Okay, so today I wanted to figure out how to actually use those MLB Fanduel optimizers without getting totally lost. Y’all know me – I jump into stuff headfirst and figure it out by doing.
Why I Even Bothered
Last week got wrecked by injuries and pitching changes. Like, my lineup completely fell apart 10 minutes before lock. Felt like throwing tickets into a blender. Figured an optimizer might help stop that garbage.
First Attempt – Total Fail
Downloaded one big-name optimizer thing. Screen looked like NASA controls. Just clicked buttons randomly like:
“Projections? Value? Exposure? Stacking?”
Got this mess of players priced $1,200-$1,500. Thought it broke. Turns out I forgot to set salary cap. Rookie move.
What Actually Worked
Changed my approach:
- First plugged in pitchers I actually liked manually – ones with good strikeout chances against weak teams.
- Checked those Vegas money lines like my buddy Tom mentioned. Added teams likely to score big.
- Told the optimizer to avoid anyone facing lefties if they sucked against lefties.
- Made it generate 50 different lineups quick instead of just one.
Found out the sneaky trick: let the optimizer handle cheap batters while you control star players. Didn’t realize that before.
Real Results
Got this Marlins catcher nobody picks for $2,000 – dude hit a homer. Padres utility player at min salary scored twice. My pitcher got 8 strikeouts. Final lineup hit 189 points – way better than my usual 120-ish crap.
Huge lesson? Optimizers ain’t magic. Garbage in, garbage out. You still gotta know baseball and make smart choices before hitting that optimize button. Saved me from last-minute scrambling too.
