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 to be solid at the moment.

From the top of the playbook:  As long as the rain stays away tonight, if looking to have your lineups cash in today’s 12-game main MLB slate, it will likely come from the hitting choices you make over your pitchers, as pitch limits, and bullpen days drastically reduces the number of decent pitchers to take.  It’s down to the last 20 games or so for most teams, and while a handful of teams are still paying for something, the rest are looking ahead towards next year. Although not all of the games have projected totals yet, it’s looking like there will be a solid group of teams projected for over five runs, providing plenty of routes to take for your gpp lineups.

 

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:  Jacob deGrom vs the field tonight for pitching, with Mike Fiers as your likely best second option.

Thirty Second Cheat Sheet: Chris Sale is on a two inning limit, while Marco Gonzalez is on a roughly 75 pitch count limit.  Vegas likes Mike Foltynewicz and Miles Mikolas to shut down their opponents, but they join Zack Greinke as more gpp plays only for me.  Brad Keller would be my wild card cheap play.

As mentioned above, I think you will have to win this slate via hitting tonight, as unless you truly feel that deGrom pulls a Kluber from last night, he’s the best pitcher by a wide margin tonight.  If still playing cash games, deGrom is a must on both sites. He’s still the best play on FD for gpp’s as there are plenty of value plays, but Mike Fiers has a great price tag there if looking for a solid pivot.  If looking elsewhere, I prefer José Quintana , but Brett makes the case in the hitting coach for Jhoulys Chacin on the other side of this game. I’m not really on the Biber vs Glasnow matchup pitching wise, and prefer Greinke in Coors over a spot start from Sonny Gray .  I do like Keller as a DK value play, with the case for him and some other routes in the playbook.
 

Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:

Our pitching coach, Brett Talley, likes deGrom as the top play, with Fiers as his mid-value pivot, and Musgrove as his mid-priced gpp play.  Chacin would be his value play on DK.

Our projections deGrom leading the way by a large margin, with Gonzalez, Folty, Glasnow, and Greinke rounding out the top five.  Please note that I do believe that Gonzalez will be on a pitch limit tonight.
 

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: Plenty of routes to take tonight, but the bats from the Red Sox, Yankees, Diamondbacks, and A’s lead the way.

Thirty Second Cheat Sheet:  You’re not going to able to grab all the top bats from those teams, but outside of stacking, I’d rather look at both top priced, and value hitting targets from those teams.  It’s a great night for stacking though, and in addition to those teams, there’s some poor starters, and plenty of bullpen games to target tonight. The Royals lead that list for me tonight.
 

Positional Thoughts:

Catcher:  Gary Sánchez is likely the best option if paying up, while Sandy León and Jeff Mathis look to be your best pure punt options.  Some mid-priced options are listed in the playbook, and outside of stacking, Mike Zunino and Mitch Garver would be my preferred plays.

First Base: I do like Paul Goldschmidt , but his price tag is ridiculous compared to the field at first.  The field is pretty wide open at first though, with plenty of different routes listed in the playbook. Best route is likely to pair up your first base play with teammates from one of your team targets.  Steve Pearce , a 1B play from the CLE/TB game, and Matt Olson are my preferred plays.

Second Base:  I like both Daniel Murphy and Whit Merrifield , and thinking Whit will be the higher owned out of the two.  You’re going to need to take a value play for at least one position though, and thinking second is a solid spot.  Ian Kinsler on FD, while DK provides plenty of routes to take depending on your team targets. Since you really want to find some cheap DK price tags, Logan Forsythe , Rosell Herrera , and Tommy La Stella lead that list.

Shortstop:  Trevor Story is my preferred play, but could see going Francisco Lindor on DK.  If looking elsewhere, I think a good chunk will be on Xander Bogaerts and his hot bat.  Other routes were given in the playbook, highlighted by Adalberto Mondesí .

Third Base: Tommy La Stella is mentioned above, and will be an attractive play, but just know that I highly doubt he plays a full game, and third base is one that you really want to pay up for.  Having said that, feel free to use him for salary relief in a Cubs stack. The same could be said with Josh Donaldson , but his price is too high, and prefer paying up for José Ramírez , Eduardo Escobar , or Matt Chapman .  Other routes were provided in the playbook.

OutField: PLenty of routes to go in the OF, but would stick to those teams listed in the cheet sheet area.  Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are on fire, while Mookie Betts and J.D. Martínez lead the way on the highest projected scoring team.  Benintendi is also the only Red Sox in our top five projections. Oakland has plenty of OF options with Ramon Laureano having a solid FD price tag, while a player likes Adam Frazier keeps killer the ball if looking to go elsewhere.  The NYY/MIN game has some great options to consider, while the Royals have Alex Gordon leading the way for them.

Thoughts from the FantasyAlarm Team:  

Our projections have Goldy leading the way, followed by Benintendi, Lindor, Stanton, and Carp.  Engel is the top FD value play, while Panik leads the way on DK.

GPPs:

If playing GPPs, 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 mentioned my team targets, as well as some four pack stack routes in the playbook, but I do like any of the top projected scoring teams, with the Red Sox leading that field for me.  The Royals are my value team, but could go cheap with pitching in order to get two large four packs. I would try to go different with the second four pack, and use either the Rangers or Angels, or just fell stack that game.

Our stacking coach, Tom Vecchio, likes the A’s, Red Sox, and Royals tonight.