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.
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.
Five Second Cheat Sheet: Both Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom are top options, and one should anchor your cash lineups.
Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: I prefer Verlander over deGrom, while Patrick Corbin and Gio González both look great on paper if looking for cheaper options. Rick Porcello , Jhoulys Chacin , and Alex Wood as more gpp pivots for me. Plenty of unknowns with other pitchers, with Trevor Williams and Lucas Giolito as my wild cards.
The case could easily be made for both Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom as your #1 SP, but as mentioned in the playbook, I’ll take Verlander on the better team as the larger favorite. Patrick Corbin could be popular, and could have exactly what happened to Archer last night happen to him tonight. I’d rather look at the struggling Gio González as a cheaper #2 SP, or a FD gpp play. Rick Porcello may also be a popular #2 SP, and likely the “safest” of the options with his decent DK price tag.
If thinking the Toronto bats will be popular, but not on them, feel free to roll with Lucas Giolito as your wild card option over Chacin, Cueto, Williams, and Wood.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our pitching coach, Tom Vecchio, likes Verlander if paying up, Porcello as his mid-priced target, and he’s willing to take Gausman as his value pitcher vs. the Rays.
Our projections have Verlander and Corbin tied for the top spot on FD, with Corbin slightly ahead on DK. deGrom, Porcello, and Gonzalez round out the top five. Max Fried is the surprise top value play on FD, while Porcello is up towards the top of the DK value options.
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: OAK/COL will make up for their lack of runs last night, while the Red Sox, Astros, and Blue Jays also check in with over five implied run totals.
Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: Don’t try to overthink tonight, and roll with the elite options. Use some of the minimum priced, or value options from teams favored to win to help fill in the gaps. The OF position is stacked tonight, while 1B and 2B provide the opportunity to help separate you from the field by not fully paying up.
Positional Thoughts:
Catcher: I like Evan Gattis once again tonight if paying up, while Tom Murphy and Jonathan Lucroy are likely fades for me. Jesus Sucre would be my punt, while Mike Zunino would be my sneaky play over the likely more popular Buster Posey . Other routes were mentioned in the playbook.
First Base: As mentioned in the playbook Ian Desmond and Matt Olson are in play, but could go cheaper with a player from the TOR/CWS game, with José Abreu my preferred play. Paul Goldschmidt is a solid pivot option over Mitch Moreland and C.J. Cron , while Ryan Zimmerman and Yuli Gurriel are solid value routes for stacking.
Second Base: I would go cheap at 2B tonight with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. , Garrett Hampson, or the hot Jonathan Schoop . Jed Lowrie would be my play if paying up, while plenty of minimum priced options were listed in the playbook depending on your team targets.
Third Base: Going to be hard to take another high priced player over Nolan Arenado as he faces a lefty at home for the second straight night, but could see some Manny Machado or Alex Bregman pivots on FD. Similar to 2B, there are some solid minimum priced FD plays if you’re off Arenado for GPP’s, with Miguel Sano over Sandoval and Freese for me tonight.
Shortstop: SS is pretty stacked tonight with the typical options in Trevor Story , Xander Bogaerts , Trea Turner , and Jean Segura all top options. I prefer Story on FD, and Turner or Bogaerts on DK. Could pivot to Gurriel Jr on DK, with other players mentioned in the playbook best suited for their team stacks.
OutField: As mentioned in the playbook, OF is pretty stacked tonight with plenty of routes to go depending on your team targets. I like a cheap leadoff hitter in Nick Martini at Coors, with Khris Davis and Charlie Blackmon your best bets if paying up at Coors. Juan Soto is on fire, while Mookie Betts is coming off his first ever walk off home run last night. Mike Trout has owned Felix over the past, while Mitch Haniger and Nelson Cruz look to be in good spots on the other side of that game. Curtis Granderson is worth the play if targeting the Blue Jays, while Josh Reddick could be a popular FD play batting third for a thin Houston team. I mentioned some other routes to take in the playbook, but always preferred to pair teammates up if trying to decide between similar priced players.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:
Our hitting coach, Brett Talley, likes Arenado, Desmond, and Davis if paying up for Coors exposure, while Betts and Bogaerts would be his other top priced targets. Piscotty, Morales, and Conforto would be his mid-priced targets, with Rojas, Gattis, and Granderson being his top value plays.
Our projections have the Red Sox taking up three of the top five spots with Betts leading the way, with his OF teammates of Benintendi and Martinez making it in the top five. Story and Lowrie round out the top five. Sano is the top FD value play, with Cruz 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 and 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 will likely be making one lineup in which I pay up for pitching, and one in which I target Coors. If paying up for pitching, I may go a little more risk with a Padres four-pack over the Rays. My pivot off the game at Coors would be a late night hammer, full SEA/LAA game stack, but would need to go cheap with pitching to fit in the top bats from that game. That doesn’t mean the other routes given above as well the ones in the playbook can’t be used.
Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team: Our stacking coach, Tom Vecchio, likes the idea of going different tonight with the White Sox, Astros, and Nationals tonight.