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):
Remember, these offensive rankings are based on each offense's Process+ so far this year and how we project their lineups moving forward. It means you're going to see a little different offensive rankings than you may see elsewhere and there will always be some surprises. This is based on skills, not purely results!
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: 34-13
My Pick yesterday: Ryan Gusto vs. KCR
My Pick today: Ben Brown vs. MIA
PL Bot's 2025 Streamer Record: 33-14
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Emerson Hancock vs. NYY
PL Bot's Pick today: Get our Daily & Weekly PLV Projections with PL Bot via PL Pro here. If you already have PL Pro, they are included at the bottom of this article.
Tuesday 5/13 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Max Fried @ SEA - Aces gonna ace.
Dylan Cease vs. LAA - He's a "Cherry Bomb" who just dominated against the Yankees. The forearm cramp seems to be totally fine...?
Spencer Schwellenbach vs. WSN - Alright "Mr. Crescendo", this is a gorgeous outing to get back on the "AGA" train.
Jesús Luzardo vs. STL - That sweeper is saving his career.
Framber Valdez vs. KCR - Valdez, go do your "forget about the last month" thing.
Bryan Woo vs. NYY - Woo just had a bad day and it's the Yankees, and I don't care...? Aces gonna ace.
Kodai Senga vs. PIT - It's the Pirates.
Sonny Gray @ PHI - Not a fun matchup, but Gray is a solid "Holly" you still start against the Phils.
Probably Starts
Brandon Pfaadt @ SFG - He's cruising with his change and curve to LHB.
Robbie Ray vs. ARI - Not a fun lineup to face. Ray's re-introduction of his secondaries has killed the high walk rate and we roll with this.
Kris Bubic @ HOU - Bubic just needs the changeup working down to cruise against the RHB-exclusive lineup.
Shane Baz @ TOR - Baz has been all kinds of weird, but his last start saw increased velocity and tons of curve strikes. Just stop throwing the slider, okay?
Andrew Abbott vs. CHW - It's the White Sox.
Jack Leiter vs. COL - It's "Rockie Road". Is there any better way for Leiter to regain his confidence?
Ben Brown vs. MIA - It's the Marlins and I still worry he's not efficient enough...but ultimately decided to slot him into Tier 2 for this one.
Questionable Starts
José Berríos vs. TBR - He's The Great Undulator.
José Soriano @ SDP - Soriano's sinker is struggling to find last season's plateau. Be cautious here. If he's throwing strikes, this should be okay.
Brayan Bello @ DET - The Tigers are a shocking us all and Bello's feel for his arsenal is far behind.
Mitch Keller @ NYM - Keller constantly goes six innings. Of quality? To be determined.
Do Not Starts
Cade Povich vs. MIN - The Twins are a lovely sight on the schedule, though Povich is still ironing out the kinks with his approach.
Michael Soroka @ ATL - Soroka had a wicked breaker last time but the changeup disappeared. I hope this outing gives us the confidence to start him against weaker lineups moving forward.
Jeffrey Springs @ LAD - Against the Dodgers? Low chance for sunshine and rainbows.
Simeon Woods Richardson @ BAL - Richardson's 93 mph heater with 18"+ of vert will continue to make me curious, but he needs to develop consistency across the arsenal to become a reliable fantasy arm.
Quinn Priester @ CLE - Priester has moments with great breakers and sneaking sinkers over the plate.
Jonathan Cannon @ CIN - I JUST WANT TO PLAY TCHAIKOVSKY.
Logan Allen vs. MIL - Maybe Allen finds enough strikes to get through five for a Win?
Keider Montero vs. BOS - We've seen his slider cook and the four-seamer velocity jump. In most scenarios, it's a lot of meh.
Landon Knack vs. ATH - He's gone five for a Win before.
Kyle Freeland @ TEX - At least he's on the road...?
Valente Bellozo @ CHC - Absolutely NOT.
Wednesday 5/14 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal vs. BOS - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Aaron Nola vs. STL - Nola is pitching far better than "odd year Nola" would suggest.
Bailey Ober @ BAL - I don't love it, but he's a "Holly" and you don't think about it.
Nick Lodolo vs. CHW - It's the White Sox.
Clay Holmes vs. PIT - It's the Pirates.
Probably Starts
Jameson Taillon vs. MIA - It's the Marlins and despite Taillon's lack of strikeouts, he could return one per inning.
Ryan Pepiot @ TOR - Pepiot has the stuff for a strikeout explosion and despite all the doom & gloom I've heard, Pepiot has a sub 4.00 ERA this year. That's with me telling you he'll get better.
