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 those picks would be 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 by tier):
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.
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, 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 2024 Streamer Record: 49-38
My pick yesterday: Jonathan Cannon @ DET – L
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 48-39
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Jonathan Cannon @ DET – L
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
Cole Ragans vs. MIA – Aces gonna ace.
Aaron Nola @ DET – Aces gonna ace.
Tanner Houck vs. TOR – Aces gonna ace.
Justin Steele @ SFG – He’s looking like an ace and it’s the Giants.
Garrett Crochet vs. LAD – Aces gonna ace, even against the Dodgers.
Freddy Peralta vs. TEX – If you have Peralta, you’re going after it.
Probably Starts
Taj Bradley vs. SEA – He wasn’t as pristine with his four-seamer and splitter last time out, but it’s the Mariners, who are likely to fold against his four-seamer.
Matt Waldron vs. WSN – Waldron’s knuckler returned last time out and his other offerings are decent enough to hold off the Nationals if the premier pitch fails him.
Chris Bassitt @ BOS – It’s Bassitt. Set and forget for decent production.
Tanner Bibee @ BAL – Bibee looks as good as ever, but it’s the Orioles.
Bryan Woo @ TBR – Woo hasn’t been pushed yet and he’s not taking the leap forward with his secondaries. That said, this could be the start of a step forward given his clean bill of health. Apparently.
Spencer Schwellenbach @ STL – Mr. Crescendo came through in his great matchup last time out and now gets another.
Griffin Canning vs. OAK – Canning is a solid play against poor offenses. And luck would have it, this fits the bill.
James Paxton @ CHW – He’s still here and getting you Wins.
Questionable Starts
Cade Povich vs. CLE – I’m not the biggest believer in what Cade provides, but he could steal a Win here.
Luis Medina @ LAA – Medina is a Cherry Bomb with a slightly better floor as he faces the Angels.
Do Not Starts
Carson Spiers vs. PIT – There’s some hope in here as Spiers is a legit command guy, but it’s in Cin City. I was tempted to slot him into Tier 3, but the risk/reward isn’t quite good enough.
UPDATE: Michael Lorenzen @ MIL – It’s not a great matchup, but Lorenzen has the leash to go six.
Bailey Falter @ CIN – Falter can pump heaters over the plate well enough to get by, but I wouldn’t chase this one.
Casey Mize vs. PHI – Mize showed promise against Atlanta, boasting a 97 mph heater, but I’d rather not lean into a one-start showcase (that didn’t have good results!) against the Phillies.
Roddery Muñoz @ KCR – He sometimes has strong command that’s worth your attention…?
Patrick Corbin @ SDP – Hey, Corbin actually went BSB last time out and it was AWESOME. Here’s to hoping he can do it again. Probably not.
José Ureña @ MIL – Who knows, he has some weird veteran command magic sometimes.
Lance Lynn vs. ATL – Not a chance.
Spencer Howard vs. CHC – We don’t even know how much he’s going, let alone if it’s of any decent quality.
Enjoy these rankings? Support my work and Pitcher List by getting PL+ or PL Pro! You’ll get an Ad-Free website, access to our incredible non-toxic baseball Discord community, my weekly PL Pro exclusive SP FAAB Forecast podcast, a full suite of fantasy baseball tools, and much more. Get 10% off yearly with code SPSTREAMERS here.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto Starts
Gerrit Cole @ NYM – Aces gonna ace. I know, he’s already high up the ranks and hasn’t gone five frames yet, but he looked back to form against the Orioles. Feel safe here.
Tarik Skubal vs. PHI – Aces gonna ace.
Luis Castillo @ TBR – Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan @ ARI – Aces gonna ace.
Ranger Suárez @ DET – Aces gonna ace. Not the same strikeout ceiling as those above.
Reynaldo López @ STL – Reynaldo has been so consistent and get the Cards.
Seth Lugo vs. MIA – It’s the Marlins + Lugo’s kitchen sink makes him the new Bassitt but with spin > heaters.
MacKenzie Gore @ SDP – His near 10 hits-per-nine will regress toward eight. One of the best buy-lows out there.
Hunter Greene vs. PIT – His command was unreal last time out. Probably doesn’t stick, but hey, the Pirates.
Probably Starts
Bobby Miller @ CHW – I wasn’t that impressed with his return to the majors, but this should be a welcome sight against the CrySox.
Tyler Anderson vs. OAK – He’s been a stable Toby and now gets the Athletics.
Kevin Gausman @ BOS – He’s more Cherry Bomb than we’d like.
Hunter Brown vs. COL – He’s in a groove at the moment and hosts Rockie Road.
Mitch Keller @ CIN – The command returned last start and we’re still rolling with it.
Zack Littell vs. SEA – He hurls sliders over the plate effectively and the Mariners are a wonderful team to exploit.
Yu Darvish vs. WSN – Darvish is returning from the IL and made a sole rehab start in Single-A. He was trounced, but you should ignore that part. It’s the Nats and while this does have some Still ILL in it, I imagine 70 pitches of Darvish is still worth your time.
Brayan Bello vs. TOR – Bello is figuring out the changeup again. I want to see it click one more time before pushing him further up Tier 2.
Questionable Starts
Kyle Gibson vs. ATL – Gibson has found himself this year, but it’s Atlanta.
Cole Irvin vs. CLE – Irvin has a decent Win chance on the Orioles as they face an LHP.
Mitch Spence @ LAA – Spence is a cutter/slider guy who can squeeze five frames without many strikeouts. Not a bad stream here, but not the largest ceiling.
Andrew Heaney @ MIL – It’s a tough matchup for Heaney, who could excel if he’s able to nail down his pitch separation.
Brandon Pfaadt vs. MIN – Pfaadt’s great command outing wasn’t representative of progress, sadly. The Twins are lacing the ball better than usual, too, and I’d be careful.
Kyle Hendricks @ SFG – Hendricks had a marvelous return from the IL against the Giants last week, re-introducing his curveball to the mix. It would be unwise to expect replication, sadly.
Do Not Starts
Logan Allen @ BAL – The Orioles crush LHP and Allen isn’t doing a whole lot to suggest he can survive.
Yonny Chirinos @ KCR – Yes, he had a ridiculous outing with a slower slider last time out. That’s not likely to stick.
Austin Gomber @ HOU – COL story, bro.
Chris Flexen vs. LAD – Flexen has looked better recently and maybe he can pull off some tricks here. It’s the Dodgers, though. Don’t do that.
David Peterson vs. NYY – It’s the Yankees and I’m not in love with Peterson’s arsenal.
Bryse Wilson vs. TEX – Wilson is a Werewolf. Spooky, scary.
TBD Giants vs. CHC – It’s likely a bullpen game.
Enjoy these rankings? Support my work and Pitcher List by getting PL+ or PL Pro! You’ll get an Ad-Free website, access to our incredible non-toxic baseball Discord community, my weekly PL Pro exclusive SP FAAB Forecast podcast, a full suite of fantasy baseball tools, and much more. Get 10% off yearly with code SPSTREAMERS here.
Photos Courtesy of IconSportswire | Adapted by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)
