MLB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: May 9th, 2026
Published: May 09, 2026
Happy Saturday, May 9th. We have an 8-game MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:05 pm ET.
The Dodgers are expected to get a boost to their rotation, with Blake Snell making his season debut, while the Yankees' young phenom Cam Schlittler will make his eighth start of the season. The DFS slate doesn't offer much pitching upside beyond that at first glance, but let's see what we can uncover.
For updated MLB DFS projections, lineup generator, and ownership projections, visit FantasyAlarm.com.
⚡ THE SLATE DASHBOARD
| Slate | 8-Game Slate on FD & DK | Lock: 7:05 PM ET |
| Top Game Totals | SEA/CWS (O/U - 9.5) • DET/KC (O/U - 9.5) • NYM/ARI (O/U - 9.5) • ATL/LAD (O/U - 8.5) |
| SP Ownership Tier | Blake Snell (LAD, 30% DK) • Cam Schlittler (NYY, 30% DK) • Edward Cabrera (CHC, 26% DK) • Braxton Ashcraft (PIT, 24% DK) |
| Highest K-Projections | Cam Schlittler (NYY, 5.5) • Landen Roupp (SF, 5.5) • Blake Snell (LAD, 5.0) • Edward Cabrera (CHC, 5.0) |
| Weather | All clear across the league |
💎 PITCHING COACH
Top Tier
Cam Schlittler (NYY) | vs MIL
Schlittler is priced way up for a tough matchup with the pesky Brewers, but upside is tough to find on this slate. He owns a sparkling 1.52 ERA on the season, and his strikeout rate, K-BB rate, and swinging-strike rate all rank top 10 in MLB among qualified starting pitchers. The young righty has undeniably been one of the best pitchers in baseball. The matchup is not ideal, with the Brewers ranking 9th in wRC+ against righties and striking out at a 19.7% clip, but it's worth the risk on a slate that lacks additional spend-up options.
Blake Snell (LAD) | vs ATL
This is a tough pitching slate that lacks upside options, which is leading to an uncomfortable amount of Blake Snell ownership. He's making his first start of the season after throwing only 55 pitches in his last rehab outing. In a best-case scenario, he gets through five innings to have a chance at a win and racks up a bunch of strikeouts along the way. Unfortunately, he's facing an Atlanta offense that ranks 5th in wRC+ against lefties and strikes out less than 20% of the time.
Value Plays
Edward Cabrera (CHC) | vs TEX
Caberera is off to a solid start with the Cubs, with a 3.27 ERA through seven starts. The strikeouts are down slightly from his career numbers, but his swinging-strike rate is right in line with last season. He should see an uptick in strikeouts moving forward. The price tag is extremely attractive for a neutral matchup with Texas.
Randy Vasquez (SD) | vs STL
Vasquez was a prime breakout candidate after he showed up to Spring Training flashing improved velocity. He got off to an incredible start, but he has hit a rough patch over his last two starts, allowing eight runs and recording only six strikeouts against the Cubs and Giants. The improved velocity is holding steady, the strikeouts and ground balls are both up significantly, and the walks are down, so there is still plenty of hope for the 27-year-old. He'll look to get back on track with a decent matchup against the Cardinals.
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) | vs SF
Ashcraft has been excellent this season, posting a 3.02 ERA through seven starts. His peripheral stats under the hood all check out completely, and it looks like the Pirates have another bright, young arm to be excited about. Tonight, Ashcraft draws a plus-matchup against a struggling Giants offense.
Jack Leiter (TEX) | vs CHC
I actually prefer the Cubs offense in this matchup, but this pitching slate is garbage. Leiter is one of the few pitchers with the ability to rack up double-digit strikeouts tonight. He's been hit incredibly hard (13.2% barrels, 44.3% HardHit), and the Cubs are red-hot, so tread carefully even in the deepest of tournaments.
💎 HITTING COACH
Elite Bats
Juan Soto (OF, NYM) | vs ARI
Soto's absence from the Mets lineup was felt big-time. He's back and performing at an elite level, posting a 142 wRC+ so far this season. He owns an elite .231 ISO against righties, and his .318 xISO suggests there is even more to come. A matchup with a struggling veteran right-hander leaves Soto as one of the top spend-ups on the slate.
Cal Raleigh (C, SEA) | vs CWS
Raleigh is coming off the best offensive season in history from a catcher, and he's heating up again after a slow start this year. He gets a dream matchup against a lefty that has allowed a .284 ISO to righties this season. Raleigh destroyed lefties last season with a ridiculous .400 ISO and .429 wOBA.
