After looking at all of the tools available at 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 feature to share your thoughts, and receive any feedback leading up to first pitch.  Good luck!

 

Please note that this was written before all lineups have been posted, which may have opened up new routes to consider.  

Please note that it’s hard to see the same type of radar in Mexico as we are able to see for the games in the states.  The game has some weather concerns, but try to monitor the status of this game throughout the late afternoon.

 

Top Pitching Targets

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 the overall top priced pitcher tonight, but as mentioned in the playbook, he’s not a must play with his high price tag.  Having said that, I would still pay the extra $700 for him on DK over J.A. Happ .  While there are plenty of options to take, I like José Berrios vs the White Sox tonight as my pitcher to build around.  I could see others going Gio González as a pivot, or even Nick Kingham .  Kingham has a solid DK price, but so does his opponent in Júnior Guerra if you prefer the favorite in this game. 

All of the above pitchers work in all formats, but could take some others in gpp’s if thinking those above may struggle.  Although I like the Giants bats, Michael Foltynewicz could easily also go six strong with six K’s, as well as the pitching matchup between José Quintana and Mike Mikolas in St Louis. 

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team:  Our pitching coach, Jon Impemba, likes Cole and Berrios as top priced plays, with Guerra and Buehler as mid-priced targets.  Kingham and German Marquez are his top value plays. 

Our projections have Cole, Gio, Happ, and Folty as the top four on both FD and DK.  While DK doesn’t have a clear cut value play, FD shows Zack Wheeler as the top value play.

 

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. If not punting, I like Salvador Pérez once again today, but Buster Posey , J.T. Realmuto , and Gary Sánchez are on my radar as well. May have to wait for lineups to come out to find a punt catcher, but like Tyler Flowers , and Jason Castro as the moment.

As mentioned in the playbook, first base is wide open tonight, and could be used to pay up for a top bat like Hanley Ramírez , Freddie Freeman , or Edwin Encarnación , or go with the narrative play in Albert Pujols as a mid-priced option. I’m not against fully punting with Logan Morrison on any site, or Ryan Zimmerman on FD.  Brandon Belt and the Giants will be my team expected to score four plus funs target.

I like Ozzie Albies over José Altuve for the second straight day, but both could be considered 1A and 1B.  Jed Lowrie works as a solid pivot, while Brian Dozier is my plug and play FD 2B option. 

Josh Donaldson joins Dozier as my plug and play option on FD, but likely won’t pay up for either of the two on DK.  On DK, I may wait and see how to attack third base once lineups come out, but learning Solarte or Miguel Andujar as salary relief options if not wanting to go home run or bust with Pedro Alvarez .  Chapman and Bregman are top options in their team stacks.

SS is stacked once again today, and will either pay up for one of the top six options, or fully punt with Brandon Crawford .  If paying up, I’m probably sticking with Francisco Lindor or Didi Gregorius , but hard to talk anyone out of Carlos Correa , Trea Turner , Manny Machado , and Xander Bogaerts

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’m really not sure what the field may be thinking when it comes to the OF today.  Mookie Betts , Ronald Acuna Jr, Mike Trout , Aaron Judge , Bryce Harper , and Charlie Blackmon are six of roughly 15 plus top options that I could see having in lineups.  If trying to choose between the large group of options, I always like to try to pair players up over trying to have exposure to as many games as you can.  I do think, Jorge Soler makes sense as the mid-priced options, while Matt Joyce and Josh Reddick should also be considered for your lineups as mid-priced plays.  I won’t list any pure punt options, but keep an eye out for them once lineups come out.  Many will turn to that cheap leadoff hitter vs a weak pitcher.

Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:  Our hitting coach today, James Grande, likes both Didi and Donaldson if paying up, and Justin Upton and C.J. Cron as mid-tier targets.  Justin Bour and Marwin González are his top value plays.

Our projections have Trout, Realmuto, and Dozier as the top three on both FD and DK, with Justin Bour making it into the top seven on both sites, as well as a top value option.  He is joined by Austin Barnes and Adam Frazier as top value on FD, and Gregorio Petit and Gregor Blanco for 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.  I spoke about the stacks I like, and my approach throughout the playbook. 

Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:  Our stacking coach, Tom Vecchio, like the top bats from the Yankees, and the late night hammer in the A’s.  The Reds is his sneaky stack play due to the ballpark and matchup.

Final Thoughts:  With 30 teams playing tonight, ownership levels should be spread out, so don’t feel like you have to “make a move” to be different tonight.  With the weather warming up, we have seen a solid number of multi-homer games this week, and wouldn’t be shocked to see a few double dong players tonight.

FanDuel:  Don’t want to say pay up for Cole, or down to Berrios, but I’m going one of those two routes.  Plenty of pivot options if you feel differently.  Dozier and Donaldson are FD locks for me in cash games.  The playbook, as well as above provides my thoughts on ways to go, but feel like you could find two players under $2.8K (Logan Morrison if not feeling the top first base options, and Joyce if leading off for the A’s as two examples), either Soler or someone around his price tag, and a top priced SS of your choosing. 

DraftKings:  I feel like there’s definitely more strategy tonight when choosing your two DK pitchers.  I’m sticking with Berrios personally, but then not sure about going up for a Cole or Happ, or possibly falling for the Kingham/Guerra “trap.”  Since it worked out with Hellickson yesterday, I’m more tempted to pay down in order to fit in more top bats.  It’s a solid $5K-$6K gap between the two options, and won’t make that call for you.  May not go with Dozier and Donaldson, but feel like you could continue to pay up at those spots.  Flowers saves you $1K from perez, and roughly $2K from the top priced options, and works for salary relief.  You won’t need much after him and Soler if paying down for your #2 SP.