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 six-game Thursday afternoon contest that locks at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
MLB DFS Pitcher Rankings — Thursday, August 13
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Payton Tolle | Boston Red Sox | Toronto Blue Jays | $9,500 |
| 2. | Max Fried | New York Yankees | Seattle Mariners | $8,500 |
| 3. | Parker Messick | Cleveland Guardians | Detroit Tigers | $8,700 |
| 4. | Logan Gilbert | Seattle Mariners | New York Yankees | $9,000 |
| 5. | Kevin Gausman | Chicago Cubs | Washington Nationals | $8,000 |
| 6. | Cade Cavalli | Washington Nationals | Chicago Cubs | $7,500 |
| 7. | Braxton Ashcraft | Pittsburgh Pirates | Miami Marlins | $8,200 |
| 8. | Andrew Abbott | Cincinnati Reds | Chicago White Sox | $6,800 |
| 9. | Max Scherzer | Toronto Blue Jays | Boston Red Sox | $6,500 |
| 10. | Keider Montero | Detroit Tigers | Cleveland Guardians | $7,000 |
Best MLB DFS Value Picks, Pitchers
LHP Max Fried, NYY (vs. SEA)
Salary: $8,500
2025 Stats: 32 G, 32 GS, 195.1 IP, 19-5, 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 189 K, 51 BB, 4.8 WAR
2026 Stats: 14 G, 14 GS, 81.1 IP, 4-3, 2.88 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 75 K, 25 BB, 2.9 WAR, 17.7 FPPG
2026 FanGraphs ROS Projections: 8 G, 8 GS, 45.0 IP, 3-2, 3.31 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 44 K, 14 BB, 0.9 WAR (Steamer)
LHP Andrew Abbott, CIN (@ CWS)
Salary: $6,800
2025 Stats: 29 G, 29 GS, 166.1 IP, 10-7, 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 149 K, 43 BB, 3.9 WAR
2026 Stats: 24 G, 24 GS, 128.2 IP, 6-7, 3.92 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 99 K, 61 BB, 1.5 WAR, 12.3 FPPG
2026 FanGraphs ROS Projections: 8 G, 8 GS, 44.0 IP, 2-3, 4.71 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 39 K, 17 BB, 0.5 WAR (Steamer)
RHP Max Scherzer, TOR (vs. BOS)
Salary: $6,500
2025 Stats: 17 G, 17 GS, 85.0 IP, 5-5, 5.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 82 K, 23 BB, 0.4 WAR
2026 Stats: 9 G, 9 GS, 36.0 IP, 1-4, 7.25 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 27 K, 15 BB, -0.5 WAR, 5.3 FPPG
2026 FanGraphs Projections: 8 G, 6 GS, 33.0 IP, 2-2, 4.55 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 32 K, 10 BB, 0.3 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 Thursday 8/13/26
- MLB Best Bets Today: Top NRFI props for Thursday 8/13/26
- MLB NRFI Tracker
Good luck with your MLB DFS lineups today!
