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!
There is a second table (and now third for PL Pro members) 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 for my streaming record, I am forced to pick a streamer every day even if they are in the bottom tier. 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 Do Not Start pitchers unless 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 and it applies to a smaller audience.
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.
Note: If no pitcher under 20% rostered would have qualified for a "Streaming Win," no loss is granted.
(Opener) - Outlines that a pitcher is being opened for that day & the pitcher listed will follow the opener.
Nick's 2025 Streamer Record: 59-25
My Pick yesterday: Loss - Chris Paddack @ CIN
My Pick today: Andre Pallante vs. CIN
My Pick tomorrow: Landen Roupp vs. BOS
My Pick day after tomorrow: Unlock with PL Pro
My picks for the day after tomorrow are located at the bottom of this article for PL Pro members.
PL Bot's 2025 Streamer Record: 59-25
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Colton Gordon @ ATH
PL Bot's Pick today: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Pick tomorrow: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Pick day after tomorrow: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Picks are located at the bottom of this article for PL Pro members.
Friday 6/20 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Zack Wheeler vs. NYM - Aces gonna ace.
Jacob deGrom vs. KCR - Aces gonna ace.
Max Fried vs. BAL - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. MIL - Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Brown @ LAA - He's facing LHB, which means the curve won't be as present. Is there a non-fastball for whiffs vs. RHB? That would be dope.
Sonny Gray vs. CIN - This should be Sonny and not Gray as he walks down the "Reds Carpet". It's nice to be on the other side if it these days, I'm sure.
Jack Flaherty @ TBR - Flaherty just slipped on the "Reds Carpet" and we should expect a bounce back.
Nick Pivetta vs. KCR - This is a lovely matchup with San Diego still under 70 degrees and not letting the ball fly out of the park.
George Kirby @ CHC - Kirby has been executing the "BSB" well and I think it's time to trust him against a tough squad like the Cubs.
Probably Starts
MacKenzie Gore @ LAD - This is the final test for "AGA". Good luck. The curve will need to better than his last outing.
Matthew Boyd vs. SEA - I'm a little scared of the Mariners, though Boyd's changeup is looking great and his slider was better last time out.
Shane Baz vs. DET - Baz has leaned into a cutter and I love the pitcher he's turning into.
Hayden Birdsong vs. BOS - The Sawx are without Devers and away from Fenway.
Jacob Misiorowski @ MIN - It was all kinds of fun watching the debut, though he won't have adrenaline (good or bad). At least it's Minnesota and not Wrigley after the rainouts.
Questionable Starts
Andre Pallante vs. CIN - Okay, so he's finally starting against the "Reds Carpet" and I'm down to stream him with his 95/96 mph cut-fastball.
Clayton Kershaw vs. WSN - The Nats are worse against LHB and Kershaw had better command last time. Still, the stuff isn't absurd and his precision wanes far more often these days.
Tomoyuki Sugano @ NYY - It's the Yankees...but then again, it's the Yankees. Sugano is great against LHB and still needs to tweak a few things against RHB.
Yusei Kikuchi vs. HOU - He just punched out a ton of batters, but can he keep the WHIP down? Will he throw enough upper-half four-seamers in the zone?
Tanner Bibee @ ATH - I haven't seen a dominant performance from Bibee this year paired with legit feel for his secondaries and a true OUT pitch and now it's "Sacré Verde" with a mound that can mess up pitcher's command. Fun. That said, Bibee is wearing the "TIARA" and could take it off here.
Zac Gallen @ COL - Gallen has succeeded in Coors plenty of times. It's awfully risky given Gallen's lines of late, of course.
Brady Singer @ STL - Singer's slider has struggled to earn whiffs and I'm skeptical he can produce regularly without it.
Bryce Elder @ MIA - Yes, he completely failed in a golden matchup against "Rockie Road". He also fanned 12 batters before and can take down the Marlins with his slider and sinker.
Hunter Dobbins @ SFG - He's a kitchen sink arm with 95+ velocity and nothing that stands out massively. Dobbins has found himself in many emotional games lately (2x Yankees, now facing Devers) and the "Shag Rug" is very present.
Jeffrey Springs vs. CLE - The changeup is looking good, the slider to LHB and four-seamer locations are not. The Guardians like to platoon, which could enable the changeup and create sunshine and rainbows.
Davis Martin @ TOR - I like his cutter and changeup, though the ceiling doesn't seem that high.
Do Not Starts
Mike Burrows vs. TEX - The changeup can be filthy + Burrows has the skill for locating his 95/96 mph four-seamer upstairs. He needs more from his breakers, though, and I think it's best not to chase this until he showcases more.
Michael Lorenzen @ SDP - This is a desperate Quality Start play.
Spencer Turnbull vs. CHW - Hey, it's Turnbull! It's possible he can get into the same command rhythm of last year with his cut-fastball and sweeper. Let's see it play out across more than two innings before jumping in.
