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: 14-8
My pick yesterday: Ryne Nelson vs. SFG
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 14-8
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Griffin Canning @ 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
Freddy Peralta @ STL – Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. DET – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. NYM – Aces gonna ace. Get yer four-seamer elevated PLEASE.
Shota Imanaga vs. MIA – Hey, it would be lovely if you also worked in your splitter, sweeper, and curve a bunch, too.
Garrett Crochet @ PHI – The matchup ain’t great, but come on. You’re starting Crochet.
Probably Starts
Justin Verlander @ WSN – Is it a Still ILL? Possibly, but Verlander just hurled 77 pitches in his final rehab start and this is the Nationals. I expect Verlander to have it all working in his first start of the year.
Brayan Bello @ PIT – This looks like another six inning outing and I’m all for it.
Nick Lodolo vs. LAA – He was so dang good with his breaker last time out and even in Cincy for this one, you should be rolling with it.
Chris Sale vs. TEX – It’s a tough matchup, but you should be starting Sale with confidence, even after his last outing.
Jesús Luzardo @ CHC – Luzardo is a volatile arm and the Cubs are capable of exploiting his mistakes over the zone. And yet, you’re still starting this as Luzardo helps more than hurts.
Jordan Montgomery @ SFG – He’s back! I originally had him higher but I imagine Monty will have a little more ironing out to do than Verlander.
Blake Snell vs. ARI – It’s pretty fun to see Snell vs. JorMont in what the Playback chat likes to call “The Battle of Four Innings”. It should be better than that all around, though I understand if you’d like to sit Snell until he displays the absurdity of last year.
Clarke Schmidt vs. TBR – The Rays are floundering and Schmidt is a solid Toby for a winning team.
MacKenzie Gore vs. HOU – The Astros are not as scorching hot as we normally see + Gore is trending up in all the right places.
Spencer Turnbull vs. CHW – Turnbull’s arsenal doesn’t get me amped, but you should be safe here with the Phils offense behind him.
Jack Flaherty @ MIN – Flaherty’s breakers are looking great, and I’d trust the fastball not to get absolutely pummeled against the Twins.
Questionable Starts
Triston McKenzie vs. OAK – I’ve watched all of McKenzie’s starts and felt massive anxiety as he shoves pitches over the plate without the same electricity of the past. That said, it’s the Athletics. Considering McKenzie isn’t on the IL, there’s a chance he breaks out of his funk here.
Do Not Starts
Yariel Rodríguez @ SDP – I’m not as much of a fan of Yariel’s fantasy value as much as others and the Padres are a solid offense. His innings seem capped around five frames + his slider/fastball combo isn’t incredibly alluring. Good breaker, thoughg.
Dean Kremer @ KCR – If Kremer has his splitter, he could stave off the Royals offense and give him a shot at a Win.
Tyler Alexander @ NYY – T-Lex has been surprisingly great at times this year, though I’d stay away from the Yankees.
Tyler Anderson @ CIN – We saw a pair of great outings from Tyler, then struggle in Fenway and now it’s Cincy. This ain’t it for me, but if he’s nailing his changeup and four-seamer, he can survive six.
Matt Waldron vs. TOR – Maybe the knuckleball befuddles enough batters? Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.
Alec Marsh vs. BAL – Marsh had one great start against the Orioles already and expecting two from his middling arsenal is asking too much.
UPDATE: Jameson Taillon vs. MIA – He’s returning from the IL and had a bit of a shaky rehab start as most of his arsenal was well over the plate. I’m excited to see him turn into a potential Holly in time, though it’s wise to sit out this one.
UPDATE: A.J. Puk @ CHC – I really want Puk to click into place. I think we all do. That doesn’t mean we should gamble on it happening against a strong Cubs crew.
Joe Boyle @ CLE – His stuff is great, his command is not. He’s above the others simply for the shot at helping your strikeout numbers in a pinch.
Kyle Gibson vs. MIL – Gibson does what he does. Good luck.
Sean Manaea @ LAD – It’s the Dodgers and Manaea’s repertoire hasn’t won me over.
Emerson Hancock @ COL – Coors is not the scary beast of old so far this year, but Hancock is going to be relying on spotting his sinker/change/slider combo instead of strikeouts.
Andrew Heaney @ ATL – It’s Atlanta. It’s Heaney. It’s a no from me.
Dakota Hudson vs. SEA – COL story, bro.
Quinn Priester vs. BOS – Apparently he’s much better now? Naaaaaaah. The slider precision in the spring was cool, but he needs much more than that.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto-Starts
Zack Wheeler vs. CHW – Aces gonna ace.
Corbin Burnes @ KCR – Aces gonna ace.
Cole Ragans vs. BAL – Aces gonna ace. Pew Pew Pew.
Zac Gallen @ SFG – Aces gonna ace.
Luis Castillo @ COL – Aces gonna ace. Yes, even in Coors. That lineup is not good, y’all.
Shota Imanaga vs. MIA – I’d absolutely love if Imanaga can show more than just heaters in this one.
Bailey Ober vs. DET – He’s settled in after his first rough day at the park.
Ronel Blanco @ WSN – It’s the Nationals + Blanco has proven plenty against strong lineups.
Zach Eflin @ NYY – It’s the Yankees, but Eflin absolutely deserves to be in the Auto-Start tier. If you have him, you’re starting him.
Kutter Crawford @ PIT – Crawford has been a ratio darling and gets the Pirates. Let’s hope he can go a full six this time.
José Berríos @ SDP – Berríos is The Great Undulator…without much volatility thus far. His curve and sinker are in a great rhythm and don’t overthink this.
Probably Starts
Jesús Luzardo @ CHC – He’s the premier Cherry Bomb against a tough offense.
Nestor Cortes vs. TBR – It’s the Rays, though Cortes isn’t flexing the elite upside of his prime.
Nathan Eovaldi @ ATL – Yes, Atlanta, but guys like Eovaldi are able to survive against tough squads more often than most.
Reese Olson @ MIN – Olson’s changeup was amazing in his last outing, while his slider is coming back to what we saw in 2023.
Gavin Stone vs. NYM – Stone has a great team context and the Mets are hot/cold.
Javier Assad vs. MIA – He’s kept ER off the board effectively and while he may be a Toby at the end of the day, this is a struggling Marlins offense.
Questionable Starts
Logan Allen vs. OAK – It’s a great matchup and Allen is showcasing the ability to elevate his four-seamer. Still, I’m not sold that Allen is consistent enough to truly take advantage of this lineup.
Graham Ashcraft vs. LAA – It’s the Angels, it’s also the always-spotty Ashcraft.
Mitch Keller vs. BOS – Keller is a Cherry Bomb and it’s up to you if you want to chance it.
Kyle Harrison vs. ARI – Sadly, Harrison’s four-seamer isn’t getting the whiffs you want to see on his heater in the zone, though I do love how he’s able to
DL Hall @ STL – The Cardinals aren’t scary and Hall, even without the overpowering fastball, does have the tools to be a solid all-around starter.
Charlie Morton vs. TEX – You’re here for the Win chance and hopefully some strikeouts along the way. No, I don’t like it at all.
Do Not Starts
José Buttó @ LAD – He just got sixteen whiffs against the Royals, but this is the Dodgers.
Patrick Sandoval @ CIN – The Irish Panda finally got his slider and changeup low in his last outing. That’s wonderful and likely not going to stick.
Miles Mikolas vs. MIL – Mikolas is just so…blegh.
Roddery Muñoz @ CHC – He’s getting the start as the extra man for this double-header, pushing Edward Cabrera back a day to Sunday. He’s a fastball/slider arm who hasn’t been consistent at all through his minor league career and I heavily suggest not going after this. However, the bottom five arms have already showcased their terrible floors, why not chase the mystery box instead?
Michael Soroka @ PHI – Maybe this is the day Soroka is able to harness his fastball and changeup command?
Alex Wood @ CLE – Wood is so far from dependable, but has rare moments of magic.
Randy Vásquez vs. TOR – Vásquez is taking over for Darvish and I have little faith he can come through against the Jays.
Trevor Williams vs. HOU – #NeverTrevor.
Kyle Freeland vs. SEA – It’s Freeland. And Coors.
Featured Image by Kurt Wasemiller (@KUWasemiller on Twitter / @kurt_player02 on Instagram) –