Thursday’s MLB schedule includes just 10 games, three in the daytime and seven at night.  Whether you’re playing in the afternoon, the evening or both, options will be limited in DraftKings daily fantasy contests.  With a reduced field of names to choose from, hitting on a few players’ big games becomes all the more important.

Here are five ideal lineup selections for July 9.

Afternoon

Nathan Karns, P ($8,400), at Kansas City Royals

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Considering Masahiro Tanaka and Jeff Samardzija are not putting up anything close to ace-like numbers at prices upward of $10,000, it’s a good bet to go with Nathan Karns for roughly $2,000 less.  Karns is averaging 16.5 fantasy points per game, 0.6 more than Samardzija and only 1.5 fewer than Tanaka.

Oddly enough, Karns is also performing much better on the road this season than at home:

Karns hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last five starts and has not surrendered a home run during that stretch.   

Alexei Ramirez, SS, Chicago White Sox ($3,200)

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Alexei Ramirez is posting a subpar .229 average and a .255 on-base percentage in 2015, but on Thursday, he has a few things going in his favor.  The 33-year-old is in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .500 in July with nine hits in 18 at-bats.

Ramirez also has a history of success against Toronto Blue Jays starter R.A. Dickey:

At a salary of $3,200, Ramirez is a mid-level priced shortstop with an excellent chance to produce at the same rate as his more expensive counterparts.

Evening

Cody Anderson, P ($6,300) vs. Houston Astros

Cody Anderson will make just his fourth career major league start, but his first three were remarkably consistent.  He lasted at least 7.2 innings on each occasion and didn’t give up more than a single earned run.  

Anderson’s fantasy scoring log reads 21.1, 22.8 and 22.9, for an average of 22.3.  Of all the pitchers taking the hill on Thursday, only Zack Greinke is averaging more, and he costs nearly double what Anderson does.

The rookie has also yielded just one walk in 23.2 innings.  Anderson faces an Astros squad batting .243, which ranks third lowest in the American League.

Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros ($4,600)

Rich Gagnon/Getty Images

As noted by MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Jose Altuve saw an impressive 14-game hitting streak come to an end on Tuesday:

Jose Altuve’s 14-game hitting streak is the longest in the AL currently. He’s hitting .375 in that stretch.

— Brian McTaggart ⚾️ (@brianmctaggart) July 7, 2015

On Wednesday, Altuve was right back at it, with a hit, a run scored and a stolen base.  The Astros second baseman has eight steals in his last 14 games while lifting his batting average from .285 to .299.

Altuve has posted double-digit fantasy points in six of his past 10 outings, including a combined 46 points in a two-game stretch last week.

Juan Uribe, 3B, Atlanta Braves ($4,100)

Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

Juan Uribe has seven home runs in 2015, but four of them have come since June 26.  Uribe has hit safely in 10 of 11 games in that time, raising his season average from .268 to .282.

On Thursday, Uribe faces Colorado Rockies starter Kyle Kendrick, who is 3-10 with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP this year.  Kendrick has also surrendered 23 home runs in 17 starts, the most of any pitcher in baseball.  Uribe is 5-for-10 in his career against Kendrick, with a home run and two RBI.

Having the game take place at hitter-friendly Coors Field is an added bonus.

All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.

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