After looking at all of the tools available at 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 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 open up new routes to consider. Also, make sure to monitor any potential weather concerns leading up to lock time.
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.
For the second straight slate, I feel that tonight is one of those slates in which you don’t need to pay up for pitching. Having said that, this means that taking the right pitcher could be more critical when it comes to your Coors stack. As mentioned in the paybook, Sonny Gray would be my top DK option. After Gray, I feel that it is pretty wide open in terms of the best available. Aaron Nola could be the better option on FD, while Andrew Suarez is the cheap option across the board in a matchup vs the Padres.
I listed some other pitchers like the Dylan Covey vs Daniel Mengden matchup, and Milos Mikolas and Dylan Bundy as road underdogs, but not personally on Luke Farrell, who checks in pretty high in our projections.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our pitching coach, Tom Vecchio, likes Greinke and Mikolas as mid-priced options, with Gray and Suarez being his top value plays.
Our projections have Gray, Greinke, Musgrove, and Nola as the top four, with Farrell the top FD value, and Gray the top DK one.
Top-Hitting Targets
There are plenty of other routes to take with details given in the playbook, coaches, and our other tools if wanting to look elsewhere. I provided my overall options in the playbook, with some additional thoughts below.
The game in Coors will be your best spot to target hitters from, and prefer the Rockies first, but the Marlins make for top targets as well. After that game, I feel it’s pretty wide open, with the Twins/Rangers game likely being the next top game to target.
This doesn’t mean the other teams aren’t in play, as I mentioned plenty of other teams in the playbook, but it does help when trying to decide between players from different teams if playing cash games.
Catcher is starting to become a tough position to read, as FD combines it with first base, and DK is starting to tighten their pricing for catchers. I typically use this spot for salary relief, but could use any number of the top options depending on which teams you are targeting. J.T. Realmuto and Chris Iannetta provide exposure to Coors, while maybe a Wilson Ramos, Gary Sanchez, or Buster Posey could be pivots off of them. May need to wait for all lineups to come out to find a punt catcher, but could go Wynns for the O’s if starting.
Paul Goldschmidt leads the way if you can afford him at first, with Freddie Freeman and Ian Desmond right up there for me as well. Jesus Aguilar makes for a hot hitting pivot, while Chris Davis and Logan Morrison lead the value options.
DJ LeMahieu would be my preferred option over Ozzie Albies, but plenty of other routes to take depending on which teams you are targeting. Brian Dozier has a cheap price tag once again, while Rougned Odor leads my options for punting.
Nolan Arenado is the top third base option, and will likely go with him unless team stacking elsewhere. I listed plenty of pivots for stacking in the playbook.
Trevor Story leads ss for me again, with Manny Machado my preferred pivot over Turner and Didi.
OF is always wide open in terms of routes to consider taking. If not stacking, I prefer to pay up for one spot, punt the other, and use the last spot to pick a player from a team that I’m already targeting. OF is open today in terms of routes to take. If paying up, I would look to Coors first, and then Odubel Herrera, Bryce Harper, and Shin-Soo-Choo as pivots. Andrew McCutchen and the Cubs OF could be cheaper pivots, as well as a min price Taylor Motter on FD.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our hitting coach, James Grande, likes Rosario and Choo if paying up, with Cargo and McCutchen as mid-priced options. Dozier and Maybin are his top value plays.
Our projections have Judge, Nolan, Realmuto, Story, and Rosario as the top five. The Cubs take up the top value spots on FD, while LaStella is joined by Maybin as a top DK value play.
GPP
If playing gpp’s, your best approach is stacking. Pick a game, or two teams that you think will blast off, then 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 think you are better off finding a Coors stack, and placing a few different SP options, over going the other route.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our stacking coach, Howard Bender, provides of routes to take tonight, starting with full game stacks in Coors, and the TEX/MIn game. The Yankees are his other full team stack, while the Cubs and Giants check in for his mini-stack plays. If looking at the BAL/ATL game, he likes the LHB’s.
Final Thoughts: As you can see from all of our tools, the slate starts with the game in Coors, and then can pivot off of there based on your contest selection, and strategy. Similar to last night, there’s no real need to pay up for pitching, which allows you to take the hitters you want.