I'm working on NFL columns this week, and I got sick - looks like it was just a 24-hour bug - so I intended to set only a handful of lineups today. But somehow I got carried away and set 16.
Here are the lineups:
| Pos | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Hamels | 10600 | Kershaw | 13700 | Gray | 4900 | Anderson | 5400 |
| C | Posey | 3500 | Arencibia | 2700 | Lucroy | 3300 | Gomes | 2500 |
| 1B | Goldschmidt | 4300 | Belt | 3100 | Cabrera | 4400 | Cabrera | 4400 |
| 2B | Rendon | 3400 | Walker | 2400 | Kinsler | 3900 | Kinsler | 3900 |
| 3B | Frazier | 2300 | Frazier | 2300 | Longoria | 3000 | Longoria | 3000 |
| SS | Tulowitzki | 3500 | Tulowitzki | 3500 | Tulowitzki | 3500 | Tulowitzki | 3500 |
| OF | Moreland | 2300 | Van Slyke | 2200 | Martinez | 3500 | Martinez | 3500 |
| OF | Mahtook | 2300 | Altherr | 2900 | Braun | 4800 | Braun | 4800 |
| OF | Gordon | 2800 | Buxton | 2200 | Pollock | 3700 | Betts | 3900 |
| Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 | Total | 34900 |
| Pos | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Gray | 10200 | Nola | 6100 | Igesias | 8400 | Nola | 6100 |
| C | Lucroy | 3300 | J. Salty | 2500 | Posey | 3500 | Molina | 2400 |
| 1B | Goldschmidt | 4300 | Howard | 3100 | Goldschmidt | 4300 | Encarnacion | 4800 |
| 2B | Forsythe | 3400 | Dozier | 3100 | Gosselin | 2600 | Schoop | 2300 |
| 3B | Longoria | 3000 | Frazier | 2300 | Duffy | 2900 | Donaldson | 5800 |
| SS | Segura | 2600 | Tulowitzki | 3500 | Crawford | 2500 | Tulowitzki | 3500 |
| OF | Guyer | 2400 | Bautista | 5500 | Pollock | 3700 | Bautista | 5500 |
| OF | Moss | 2600 | Braun | 4800 | Peralta | 3300 | Van Slyke | 2200 |
| OF | Altherr | 2900 | Gonzalez | 4000 | Martinez | 3500 | Guyer | 2400 |
| Total | 34700 | Total | 34900 | Total | 34700 | Total | 35000 |
| Pos | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ | $5 Rally | $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Nola | 6100 | Nola | 6100 | Kazmir | 9700 | Wacha | 9500 |
| C | Lucroy | 3300 | Posey | 3500 | Wieters | 2400 | Lucroy | 3300 |
| 1B | Ortiz | 4600 | Ortiz | 4600 | Cabrera | 4400 | Howard | 3100 |
| 2B | Kipnis | 3200 | Forsythe | 3400 | Castro | 2200 | Pedroia | 3200 |
| 3B | Longoria | 3000 | Longoria | 3000 | Frazier | 2300 | Frazier | 2300 |
| SS | Bogaerts | 3400 | Tulowitzki | 3500 | Segura | 2600 | Segura | 2600 |
| OF | Betts | 3900 | Bautista | 5500 | Braun | 4800 | Braun | 4800 |
| OF | Bradley | 4300 | Moss | 2600 | Moss | 2600 | Davis | 3200 |
| OF | Davis | 3200 | Gordon | 2800 | Gonzalez | 4000 | Ellsbury | 3000 |
| Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 |
| Pos | $5 Rally | $ | $10 H H | $ | $5 Rally | $5 Rally | $ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Nola | 6100 | Nola | 6100 | Gray | 10200 | Walker | 6700 |
| C | Lucroy | 3300 | Lucroy | 3300 | Arencibia | 2700 | Arencibia | 2700 |
| 1B | Ortiz | 4600 | Ortiz | 4600 | Cabrera | 4400 | Encarnacion | 4800 |
| 2B | Forsythe | 3400 | Forsythe | 3400 | Holt | 2600 | Dozier | 3100 |
| 3B | Longoria | 3000 | Longoria | 3000 | Longoria | 3000 | Shaffer | 2600 |
| SS | Segura | 2600 | Segura | 2600 | Segura | 2600 | Beckham | 2400 |
| OF | Braun | 4800 | Braun | 4800 | Braun | 4800 | Braun | 4800 |
| OF | Davis | 3200 | Davis | 3200 | Mahtook | 2300 | Guyer | 2400 |
| OF | Gonzalez | 4000 | Gonzalez | 4000 | Guyer | 2400 | Bautista | 5500 |
| Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 | Total | 35000 |
I used the RotoWire Optimizer and the Inside Edge Optimizer for one lineup each. The former is the Kershaw one, the later the Hamels one. With 16 lineups, I figured I could burn two on the algorithms just to test them out. Actually, they both had Russell Martin (who was scratched) originally, and I made all the suggested changes in the Inside Edge one. For the RotoWire one, I just subbed in J.P. Arencibia (because the extra $100 was available in the budget) rather than changing around the entire thing.
I have one duplicate lineup - the $10 Happy Hour is a copy of the lineup to the left of it. I thought it was one of my best and worth using in both formats.
I used 10 different pitchers - which is too many - but I liked a lot of the options. Interestingly, I didn't like Kershaw - I used him only in the RotoWire Optimizer one. Not only is he $13,700, he's pitching against a right-handed-heavy Angels team on the road. I think he'll be fine, but this wasn't one of those matchups where you use him irrespective of cost.
My big pitcher was a $6,100 Aaron Nola home against the Braves - I used him in six lineups. I also used a cheap $4,900 Jonathan Gray in two. Other players in whom I'm heavily invested are: Ryan Braun (9), Evan Longoria (8), Troy Tulowitzki (7), Jean Segura (6), Todd Frazier (5), Jonathan Lucroy (6), Miguel Cabrera (4), David Ortiz (4), Carlos Gonzalez (4), Jose Bautista (4), Logan Forsythe (4), Brandon Guyer (4), Khris Davis (4), J.D. Martinez (3), Buster Posey (3), J.P. Arencibia (3), Paul Goldschmidt (3) and Brandon Moss (3).
Incidentally, I won $70 on a $30 investment yesterday (I added a Happy Hour contest last night in which I didn't cash), so my bankroll is now up to $1468.11.