Here are today and tomorrow’s daily SP Streamer rankings for fantasy baseball.
Every day of the 2024 baseball season, I’ll be looking at today and tomorrow’s slate of scheduled starting pitchers and ranking their matchups for your fantasy baseball streams.
There’s a lot that goes into this and you can hang out with me on Playback.tv/pitcherlist to talk about the specific ranks as I make them every weekday morning from 10am – 12pm ET. If you have questions about these ranks, please ask during the morning Playback AMA. Those are my office hours as I generally don’t answer comments on the site.
There are four tiers to these rankings with 12-teamers in mind:
Auto-Start – Just do it. Don’t overthink this, start the man. This includes “if I have them rostered, I’m starting them” pitchers.
Probably Start – I’m likely starting these arms, though I recognize there is more risk than we’d like there to be. Either it’s a tough matchup for a good-not-elite pitcher or a weak lineup for a volatile arm. These pitchers have a 50% or greater chance of performing well in my view.
Questionable Start – Think of this tier as “I don’t want to start these pitchers in a vacuum, but you could do worse.” Streamers found in this tier are not pitchers I’m targeting and are only if you are in dire need of one. To play it safe with streaming, just start the Probably Start streamers.
Do Not Start – The reward is not worth the risk. Don’t do it. Seriously, these pitchers have a very slim chance of success or sometimes none at all.
Obviously, there will be circumstances where pitchers should move between teams for your situation specifically and these new tiers should act as a little more help than the straight table from last year.
Please keep in mind that streaming is far from a perfect play. In fact, if they work out over half the time, I’d consider it a success. These matchup rankings & streamer picks are going to be wildly different than the actual results throughout the year, so please, have sympathy before the scathing comments and tweets. I’m only trying to help!
Make sure to read the notes if you’re wondering why I’m favoring certain pitchers over others – I won’t get to everyone and hopefully I answer what questions you will have.
There is a second table for tomorrow’s starting pitcher matchups as well, helping everyone get a jump on their nightly pickups. Please note that these matchups are subject to change, though, and there will be times when I have the incorrect pitcher going. I thank you for your future understanding.
Finally, there are my streaming picks of the day, and please keep in mind that I am forced to pick a streamer every day. Those highlighted in Green are that day’s streaming pick in the second tier and I’d roll with them everywhere. Those in Yellow are in the third tier and should be okay if you’re searching for something on a given day, but I don’t recommend streaming unless you’re in need. Finally, those are Red are those I really don’t want to start (they are labeled as “Do Not Start”, after all) but have no other choice. Don’t stream these guys until you are truly desperate. A streaming pick is defined as “rostered in 20% or fewer leagues,” which really emphasizes the point that I’d be happy if over 50% of these worked. I could do the whole sub 30/40% rostered, but there’s no fun in that. You can use the rankings to realize who would be those picks, instead.
(Opener) – Outlines that a pitcher is being opened for that day & the pitcher listed will follow the opener.
As I do my rankings, I thought it would be helpful to showcase a table of how we’re ranking offenses (in Alphabetical order):
I’m sure it’ll change through the year + there are differences to be made about teams vs. LHP or RHP, but it works as a general table that y’all should keep in mind.
Alright, let’s get to it.
This year, with our new daily fantasy baseball projections powered by PLV, I’ll be competing against PL Bot to pick the best streaming option each day.
To get access to PL Bot’s picks each day, sign up for PL Pro here.
The streaming record is determined by “Was this a productive game for 12-teamers if I started them?” Roughly a PQS with a Win and a strikeout per inning with a sub 1.20 WHIP, with a minimum of 5 IP. Close calls are decided by Playback chat.
2023 Results:
Nick’s Record: 101-77
PL Bot’s Record: 90-89
Nick’s 2024 Streamer Record: 1-0
My pick yesterday: Frankie Montas vs. WSN
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 1-0
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Frankie Montas vs. WSN
Want PL Bot’s pick today? Sign Up for PL Pro here.
My streaming pick of the day is Underlined and Italicized.
