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 may be an issue in Chicago again tonight, but like the last few nights, all games should finish.
From the top of the playbook: I won’t go into too much detail for tonight’s 13-game MLB slate, as this could be the worst day to play a MLB slate. September first means expanded rosters, and last night was the end of the waivers. With plenty of trades, and plenty of DL returns and call-ups, we may have to wait until lineups are out, but if any games get out of hand, expect to start seeing pinch hitting and double switching. For teams not in playoff races, expect less pitchers to go deep unless pitching gems, and new pitchers like James taking the mound tonight, who doesn’t even have a FD or DK salary yet.
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 leads the field, but plenty of other routes to go for cheaper.
Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: Our team states it a lot, but hard to play cash games this late in a season. That likely keeps Kershaw’s ownership low, while Patrick Corbin and Blake Snell could be sneaky pivots if paying up. James Paxton is a steal on DK if not wanting to pay up for the top three, while Jon Gray could be a popular mid-priced play, but there is a large group of options with similar price tags. Really don’t want to do it, but Wei-Yin Chen could be a solid #2 SP on DK if looking to save salary, but wouldn’t fault you with pivoting to Poncedeleon.
It’s a pretty overall open slate for pitching tonight, and as mentioned above, the expanded rosters that started today means more arms in the bullpen, and less likely to see average pitchers go deep. I prefer Kershaw on FD, but would pivot down to Paxton on DK, and either pair him up with one of the mid-priced options, or just go down to Chen or Poncedeleon. I don’t mind Gray, but also mentioned other routes in the playbook like José Berrios , Kyle Hendricks , and Carlos Rodon as wild card gpp routes.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:
Our pitching coach, Tom Vecchio, likes Kershaw and Snell if paying up, and Paxton and Rodriguez as his mid-priced targets. Both Chen and Poncedeleon would be his top value routes.
Our projections have Kershaw leading the way, with some options not listed above in Strasburg and Bieber following Kershaw. Corbin and Rodriguez round out the top five, while Eflin checks in as the top value play.
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: With no real must target teams, I’m going to attack the pitchers that lead the NL and AL in home runs allowed, which means targeting the Nationals and Royals.
Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: Really want to emphasize how wide open the slate is due to some tough matchups for the typical slate’s top team targets. Feel free to stick with those teams like the Red Sox and Astros, but could also go back to the Cards as a pivot, and the cheap priced BAL/KC game.
Positional Thoughts:
Catcher: Easy move to go cheap with Cameron Gallagher, or slightly higher to Brian McCann in order to save salary. J.T. Realmuto is who I would pay up for, with the rest of the options best used in their team stacks.
First Base: I prefer going back to Matt Carpenter if paying up, or Ryan O’Hearn if going cheap. Other options were mentioned in the playbook, including Ryan Zimmerman and Steve Pearce .
Second Base: I’ll likely be rolling with Robinson Canó , but José Altuve and Daniel Murphy are solid pivots. I also made to case for going cheaper at second in the playbook, with players like Lourdes Gurriel Jr and Logan Forsythe leading the way.
Third Base: Made the case for paying up for one of the many top priced 3B options tonight, with Anthony Rendón , Nolan Arenado , and the returning Kris Bryant being popular options, and Justin Turner and Alex Bregman being the solid pivots. Not a fan of paying down at third outside of stacking, but did list some routes in the playbook, featuring picking on the debut of James by targeting the Angels.
Shortstop: SS could be the most wide open position in terms of routes to take, and suggest using it to pair up this spot with a player from a team you are already targeting. I mentioned my top routes in the playbook, and likely rolling with Paul DeJong or Trea Turner , with Elvis Andrus as my punt if not on Berrios.
Outfield: I’m not fully paying up for J.D. Martínez or Mookie Betts , but wouldn’t talk you out of it. If paying up, Mike Trout or Bryce Harper would be my preferred plays, but that middle to value tier provides plenty of options, with Kole Calhoun likely being a plug and play if playing cash games on FD. I mentioned other routes in the playbook like Shin-Soo Choo , but players like Mullins and others from that BAL/KC game make for nice salary relief targets.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:
Our hitting coach, Jon Impemba, likes Carp, Yelich, and Whit if paying up, while O’Hearn, Cano, and Pearce are his mid-priced targets. Souza and Gordon would be his value plays.
Our projections have the Boston combo of JD and Betts leading the way, with Harper sandwiched in between the two. Trout and Polanco round out the top five, with Grossman leading the value plays on FD, and Davidson 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. As mentioned a few times, it really is a wide open slate, and I’ll be likely going with a Royals and Nats stack, and if entering a second lineup, I would target the Cubs and Cards with some cheap pitching. Could also try targeting the Rockies for the third night in a row hoping that they break through.
Our stacking coach, Brett Talley, likes the Twins as the popular stack route, and the Rockies if looking to be different.