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 and I’m starting them in the majority of situations.
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 according to Fantasy Pros. This 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.
Nick’s 2024 Streamer Record: 10-4
My pick yesterday: Erick Fedde @ CLE
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 9-5
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: José Soriano vs. TBR
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
Pablo López @ DET – Aces gonna ace. This is gonna be fun.
Tarik Skubal vs. MIN – Aces gonna ace. That velocity dip was just a weird weather thing right? Right?!
Freddy Peralta @ CIN – He’s looking so dang good right now and even with the tougher matchup in Cincy, I’m spotting him over Fried.
Max Fried vs. NYM – Aces gonna showcase to all of us that’s he not cooked. My brain says he should be above Peralta, my heart recognizes the anxiety of fantasy managers everywhere. IT’S THE METS. He’ll crush this.
Grayson Rodriguez @ BOS – It’s a terrible matchup and we’re still going to do this. Of course.
Probably Starts
Jared Jones @ PHI – He’s just too dang fun y’all. Suárez on the other side may be a wiser play for ratios and Wins, but I don’t care. Have fun.
Ranger Suárez vs. PIT – How good is the Pirates offense? This seems like a solid stream for Suárez as he’s in a solid rhythm.
Jon Gray vs. OAK – I have my questions about Gray’s overall productivity, but it’s the Athletics.
Garrett Whitlock vs. BAL – I don’t like the situation – Fenway + the Orioles – though the renewed extension for Garrett Whitlock helps massively. Expect more whiffs than we saw in his first two outings.
Hunter Brown @ KCR – Brown has been a Cherry Bomb, though I’m holding out hope he’ll settle over time. I’m more tepid on both Hunters than the rest of the tier and Brown gets the nod for the better matchup and Win chance.
Questionable Starts
Brady Singer vs. HOU – The new four-seamer could be a factor and this is the Astros. The poster child for Cherry Bomb against a tough offense = the sole member of the Questionable Start tier.
Do Not Starts
Update: Allan Winans vs. NYM – After the rainout, Atlanta is promoting Winans to get the start and give the rotation a rest day. WIth the terrible matchups below, Winans becomes the streaming option with the best Win chance of the lot after going 5.2 IP in his sole minor league outing this season.
JP Sears @ TEX – I don’t want to stream Sears as it’s awfully risky against the mighty Rangers. There’s a chance he pulls it off if he can locate decently well, but hot dang you should skip this.
Update: Jose Quintana @ ATL – If Quintana can be precise with all of his arsenal, he could dance around punishment for five frames.
Nick Martinez vs. MIL – Martinez hasn’t found his rhythm yet and hosting the Brewers in Cincy doesn’t make for the softest development.
Luis Severino @ ATL – It’s Atlanta + Severino doesn’t have the stuff of old. If he can locate heaters with precision for another start, he’ll have a shot at the very least. Too much risk for a low ceiling.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Pablo López @ DET – Aces gonna ace. This is gonna be fun.
Tarik Skubal vs. MIN – Aces gonna ace. That velocity dip was just a weird weather thing right? Right?!
Kevin Gausman vs. COL – He gave us a scare against the Yankees and this is the softest rebound matchup you could hope for.
Freddy Peralta @ BAL – Not the best matchup, but Peralta has been so good.
Max Fried @ MIA – The season has started rough and I feel for you. Expect him to recover and don’t overthink it.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. SDP – You’re obviously doing this.
Tanner Houck vs. LAA – Houck has been gifted such a lovely schedule and we’re happy to oblige.
Michael Wacha @ NYM – Wacha is looking on point and the Mets are such a clear team to start Wacha against.
Probably Starts
Bryce Miller vs. CHC – I don’t like the matchup and I may be slightly too high on Miller here given how he hasn’t found the right groove with his secondaries yet.
Cristopher Sánchez vs. PIT – His changeup didn’t dominate last time out and I’d anticipate a better evening on the bump.
Brandon Pfaadt vs. STL – He started locating his four-seamer better and his sweeper is still fantastic.
Paul Blackburn vs. WSN – This is a Vargas Rule as long as Blackburn gets these great matchups.
Jordan Wicks @ SEA – I’m a huge fan of Wicks’ new four-seamer and facing the Mariners after enduring the Rangers + Dodgers could make this a showcase start.
Reid Detmers @ BOS – His four-seamer’s 20%+ SwStr rate thus far may come back down to Earth in Fenway, though I believe its iVB increase is here to stay.
Michael King @ LAD – King’s command is back to normal. It’s the Dodgers. Yes I’m anxious, too and will blindfold myself as I put him into my lineup.
Clarke Schmidt @ CLE – Schmidt is looking like a solid Toby for a winning crew and I’d go for it, even if the Guardians have come out of the gate scorching hot.
Tyler Wells vs. MIL – It’s a good enough Win chance + Waltimore should save Wells a bit.
Questionable Starts
J.P. France vs. TEX – I don’t like starting France against the Rangers and yet, he has the opportunity to go six with a dub.
Dane Dunning @ HOU – Ditto for Dunning against the Astros.
Nick Martinez @ CHW – It’s lovely pitching opposite the White Sox away from Cincy. I wish I had more confidence in Martinez’s ability at the moment.
Do Not Starts
Steven Matz @ ARI – There’s a temptation to put him into the third tier. Matz doesn’t have the same offense behind him as France/Dunning to get the extra bump.
Tyler Alexander vs. SFG – The Giants are a good team to face, but what is the leash on T-Lex? Is he in the game after the fifth?
Ryan Feltner @ TOR – Feltner has some fun four-seamer moments + his slider finally got whiffs last time out. It’s an interesting one with a higher ceiling than most, and yet, it’s the Rockies. This feels too chaotic.
Jake Irvin @ OAK – The A’s are a great team to toss a pearl to, however, rolling with this forces us to trust Irvin to actually take advantage of it.
Luis Severino vs. KCR – Severino has showcased good four-seamer locations. He’s also displayed few secondary whiffs and a worse four-seamer.
Keaton Winn @ TBR – There’s a shot here if Winn has his splitter earning outs and the Rays are a highly suspect lineup.
Trevor Rogers vs. ATL – It’s Atlanta. I’m excited for Rogers moving forward as a fun upside play, just not now.
Bailey Falter @ PHI – I know, it was strange seeing Falter crush with four-seamers upstairs. The Phillies have also been more tepid with their bats than expected, too. It feels too big brain to do this, sadly.
Carlos Carrasco vs. NYY – Everything is worse with Carrasco right now.
Chris Flexen vs. CIN – Flexen ain’t it.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram) –
Reid Detmers watched the game vs boston in LA, realized besides O’Neill our best hitters are lefties. Devers, Duran, Casas, Yoshida, i mean BOS always finds hitting, and our pitching is surprisingly solid while being mediocre. but the lesson here is start your LHP vs the redsox. Grissom is definitely a pickup being a right handed hitter. will need him to produce. Story was a horror show at the plate. throw a slider or sweeper off the plate, that’s addition by subtraction. good defense but still a Ewing rule.
start Detmers vs BOS again but in fenway, absolutely. and keep up the good work, you’re doing awesome.