Will Warren @ SEA - I'm going to lean into the data to say "@TEA" is still a thing. Warren's last outing was a fantastic showcase of what he can be and I'd give it a shot for a dub here.
Eduardo Rodriguez @ SFG - But Eduardo's ERA and WHIP are terrible! Mostly due to a pair of starts tallying 14 ER against the Mets and Dodgers. Meanwhile, his pitch mix is pretty much the same and he's in a fantastic situation with the Diamondbacks. Put everything aside and recognize the matchup. He's relatively safe for 5+ frames, if not a QS. But yes, there is a little lower floor than a standard "Toby".
Chris Bassitt vs. TBR - The Rays aren't a huge threat and Bassitt's sinker + cutter should get strikes all day. If that curve shows up in a big way, he could have a glistening outing.
Questionable Starts
Gavin Williams vs. MIL - Alright Gavin. I'm starting you in my leagues but hot dang do I not know what I'm going to get. PLEASE focus on the cutter for once. Just grind it out and get through the one or two starts you need to feel comfortable with it. I BELIEVE.
Luis Castillo vs. NYY - Castillo has been trending down for a while and now has to endure the Yankees. Yikes.
Patrick Corbin vs. COL - To be honest, I was tempted to slot Corbin over Castillo. That just felt wrong on principle, though. Corbin throws enough strikes and has a good feel of his sinker/cutter/slider approach that he should be able to take advantage of "Rockie Road". FWIW, if a pitcher can resist free passes and not throw meatball after meatball like a food fight at Olive Garden, they have a good shot at producing against the Colorado away from Coors.
Jordan Hicks vs. ARI - He's at 98 mph and the sweeper is doing alright, but the splitter isn't, the sinker is more wild than I'd like, and I see a "HIPSTER" going against a tough lineup. I just don't know anymore, y'all. I see how it could be gorgeous but he's not a reliable arm.
Do Not Starts
Hunter Dobbins @ DET - Dobbins can make this work, but I'd avoid the Tigers whenever possible these days.
Bryce Elder vs. WSN - There's a chance! He did just have a start with fantastic sinker and slider feel. Maybe he can replicate the first half of 2023! Whoa whoa whoa, easy there.
Dean Kremer vs. MIN - Kremer came through last time out and as I went over in the SP roundup, he's a "Werewolf". That moon has come and gone.
Michael Lorenzen @ HOU - At least he has a long leash.
Mitchell Parker @ ATL - Parker is closer to being something than it seems. Doesn't mean he'll take that step, though.
Ryan Weathers @ CHC - He's back! And throwing hard in his rehab starts! And it's the Cubs in a "Still ILL"! Stash him on the IL, then leave him there for Wednesday. We'll assess what to do after his outing.
Erick Fedde @ PHI - Fedde just went the distance. That was an exception and so far from the rule.
Gunnar Hoglund @ LAD - I kinda dig Hoglund, but I don't dig facing the Dodgers.
Randy Vásquez vs. LAA - Vásquez has a wide arsenal and could feature a ton of strikes to give himself a chance for a dub. Don't expect a good WHIP or strikeouts, though.
Davis Martin @ CIN - Maybe the kick change and slider are cooking? It's a dangerous one without the best upside.
Bailey Falter @ NYM - He's up to 92+ mph on the heater and there's untapped potential for Falter to become something. This isn't the start to expect the ascension.
Colton Gordon vs. KCR - It looks like Gordon is making his MLB debut for the Astros on Wednesday and I want nothing to do with it. He's a soft-tossing southpaw with a big sweeper and changeup. If he had more extension or I thought he could showcase elite command, I'd be interested, but that lack of electricity paired with our "Don't start MLB debuts" rule has us holding off. Hard to expect him sticking in the rotation for a while, too. It's possible he does over Gusto, though... We'll see.
Kyle Hendricks @ SDP - Maybe he has the best changeup and sinkers that make the Padres browse the bookstore.
Elvin Rodríguez @ CLE - This could be Elvin or Logan Henderson or Jacob Misiorowski. If it's Elvin, noooope. If it's Logan, I'd consider him in the third tier ahead of Hicks. If it's Le Mis, top of this tier but you GRAB HIM EVERYWHERE. If you have a spot open for one day, do a spec add, why not.
Antonio Senzatela @ TEX - Senz-A does what Senz-A does. And not on my lawn.
Thursday 5/15 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 from everyone else, and I thought this was a good compromise.
