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! If you have questions about these offense rankings, reach out to Kyle Bland (@blandalytics).
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: 73-37
My Pick yesterday: Loss - Emmet Sheehan vs. MIL
My Pick today: Andrew Heaney vs. CHW
My Pick tomorrow: Cade Horton vs. KCR
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: 72-38
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Kumar Rocker vs. DET
PL Bot's Pick today: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Pick tomorrow: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Pick day Sunday: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Picks are located at the bottom of this article for PL Pro members.
Sunday 7/20 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal @ TEX - Aces gonna ace.
Garrett Crochet @ CHC - Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Brown @ SEA - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan @ COL - Aces gonna ace.
Robbie Ray @ TOR - Aces gonna ace.
Bryan Woo vs. HOU - Aces gonna ace.
Ranger Suárez vs. LAA - He's been in such a good groove, but did the ASB get him out of rhythm?
MacKenzie Gore vs. SDP - Gore has performed at too good of a level to sit.
Nick Pivetta @ WSN - Same with Pivetta. A LHB lineup benefits his superior fastball/curve approach.
Kris Bubic @ MIA - Bubic hasn't slowed down...yet.
Andrew Abbott @ NYM - Abbott has been absurdly consistent this season.
Ryan Pepiot vs. BAL - Pepiot's fastball is elite + I dig the cutter and change.
Probably Starts
David Peterson vs. CIN - We're all allowing Peterson stroll down the "Reds Carpet".
Merrill Kelly vs. STL - Kelly has been a sturdy "Holly".
Trevor Rogers @ TBR - Rogers' command has been incredible since returning to the rotation and I hope we keep seeing 94 mph.
Cade Horton vs. BOS -
Questionable Starts
Gavin Williams vs. ATH - I don't want to believe he's a "HIPSTER", but yeah, he's a "HIPSTER" until he shows proper command of his arsenal.
José Berríos vs. SFG - He's "The Great Undulator" in a solid matchup.
Andrew Heaney vs. CHW - I don't love Heaney and feel it's a bit of a coin-flip, but at least it's the CrySox.
Janson Junk vs. KCR - Janson has been an effective JunkBaller and the Royals are a mediocre offense.
Grant Holmes vs. NYY - The slider should excel, but will the rest withstand the Yankee offense?
José Soriano @ PHI - He's a "HIPSTER" and it's all about the sinker and curve earning strikes, moreso the former.
Clayton Kershaw vs. MIL - This could be a cheap Win if Kershaw can continue with low sliders and avoid damage off the heaters.
Jeffrey Springs @ CLE - The changeup could bring sunshine and rainbows, but the floor is too low.
Jacob Latz vs. DET - The Rangers are giving Eovaldi some extra rest with a back injury, allowing Latz to get the start. He might not go long and the changeup has had control issues across the year.
Do Not Starts
Aaron Civale @ PIT - At least Pittsburgh could give him a shot to find his feel again.
Jose Quintana @ LAD - It's the Dodgers and Quintana isn't worth it.
Miles Mikolas @ ARI - Maybe Mikolas has "Koufax" on his side.
Marcus Stroman @ ATL - All we want is 5 IP and 2 ER. That's the ceiling.
Germán Márquez vs. MIN - It was a fun moment before, eh?
Monday 7/21 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Zack Wheeler vs. BOS - Aces gonna ace.
Jacob deGrom vs. ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert vs. MIL - We know he can be an ace but we haven't seen it across multiple starts yet.
Framber Valdez @ ARI - Aces gonna ace.
Carlos Rodón @ TOR - Aces gonna ace.
Eury Pérez vs. SDP - Pérez's four-seamer is looking dope.
Kodai Senga vs. LAA - Senga is cruising. Let it ride.
Probably Starts
Shane Baz vs. CHW - The heater is great and the cutter is a strong addition. Please get the curve back, okay?
Brandon Woodruff @ SEA - Woody has been fantastic since returning and it's "@TEA".
Casey Mize @ PIT - The Pirates are a lovely gift for Mize.
Questionable Starts
Jacob Lopez @ TEX - If the command is there, he can take advantage of the Rangers.
Noah Cameron @ CHC - I dig Cameron, but the Cubs are the Cubs.
Brady Singer @ WSN - The slider has been better, though a heavy LHB lineup hurts Singer's chances for it to succeed.
Matthew Liberatore @ COL - Coors should be feared again and I worried Liberatore is slowing down. I hope to be wrong.
Tanner Bibee vs. BAL - Bibee is a "HIPSTER" and I sure hope he makes it easy to start him again.
Zac Gallen vs. HOU - I wonder if this is his last start in Arizona. Who knows how this goes.
Mitch Keller vs. DET - He's a "Vargas Rule", though the ceiling isn't as high as others.
Kevin Gausman vs. NYY - Oh look, another "HIPSTER" and against a tough offense.
Tyler Anderson @ NYM - The changeup has its moments and maybe it's enough here.
Do Not Starts
Jake Irvin vs. CIN - Even against the "Reds Carpet", Irvin has been hard to start.
Tomoyuki Sugano @ CLE - Sugano may benefit from a LHB lineup with his splitter and four-seamer command. The ceiling isn't high enough, sadly.
Hayden Birdsong @ ATL - He's been awfully wild and it's Atlanta.
Davis Daniel vs. SFG - Daniel doesn't have the electricity to bank on success against the Giants.
Sean Burke @ TBR - At least it's the Rays as we wait for Burke to find his polish.
Walker Buehler @ PHI - I wonder if we'll see Buehler get comfortable this season.
Randy Vásquez @ MIA - Vásquez is awfully blegh and I don't see much to chase even facing the Marlins.
Simeon Woods Richardson @ LAD - It's the Dodgers.
Chris Flexen vs. KCR - It's hard to Flexen at the beach in Kansas City...
Shohei Ohtani vs. MIN - He's still too limited.
Austin Gomber vs. STL - It's Coors y'all.
Tuesday 7/22 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.
