A high number of day games will likely separate daily fantasy baseball competitors into different contests Thursday, but there are top options to be found no matter where you look.

Going by DraftKings, there will be early contests containing the first six games of the day and late contests with the final six. In order to give you a leg up on either, here are some quality picks for both options.

Pitchers (Early)

Madison Bumgarner, San Francisco Giants ($10,500)

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Fans will be treated to a show Thursday when Madison Bumgarner matches up against Clayton Kershaw in a pitcher’s duel between two of the best in the sport. They both can expect big games in a ballpark that has allowed the fewest home runs in baseball this season, according to ESPN.

However, Bumgarner has been more consistent than his counterpart lately (2.33 ERA in three May starts compared to 5.03 ERA for Kershaw in that same stretch). Add this to being much cheaper than Kershaw ($12,400), and Bumgarner is a better pick.

J.A. Happ, Seattle Mariners ($7,100)

There aren’t too many great value picks on the board, but J.A. Happ qualifies thanks to his solid play this season. He is currently 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA, which would be much better without his six-run stumble against the Houston Astros.

Other than that one slip-up, though, Happ hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a start and should be fine against the Baltimore Orioles.

Pitchers (Late)

Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians ($9,300)

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Even after a dreadful last start where he allowed seven runs (five earned) in just 4.2 innings, Danny Salazar remains the top options thanks to his ability to strike people out. He has 52 strikeouts in 37.2 innings this year, a rate of 12.43 per nine innings that would lead the majors if he had enough innings to qualify.

These numbers help him turn even poor outings into solid fantasy efforts, although he should be fine against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday.

R.A. Dickey, Toronto Blue Jays ($6,200)

This represents a good high-risk, high-reward play for those in tournaments. R.A. Dickey is coming off two poor outings, but the knuckleballer is always capable of pitching a gem if his control is on, like it was earlier in the month against the New York Yankees (one run and three hits allowed in eight innings).

Dickey is tough to beat when you haven’t faced him often, which is the case with the Los Angeles Angels. According to ESPN, the current players on the roster have just a .176 batting average against the veteran, with only Matt Joyce totaling more than 11 at-bats.

The confusion with the knuckleball can keep the Angels cold at the plate.

Hitters (Early)

Adam Jones, OF, Baltimore Orioles ($4,400)

Mike Carlson/Associated Press

While J.A. Happ remains a quality option overall, Adam Jones is still a threat to have a big game against the Mariners starter. The All-Star has crushed lefties all year long and is simply too consistent of a producer to pass up at this price.

There is value to be had at both spots in this contest.

Matt Carpenter, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals ($4,100)

Another value play for the afternoon contests is Matt Carpenter, who has been one of the top fantasy options throughout the season. He has always hit for average, but Carpenter has recently shown a lot more power to help boost his stock.

With New York Mets starter Jacob deGrom allowing an embarrassing .330 batting average to lefties this season, Carpenter should be able to take advantage with some big hits.

Hitters (Late)

Josh Donaldson, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays ($4,500)

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

Both Edwin Encarnacion ($4,800) and Jose Bautista ($4,700) are going for more money on DraftKings, but Josh Donaldson has been by far the most consistent of the group while combining both power and batting average.

Although his move to the leadoff spot might reduce RBI chances, the increased opportunity for runs and extra at-bats keep him a great option.

Shin-Soo Choo, OF, Texas Rangers ($4,000)

After a poor April, Shin-Soo Choo has been red-hot in May to help push his average back over the Mendoza Line. While you still don’t want to play him against lefties, he has been just fine against right-handed pitchers during this stretch. 

He should be prepared for some quality at-bats against Boston’s wildly inconsistent Clay Buchholz. 

Note: All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com. 

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