Kevin McGonigle (SS, DET) | vs KC
McGonigle is already building his case for AL ROY, with an excellent 137 wRC+ through his first 163 career plate appearances. He owns a .190 ISO against right-handed pitching, but an xISO of .271 suggests he has been even better than that. Wacha has been pretty lucky this season, with a .231 BABIP and 80.5% strand rate.
Julio Rodriguez (OF, SEA) | vs CWS
Rodriguez got off to a slow start this season, but he has been one of the best hitters in baseball over his last 100 plate appearances. In May, he owns a 203 wRC+ and has already smacked four long balls in just seven games. He gets a matchup with a struggling lefty that has allowed a .284 ISO to righties this season.
Value Bats (Salary Savers)
- Brett Baty (3B/OF, NYM): Baty has struggled this season, but so has the opposing pitcher. He should hit in the middle of the order, and carries multi-position eligibility. Kelly has allowed an egregious .479 ISO to lefties.
- Kerry Carpenter (OF, DET): Carpenter has been an elite hitter against righties in his career, and he's back at it again this year. He owns a .261 ISO, and all six of his home runs have come off righties this season.
- Carter Jensen (C, KC): Jensen has been the Royals' best hitter against righties, with a .227 ISO and .340 wOBA. He'll face a righty opener and an inexperienced righty bulk reliever.
- Jac Caglianone (OF, KC): Cags remains loaded with potential, and the production is starting to come. He's at 104 wRC+ for the season, and he's posted a .169 ISO and .338 wOBA against righties. The expected numbers are even better at .216 xISO/.353 xwOBA.
🏗️ THE STACKING BLUEPRINT
Primary Stack: Seattle Mariners
Targets: Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, Brendan Donovan, JP Crawford
Opponent: Chicago White Sox | SEA 5.0 implied
Primary Stack: New York Mets
Targets: Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, Brett Baty, MJ Melendez, Marcus Semien, Carson Benge
Opponent: Arizona Diamondbacks | NYM 4.8 implied
Primary Stack: Kansas City Royals
Targets: Bobby Witt, Vinnie Pasquantino. Maikel Garcia, Carter Jensen, Salvador Perez, Jac Caglianone
Opponent: Detroit Tigers | KC 5.1 implied
Contrarian Stack: Los Angeles Dodgers
Targets: Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Tucker, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages
Opponent: Atlanta Braves | LAD 4.9 implied
Contrarian Stack: Chicago Cubs
Targets: Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Michael Busch, Alex Bregman, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Moises Ballesteros
Opponent: Texas Rangers | CHC 4.2 implied
📈 THE LEVERAGE REPORT (GAME THEORY)
The Chalk (Popular) | The Pivot (Low Owned) | The Winning Logic |
|---|---|---|
| Snell (highly owned) | Cabrera (significantly cheaper with similar upside) | Snell will certainly be limited as he threw just 55 pitches in his final rehab start, and he's never been efficient anyway. Cabrera should pitch deep, and underlying metrics suggest he's due for a bump in strikeouts. |
| Schlittler (highly owned) | Ashcraft or Vasquez (significant salary discount and moderate ownership) | No pitcher on the slate has Schlittler's upside, but he's priced way up and draws a difficult matchup. Get ahead of the field with a cheaper option if he stumbles. |
| NYM Chalk Stack (high ownership) | LAD Stack (lower-owned) | The best offense in baseball is flying under the radar, possibly because of the big name toeing the rubber on the other side. Strider is dealing with a significant drop in velocity and is not the same elite arm he was pre-injury. |
| KC Chalk Stack (high ownership) | CHC Stack (lower-owned) | The Royals have been an average offense, while the Cubs are on their second 10-game winning streak of the young season and rank 5th in wRC+ against righties. Leiter has allowed a 13.2% Barrel rate and 44.3% HardHit rate. |
🎯 HEART OF THE ORDER
The core pieces for every lineup you build today. Ownership drives the cash versus GPP label.
| SP1 | Cam Schlittler (NYY) |
| Core Bat | Juan Soto (NYM) |
| Core Bat | Cal Raleigh (SEA) |
| Core Bat | Kevin McGonigle (DET) |
| Value Core | Brett Baty (NYM) |
| Value Core | Kerry Carpenter (DET) |
| Value Core | Carter Jensen (KC) |
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