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: 10-5
My pick yesterday: Allan Winans vs. NYM
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 10-5
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: JP Sears @ TEX
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?!
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.
Andrew Abbott @ CHW – It’s lovely pitching opposite the White Sox away from Cincy. Abbott isn’t looking like the mid-summer stud from last year, though it seems like a safe enough play.
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.
UPDATE: Jacob Waguespack vs. SFG – The Giants are a good team to face, but what is the leash on Waguespack? He’s coming off the breavement list and will likely be limited. T-Lex was scratched for personal reasons and shouldn’t be expected to appear in this one.
Chris Flexen vs. CIN – Flexen ain’t it.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Logan Webb @ TBR – Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan @ DET – He’s nearing AGA territory and the Tigers should only amplify his case.
Shota Imanaga @ SEA – So far so good for Shōta’s MLB career.
Chris Sale @ MIA – This has high floor written all over it.
Garrett Crochet vs. CIN – It doesn’t matter what I think the long term impact is, you’re starting him now.
Ryan Pepiot vs. SFG – Pepiot looked legit in Coors and now gets a cushy matchup.
MacKenzie Gore @ OAK – I’m a big believer in Gore’s improved arsenal and he should have a field day against the Athletics.
Probably Starts
Bowden Francis vs. COL – I absolutely love this start for Francis against Rockie Road, though with Yariel Rodríguez called up, there is some haze as to what happens on Saturday. Is Francis still starting? Is it an abbreviated “piggy-back” situation? Or is Yariel acting as a safety valve for the Blue Jays? Personally, I think it would foolish to give up on Francis so soon, especially against the visiting Colorado crew and he should take full advantage given the opportunity on Saturday.
Luis Gil @ CLE – Gil hasn’t gone a full five yet as his changeup and slider are struggling to find strikes. I believe it’s there and the strikeout upside is too good to pass up.
Ronel Blanco vs. TEX – Two starts against the Jays and Rangers, one hit allowed. But it’s the Rangers! Again! I know, and yet, you’re still doing this. I know…
Gavin Stone vs. SDP – His last outing against the Cubs was a strange one, bookmarked by errors. I’ll give him some slack, even against the Padres.
Spencer Turnbull vs. PIT – The cutter + sweeper combo is working so far for Turnbull and we’ll Vargas Rule this for now. Don’t expect Turnbull to still be on your roster in June.
Matt Manning vs. MIN – Manning is oddly already making his second start of the year despite leaving camp out of the rotation. He didn’t flex the strongest skills in his first outing and I’m hoping he has his slider cooking against the Twins.
Nick Lodolo @ CHW – He’s returning from the IL and stretched out to just under 70 pitches, which makes for about 75-80 expected in his season debut. It’s a bit of a Still ILL, though the floor is relatively solid against the White Sox.
Ryne Nelson vs. STL – He returned to 95-97 mph with a filthy cutter against Atlanta, I’m taking the shot that it’ll return to wow us all against a worse set of bats.
Kenta Maeda vs. MIN – It’s often a toss-up for Maeda. His strikeout rate should hover 25% all year, but will the ratios be good enough? That’s your decision to make.
Questionable Starts
Dean Kremer vs. MIL – It’s a solid Win chance and maybe the splitter is back to help him coast.
Simeon Woods Richardson @ DET – SWR gets the call for this double-header, likely boasting the heater that featured three ticks extra velocity in the spring. That still puts him at just 93/94 mph. Very fair and I wonder if there’s enough in the tank to take full advantage.
Cooper Criswell vs. LAA – Designated as the SP #6 for the Red Sox in March, it’s no surprise to see Criswell. The Angels aren’t the toughest, but how long will the Sawx let Criswell’s sinker/sweeper approach challenge the Angels?
Alec Marsh @ NYM – One great start, one poor one. Now it’s the Mets. Who knows. At least he has the chance to go 5+ for a team on a massive hot streak.
Sean Manaea vs. KCR – I’m heavily skeptical of Manaea’s arsenal and the Kansas City bats are walloping pitchers.
Joe Boyle vs. WSN – The Nationals are in the Top 10 in swing rates and Boyle just needs to find enough strikes against this poor lineup to keep his head above water.
Do Not Starts
Griffin Canning @ BOS – He’s two ticks down and it’s Fenway. I hope the swing and miss stuff is there to save him.
Triston McKenzie vs. NYY – I’m terrified of McKenzie at the moment. He’s sitting 1-2 ticks down and even features sub 90 mph heaters at times, while the curve isn’t earning whiffs. I still can’t believe he went near 50% sliders in his first start. Something feels very wrong and this is a dangerous start against the Yankees.
Marco Gonzales @ PHI – Marco has allowed a ton of ICR in his successful outings and now faces a stronger offense. Be careful.
Kyle Gibson @ ARI – You never know with Gibson. Do whatever you want.
DL Hall @ BAL – I believe in Hall over time, but this is a super hot Baltimore team.
Andrew Heaney @ HOU – Heaney isn’t pitching like a guy you can trust against Houston.
Dakota Hudson @ TOR – Hudson is a groundball fiend and it’s possible pitches find gloves.
Max Meyer vs. ATL – It’s Atlanta and Meyer only has a slider to lean on.
Matt Waldron @ LAD – Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.
Emerson Hancock vs. CHC – Hancock just got trounced. It can easily happen again.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram) –