Happy Friday! We have a massive 13-game main slate tonight, providing plenty of flexibility to find the MLB DFS optimal lineup. With elite arms like Dylan Cease and Nolan McLean on the hill and a high-octane Baltimore offense in a prime matchup at Camden Yards, today is a perfect day to leverage our MLB DFS optimizer to find the edges that casual players might miss.

Whether you are hunting for a GPP takedown or building a safe cash-game floor, let’s dive into the best plays for Friday, May 8.

Make sure you check out the complete playbook: https://www.fantasyalarm.com/articles/mlb/playbook/mlb-dfs-picks-projections-lineups-stacks-friday-playbook-5-8-2026/189768 

For updated MLB DFS projections, lineup generator, and ownership projections, visit FantasyAlarm.com.

Top Projected MLB DFS Pitchers

The Friday night slate is loaded with talent, but two arms stand out for their strikeout upside and matchup security.

  • Dylan Cease (TOR) vs. LAA: Cease remains the clear ace of the slate. The Angels currently lead the league in strikeout rate against right-handed pitching at 26 percent. With Cease sporting a $3.05$ ERA and an elite K/9 ratio, he is the safest anchor for your MLB DFS optimal lineup.
  • Nolan McLean (NYM) @ ARI: McLean has been a revelation this season with a $2.97$ ERA and elite swing-and-miss stuff. At a lower price point than the Tier 1 starters, he allows you to fit in the heavy hitters from the Baltimore stack.
  • Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) vs. NYY: For those looking for GPP leverage, Misiorowski has recorded 7 or more strikeouts in six of his last seven starts. He is a high-risk, high-reward pivot in tournaments.

Best MLB DFS Stacks Today

Using an MLB DFS optimizer points directly to the Orioles as the highest-upside offense for the May 8 slate.

Baltimore Orioles (vs. Jacob Lopez, LHP)

The Orioles at Camden Yards against Jacob Lopez is the clear target of the night. Lopez enters this matchup with a 6.60 ERA and a $1.90 WHIP, making him the most vulnerable starter on the board. Baltimore’s power-heavy lineup, featuring Pete Alonso, Adley Rutschman, and Tyler O'Neill, should see plenty of scoring opportunities. This game has a slate-high over/under of $9.5$ runs. Stacking the top of this order is the most efficient way to build the MLB DFS best lineup today.

Best Value Plays For DraftKings & FanDuel

Finding salary relief is essential to fitting in elite pitching. Here are the top value targets to round out your builds:

  • Tyler O'Neill (BAL): O'Neill brings massive power upside to the middle of the Baltimore order. Hitting in a prime spot against a struggling left-handed pitcher, he is vastly underpriced for his multi-home run potential and perfectly rounds out an Orioles stack.
  • Josh Naylor (SEA): Naylor is a phenomenal mid-tier option at first base tonight. Now with the Mariners, he is facing a Chicago rotation that he has historically handled well. He offers the perfect salary relief needed to afford high-end pitching like Dylan Cease.
  • Spencer Jones (NYY): The young Yankees outfielder provides an exciting combination of power and speed. Facing Milwaukee, Jones is an excellent one-off value play who can easily pay off his price tag with an extra-base hit or a stolen base, making him a frequent target in our MLB DFS optimizer models.

MLB DFS Optimal Lineup For Today

Building the MLB DFS best lineup today requires balancing a high-strikeout pitching floor with explosive stack potential. Below is a sample optimal build for DraftKings based on today’s confirmed lineups and projections.

Pos Player Team Opponent Salary Proj. Draft%
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