After looking at all of the tools available of 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 game in Coors versus an average to weak pitcher, the Rockies will be a popular route across all formats tonight.  Some of their top options will cost you, but there are also some affordable ones that will have solid ownership as well.

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.

Gerrit Cole is off to a great start, and joins Carlos Carrasco as the top two priced pitching options to pay up for.  I prefer Cole, but can’t argue against the salary relief with Carrasco.

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 plan on paying up for the Rockies, or some of the other top priced hitters in solid matchups.  Gio González and Masahiro Tanaka will be popular second tier options, especially Tanaka at his DK price. I’m not on him personally, but his matchup is just as solid if not better than Chad Bettis , Chris Stratton , Mike Leake , or the starting debut of Walker Buehler .  I prefer spending less than Gonzalez or Tanaka if not fully paying up for pitching.

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team: Our pitching coach today; Tom Vecchio prefers Cole over Carrasco, but both are top options.  He like both Gonzalez and Tanaka as mid-tier options, and Bettis and Leake as value plays.

Our projections have Carrasco, Tanaka, Gonzalez as your top three before Cole checks in as the fourth highest.  Buehler is fifth on DK, but is not available tonight on FD. On FD, Stratton takes over the fifth spot.

 

Top Hitting Targets:   

There are plenty of other routes to take with details given in the playbook, and our other tools if wanting to look elsewhere.

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 think Chris Iannetta comes with an affordable price tag, but can pivot to an Oakland or Seattle catcher. If punting and in the lineup, Kyle Farmer would be my salary relief play.  

Ian Desmond has another affordable price tag if targeting the Rockies, and took Mitchell deep already this season.  I see him being the play for cash games, but a struggling Eric Hosmer likes hitting at Coors. Plenty of first base options from other top teams worth targeting, and prefer Yonder Alonso over Edwin Encarnación . Dan Vogelbach is my top value play over Logan Morrison or Matt Adams , and Ronald Guzman as a sneaky pivot off of Joey Gallo .
 

José Altuve , Brian Dozier , and Jed Lowrie will be the popular plays if DJ LeMahieu and Asuaje weren’t in decent spots.  I can see this position having some spread out ownership with no real top option over the others. Gleyber Torres will be a popular value play, but prefer a Jurickson Profar or Isiah Kiner-Falefa more depending on who bats second.

I’m looking at either Nolan Arenado or Christian Villanueva , and let others take the pivot route.  Adrián Béltre and Kyle Seager are solid mid-tier options for team stacks, while Miguel Andujar is the across the board play if not paying up for a player at Coors, and stacking for gpp’s.

As mentioned in the playbook, I think Trevor Story is the Coors play, while Francisco Lindor would be my preferred play over Correa and Turner.  Manny Machado is on fire if looking to be different, while Jean Segura is towards the top of our projections list.

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 if paying up, Charlie Blackmon or Aaron Judge would be my targets. I mentioned in the playbook about David Dahl on DK, and Manny Margot on FD being potential Coors game tap plays, but if playing cash games, just take them on those sites, and beat people in a different spot.  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 Fantasy Alarm Team:  Our hitting coach today; Jon Impemba likes Blackmon, Correa, and Lowrie if paying up, with Michael Brantley and Marcus Semien join Robinson Canó as his mid-tier targets. Eduardo Escobar joins Dahl and Andujar as his top value options.

Our projections have the OF taking up five of the top six spots, with José Ramírez the exception with the third highest projection.  Wil Myers joins Trout as the top two. Jean Segura is the top SS on FD, and is tied for the overall third highest with Trout and Nelson Cruz .    David Dahl checks in as the top DK value, and he’s not available on FD.

 

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 spoke about the stacks I like, and my approach throughout the playbook.

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team:  Our stacking coach today; Brett Talley would pay up for the Rockies, with the Padres and A’s as top pivot options.  He like the Rangers and Indians for lower owned stacks, and the White Sox as his higher risk sneaky stack.
 

Final Thoughts:

FanDuel:  I would pay up for Cole or Carrasco in cash games, and if looking to go cheaper in gpp’s, Leake would be my play, with Bettis and Stratton sprinkled in if entering 10 plus lineups.  Since I’m paying up for pitching with Cole, Desmond and Story are my Rockies, and going with Margot and Villanueva for $1K cheaper than Nolan at third. If paying down for pitching or going Carrasco, I suggest doing the opposite.  The above route leaves you with $2.7K per hitter for the other four spots. I would either go with a Dodger OF option or two, or Pinder to open up some salary for one more solid bat.

DraftKings:  On DK, I would pair up Cole or Carrasco with a value play.  As mentioned above, not against Tanaka, but looking at Walker Buehler or Mike Leake .  Adding in Nolan, Blackmon, Dahl, and Iannetta leaves you with $3.5K for the final four spots.  Change Iannetta for Farmer at catcher, and that’s $3.8K for the final four spots. Both Desmond and Story are in play, with Segura and Semien opening up salary as well.