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: 79-38
My Pick yesterday: Win - Cade Horton vs. CHW
My Pick today: Colton Gordon vs. ATH
My Pick tomorrow: Slade Cecconi vs. COL
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.
In addition, PL Pro Members have access to my 14-Day Sit/Start SP Grid, ranking all expected starters into the four tiers across the next fourteen days. You can find it on the PL Pro Hub Page.
PL Bot's 2025 Streamer Record: 77-40
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Cade Horton 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.
Sunday 7/27 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Zack Wheeler @ NYY - Aces gonna ace.
Paul Skenes vs. ARI - Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert @ LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Carlos Rodón vs. PHI - Aces gonna ace.
Kodai Senga @ SFG - This should be a lovely start for a "Holly".
Brandon Woodruff vs. MIA - He's been cruising since his return and it's the Marlins.
Noah Cameron vs. CLE - The rook hasn't slowed down as his feel is as good as ever.
Eury Pérez @ MIL - The four-seamer is legit and if he's able to either spot it upstairs or get into a groove with one of his secondaries, he'll look like a Top 10 SP.
Probably Starts
Shane Baz @ CIN - It's in Cincy and there are HR issues for Baz, though I still believe in the stuff enough to make this work. Feel free to move him down a peg if you can't risk it.
Colton Gordon vs. ATH - I dig facing the Athletics away from "Sacré Verde", even if Kurtz is a MAD MAN.
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. COL - It's "Rockie Road", though he doesn't get all the favor given his recent struggles.
Joey Cantillo @ KCR - I'm a Cantillo fan and also recognize that the Royals can be threatening (even in Kauffman) + Cantillo hasn't fully broken out yet.
Questionable Starts
Jack Flaherty vs. TOR - It's the Jays, even if I want to believe in Flaherty moving forward.
Zac Gallen @ PIT - This is very likely the final start for Gallen as a Diamondback. I hope he goes out in style and appreciates the gift of the Pirates.
Max Scherzer @ DET - Scherzer has been better than expected since returning from the IL, though the Tigers can be a rough lineup.
Ben Brown @ CHW - Despite the matchup, I struggle to lean into Brown and how he breaks the "Huascar Rule".
Michael McGreevy vs. SDP - McGreevy is a weak-contact arm who leans on command to find outs. It's a good pairing in St. Louis and those chasing a QS or Win (and not strikeouts) should consider McGreevy on a desperate Sunday.
Brady Singer vs. TBR - Singer was roughed up against LHB and the Rays have some to fear in GABP.
Do Not Starts
J.T. Ginn @ HOU - Come on Ginn, please show us that sinker and slider command again. He benefits from facing mostly RHB here.
Jack Leiter vs. ATL - Leiter is a "PEAS" until further notice.
Dustin May @ BOS - It's Fenway and May cannot be trusted as he re-enters the rotation suddenly.
Walker Buehler vs. LAD - It's a "revenge game" for Buehler, fresh off a productive start that did little to convince me he's fixed. Be afraid of Fenway and the Dodgers.
Sean Burke (Opener) vs. CHC - We know Burke has the upside to get his velocity back with legit stuff in the tank, but he's a "PEAS" against an elite crew. Grant Taylor is expected to open this one, as much as I wish he was that actual starter for this. 2026, you can't come soon enough.
Stephen Kolek @ STL - Kolek is awfully mediocre, but he can throw enough strikes to give himself a chance for a Win in a good matchup.
Bryce Elder @ TEX - Elder is a "Werewolf" at best.
Jake Irvin @ MIN - Irvin is so not there.
Travis Adams vs. WSN - Will Adams even go long enough, let alone with production?
Kyle Hendricks vs. SEA - Hendricks ain't it.
Austin Gomber @ BAL - He's not in Coors, at least he's got that going for him.
Carson Seymour (Opener) - It looks like we won't get Tristan Beck with a bullpen game for the Giants. Matt Gage will open and without a game of three frames for Seymour in Triple-A this year, we shouldn't expect him to be in a position for a vulture Win or fantasy relevance.
