The 2026 MLB regular season is coming to a head. With the All-Star break and trade deadline in the rear-view mirror and playoff races taking shape, there is no better time to dive right into the Daily Fantasy action. Pitchers are already ranked by price, with the ones who are projected to perform better eating up more of your budget, but I am here to add my two cents. I have my own DFS rankings for the top 10 starting pitchers in the 12-game Friday night contest that locks at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
MLB DFS Pitcher Rankings — Friday, August 7
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Drew Rasmussen | Tampa Bay Rays | Seattle Mariners | $9,700 |
| 2. | Payton Tolle | Boston Red Sox | Athletics | $9,000 |
| 3. | Parker Messick | Cleveland Guardians | Chicago White Sox | $9,200 |
| 4. | Logan Gilbert | Seattle Mariners | Tampa Bay Rays | $10,000 |
| 5. | Kevin Gausman | Chicago Cubs | Kansas City Royals | $8,500 |
| 6. | Max Fried | New York Yankees | Atlanta Braves | $9,500 |
| 7. | Nathan Eovaldi | Texas Rangers | Baltimore Orioles | $9,500 |
| 8. | Robbie Ray | Houston Astros | San Diego Padres | $8,000 |
| 9. | Kyle Leahy | St. Louis Cardinals | Colorado Rockies | $7,700 |
| 10. | Shane Drohan | Milwaukee Brewers | Minnesota Twins | $8,200 |
Best MLB DFS Value Picks, Pitchers
LHP Robbie Ray, SD (vs. HOU)
Salary: $8,000
2025 Stats: 32 G, 32 GS, 182.1 IP, 11-8, 3.65 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 186 K, 73 BB, 2.2 WAR
2026 Stats: 22 G, 21 GS, 122.2 IP, 10-6, 3.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 107 K, 57 BB, 1.0 WAR, 15.9 FPPG
2026 FanGraphs ROS Projections: 9 G, 9 GS, 51.0 IP, 3-3, 4.61 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 52 K, 24 BB, 0.3 WAR (Steamer)
RHP Kyle Leahy, STL (vs. COL)
Salary: $7,700
2025 Stats: 62 G, 1 GS, 88.0 IP, 4-2, 1 SV, 3.07 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 80 K, 28 BB, 1.4 WAR
2026 Stats: 21 G, 21 GS, 107.1 IP, 7-4, 3.44 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 91 K, 35 BB, 1.5 WAR, 13.4 FPPG
2026 FanGraphs ROS Projections: 13 G, 8 GS, 48.0 IP, 3-3, 4.27 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 39 K, 17 BB, 0.5 WAR (Steamer)
LHP Payton Tolle, BOS (vs. ATH)
Salary: $9,000
2025 Stats: 7 G, 3 GS, 16.1 IP, 0-1, 6.06 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 19 K, 8 BB, -0.2 WAR
2026 Stats: 18 G, 18 GS, 101.0 IP, 6-6, 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 110 K, 29 BB, 2.3 WAR, 17.8 FPPG
2026 FanGraphs ROS Projections: 8 G, 8 GS, 44.0 IP, 3-3, 3.91 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 46 K, 14 BB, 0.7 WAR (Steamer)
More MLB DFS Content & Picks
Check out more MLB daily fantasy content throughout the season on DraftKings Network.
- MLB DFS Picks Today: Top DraftKings Targets, Values for Friday 8/7/26
- Best MLB Parlays Today: Top Picks for Friday, August 7
- MLB NRFI Tracker
Good luck with your MLB DFS lineups today!
