A slow Thursday is the perfect opportunity to practice good form with our top daily fantasy baseball picks.

Daily fantasy baseball is a bit different from other daily fantasy sports, as value changes on a nightly basis due to many factors. We’ll discuss all of these variables throughout the season, but for today we’ll hone in on lineup cards specifically and how they affect our top daily fantasy baseball picks.

In other daily fantasy sports we’re often left waiting until the last minute to see which game-time decisions will suit up. It’s an exercise in anxiety during the last hour, and it requires a constant social media vigilance to ensure your lineups aren’t train-wrecked. In daily fantasy baseball, lineup cards are released well in advance of lineups locking in most cases. The exception to this is the late games, but for the most part you have a reliable list of the players who will be taking the field each night. A new item of importance is introduced with the batting order though, as players batting higher in the order and surrounded by other talented hitters are far more likely to succeed. The reasons for this are twofold. The higher a player is in the order the more likely they are to receive an extra at-bat, and the more protected they are by other talented hitters. Pitchers must maintain extreme caution when pitching through the heart of the order, and a hitter is much more likely to see strikes as allowing them to reach base on balls is devastating.

Keep the batting order in mind when you select your top daily fantasy baseball picks tonight.

Five Guys Top Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks

Jenrry Mejia $7,700 - The Braves lineup is far from intimidating, and Jenrry can rack up K’s quickly. The pitching options are slim this evening, and Mejia’s price tag is an extreme salary relief that allows you to load your lineup with high upside bats.

Dioner Navarro $6,800 - Catcher is not a position we often pay up for, and there’s simply no reason to splurge tonight. Navarro has been swinging a mean stick recently, and the Jays are expected to pile on the runs tonight. If you want an additional piece of the predicted fireworks he’s your best chance without breaking the bank.

Carlos Beltran $10,450 - Beltran broke out of his early-season mini-slump in a huge way last night, going 3-for-3 with 55 fantasy points. Tonight I expect big things from the entire Yankees roster, as Clay Buchholz has looked questionable at best to start the season.

Cliff Lee $15,000 - Lee recovered nicely from an opening day shellacking by dominating the Cubs last outing. He still allowed 10 hits in that appearance, but on a short slate with no clear-cut stud ace on the mound you’ll need to gamble somewhere. Lee stands as the likeliest pitcher to turn in a quality outing this evening.

Jose Bautista $13,350 - Joey Bats is on fire to start the season, and I don’t see any reason why he can’t hold serve in tonight’s high-scoring festivities.