Monday 7/28 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob deGrom @ LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ CIN - Aces gonna ace.
Max Fried vs. TBR - Aces gonna ace.
Framber Valdez vs. WSN - Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ CHW - That was such a good start and now he goes against...the winningest team since the All-Star Break.
Matthew Boyd @ MIL - Boyd Boyz know how good he's been.
Jacob Misiorowski vs. CHC - His quality per inning is too good as we hope he can go five frames.
Probably Starts
Slade Cecconi vs. COL - It's "Rockie Road" and one of the few times I have a temporary Slade Brigade badge.
Edward Cabrera @ STL - I'm a little weirded out by his arsenal lacking consistency, but it's in St. Louis and Cabrera has done well. It's likely his final start for Miami, too. Have fun, Eddie.
Dylan Cease vs. NYM - He showed us the ceiling last time out and you simply have to keep starting him.
Justin Verlander vs. PIT - It's the Pirates and Verlander is pitching as well as we've seen this season.
Luis Castillo @ ATH - I'm scared of "Sacré Verde", especially after the Brewers exposed the book on Castillo by chasing fastballs all game. Feel free to move him to the third tier.
Questionable Starts
Mitch Keller @ SFG - It's a deep-league 'Toby" and a QS "Vargas Rule" against a weak offense. I guess you're going with it...?
Richard Fitts @ MIN - Fitts' velocity dipped to 95 mph last start (not 97 mph), though the wide arsenal and above-average stuff make him considerable away from Fenway.
Chris Bassitt @ BAL - Bassitt has benefited from the Toronto hot streak and may grab another dub here by continuing to throw sinkers for strikes.
Drew Rasmussen @ NYY - Let's hope he goes five frames, even against a strong offense.
Chase Burns vs. LAD - It's the Dodgers and Burns has been more of a bomb than a cherry. The strikeouts should still flow.
Casey Mize vs. ARI - The Sneks are a little worse offensively, though I'd be a little scared of Mize after getting roughed up last time out.
Zach Eflin vs. TOR - It's a difficult matchup for Eflin, who isn't expressing his 2023 ceiling.
Do Not Starts
Frankie Montas Jr. @ SDP - The Padres aren't terrifying, though Montas' ceiling isn't enough to chase in standard formats.
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. BOS - It's as good a matchup you'll find for SWR, though he has a short leash and the range of outcomes isn't in your favor.
Eduardo Rodriguez @ DET - We just saw a great outing with command of changeups, fastballs, and cutters, and maybe the Tigers are a cold offense at the moment..?
JP Sears vs. SEA - Sears just had the best command I've ever seen from him with changeups down, four-seamers dotted up and gloveside, with sweepers filling the gap for called strikes. Why does it have to be "Sacré Verde" now? I'm down to hold off for a start and jump back in if the feel is still there.
Andre Pallante vs. MIA - There's a chance his cut-fastballs + breakers find enough gloves to survive six frames, but that's about it.
Brad Lord @ HOU - At least he's a RHP against their RHB-heavy lineup.
Jack Kochanowicz vs. TEX - I just want you to be the Jack of One Trade again. Please. It's such a fun nickname. And the ability is cool, too. Yeah, that.
Davis Martin vs. PHI - Martin is one start removed from his "Still ILL" and it's the Phillies. We wait for him to display value before throwing him into the fire.
Rich Hill vs. ATL - He somehow did it last time out. Who doesn't want to root for this?
Dane Dunning @ KCR - Is he even stretched out?
Bradley Blalock @ CLE - It's really hard to recommend someone named B.B. But at least it's outside of Coors, yeah?
Tuesday 7/29 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.
In addition, PL Pro Members have access to my Sit/Start SP Grid, ranking all expected starters into the four tiers across the next fourteen days. You can find it on the PL Pro Hub Page.