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Spencer Strider @ PHI – Aces gonna ace.
Zack Wheeler vs. ATL – Aces gonna ace.
George Kirby vs. BOS – Aces gonna ace.
Bobby Miller vs. STL – Aces gonna ace.
Freddy Peralta @ NYM – Aces gonna ace.
Joe Musgrove vs. SFG – He battled overseas and now gets the comfort of Petco and the Giants.
Merrill Kelly vs. COL – It’s a solid matchup (even if they haven’t played in Coors yet) and Kelly can go six.
Nick Pivetta @ SEA – He’s ready to go at least five if not six and showcased the whirlybird well in his final tuneup.
Probably Starts
Chris Bassitt @ TBR – The matchup is rough and we can’t forget the 9 ER blast in his first start last year, right?
A.J. Puk vs. PIT – I’m super excited for this one as Puk has looked phenomenal all spring.
Aaron Civale vs. TOR – The matchup is tough, though if you have Civale, you’re chancing it for a potential Win + hoping the slider becomes a larger part of his game as he expressed back in December.
Cristian Javier vs. NYY – I adore Javier’s new changeup addition (he can throw it for strikes!) and despite failing to record an overwhelming spring outing, I’m a believer in Javier’s new approach.
Questionable Starts
Logan Allen @ OAK – Shocking, I know. We’ve neglected him entirely and yet, here he is, getting the streaming pick on the second day of the year. It’s a great matchup, Allen is a Toby and this could be a quiet productive day. I’d prefer not to go for it, but hey, he’s the streaming option.
Carlos Rodón @ HOU – Boy do I hope to have egg on my face after this start. Rodón hasn’t been able to sit 95/96 mph all spring and it’s entirely possible he shows up in this one and pumps gas all game to prove that he’s ready. PLEASE.
Kyle Harrison @ SDP – It’s a 50/50 if Harrison has good enough command to give himself a shot at 5+ frames without destroy your WHIP, then there’s the whole “aren’t the Padres good against LHP?” thing that makes me turn away from this.
Martín Pérez @ MIA – Another sneaky potential stream here as Pérez’s command has been on point this spring. Not a great Win chance, but you could do worse here.
Jose Quintana vs. MIL – I’m not sold that Quintana is able to locate his fastball well enough yet to trust him as a Toby, but he could turn into a Vargas Rule soon enough.
Do Not Starts
Ross Stripling vs. CLE – Naaaaaaah.
Cal Quantrill @ ARI – COL story, Bro.
Zack Thompson @ LAD – This has all the makings of a rough day.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Joe Ryan @ KCR – I feel like we’re going to be giving Ryan the AGA label soon enough and this matchup is too lovely to pass up, especially for a guy looking like he’s already stretched out for six frames.
Grayson Rodriguez vs. LAA – Aces gonna ace, except I’m not sure how long he’ll go in this one. Also, can you please get you command in order? Not control, command inside the zone with your heater + actually landing sliders and changeups down and out of the zone. K thx.
Tanner Bibee @ OAK – It’s a lovely matchup and even with a heater that terrifies me and questionable slider/change command, this is super safe.
Max Fried @ PHI – Aces gonna ace…but why does it have to be the Phils?
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. STL – It was a horrific first start overseas, but with the “first” outing of the way and the home crowd on his side, you have to imagine a far better game here with a stupid high Win chance.
Hunter Greene vs. WSN – He’s opposite Corbin, making this not just a fantastic strikeout ceiling, but also a strong Win chance. Just don’t allow a longball or two, please.
Dylan Cease vs. SFG – Y’all know I don’t love Cease, but he should rack up the strikeouts against the Giants with a solid Win chance.
Aaron Nola vs. ATL – Aces gonna ace. Probably. Maybe. STUPID ATLANTA OFFENSE BEING SO GOOD. You gotta start Nola regardless.
Logan Gilbert vs. BOS – Despite my hesitations drafting Gilbert in the spring, I still think he’s a solid pitcher who should produce. The Sawx are a solid team even outside Fenway, but you’re still rolling with this.
