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: 74-37
My Pick yesterday: Win - Cade Horton vs. BOS
My Pick today: Jacob Lopez @ TEX
My Pick tomorrow:
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: 72-39
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Loss - Andrew Heaney vs. CHW
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.
Monday 7/21 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Zack Wheeler vs. BOS - Aces gonna ace.
Paul Skenes vs. DET - Aces gonna ace.
George Kirby vs. MIL - It's in "@TEA" and this should be fantastic.
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
Jack Flaherty @ PIT - It's a great matchup and his breakers are cruising.
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".
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.
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.
Kevin Gausman vs. NYY - Oh look, another "HIPSTER" and against a tough offense.
Colton Gordon @ ARI - I was tempted to put both Gordon and Anderson in the bottom tier, but I recognize that these southpaws can come through for six frames.
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.
Michael McGreevy @ COL - This may be sneaky good if the command is there. Michael has displayed to churn quick outs.
Jack Leiter vs. ATH - We haven't seen him finding his foot since his IL stint. Yes, even if it's the Athletics.
Sean Burke @ TBR - At least it's the Rays as we wait for Burke to find his polish.
David Festa @ LAD - The Dodgers have been cold n all, maybe Festa's command is good enough to come through...?
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.
Bryce Elder vs. SFG - Maybe this is the one lucky game he gets as a "Werewolf", and even that is a kind label for Elder.
Shohei Ohtani vs. MIN - He's still too limited.
Austin Gomber vs. STL - It's Coors y'all.
Ryan Brasier vs. KCR - This is very likely a bullpen game in Lorenzen's spot.
Tuesday 7/22 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob deGrom vs. ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. MIN - Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert vs. MIL - We know he can be an ace but we haven't seen it across multiple starts yet.
Jacob Misiorowski @ SEA - Not an "AGA" yet but this is "@TEA" and...you know.
Framber Valdez @ ARI - Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez vs. BOS - He's cruising and the Sawx are terrible on the road.
Matthew Boyd vs. KCR - Boyd's fastball and change are making him a lovely bid for six frames and a Win each time out.
Probably Starts
Casey Mize @ PIT - The Pirates are a lovely gift for Mize.
Chase Burns @ WSN - We just saw a Burns explosion and it's a little bit of a test against the Nationals if the slider is enough against their LHB lineup.
Drew Rasmussen vs. CHW - Even at five frames, this is worth your time.
Landen Roupp @ ATL - A tough call here. Roupp has been far more stable with his command lately, even if the curve whiffs have lagged.
Questionable Starts
Edward Cabrera vs. SDP - Will the Marlins let him go more than five frames or above 65 pitches after the fatigue of his last outing?
Joey Cantillo vs. BAL - I love Cantillo's changeup and four-seamer pairing, even at the lower velocity. The Orioles are susceptible, as well.
Richard Fitts @ PHI - I'm digging Fitts and wish he didn't have a tough matchup that may dampen our hype.
Max Scherzer vs. NYY - Scherzer's thumb hasn't gotten in the way lately and I think there's more in the tank than we initially thought. Too bad it's the Yankees.
Cam Schlittler @ TOR - Schlittler had more than typical arm soreness after his MLB debut (I mean, he hit 100...) and despite my love for the arm, I'm expecting a short leash here mixed with questionable quality for the rook. The Jays are vicious at home.
Mitch Keller vs. DET - He's a "Vargas Rule", though the ceiling isn't as high as others.
Do Not Starts
Frankie Montas Jr. vs. LAA - I don't think he's doing anything special, creating too low of a ceiling to justify.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. HOU - He'll face a ton of RHB and if the changeup is there with cutters + fastballs inside, that'll play. Tough gamble.
Davis Daniel vs. SFG - Daniel doesn't have the electricity to bank on success against the Giants.
Stephen Kolek @ MIA - He throws strikes and maybe that's enough? It's very mediocre.
Simeon Woods Richardson @ LAD - It's the Dodgers.
Brandon Young @ CLE - I'm not ready for Young to be Old reliable.
Davis Martin @ TBR - This is a "Still ILL" for a formerly questionable streamer.
Osvaldo Bido @ TEX - Oh hey, it's Bido! I wonder how long he goes and if he can locate. At all.
Brad Lord vs. CIN - At least it's the "Reds Carpet"? I may be underselling Brad who has had some fun moments in the past.
Erick Fedde @ COL - Don't trust the Feddes.
Kyle Hendricks @ NYM - Hendricks is so rarely worth your time. Sorry, it's the other New York team.
Rich Hill @ CHC - Wait what. Seriously?!
Bradley Blalock vs. STL - Never.
Wednesday 7/23 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.