Blade Tidwell @ PHI - Tidwell returns and I'm curious if he's taken a step forward with his slider and changeup. It's the Phillies, sadly, and I'm treating this as a MLB debut as the emotions are sure to be high.
Didier Fuentes @ MIA - We don't start MLB debuts. But we certainly watch them! Come hang out on Playback.tv/pitcherlist and watch this 96+ mph four-seamer with questionable secondaries 20-year-old make his first start in the bigs for Atlanta.
Janson Junk vs. ATL - I don't love what he does, but maybe he can do it.
Austin Gomber vs. ARI - It was a fun "Still ILL" and now he's in Coors against the Sneks.
Saturday 6/21 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Sonny Gray vs. CIN - This should be Sonny and not Gray as he walks down the "Reds Carpet". It's nice to be on the other side if it these days, I'm sure.
Dylan Cease vs. KCR - You know the deal. You let this "Cherry Bomb" do his thing.
Ryan Pepiot vs. DET - Pepiot sure is looking like he's figured out his approach. Please keep it going.
Probably Starts
Clarke Schmidt vs. BAL - Schmidt's cutter is doing everything we want it to and the Yankees should have a better offense moving forward.
Merrill Kelly @ COL - Even though he's in Coors, the overall command is stellar and the situation with the Diamondbacks is everything we want.
Grant Holmes @ MIA - He's highly unlikely to fan fifteen batters again and I'm curious to see how the curveball will fare against the Marlins' LHB - he didn't face many in his last outing against "Rockie Road".
Landen Roupp vs. BOS - The curveball hasn't generated a ton of whiffs in a long time, though it's Oracle park and the Red Sox aren't scary on the road. Roupp's changeup has also improved as the season's progressed as well, and I hope this is a start that helps him take another step in his development.
Cade Horton vs. SEA - I'm excited to watch Horton develop this year with his cut-fastball and legit breakers. The Mariners aren't enough of an obstacle to bench Horton.
Noah Cameron @ SDP - Cameron recovered from his tough matchup against the Yankees and I'm digging the feel for his wide arsenal. If only he had an average four-seamer...
Kumar Rocker @ PIT - Rocker seemingly gives us something different every time he takes the pearl and I sure hope he leans more into his cutter while mixing in more breakers against the Pirates.
Questionable Starts
José Soriano vs. HOU - He's done well in his last two starts, though his skills were worse against the Yankees during their abysmal cold streak. Be careful letting him loose without thought. He's hyper-reliant on his sinker command.
Brayan Bello @ SFG - Bello just had the best command of his season and as much as I want to believe it'll be there again (with similar cutter usage), it's unwise to trust one performance from a historically volatile arm.
José Berríos vs. CHW - You know who he is. "The Great Undulator" gets the White Sox and yet, he belongs in this tier. It's where he lives.
Brandon Walter @ LAA - Alright Walter, let's keep this train going, even if you're serving to mostly RHB.
Mick Abel vs. NYM - I really dig what Abel does with above-average command from a rookie. The Mets aren't to be trifled with, though, even in their tough stretch.
Dustin May vs. WSN - I'm hesitant to roll with May and his sweepers that will move toward the LHB-stacked lineup of the Nationals. Be careful here.
Eury Pérez vs. ATL - You're ready to go at least five frames, yeah? And with something more than the four-seamer/curve? And possibly getting that fastball upstairs? PLEASE.
Sawyer Gipson-Long @ TBR - He may be opened for in this one, opening the door for a Win. Hopefully the changeup feel returns and his velocity doesn't fall around pitch #50 again.
Griffin Canning @ PHI - Watch Canning have a fantastic game after displaying worse feel for his slider and changeup lately.
Zach Eflin @ NYY - The Yankees are out of their funk...right? Eflin just got demolished on a night with everything falling comfortably over the plate. I'd expect a better version here.
Jose Quintana @ MIN - Quintana lost his rhythm last time out and generally I'd just wait until he finds it again. However, if you need a QS this weekend, this may be a worthwhile gamble.
Do Not Starts
Mitch Spence vs. CLE - Despite the 91 mph velocity, Spence can't be trusted to go long and he isn't pitching at his peak.
Mitch Keller vs. TEX - Do whatever you want. The Rangers aren't a tough team, I simply think Keller is too hittable and creates a lower chance of success without a great ceiling.
Luis L. Ortiz @ ATH - He's a "PEAS" and he's heading to "Sacré Verde", where the mound makes command worse.
Aaron Civale @ TOR - Civale threw more breakers with his cutter last time and yet, I'm not seeing enough juice for the squeeze.
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. MIL - SWR didn't pitch so poorly against the Astros, but the ceiling ain't worth the jump.
Wade Miley @ STL - Miley had stellar command last time and squeezed decent innings without much for the stat line. That's the hope.
Emerson Hancock @ CHC - It's the Cubs and Hancock is still figuring out his arsenal.
Jake Irvin @ LAD - It's the Dodgers and Irvin isn't in rhythm.
Carson Palmquist vs. ARI - Can we please get this kid out of Colorado?
Sunday 6/22 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.
