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: 92-49
My Pick yesterday: Win - Michael McGreevy @ MIA
My Pick today: Cam Schlittler vs. TBR
My Pick tomorrow: Jason Alexander @ BAL
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: 92-49
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Loss - Emmet Sheehan @ COL
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.
Wednesday 8/20 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Framber Valdez @ DET - Aces gonna ace.
Noah Cameron vs. TEX - He's cruising and it's the Rangers.
Probably Starts
Kodai Senga @ WSN - He looked far better last time out and the ghost fork should cook against LHB.
Jesús Luzardo vs. SEA - Luzardo is the kind of "Cherry Bomb" you start.
Hurston Waldrep vs. CHW - Waldrep expanded the arsenal and has been great in his last two. The White Sox don't scare me.
Yusei Kikuchi vs. CIN - It's the "Reds Carpet", even if I'm suspicious of Kikuchi.
Shohei Ohtani @ COL - He just went 80+ pitches, y'all. IT'S TIME.
Cam Schlittler @ TBR - Cam, just get the dang secondaries down. He's managed to keep his head above water with his 98 mph four-seamer and he just needs to locate secondaries low to dominate.
Jacob Misiorowski @ CHC - We don't know the volume and it's best not to judge him for his "Still ILL". It's the best fastball in the game, I don't care if PLV gives it to Rasmussen.
Drew Rasmussen vs. NYY - YOU HEAR THAT JAY MIS?! 5.50 PLV ON MY FASTBALL. He's been able to go 5+ (even six!) lately and the skills are too good to pass up.
Luis Castillo @ PHI - I led with Castillo over the weekend as his fastballs are getting attacked more upstairs, leading to more damage. The foundation looks like it's crumbling and the Phillies are up...but then again, he's managed to keep it together all season and it wouldn't be fair to jump ship after one game, right?
Questionable Starts
Chris Bassitt @ PIT - It's the Pirates and there's a decent Win chance, though Bassitt has burned many throughout the season.
Bailey Ober vs. ATH - His four-seamer location was far better last start, but it was around 90 mph, not 91/92 mph. At least it's the Athletics in Minnesota.
Colin Rea vs. MIL - He's been a great streaming play this year and the Brewers are not the best matchup.
Charlie Morton vs. HOU - Morton's strikeouts have been flowing, though it's been a whole lot of "HIPSTER" vibes throughout the year.
Sandy Alcantara vs. STL - Alcantara just did the thing - Leading with his changeup and pairing it with heaters to generate efficient outs. Just one game, of course, though this start could be a good one to take a chance with a decent matchup floor.
J.T. Ginn @ MIN - It's kinda wild to see both Ginn and Sears starting on the same day. ANYWAY Ginn has a whole lot of intrigue across his arsenal and I hope he displays sustainability in his next few starts. Keep that command, please.
JP Sears vs. SFG - Sears is returning from the minors and I'm curious how the Padres have tweaked him. It's lovely to face the Giants and I'm a little tempted to give it a shot - he could be a fast pickup if something has changed.
Do Not Starts
Brandon Pfaadt vs. CLE - I just don't want to touch Pfaadt these days.
Landen Roupp @ SDP - I'd have him higher if he were stretched out further.
Martín Pérez @ ATL - I'm not shocked the White Sox are putting Pérez into the rotation and he could go five innings of boring baseball.
Nick Martinez @ LAA - He has a shot to nail the edges and produce, but the floor is so low.
Kumar Rocker @ KCR - He's made just one start in August (in Triple-A) where he threw a ton of four-seamers with sliders...and few cutters. I don't get it. Don't do this...?
Parker Messick @ ARI - It's an MLB debut! I wouldn't get too amped for this one, personally.
Brad Lord vs. NYM - He just had a fun outing and I can't take the chance against the Mets with a Hobbit Hole ceiling.
Andre Pallante @ MIA - Pallante has been so detrimental this year.
Johan Oviedo vs. TOR - Cool to see more Oviedo as the Pirates push everyone back to set up the Bubba piggy-back with Ashcraft on Friday. Definitely not the time to jump in.
Tanner Gordon vs. LAD - It's the Colorado SP.
Thursday 8/21 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Shota Imanaga vs. MIL - He's knocking on the "AGA" door.
Sonny Gray @ TBR - This should be Sonny and not Gray.
Dylan Cease vs. SFG - You're scared. It's the Giants. Don't be scared.
MacKenzie Gore vs. NYM - Gore is on the path to redemption and I'd let him fly even against the Mets.
Probably Starts
Sean Manaea @ WSN - It's been a rough August for Manaea, here's to the Nationals helping him get things sorted out.
Luis Gil vs. BOS - Gil hasn't had that start yet, but he's still barely removed from the IL. Hosting the Sawx can help.
Questionable Starts
Lucas Giolito @ NYY - It's a tough draw in the Bronx for Giolito. I wouldn't do this if I had a choice.
Quinn Priester @ CHC - Priester has overperformed this year and it's the Cubs. He could continue to confound me, though.
Jason Alexander @ BAL - Alexander's "Neckbeard" approach works, if he can pull it off.
Justin Verlander @ SDP - Verlander's four-seamer was great last time out, but we've seen how deep the floor goes and the Padres are no easy task.
Brandon Young vs. HOU - Yes, he just flirted with a perfect game against the Astros. It's unlikely for him to do so again.
Clayton Kershaw @ COL - Kershaw has had far more success than I expected on the back of his slider. Is that enough for Coors?
Jack Perkins @ MIN - Perkins returned a ton of whiffs last time out and I'm curious if we'll see more of that here, granting us something to latch onto.
Do Not Starts
Michael Lorenzen vs. TEX - If you're chasing a QS, there's a chance with Lorenzen and his kitchen-sink attack.
Patrick Corbin @ KCR - It's been a far better year than we expected from Corbin and maybe Kauffman can help him get through six with 3 ER or fewer.
Joe Boyle vs. STL - It's a good matchup and I wish I believed that Boyle had the control to make it work.
José Ureña vs. ATH - Despite going 4/5 innings of middling ratios, If you roster José, Ureña boatload of trouble.
Chase Dollander vs. LAD - It's the Colorado SP.
Friday 8/22 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.
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.
