When building a daily fantasy baseball lineup on FanDuel, nailing the high-salary players is crucial to come out ahead of the pack.

For hitters, we want players with the capacity to put up big numbers, those with favorable matchups, and with a strong supporting cast that can increase their chances for runs and RBI. Looking at pitchers, strikeouts are king -- although, inning-eaters and win potential can't be ignored.

The high-salary picks are the backbone of your lineups, so we don't want to mess around. Let's take a look at some of the top high-salary players for today's main slate on FanDuel, which begins at 7:05 p.m. EST.

Cody Bellinger, OF/1B, Chicago Cubs ($4,200)

We've got one of the shortest of the summer tonight with just three games counting toward the main DFS contest. Still, there are a few key studs I'm honing in on -- starting with Cody Bellinger.

Bellinger is the highest-salaried hitter tonight but that's for good reason. The 2019 MVP is one of the hottest players in baseball and gets a strong matchup against a pitcher he and the Chicago Cubs put five runs on just last weekend.

Bellinger has flipped a switch this month. In 21 July games, he's posted a .489 wOBA -- recording 12 multi-hit games and raising his batting average by 50 points in the process.

He's filled up the box score over that span, driving in 24 runs while blasting 8 home runs compared to just 9 strikeouts. He's been the driving force behind baseball's highest-scoring offense since the All-Star break -- one which has another solid matchup tonight against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cubs match up with righty Miles Mikolas. Mikolas has output a few quality starts this season but he's allowed a .288 expected batting average -- a mark in the bottom 5% of pitchers.

Bellinger should have ample opportunities to put the ball in play and generate runs considering Mikolas' measly 15.8% strikeout rate. Bellinger's own 10% strikeout rate this month only further bolsters that case.

Bellinger has faired well against righties all season, collecting a .349 wOBA. Busch Stadium has a relatively neutral park factor, while Bellinger had no trouble making contact against Mikolas just last weekend, collecting a hit and driving in three in three at-bats.

numberFire projects Bellinger for 10.0 FanDuel points tonight. Having eclipsed 15 in four of his last five games, 10 feels like his floor -- especially with the Cubs having the second-highest implied team total of the slate at 4.57 runs.

Cody Bellinger is a top target in any DFS lineup tonight.

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians ($3,900)

For as good as Cody Bellinger has been this month, he doesn't carry numberFire's highest projection tonight.

That honor belongs to Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez, who numberFire projects for 12.6 FanDuel points in his matchup with the Chicago White Sox.

Ramirez may be the least-flashy superstar in the league but that doesn't hinder his production -- especially in fantasy. Jose is coming off a monster 56.1-point effort last night that saw him crush two home runs, drive in three runs, and steal a base.

That breakout could be just what Ramirez needed to get back on a hot streak. He's hardly been bad this month, batting .282, but the power had been lacking. Before that effort, Ramirez only had a single home run over his previous 22 games.

Tonight, Ramirez has a relatively tough matchup with Chicago's No. 1 starter, Dylan Cease. Although Cease has held Jose to just five hits in 21 career at-bats, he hasn't looked as sharp this season.

Cease's SIERA is up to 3.93 through 21 starts and his strikeout rate has dropped to 28%. Those are still strong numbers but, coupled with a 34.6% hard-hit rate (up from 25.7% last year), it's clear he isn't as dominant as last season.

Ramirez, meanwhile, has feasted against right-handed pitching this season. Among players with at least 200 plate appearances in that split, Jose ranks ninth with a .392 wOBA. He's striking out at just an 8.7% clip against righties and his ability to consistently put the ball in play gives him tons of chances to generate counting stats.

Lock and load him into lineups as a top DFS option.

Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets ($3,800)

Pete Alonso is a close second to Ramirez in numberFire's daily projections at 12.4 projected FanDuel points.

Alonso had gone through a bit of a cold spell prior to the last five games when posted three multi-hit efforts -- including a two-home run game on Tuesday.

Back at Citi Field tonight, Alonso has an intriguing matchup with the Washington Nationals' Josiah Gray. Gray has been serviceable for the Nationals but sits in the bottom half of the league in both expected batting average (.251) and expected slugging percentage (.409) allowed.

Gray has an arsenal of pitches, but he's really turned to his slider over the two months -- throwing it 30% or more in each of his last eight starts.

That's music to Pete Alonso's ears.

Alonso has mashed sliders this season to the tune of a .427 wOBA and .677 slugging percentage. He's posted an absurd 46.5% hard-hit rate against that pitch and has an expected batting average of .277 against it.

In general, Alonso has thrived against righties with a solid .346 wOBA and above-average .292 ISO.

He'll likely have a handful of opportunities to drive in runs tonight as the New York Mets have the highest implied team total of the slate at 5.12 runs. Although he can be inconsistent, Alonso's massive upside makes him a top stud to target in DFS.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.