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: 94-51
My Pick yesterday: Loss - Mike Burrows vs. COL
My Pick today: Spencer Arrighetti @ BAL
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.
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: 92-53
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Loss - Mike Burrows vs. 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.
Sunday 8/24 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Paul Skenes vs. COL - Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert vs. ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ SDP - Aces gonna ace.
Robbie Ray @ MIL - Aces gonna ace.
Brandon Woodruff vs. SFG - We had to cancel the coronation and Woody should get back on track.
Carlos Rodón vs. BOS - Rodón has come through lately and the Sawx in the Bronx is a gentle matchup, even with the emotion.
Ranger Suárez vs. WSN - Suárez has yet to let up and just posted a ten strikeout outing.
Merrill Kelly vs. CLE - There's no reason to bench Kelly. A 3.35 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP has been a lovely experience this season.
Nick Pivetta vs. LAD - This is the test for Pivetta. Survive this and you have the ellusive "AGA" crown I've wanted to give you since 2018. What a day that would be.
Trevor Rogers vs. HOU - Rogers can't be stopped. Don't say that. I'm not so arrogant to believe I have such influence on the world. MAYBE YOU DO.
Probably Starts
Jacob Lopez @ SEA - J. Lo has been in rhythm and heads to "@TEA". Hard to pass that up.
Eury Pérez vs. TOR - Pérez's biggest weakness is LHB and fortunately the Jays' major thump comes from the right side.
Jack Flaherty vs. KCR - There's risk with everyone from here down and I'm leading with Flaherty and the great feel for his breakers.
Seth Lugo @ DET - Lugo's curve is still excellent and I simply don't believe the rest of his arsenal is just terrible now.
Ryan Pepiot vs. STL - I'm starting to realize that Pepiot's biggest problem is the home park. We knew that all year. I thought it was just the elevated HR rate! Nay, it's the mound itself and its effect on pitch movement. THAT SAID, it's the Cardinals and I'm still going for it.
Gavin Williams @ TEX - Gavin is looking better lately but I still don't fully trust it. I haven't seen him execute his arsenal properly in back-to-back starts.
Kevin Gausman @ MIA - Gausman's WHIP is absurdly low and is likely to regress in the final weeks, but hey, it's Miami! Your splitter won't disappear, right?
David Peterson @ ATL - I wonder if we'll see the sinker/change combo lead the way for another start.
Brady Singer @ ARI - Singer's sinker/slider approach has been strong lately.
Zac Gallen vs. CIN - It's the "Reds Carpet". Even if it's Gallen, he still has a positive chance to produce.
Jameson Taillon @ LAA - Taillon's fastball command was brilliant last start and I expect the sweeper to feast against the Angels. He'll always get bonus points for his team context.
Questionable Starts
Spencer Arrighetti @ BAL - The sole member of the third tier, "The Pasta Pirate" also happens to be our streaming pick of the day. But he's been terrible so far! He sure has. If he wasn't, he wouldn't be under 20% rostered, nor in this tier. He's still shaking off rust from his IL stint, while the innate stuff of his wide arsenal is still great, and it's only a matter of time that he can find enough strikes to explode for a start.
Do Not Starts
Yoendrys Gómez vs. MIN - Gómez is actually kinda intersting as a deep streaming option on a desperate Sunday. His breakers are legit and there's some pop in that heater. Command is still heavily in question, though.
Dustin May @ NYY - I don't buy into May being all too different with the Sawx, even with the increase of cutters.
Matthew Liberatore @ TBR - I don't like the park + Liberatore has shown signs of fatigue.
Taj Bradley vs. CHW - And thus begins the tenure of Bradley with the Twins. I'm awfully curious if anything has been tweaked (I doubt it?) and his velocity was down two ticks in his last Triple-A outing. Be careful, y'all.
Bryce Elder vs. NYM - You can trust your Elder maybe once in a blue moon. When they grow fur? Yeah, that's when they are the most ferocious.
Kyle Hendricks vs. CHC - It's a revenge game, though I can't imagine Hendricks "up a gear."
Jake Irvin @ PHI - This hasn't worked in ages.
McCade Brown @ PIT - It's the Colorado SP. Away from Coors! Against the Pirates! Don't care.
Monday 8/25 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal @ ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Jacob deGrom vs. LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan @ TOR - Aces gonna aces.
Hunter Greene @ LAD - We're expecting Greene to look like an ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ NYM - Aces gonna ace.
Noah Cameron @ CHW - Maybe I should be a little more scared of the White Sox...? Naaaah.
Jacob Misiorowski vs. ARI - Despite the short leash, he needs to be started.
Probably Starts
Cam Schlittler vs. WSN - He's taken steps forward since his debut, culminating into his domination in Tampa Bay.
Emmet Sheehan vs. CIN - It's the "Reds Carpet".
Max Scherzer vs. MIN - Scherzer has been shockingly solid.
Bryce Miller vs. SDP - Miller's stuff was better than expected in his "Still ILL" and now gets his favorite - Pitching "@TEA".
Edward Cabrera vs. ATL - Despite the latest struggles, ECab should rebound here.
Kodai Senga vs. PHI - Senga hasn't been cruising in the second half, though he's in a better place than at the end of July.
Questionable Starts
Spencer Strider @ MIA - Can you trust Strider these days? It feels wrong to rank him here against the Marlins, and yet, he has been terrible.
Michael McGreevy vs. PIT - He's a QS/Win streamer against a terrible offense.
José Soriano @ TEX - He's a "HIPSTER" and hopefully the Rangers tilt to odds in our favor.
Shane Baz @ CLE - Baz was demolished at home and could have some respite on the road.
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. BOS - It's a decent matchup and Sugano has shown solid command often.
JP Sears @ SEA - It's a great situation for a stream, but is Sears all that different now?
Shane Smith vs. KCR - I dig Smith, I hate the matchup.
Eduardo Rodriguez @ MIL - Erod is a 15-teamer "Toby", making this a tough call against the Brewers.
Mitch Keller @ STL - I generally want to start arms in St. Louis, but Keller is so...blegh.
Do Not Starts
Tanner Bibee vs. TBR - We've waited so long for Bibee to click this season and it's hard to believe this is the start he reaches the peak.
J.T. Ginn vs. DET - Ginn has some interesting elements that I'm excited to see develop over time. It's too soon.
Richard Fitts @ BAL - Fitts' velocity has been down in Triple-A and it's best to wait-and-see.
Brad Lord @ NYY - If Lord squeezes everything out of his arsenal, he has a shot. Sadly, there's an awfully low chance he can do that.
Tuesday 8/26 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.
