Why bother with lineup stuff
So I got tired of wasting cash on fancy optimizer tools that never really helped win MLB daily contests. Figured there must be some free way to get decent lineups without paying those crazy subscription fees. Started digging around when I had coffee last Tuesday morning.
First tries and fails
Found some forum threads talking about free setups. Tried installing that Python script everybody mentions – total disaster. Kept getting error messages about libraries, spent two hours updating pip versions before giving up completely. Then downloaded a Chrome extension that promised automated picks, but it just broke FanDuel’s lineup page every single time.
The turning point
Realized spreadsheets might be the answer when I saw someone mentioning Google Sheets. Copied this public template I found, then spent half a day fixing all the broken import formulas. Had to manually add player stats from MLB’s official site because the automatic feeds kept failing. Looked like this:
- Column A: Player names with positions
- Column B: FanDuel salaries
- Column C: My own projected points
- Column D: Pitcher matchups copied from Rotowire
Making it actually work
Added simple sorting filters to find best value players. Like sorting by salary ascending for cheap options, or points descending for studs. The real trick was making separate tabs for stacking teams – put all Rockies hitters together when they played at Coors Field yesterday. Wrote conditional formatting rules to highlight bargain players in green when their value score passed 5x return.
Almost gave up again when salaries updated daily at noon ET. Set phone alarms to update the sheet before work meetings. Takes 15 minutes manually now: erase old prices, paste new ones, refresh stats. Better than paying $20/month though.
Real world test
Entered four $1 contests using this janky setup yesterday. Rules were simple: always pick two stud pitchers first, fill with value bats from the green cells. Won $9 back on two lineups, lost the others. Not getting rich but beating the rake feels good. The sheet ain’t perfect – missed Acuña’s homer because I underestimated his matchup – but way better than my old random picks.
Would I recommend this hassle? Only if you’re stubborn like me. Paid tools save hours obviously, but this Frankenstein spreadsheet somehow works. Gonna tweak the value formula tonight while watching Braves game, maybe add weather data somehow. Free ain’t easy, but free works.
