John Danks!

Cheapest guy I could pick: Yunel Escobar ǀ $3,700 ǀ vs. Erik Bedard

Outfielders

Luxury picks:

Adam Jones ǀ $5,200 ǀ vs. John Danks – No one is starting Danks tomorrow, right?

Nelson Cruz* ǀ $4,900 ǀ vs. Joe Saunders

Reasonable and reliable picks:

Wil Myers* ǀ $4,000 ǀ vs. Erik Bedard

Jay Bruce* ǀ $4,000 ǀ vs. Tim Lincecum

Cheapest guys I could pick:

Zoilo Almonte ǀ $2,700 ǀ vs. Samuel Deduno

David Lough ǀ $3,400 ǀ vs. Corey Kluber – I’ve been riding Lough for awhile now. He hits from the left side, so he’s on the good side of a platoon situation in Kansas City, and he’s made the most of the playing time. Over the last 30 days he’s hitting .322 with a couple of homers, a steal, 11 runs, and 11 RBI. He started out going for about $2,700 a day. Then he was at $3,000 for awhile. But even at $3,400 he’s still a nice cheap option.