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: 64-25
My Pick yesterday: Win - Ryne Nelson @ CHW
My Pick today: Edward Cabrera @ SFG
My Pick tomorrow: Dietrich Enns vs. ATH
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: 60-29
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Loss - Justin Verlander vs. MIA
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.
Wednesday 6/25 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Zack Wheeler @ HOU - Aces gonna ace.
Paul Skenes @ MIL - Aces gonna ace.
Jacob deGrom @ BAL - Aces gonna ace.
Logan Webb vs. MIA - Aces gonna ace.
Max Fried @ CIN - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ COL - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. SEA - Aces gonna ace. I love ace day.
MacKenzie Gore @ SDP - He's not an ace yet and hopefully he takes another step forward here.
George Kirby @ MIN - He's a "Holly", not a future ace. You know it in your bones.
Nick Pivetta vs. WSN - Pivetta vs. the longball. WHO WILL WIN?! Funny story, the Nats are sure to throw a ton of LHB against him and that actually plays into his hands. The curve to LHB is a better complement to his four-seamer than the sweeper/cutter to RHB.
Drew Rasmussen @ KCR - He isn't getting the strikeouts (at the moment), and the ratios make up for it.
Jacob Misiorowski vs. PIT - I can't wait to watch this matchup against Skenes on Playback.tv/pitcherlist LIVE with all of you. And Eno Sarris too...Let's hope it's the matchup we want it to be.
Probably Starts
Matthew Boyd @ STL - He's been making it work with his changeup, heater, and slider, with the Cubs defense and run support helping plenty.
Clay Holmes vs. ATL - You have to believe "The Adobe" patched up his roof after the downpour of walks last time out.
Michael Wacha vs. TBR - His changeup is still incredible and should do well against the LHB-bats the Rays will send him.
Jack Flaherty vs. ATH - Two starts are shocking results from Flaherty despite not pitching all too differently. I wonder if it has been tipping, which makes the floor far lower than usual here.
Yusei Kikuchi vs. BOS - We've seen strikeouts appear for Kikuchi lately, though he's had a different approach with each game. The Red Sox are a great matchup away from Fenway and it's a good risk/reward balance.
Questionable Starts
Edward Cabrera @ SFG - I just hope Cabrera is shelving the four-seamer to save just for elevated two-strike pitches, while the changeup needs to return to form. At least the sinker, curve, and slider are doing good work.
Gavin Williams vs. TOR - I don't know what to make of Gavin. He's had much worse extension with 2+ ticks off his four-seamer in his last two...which have actually been good? Thankfully, the cutter is in full force with the heater, but what about the breakers? And can you please get back to 96/97 mph with great extension?
Zac Gallen @ CHW - It's the CrySox and yet, Gallen has been struggling mightily across the year. Good luck.
Jacob Lopez @ DET - I broke down Lopez during the Monday List stream in the afternoon - check it out on our YouTube channel. He's the ideal version of "The Fratty Pirate" and if he can maintain the command he had against the Astros, he'll succeed once again. The floor is pretty low if he has to go too far into the zone or the Tigers refuse to chase.
Do Not Starts
Colton Gordon vs. PHI - Gordon can pull off a solid outing with a Win, but the "Shag Rug" is very present and it's the Phils.
Didier Fuentes @ NYM - The four-seamer is legit. We're talking 96 mph, 16" of iVB, and a 99th percentile "HAVAA" of 1.9. That's BONKERS. The question is if he can locate it upstairs well enough (I think he can...?) without dipping too far in velocity (MLB debut push = likely 94/95 here), and if the secondaries will support it. I am all for spec adding him, though. Sale's injury and Elder's blegh means Atlanta will go with their best option in the rotation now to compete for a playoff spot. They're still in it, after all.
Erick Fedde vs. CHC - It's the Cubs. A desperate QS play.
Richard Fitts @ LAA - The Sawx slotted Fitts into the rotation during his rehab and promply sent him back down to go through it some more. Now he's actually back and I'm very much waiting and seeing before going for this. I think it's too risky to start and grab at the moment, especially after our lack of enthusiasm after his first few games.
Brady Singer vs. NYY - The slider isn't back, it's in GABP, and it's the Yankees.
Max Scherzer @ CLE - Remember him? With the thumb injury n all? The guy with the eyes? Yeah, him. Well, he's returning and I have no idea what to expect, let alone for how long.
Sean Burke vs. ARI - It's the Sneks.
Brandon Young vs. TEX - He may be the bulk guy and it's not so bad. But don't expect much at all.
Chase Dollander vs. LAD - It's the Dodgers. In Coors.
Thursday 6/26 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Hunter Brown vs. PHI - Alright Brown, are you going take the next step to "AGA" land or not?
Cristopher Sánchez @ HOU - Sánchez is back to 96 mph. No worries here.
Probably Starts
Shane Baz @ KCR - The cutter is firmly in the arsenal now and the time has come for his ascension. IT'S TIME.
Hayden Birdsong vs. MIA - Birdsong's heater fell to sub 95 mph levels in his last outing and yet, I'm taking the chance against the Marlins.
Grant Holmes @ NYM - The slider is absurd and I just hope he's spotting his four-seamer well enough. Asking for the cutter and/or curve to be legit is getting greedy.
Questionable Starts
Shota Imanaga @ STL - It's a "STILL ILL", though he is more stretched out than typical arms returning from the IL. Usually best to not take the chance.
Kevin Gausman @ CLE - Gausman's command has been off though the splitter movement is back to normal. That could work against the LHB-heavy lineup in Cleveland.
Tanner Bibee vs. TOR - Bibee's sweeper is finding whiffs against RHB, though he still needs to find a proper weapon for LHB.
Jeffrey Springs @ DET - The changeup has been sunshine and rainbows, but can it mask the underwhelming slider and mediocre heater?
Griffin Canning vs. ATL - If Canning is able to avoid the heart of the plate and earn enough strikes, he'll come through. He's too much of a WHIP killer.
Clayton Kershaw @ COL - Kershaw's slider is cooking and this looks like a good Win chance, even if it's Coors and the fastball is so susceptible to destruction.
Do Not Starts
Dietrich Enns vs. ATH - No, I don't recommend streaming Ens. I wonder how long the Tigers will let him go for, but at least he has an interesting fastball and secondaries to support it with seemingly good command...?
Janson Junk @ SFG - He doesn't quite have the Junk his name suggests and the Giants are better with Devers on their squad.
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. SEA - SWR doesn't have the ceiling to risk the floor.
Emerson Hancock @ MIN - It's possible Hancock locates everything well and has his slider finally working.
Michael Lorenzen vs. TBR - Maybe there's a QS in there?
Andre Pallante vs. CHC - The heater is 95 mph and if he can find whiffs with the slider with some favor from "Koufax", Pallante can make this work.
Austin Gomber vs. LAD - It's Coors. It's the Dodgers. This has such a slim chance of working out.
Friday 6/27 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.
