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. Weather looks good tonight with no games in danger.
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: Clayton Kershaw , Justin Verlander , and Corey Kluber lead the way, while a solid group of second tier options are available if looking to load up on bats.
Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: Kershaw is likely in the best spot, but Verlander has dominated the Angels, and Kluber gets to face a poor team in the Royals tonight. In regards to the next group of pitchers, I’m not a Sonny Gray fan even with his high projections, and prefer Mike Fiers , Jhoulys Chacin , or Anibal Sánchez instead.
Of the top three pitchers, it’s hard to ignore Kershaw’s matchup, and Verlander’s strikeout upside. It could be a personal preference play between the two, with Kluber best used as a pivot option off either of them. I just don’t see Gray pitching a full game tonight, even with the plus matchup on paper, and would rather look towards Fiers personally. As mentioned in the playbook, I do think Sanchez will be the higher owned mid-priced option as a #2 starting pitcher, but Chacin is in a good spot as well.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:
Our pitching coach, James Grande, likes Kershaw and Kluber if paying up, while Sanchez and Chacin would be his mid-priced plays.
Our projections have Kershaw leading the way over Kluber and Verlander, while Gray and Sanchez round out the top five. Gray checks in as the overall top value option.
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: Another game in Coors with the highest projected run total, but it may not be as popular as the other games out West tonight.
Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: While the Rockies are hovering around six projected runs tonight, the Dodgers, A’s, and Indians are all top options as well. I’m a fan of the games out West, which also includes the Astros, D-backs, and Mariners bats. Be patient for another night, and stick to the late night options if stuck deciding between similarly priced plays.
Positional Thoughts:
Catcher: I prefer Yasmani Grandal or Austin Barnes depending on who starts, with J.T. Realmuto as my high priced pivot. Plenty of stack routes listed in the playbook, with Mike Zunino and Manny Piña leading the way.
First Base: Paul Goldschmidt is my preferred play again, but plenty of pivot options, including Jesus Aguilar . Matt Olson is cheap on DK if targeting the A’s, and Yonder Alonso and Greg Bird are solid value plays as well. Max Muncy leads my late night plays if looking to be different.
Second Base: I’ll likely be rolling with José Altuve or Brian Dozier , but plenty of other routes provided in the playbook, including a sneaky Starlin Castro or Jonathan Villar .
Third Base: Sticking with Justin Turner , but Nolan Arenado , Matt Chapman , and José Ramírez are all elite options. Johan Camargo would be my value play.
Shortstop: Really depends on the team targets at SS, but Francisco Lindor and Manny Machado would be my top options, with Carlos Correa for the cheaper pivot. Tim Beckham is my punt option tonight if in the lineup, with some other routes given in the playbook.
Outfield: Khris Davis , David Peralta , and Ronald Acuna would be my top targets for the second straight night over the popular names in Giancarlo Stanton , Mike Trout , and Charlie Blackmon , but not against them if those are your team targets. Tyler O’Neill could be a popular FD play, while Marwin González is a steal on DK. Adam Duvall could be a sneaky value option, but leaning more towards the cheaper Oakland bats, or back to the Dodgers with Joc Pederson .
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:
Our hitting coach, Tom Vecchio, likes Goldy and Acuna if paying up, with Rosario and Wong as his top mid-priced targets.
Our projections have Stanton leading the way for the second straight night, followed by Carp, Ramirez, Lindor, and Chapman. Kipnis leads the value plays on FD, while Chapman has the top spot 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. I’ll stick with the West coast games again, with the Dodgers, Astros, and D-Backs as my top targets. If looking to be different, I would go Seattle if sticking with the late night theme, and the ATL/MIA game if trying to have low owned options.
Our stacking coach, Jon Impemba, likes A’s, both sides of Coors, and the Indians as his top stacks. The Yankees would be his lower owned stacked.