Anatomy of a $20,000 Winning Lineup

Today, I'm bringing you a detailed breakdown of how I won $20,000 on a single entry in the $25 FanDuel Grand Slam! I'll give you my thought process behind each player and describe what factors made me choose each player over the other options at that position, as well as their ownership percentage for the tournament which had 8,399 entries.

Starting Pitcher

I selected Tim Lincecum (9.2%) for a few reasons. First off, he was pitching in Petco Park, which is known as the best pitcher's park in the entire league. Secondly, the Vegas total was just 6 or 6.5 runs, depending on which bookmaker you use. Opposing a revamped Padres lineup, all I was expecting out of Lincecum was to keep the ball in the park, limit damage, and hopefully earn me the huge four points for a “Win". Also, with 15 games on tap, I knew that Lincecum would be low owned in a large-field GPP. Lincecum exited after the seventh inning with the score tied 0-0 after striking out five batters on 96 pitches.

Score: 12

Catcher

Devin Mesoraco (2.6%) was an easy choice for me, but one of the few players who let me down. He burst onto the scene last year, posting a monstrous .272 ISO and hitting 21 home runs off of right-handed pitchers. John Lackey is a slightly above-average pitcher at this point in his career, but the thing I noticed most is that he allowed 17 home runs in just 97 innings on the road last season, compared to just seven in 101 innings at home. Like I mentioned earlier, Mesoraco was a bust for me, going 0-for-4 and ending up my biggest whiff.

Score: -1

First Base

Joey Votto (6.7%) was my pick of choice at first base, and he was the biggest reason I was able to take down the top spot with his low ownership percentage. While many others were on David Ortiz in a great matchup, I obviously considered going that route before ultimately deciding that I wanted an additional piece of John Lackey, whose numbers against left-handed batters (.316 wOBA, 11 HR) were almost identical to his numbers against right-handed batters (.327 wOBA, 13 HR). Votto paid off for me in a big way, clubbing a home run in each of his first two at-bats before walking and stealing a base late in the game.

Score: 16.75

Second Base

Dee Gordon (13.9%) fit perfectly into my lineup, because I love to target a combination of speed and power in my GPP entries. He doesn't have a high on-base percentage, but what he does have is a ton of speed. Rookie Chris Geltz got the start, and was followed by Erasmo Ramirez, who quickly got shelled, allowing 7 earned runs in just two innings. Gordon had a HUGE game, going 3-for-5 with a double, 4 runs scored and 2 stolen bases.

Score: 12.5

Shortstop

Jhonny Peralta (25.1%) is a great example of putting aside your personal bias in daily fantasy sports. The Reds fan in me wanted no part of the Cardinals, but the DFS player in me saw Peralta at a ridiculous $2,800 and instantly slotted him into my lineup against Jason Marquis, who hadn't pitched in the majors since 2013. Peralta's .172 ISO against right-handed pitchers last season was enough to lock him in at that discounted price. He was solid, going 2-for-4 with a single, double, and RBI.

Score: 3.5

Third Base

David Wright (14.1%) has been known as a lefty-masher throughout his career (.233 ISO, .425 wOBA), and his two-run homer in the fourth inning propelled me into the top 10, where I remained for the rest of the evening. His price tag at just $3,300 was astonishing to me, and he was an instant inclusion in my lineup against southpaw Eric Stults who allowed a whopping 20 homers to righties last season, despite pitching in Petco Park. Wright managed two more singles and a stolen base, capping off a huge night.

Score: 10.75

Outfield

If you have followed me on Twitter or heard any of the MLB podcasts I've done over the past year or so, you know that my love for Kevin Kiermaier (4%) is well documented. You would also know that my disdain for Dan Haren is quite strong. When I saw Kiermaier slotted in the leadoff spot, he was an instant click for me at just $2,800. His home run off Haren in the fourth inning sent goosebumps down my spine. What a perfect scenario for me, with him helping me climb the leaderboards while teeing off on Haren.

Score: 9.5

The other bust I had in my lineup was Bryce Harper (21.3%), but I would likely choose him again in that same scenario a majority of the time. Harper's career .215 ISO made sense in this matchup, and I wanted a cheap source of power. Jerome Williams (.335 career wOBA allowed to left-handed batters) is one of my favorite pitchers to target, and while he did allow a home run to Michael Taylor, he was tremendous the rest of the way, allowing just four more hits across six innings. Harper managed just one single in a 1-for-4 effort.

Score: 0.25

Giancarlo Stanton was another player facing untested rookie Chris Geltz, and while Geltz actually retired him in their only battle, Stanton proceeded to make the Rays bullpen pay. He had a two-run double in the fourth inning, and capped things off with an RBI single in the eighth inning, scoring Gordon.

Score: 10.75

My final score of 75 held off the closest team lefever21 by just 0.5 points, and the entire night was a sweat. There were multiple instances in the 19-inning Yankees/Red Sox game where I was a Chase Headley hit away from falling into second place, or a David Ortiz/Mookie Betts homer that would have dropped me as low as fourth. In the end, I held on due to some good fortune and timely hitting.

I only had a single entry into this tournament, and as you saw above, I had $7,800 of my salary (Mesoraco and Harper) combine for -0.75 points. This in itself tells you that your lineup doesn't have to be perfect to cash in big in daily fantasy sports. My pitcher didn't earn the usually crucial four points for a win either, but I was able to hang on and take home $20,000!

Final Standings

I hope you can use this information as a guide for which statistics, matchups, and strategies you can utilize in a GPP that will help you cash in, and maybe you'll be the next player to take home a five-figure payday!