After looking at all of the tools available of FantasyAlarm, the example lineups page should be used to help validate your thoughts, as well as help you consider some options that may not have been on your radar for the slate. In addition to the example lineups, below you will find a breakdown of possible routes to take when building your MLB lineups tonight. While we are focused on FanDuel and DraftKings, this breakdown can be used for all sites. Please use our live chat features to share your thoughts, and receive any feedback leading up to first pitch. Good luck!
Pitching: I always start my lineup building with pitching, as it’s the most important part of building your lineups. I tend to look for pitchers who I believe can pitch six innings, strike out six, and give up no more than two runs. Feel free to set up whatever parameters you want to, but should set yourself some type of “floor” when it comes to how you select your pitchers.
The pitching decisions for tonight will likely be based on the site you are playing on tonight. With having to choose just one pitcher on Fanduel, I would lean towards Jacob deGrom , Stephen Strasburg , or Carlos Martínez over fully paying up, but wouldn’t fault you if wanting Chris Sale . I’m a little higher on C-Mart for the discount, but not sure if I would pull the trigger with Patrick Corbin in a cash game. For gpp’s, I think Aaron Nola will make it on some lineups tonight, but would rather go towards Patrick Corbin , or stick with C-Mart. If going with some high priced bats, then I would lean Tyler Anderson as the cheap play.
On DK, pitching is also pretty wide open. I would like to stay around $20K for the two pitchers, but not against going up to closer to the $22K price point. If paying up, I would go Chris Sale over Jacob deGrom , but can see users fading both to go with one of the three in the $10K range. While I wasn’t a huge fan of using Aaron Nola for FD cash, I think due to his salary, he is worth a look as your #2 SP on two pitcher sites tonight.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our pitching coach today, James Grande, has Sale as his top play along with Strasburg. He also like Aaron Nola ’s spot tonight, and places Félix Hernández and Hyun-Jin Ryu as his value play pitchers.
Our projections has Sale and Strasburg above the field on both sites, with Ryu up there as a value play.
Top Hitting Targets
On FD, I think avoiding a catcher outside of stacks due to the deep first base options is the way to go. On DK, the catcher spot is wide open, and best to target someone from a team that you already have players in your lineup from. A Chris Iannetta , Brian McCann ,and Yadier Molina are the preferred options if paying up. With no Montero or Knapp, Mark Marjama remains the top punt play, but don’t mind going a little higher with Chirinos, Plawecki, or Severino.
Most positions are wide open for me tonight, and can target a player from Coors if you have the salary and want to go that route. I think both Carlos Santana and Joey Votto have solid price tags, as well as Wilmer Flores as a punt play. Paul Goldschmidt is the likely highest owned top priced option if not on Desmond.
Zack Cozart is high on our projections if looking to pay up at second. Wilmer Difo and Scooter Gennett make for cheap gpp options, while Flores is in play on DK. Jonathan Schoop has a solid FD price tag if going a more balanced approach tonight.
Plenty of routes to take, as you can fully pay up for Nolan Arenado , go slightly cheaper to Josh Donaldson , or take the hot hitting Anthony Rendón . For mid-priced, Maikel Franco and Christian Villanueva are in solid spots, while Mike Moustakas works for cheap if not on Felix this year. As mentioned in the playbook, nobody will be on Sano tonight if you want him and Dozier.
Similar to third, you can’t go wrong with the top priced options, and like Manny Machado over Trea Turner and Trevor Story personally. Carlos Correa saves you some salary on FD, while Elvis Andrus is my preferred mid-value option over Freddy Galvis .
OF is a mess as usual tonight, as the sites want you to punt with one of the three spots, as well as pay up for one of them. Bryce Harper , Rhys Hoskins , and Mike Trout are the top priced options outside of the Rockies, and all three have some solid teammates to pair them up with. I’m not sure what Shohei Ohtnai’s ownership will look like on a large slate, and Carlos González may be the high owned Rockies OF option on FD. Curtis Granderson is your plug and play cheap option on FD, but in play across the board.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our hitting coach today, Jonhenry Holt, like Nolan and Trout as his high priced plays. Adrián Béltre is his sneaky play at third base, but also like Christian Villanueva for his price tag as well.
Our projections have Charlie Blackmon leading the field, with a surprise Zack Cozart checking in right behind Mike Trout as the third highest on FD. While DK is the same at the top with Blackmon both Nolan Arenado and Joey Votto move ahead of Cozard, while Jay Bruce makes an appearance as the sixth highest scoring DK player. Curtis Granderson and Wilmer Flores check in as top value plays.
GPP’s
If playing gpp’s, your best approach is stacking. Pick a game, or two teams that you think will blast off, and go all in on them. Yes, entering your cash lineup, or another type of lineup can cash in a gpp, but if looking to finish in the top 1%, you need to hit with a stack. Of course, the game in Coors will be popular team tonight, but the Angels vs Rangers isn’t too far behind that game in projected runs. The industry is likely on Philly again, and I like the Cardinals and Mariners as my sneaky stacks tonight.'
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our stacking coach today, Tom Vecchio, is high on the affordable Mets tonight. He also likes the Phillies tonight, and is on what I now think may be a not so sneaky Mariners stack tonight. On those types of stacks, try to make a play to help differentiate yourself from the field. While Tom gave a great example, maybe go with Dee Gordon over Cano, and then a cheap OF option over Hanniger.
Final Thoughts
FanDuel: Any pitcher between $8.5-$9.8K, a $5K OF, Granderson, Machado or Elvis at SS, Villanueva or Moustakas at third, and Flores at first. That leaves you with roughly $2.6K for final two spots, or $3.1 with Elvis over Machado.
DraftKings: Tough with pitching so giving example spending $20.9K on pitching. A first baseman between $4.3-$4.7, Machado, Granderson, Flores, and Marjama leaves you with roughly $3.9K for final three spots. Profar batting second will give you an extra big bat or pitcher upgrade.