After looking at all of the tools available on Fantasy Alarm, 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!

With a large slate, there are plenty of routes to take, and therefore, not every player in a good spot will be mentioned below.  While I’m not a fan, there’s also the high risk gpp strategy of taking players that are on nobody's radar.

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.

Paying up for pitching really comes down to a personal preference if deciding between the Scherzer vs. Kershaw matchup and Verlander.  Of this group, I prefer Justin Verlander over Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw . Nothing against the other two, but would prefer to at least lock in a win.  Of the late night matchup, I prefer Kershaw in cash, and Scherzer for gpp’s. Noah Syndergaard is the other top priced option, and like him best for gpp’s as well.

While those top options provide a solid case for paying up, there are cases to be made for going a cheaper route.  If going that route, it should be based more on the fact that you really want to target a team stack or certain hitters over just trying to fade the top pitchers.  Chris Archer and Lance Lynn stand out in this tier matched up vs each other over Dylan Bundy and Trevor Bauer . Andrew Heaney could be a sleeper pick that I prefer more over the heavily favored Michael Wacha .  If looking to purely punt with the #2 SP on DK, Matt Koch seems to be the popular direction to go towards.

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team:  Our pitching coach today, Jon Impemba, likes both Scherzer and Kershaw, but if choosing one, leans towards Kershaw.  He also prefers Verlander over Thor, with Bundy, a season debuting Drew Pomeranz , and Jake Junis as mid-priced plays.  Lynn is joined by Tyson Ross as his value pitchers.

Our projections have Scherzer leading the pack, with Archer ahead of Kershaw to round out the top three.  Sonny Gray and Koch both make appearances in the next tier of pitchers.

 

Top Hitting Targets:   

With 15 games, I don’t believe there are really any must play type of batters tonight.  I do believe your hitting strategy comes down to how much you are spending on pitching. There are plenty of other routes to take with details given in the playbook, and our other tools if wanting to look elsewhere.

Please note that I’m avoiding the game in Coors due to weather concerns.  If this was a four game slate, I would take a risk or two, but don’t feel the need to do so for tonight.

On FD, I think avoiding a catcher outside of stacks due to the deep first base options is the way to go on most nights.  On DK, I wouldn’t suggest fully paying up for Sanchez, but don’t mind a Houston catcher or Yadier Molina if paying up. I do want to pay up for pitching tonight, which places J.T. Realmuto and Tomas Nido as punt options if in the lineup.  Zunino is a solid gpp stand alone pivot.

As mentioned in the playbook, I think first base is stacked tonight, and hoping it will keep ownership spread out.  It all depends on which route you want to go. Ideally, Mitch Moreland would be the top play if in the lineup, with Hanley Ramírez as a solid pivot.  Paul Goldschmidt and Eric Thames are facing weaker pitchers, while Freddie Freeman , José Abreu , and Ryan Zimmerman are all solid contrarian plays vs top pitching.  Yuli Gurriel is a solid mid-priced option across the board, but plenty of others not mentioned that I can see have ownership.

José Altuve and Jed Lowrie will be the popular plays if paying up, while Kiner-Falefa drops to 9th with Jurickson Profar returning to his second spot in the lineup.  I’d rather go cheap with Ketel Marte or Daniel Descalso from the D-Backs, as well as going mid-tier with Eduardo Núñez from the Red Sox.

I’m looking at either Rafael Devers , Travis Shaw , or Todd Frazier at third tonight, and currently ranking them in that order.  Gurriel on DK, and Matt Carpenter could both be used as pivots.

As mentioned in the playbook, I prefer Manny Machado tonight, but Didi Gregorius and Carlos Correa are both top options.  Nunez is a SS on FD if looking to go with him, and Jean Segura and Jedd Gyorko are both solid value options if playing.

OF is always wide open, as I feel the sites want you to punt with one of the three spots, as well as pay up for one of them.  I don’t think you have to fully pay up for Harper or Trout, but I do like the Boston bats with Mookie Betts and J.D. Martínez , as well as Aaron Judge and George Springer .  Lorenzo Cain is underpriced on FD, while a player like Tommy Pham could get lost in the crowd tonight. Plenty of cheap options that will come out as the lineups are confirmed, but I do like the Reds, Rangers, Mariners, and Cards for some stand alone or stacking value.  OF does provide the most flexibility, and sometimes best to wait to see what your salary restrictions could be before filing that last OF spot.
 

Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:  Our hitting coach today, James Grande like Judge and Anthony Rizzo if paying up, while Yoenis Céspedes is joined by Carlos González as his mid-tier plays.  Shin-Soo Choo and Brock Holt are his cheap plays.

Our projections have Trout, Springer, Braun, and Pham as the top four tonight across the board.  Braun is joined by Belt and Jackson from the Giants for top value on FD, while Justin Bour makes an appearance as a top value play on DK.  

 

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. Small slate you’ll see stacking combos from every team in your gpp’s tonight.  I like a full game stacks tonight in the Reds/Cards, and like my chances sticking with a Brewers, Red Sox, or Astros stack. I listed a few other four packs in the playbook, but if looking for the “nobody’s talking about this team” approach, it will likely be the Angels, although I do like the Padres more of a low owned route.    

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team:  Our stacking coach today, JonHenry Holt likes the Brewers, Cards, Yanks, and Astros bats tonight.
 

Final Thoughts:

FanDuel:  As mentioned above, it all depends on how you approach pitching.  If paying up, I would take one of the pitchers over $11K, Devers or Shaw at third, Cain and another under $3K player, even Braun or Winker in the OF, and then decide if a Gyorko or Segura/Marte can work best for you for one for punt.  Of course paying down for pitching opens up plenty of salary.

DraftKings:  Can you spend over $24,000 on pitching, and still make a lineup?  Add in Nido, and you have a little over $3.2K left per hitter. If doing that, I would then stack up hitting with either the D-Backs, Rangers, Reds, Royals or Marlins with the Twins and Giants being low owned higher risk plays.  All of those teams have three or more players priced at $3K or lower. Going with a #2 SP like Lynn ups your salary remaining per player at $1K more to $4.2K with Nido. I would stick with either Devers or Shaw or Gyorko, who is a 3B option on DK.  I would consider Judge and Hicks OF over Betts and a player like Winker.