If you've never played daily fantasy baseball before, it's time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you're able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every day.
And if you'd like, you can use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition.
As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the things completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until the games start, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible
Top Pitchers
High-Cost Pitcher
Matt Harvey – The former Mets' first-round pick has managed to put together another impressive campaign in his second full season in the majors. Through his first 21 starts of the season, Harvey has earned a 3.46 FIP, 3.05 SIERA and has struck out an impressive 8.42 batters per nine innings. Tonight, the Mets' ace draws a great matchup at home against a Rockies squad who has struggled to hit the ball away from the friendly confines of Coors Field. Colorado ranks 25th in both wOBA (.295) and wRC+ (85) on the road while leading the league with a massive 24.4% strikeout percentage away from home. With tonight's game at Citi Field, the Mets are huge -220 favorites in a game that vegas anticipates will be one of the lowest scoring on tonight's slate. Harvey makes an excellent play in all formats tonight.
Alternative Options: Carlos Carrasco, Zack Greinke
Cost-Effective Pitcher
Erasmo Ramirez – Outside of Harvey, there are a number of elite pitching options to choose from tonight. However, if you don't want to pay up for guys like Carrasco, Greinke and Madison Bumgarner, Ramirez is definitely worth a look. The Rays' starter has quietly put together a pretty solid season so far, earning an 8-4 record with a 3.80 FIP and 3.91 SIERA while striking out 7.05 batters per nine innings. Much of the reason we are so high on Ramirez tonight is his matchup with the Braves. Atlanta has been one of the worst hitting teams in the league all season long, but they have taken their offensive struggles to new heights since the All-Star break, ranking 29th in wOBA (.278) and dead last in wRC+ (74) since the break. With Vegas projecting the Rays as -170 favorites in a game that features an over/under of just 7, Ramirez looks like an absolute steal at just $5,800 on DraftKings and $6,700 on FanDuel.
Alternative Option: Hector Santiago
High-Cost Hitters
Albert Pujols – The resurgent Pujols is working on his best season as a member of the Angels to date, already blasting 30 homers and 66 RBI with an impressive .352 wOBA and .254 ISO on the season. Tonight, the Angels slugger draws a matchup with White Sox' southpaw Carlos Rodon, who has been absolutely lit up by right-handed batters all season long. Rodon has posted a terrible 4.83 FIP against righties while they have amassed a whopping .394 wOBA against him. Look for Pujols to take advantage of this dream matchup in a game that is expected to be one of the highest scoring on tonight's slate.
A.J. Pollock – Arizona exploded for 13 runs against Philadelphia last night and Pollock was a huge part of the offensive outburst. The Diamondbacks' outfielder tagged the Phillies for three hits -- including a triple and a homer -- while adding two RBI and a stolen base. This was far from an isolated incident. In fact, Pollock has been outstanding all season long, putting up a .362 wOBA, 127 wRC+ and .166 ISO on the year. Although he does not have the platoon splits in his favor tonight, Pollock has faired well against righties this year, posting a .361 wOBA and .164 ISO. That said, the platoon splits are far from a concern considering the Diamondbacks draw a matchup with Phillies' starter David Buchanan tonight, who has posted a horrific 4.91 xFIP and 5.09 SIERA while batters from both sides of the plate have managed a wOBA above .360 against him. All Diamondbacks are in play tonight and Pollock is no exception.
Alternative Options: Jose Bautista, Brian Dozier
Cost-Effective Hitters
Derek Dietrich – Dietrich has quietly put together a very impressive season. Although he's only appeared in 46 games, he's accumulated a .376 with a .243 ISO and has faired extremely well against both lefties and righties. Tonight, Dietrich gets the pleasure of facing off against Red Sox' pitcher Steven Wright and his 4.45 xFIP against lefties. Meanwhile, Dietrich has tagged right-handed pitchers for an impressive .373 wOBA and .248 ISO on the year. The young Marlins' infielder provides spectacular value tonight at just $2,300 on FanDuel and $2,900 on DraftKings.
John Jaso – After spending much of the season on the disabled list, Jaso has impressed since his return to Tampa Bay's lineup, especially against right-handed pitching. The Rays' veteran has put up a .384 wOBA, .182 ISO and .902 OPS against righties and should be in a great spot tonight against Braves' rookie Williams Perez. Perez has not faired well against left-handed bats this season, amassing an abysmal 5.46 FIP and 4.95 xFIP while lefties have knocked him around for a .378 wOBA. Jaso is very reasonably priced across the industry and should have little trouble taking advantage of his matchup with Perez tonight. Do not hesitate to plug him into your lineup in all formats.
Alternative Options: Chris Coghlan, Justin Smoak