Kutter Crawford @ SEA – The Mariners don’t scare me offensively and Kutter should be set to go at least five, if not six here.
Probably Starts
DL Hall @ NYM – I’m super excited to see the data on Hall as I witnessed a new man in the spring. Hall morphed into a true starter with a focus on command over max-effort stuff and I can’t wait to see what the whole package looks like now. For now, I trust Hall’s efficiency to allow him to go at least five frames (if not more) and carry strikeouts along the way against a decent Mets offense.
Jared Jones @ MIA – This is a stupid fun matchup and I trust Jones’ strikeout ability more than Weathers’, granting him the higher spot. There is some command concern for his MLB debut, though the stuff is too fun and electric to deny.
Kenta Maeda @ CHW – It’s the White Sox + Maeda has flexed whiffs during the spring. There is some concern he doesn’t have his command working here, but the strikeouts should still flow.
Michael Soroka vs. DET – I’m not worried about the Tigers and I see Soroka as a solid Toby this year. Can’t wait to get a proper look at him with some legit data FINALLY.
JP Sears vs. CLE – Sears’ heater is looking incredible and the Guardians, despite spoiling Wood’s Oakland debut, aren’t much of a deterrent. If Sears can actually get his sweeper and changeup down, he should cruise to a strikeout per inning, if not more.
Ryan Weathers vs. PIT – The Pirates aren’t too scary and Weathers is looking solid, but had taken a step back in his final spring tuneup. He’s worth the start in hopes the ceiling is still present, though I have to acknowledge the floor if his heater isn’t bullying batters like we saw in early March.
Seth Lugo vs. MIN – Without Royce in their lineup, Lugo makes for a safer play in Kansas City, though he’s not the kind of pitcher you generally pump your fist in the air for starting.
Luis Severino vs. MIL – He just earned ten four-seamer whiffs in his final spring tune-up and I fully acknowledge how I could have been too low on Severino in the spring. Let’s hope his only tweaks this off-season weren’t “no more tipping”.
Questionable Starts
Hunter Brown vs. NYY – I’m hoping Brown has found his secondaries in the spring and there is a Cherry Bomb volatility here that should give you some anxiety. It’s okay to wait a start to see where Brown is with his arsenal, especially after the Yankees induced six walks from Valdez on Opening day.
Yusei Kikuchi @ TBR – It’s all about getting into a rhythm for Kikuchi and he didn’t find it in the spring. Throw in the Rays and you have yourself a whole lot of volatility here.
Zack Littell vs. TOR – Some are massively in on Littell and I honestly get it. However, the Jays pack a whole lot of thump and Littell isn’t the poster child of consistency.
Jordan Hicks @ SDP – Hey, I’m stoked to watch more Hicks. I just don’t want to against the Padres, especially when I only truly believe in his slider at the moment – the jury is still out on sinker at its diminished 95/96 mph velocity. And do we have a third pitch to truly believe in?
Marcus Stroman @ HOU – The Astros are legit. Stroman’s sinker can nullify. High risk with potential QS reward if you want to play that game. Strikeouts should be heavily limited, though.
Do Not Starts
Griffin Canning @ BAL – The Orioles just destroyed the Angels and you should be very afraid of that offense.
Cody Bradford vs. CHC – Bradford isn’t the worst streaming option I’ve seen, and unless you’re in a dire need to chase Wins on the second day of the season (short H2H week?), I wouldn’t tempt fate.
Tommy Henry vs. COL – Two first names n everything, we don’t trust Henry, Tommy. However, the Sneks are likely to Win this game as he’s opposite Gomber…
Kyle Hendricks @ TEX – It’s the Rangers and Hendricks is essentially two-pitches. Yikes.
Patrick Corbin @ CIN – Corbin? Inside Cincy? IN THIS ECONOMY? At least I can hope from afar that Corbin leans heavily into his cutter vs. RHB. That would be awesome.
Lance Lynn @ LAD – The Dodgers, ya’ll.
Austin Gomber @ ARI – COL story, Bro.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram)