SP Streamers for today's, tomorrow's and the day after tomorrow's games for fantasy baseball.
Every day of the 2025 baseball season, I'll be looking at today's 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.
And of course, there are my streaming picks of the day. 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.
(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, granted by our PLV powered Projections (in alphabetical order by tier):
To spice up these streaming recommendations, I've included our new daily fantasy baseball projections powered by PLV, and I'll be competing against PL Bot to pick the best streaming option each day.
These projections are different from your typical projections as they incorporate our pitch quantifier PLV, assessing pitcher and hitter skills at a much more granular level than your standard box score.
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 2025 Streamer Record: 26-8
My Pick yesterday: Jack Kochanowicz @ SEA
My Pick today: Tyler Anderson @ SEA
PL Bot's 2025 Streamer Record: 27-7
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: AJ Smith-Shawver @ COL
PL Bot's Pick today: Get our Daily & Weekly PLV Projections with PL Bot via PL Pro here.
Note: Names below in Italics are my streaming picks of the day.
Wednesday 4/30 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Michael King vs. SFG - Aces gonna ace.
Pablo López @ CLE - He's back on the rubber. We start him.
Drew Rasmussen vs. KCR - Rasmussen is too dang good.
Corbin Burnes @ NYM - Despite all my doom and gloom, we still roll with Burnes as a SP #2/3 type.
Nathan Eovaldi vs. ATH - Eovaldi is feeling his full arsenal.
Cristopher Sánchez vs. WSN - If his forearm injury isn't serious enough to prevent him from starting, then we're rolling him out there.
Chris Sale @ COL - It's Coors, but that's not so terrible, right? At least he went five full last start with 1 ER (first time under 2 ER!).
Probably Starts
Matthew Boyd @ PIT - Boyd finally gets a good matchup after six starts of 2x Sneks, 2x Padres, 2x Dodgers. Bonkers, I know. If you can still grab him, now's the time.
Tyler Anderson @ SEA - Pretty easy streaming choice here. Anderson is the king of streamers and few better than a day "@TEA".
Jake Irvin @ PHI - Irvin's curve is cooking. We start Irvin when he's on rolls like these.
Jackson Jobe @ HOU - I'm just glad he's making another start.
Landen Roupp @ SDP - Okay Roupp, here's the most important start of your season. You just got punched in the mouth, how do you respond?
Shane Smith vs. MIL - Smith doesn't have the stamina we want to see yet, but the stuff is too fun. Unlikely we get a full six, sadly.
Brady Singer vs. STL - He's a little riskier these days without much more than his traditional sinker/slider. I'd still go for it in standard leagues. He's fine against a mediocre lineup.
Tobias Myers @ CHW - The "STILL ILL" is out of the way and the CrySox should help him establish the "Toby" lifestyle once again.
Questionable Starts
Luis Severino @ TEX - Severino is Severino. Hopefully the cutter and sweeper work well to play off the pair of fastballs.
Luis L. Ortiz vs. MIN - I have no idea what we're gonna get. The four-seamer has promise but held a 50% strike rate when he had 20 whiffs across all his pitches. He displayed a legit changeup out of nowhere. WHO ARE YOU?!
Tony Gonsolin vs. MIA - He's returning to the rotation and gets the easiest reintroduction to the majors. There will be adrenline here, which could help or hurt Gonsolin. Not a bad play as a spec add to let him ride and hopefully keep holding after. He'd get the Marlins a second time, after all.
Do Not Starts
Lucas Giolito @ TOR - I'm more excited about Giolito's debut than I am Gonsolin's, but he's in a far worse situation and hasn't been promising in his rehab starts. That said, grab him, see how this goes, and take it from there. There is legit Top 50 SP upside here given Giolito's track record of a workhorse + his increased velocity in spring '24 before going under the knife. Doesn't hurt that the Red Sox are more capable of winning games than his previous squads.
Chase Petty vs. STL - I legit dig Petty and wish he wasn't here just for the double-header. I see a better version of the traditional sinker/breaker arm at mid-to-upper 90s.
Noah Cameron @ TBR - Cameron is here to cover for Cole Ragans, who needs extra rest to recover. I've been a fan of his change and curve with a 94 mph heater, but it fell down to 92 mph (his 2024 mark) in his last two outings. I don't expect Cameron to be here long, making me watch and enjoy from afar.
AJ Blubaugh vs. DET - The Astros want to give Wesneski extra rest and elected to bring up Blubaugh to take advantage of Thursday's off day. Like the other three above, we hold back (don't start pitchers in MLB debuts! Skenes was not good in his debut, for example) and take notes for later in the year.
Miles Mikolas @ CIN - Mikolas is capable of 5/6 innings of good ole fashioned baseball.
Cade Povich vs. NYY - Povich returned with a vengeance after what looked like his worst outing of his short career, but this is the Yankees. Here's to hoping the adjustments with two strikes are here to stay.
Emerson Hancock vs. LAA - Hancock gets a good matchup, but the ceiling is too dang low for a guy who hasn't commanded his offerings effectively. Just get that sinker inside and lean on the slider + changeup often.
Carlos Carrasco @ BAL - Maybe there's a cheap Win?
Steven Matz @ CIN - Matz hasn't started since the 16th and I'm not banking on him going long, nor doing so with quality in GABP.
Chase Dollander vs. ATL - He throws hard. That's it. It's Coors + Atlanta.
Brandon Waddell vs. ARI - Waddell is 30 years young and sits 91 mph or so. This ain't it.
Casey Lawrence vs. BOS - Even in "@TEA", we don't.
Carmen Mlodzinski vs. CHC - Wait, you're not Bubba.
Cal Quantrill @ LAD - Yeah. No.
Thursday 5/1 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Paul Skenes vs. CHC - Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Greene vs. STL - Aces gonna ace.
Shane Baz vs. KCR - He's nearing "AGA" status and this shouldn't hold him back.
Seth Lugo @ TBR - He's a sturdy "Holly". You don't need me.
Probably Starts
Justin Verlander vs. COL - Just at 20% rostered, Verlander is the clear stream hosting "Rockie Road". This is set up for success.
Casey Mize @ LAA - Mize's four-seamer and splitter have worked as he's still figuring out what else to mix and match. The Angels aren't an intimidating lineup, making it easy for me to slot him in the second tier.
Kodai Senga vs. ARI - Senga was pushed back a day and is in a solid place with his arsenal. The cutter isn't quite utilizied as we've seen in the past, but we're cool.
Matthew Liberatore @ CIN - I love seeing Liberatore at 94/95 mph with a legit slider + an embrace of the cutter. It's a little risky in GABP, though he's on a good enough roll to let it ride. Don't overreact if he has a little bit of a stumble here if the velocity is still there.
Zac Gallen @ NYM - Do what you want. I think you're going to trust Gallen, the vet, to make it work. It's really difficult to discern what to do with this "HIPSTER".
Questionable Starts
Colin Rea @ PIT - I debated putting him in the tier above with such a lovely date against the Pirates. Thing is, Rea isn't a dominating pitcher. He can spot his pitches often and that should lead to a successful day at the park now that he's fully stretched out. The ceiling isn't very high, sadly.
Tyler Mahle vs. ATH - I dig the introduction of the cutter to help complement the heater and he's maintained 92 mph while keeping the fastball high. Let's see if those two offerings can perform better than the "HAISTBMBWT?!" we saw last time. It may require the splitter to start earning whiffs again.
José Berríos vs. BOS - The Great Undulator is here. MAKE WAY.
Do Not Starts
Simeon Woods Richardson @ CLE - Even with 5.1 IP of 93+ mph heaters at a ton of vert, I'm still not encouraged by SWR. That four-seamer fluctuates between starts and I'm skeptical there's enough supporting it, nor do I think the Twins will let him go a full six even if he's feeling it.
Jeffrey Springs @ TEX - Springs hasn't shown his true colors much this year and it's possible we won't see the end of the rainbow for a bit.
Ben Lively vs. MIN - Lively always has a chance to give you a Quality Start, especially against a mediocre lineup.
Kyle Hendricks vs. DET - If Hendricks has his premium changeup, he has a shot.
Tanner Houck @ TOR - This is just painful at this point. He has a higher ceiling than the others here, but I have zero faith he'll get there.
Chad Patrick @ CHW - Patrick has those rare moments with the cutter and maybe that's enough against the CrySox? It'll likely be an Irish exit.
Sean Burke vs. MIL - Burke's four-seamer is gaining a touch of velocity but we're still far from the September version.
Taijuan Walker vs. WSN - It's Taijuan. Please don't.
Kyle Freeland @ SFG - Freeland was good for two starts to kick off the year outside of Coors. Remember that?
Brad Lord @ PHI - Oh...Brad.
Friday 5/2 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
New for PL Pro members - I am making the streaming table for an extra day out (no write-ups as these pitchers change often). I wanted to add a bonus for those who support us without taking anything away to everyone else and I thought this was a good compromise.
