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 open up new routes to consider.  Weather is worth monitoring up to lock time, but thinking all games should be played.

Top Pitching 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.

Five Second Cheat Sheet:  An overall wide open slate, with Mike Foltynewicz likely leading the way, but plenty of pivot options.

Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: Joining Folty as top options include Rich Hill , Mike Clevinger , Dallas Keuchel and Gio González .  There are some other options in plus matchups, and would be surprised to see C.C Sabathia, Zack Godley , and Michael Fulmer higher owned than a player like Dereck Rodriguez or the Coors option in Miles Mikolas .

I think Folty is the play, but wouldn’t talk you out of Clevinger, Hill, or even Gonzalez tonight if looking to go cheaper.  I went into detail in the playbook, but it’s a very wide open slate tonight. The difference in cashing tonight may come down to your team targets tonight more than pitching, and feel like you are solid sticking with those pitchers listed above tonight.  I could see not spending up for pitching tonight, but FD pricing is soft enough with hitters that price doesn’t matter when it comes to pitching. On DK, Gio González is in a nice spot for his price tag on DK, and don’t think you can go wrong targeting any of the top options.  I personally won’t be on Sabathia, Heaney, and Arrieta from the higher price tag options, and mentioned some other routes in the playbook, including a sneaky Jalen Beeks on DK if entering multiple lineups.

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team: Our pitching coach, Brett Talley, likes Folty and Clevinger if paying up, while Godley, Hill, and Sabathia would be his mid-priced plays.  If looking to go cheap, Vargas would be his play.

Our projections have Hill leading the way, followed by Folty, Godley, Clevinger, and Heaney.  Hill is the top FD value play, while Vargas takes the top spot on DK.

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.

Five Second Cheat Sheet: It’s a wide open slate, and best to pick a core group of teams to target over trying for full exposure.

Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: The game in Coors has the highest total of the slate, but the Dodgers and Indians may end up with the higher implied run totals when lock time comes.  Teams like the A’s, D-Backs, and Nationals could lead the pivot options off the top projected scoring teams, with plenty of other routes to consider as well.  Unless max entering, stick with single to limited entry gpp’s tonight.

Positional Thoughts

Catcher: Catcher is open tonight, so your best bet may be to pair up your catcher with a team you are already targeting. Yadier Molina and Wilson Ramos are your two best top priced options if paying up, while James McCann is your best punt option.  Plenty of options in the middle listed in the playbook, highlighted by Austin Barnes .

First Base: Paul Goldschmidt is my preferred play, but don’t be surprised to see Matt Carpenter higher owned.  Have plenty of options depending on your team targets. I mentioned it a few times in the playbook, but depending on how you feel about Arrieta, the PHI/TOR is a solid low owned target.  The hot hitting Kendrys Morales would be my 1B option from that game. Matt Olson would be it if targeting the A’s.

Second Base:  Every positions provides multiple routes to take, which is why narrowing down tonight’s slate to a core group of teams/games is your best bet, and why you’ll see a select group of games mentioned in here and in the playbook.  I like José Altuve , Brian Dozier and Travis Shaw the most outside of team stacks. César Hernández is a steal on FD, but that was before Lourdes Gurriel Jr became the leadoff bat on the other side of this game.

Third Base: Wide open tonight, but would rather turn to Justin Turner , Matt Chapman , David Freese , or Todd Frazier before paying up for Nolan Arenado tonight.  Could go Jedd Gyorko if playing cash games, and still suggest if stacking the Indians, to always pay up for their bats, including José Ramírez .

Shortstop: Really depends on the team targets at SS, as well as the site you play on.  I don’t mind the cheap options in Marwin González , Jonathan Schoop , Gleyber Torres , and some others listed in the playbook depending on your site, but all of the top priced options are in great spots, led by Francisco Lindor , Trea Turner , and Manny Machado for me.

Outfield:  Khris Davis , David Peralta , and Ronald Acuna would be my top targets over the popular names in Giancarlo Stanton , Mookie Betts , J.D. Martínez , and Mike Trout , but not against if those are your team targets.  As you can tell from this write-up, I’m staying off of the game at Coors, but those OF options could be popular if playing cash games. If sticking with the PHI/TOR idea, Rhys Hoskins and Randal Grichuk are in play and really like Nick Castellanos with the Tigers on FD tonight.  Mentioned in the playbook is building a late night hammer roster in the main slate, which includes Cody Bellinger and Matt Kemp to go along with Trout.

Thoughts from the Fantasy Alarm Team: Our projections have Stanton leading the way, followed by Ramirez, Harper, Hicks, and Nolan.  Michael Taylor is the top FD value option, with Grichuk leading the way 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, 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. The slate is pretty wide open tonight for gpp’s, and as mentioned above, will be going away from the Coors game, and some popular bats.  My top target would be an OAK/MIN or PHI/TOR stack, or go with a late night hammer lineup with the Dodgers and D-Backs hitters, and Hill and Keuchel as my pitching.

Our stacking coach, Tom Vecchio, likes the A’s, Brewers, and Nationals tonight.