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: 98-54
My Pick yesterday: Win - Spencer Arrighetti vs. LAA
My Pick today: Ian Seymour @ WSN
My Pick tomorrow: Parker Messick @ BOS
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: 98-54
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Spencer Arrighetti vs. LAA
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 8/31 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal @ KCR - Aces gonna ace.
Jacob deGrom @ ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. ARI - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. SDP - Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Brown vs. LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Brandon Woodruff @ TOR - Woody has been too dang good.
Probably Starts
Kodai Senga vs. MIA - Despite his questionable month, Senga against the Marlins is a lovely play.
Lucas Giolito vs. PIT - It's the Pirates, even in Fenway.
Max Scherzer vs. MIL - The Brewers aren't enough to stop the hot stretch of Scherzer.
Bryce Miller @ CLE - It's not at home, but Miller's emphasis on splitters last time makes me encouraged he can handle the LHB-focused Guardians (though I may be over-estimating the splitter's consistency...).
Matthew Boyd @ COL - Welcome to the sole start remaining for Boyd that will give you pause. I'm going for it - the skills are still there.
Luis Gil @ CHW - Gil hasn't granted us the confidence we're looking for, though it's a good Win chance and he's maneuvered his way through lineups.
Questionable Starts
Jesús Luzardo vs. ATL - He's a "Cherry Bomb" and it's up to you here.
Brady Singer vs. STL - Singer's breakers are working well, I just wish it wasn't at GABP.
Ian Seymour @ WSN - Seymour was fantatic in his first start for the Rays, though he may still be limited, making the realistic ceiling sit around five frames. At least it's not in Tampa Bay.
Michael Wacha vs. DET - He's as much of a "Toby" as any.
Tomoyuki Sugano @ SFG - Sugano's command is everything and the Giants give a little bit of wiggle room if he doesn't have peak precision.
José Soriano @ HOU - He's a "HIPSTER". You know the drill.
Sandy Alcantara @ NYM - Three straight starts of production for your fantasy teams and you're hoping he can make it four. The Mets are a true test and I'm scared.
Justin Verlander vs. BAL - The sliders aren't working as we want them to, though Oracle Park merged with a mid offense is a good combination.
J.T. Ginn vs. TEX - If the command is there, it's possible Ginn can survive "Sacré Verde" and give you a QS.
Hurston Waldrep @ PHI - Waldrep's splitter was gone and it showed against the Marlins. He'll need it back plus require a bit of luck to endure the Phillies.
Do Not Starts
Mitch Keller @ BOS - Keller just had a strikeout explosion that shouldn't be trusted. Now it's Fenway and I'm not a fan.
Tanner Bibee vs. SEA - We've waited too long for Bibee to come through + the Mariners are not an easy offense on the road.
Brandon Pfaadt @ LAD - It's the Dodgers + Pfaadt can't be trusted.
Martín Pérez vs. NYY - I dig Pérez as the veteran version of the standard "southpaw with a changeup", but he needs to be his best self against the mighty Yankee thump.
Brad Lord vs. TBR - At least Lord has a sinker with a ton of run.
Randy Vásquez @ MIN - His ceiling is awfully boring.
Andre Pallante @ CIN - Civale hurts a lot more than helps.
Tanner Gordon vs. CHC - It's the Colorado SP.
Monday 9/1 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Hunter Greene vs. TOR - Aces gonna ace.
Sonny Gray vs. ATH - A lovely day for some Sonny baseball.
Jacob Misiorowski vs. PHI - He just went over 90 pitches, y'all.
Probably Starts
Kyle Bradish @ SDP - That "Still ILL" broke the rules. He's back.
Ryne Nelson vs. TEX - The four-seamer is stellar and even if the secondaries are still a work-in-progress, I'm letting him fly against non-elite offenses.
Dylan Cease vs. BAL - He should be dope. I. Know.
Sean Manaea @ DET - The third-time-through-lineup penalty is real, though the strikeouts are flowing.
Brayan Bello vs. CLE - Bello has been cruising for a while as a lovely "Toby".
Questionable Starts
Parker Messick @ BOS - His command has surprised me a ton, but it's Fenway and that's a rough draw.
Spencer Strider @ CHC - Strider is not the man he used to be. His vert did return to 17"+ last start, though I'm not excited to chance this against the Cubs.
Luis Castillo @ TBR - The decline of Castillo's arsenal has continued and now he's in the chaotic world of Tampa Bay.
Shane Baz vs. SEA - The Mariners offense is dangerous and who know how his pitches will look at home.
Luis Morales @ STL - Morales has an exciting arsenal, though the command is a major question mark. A date in St. Louis does present intriguing upside.
Yusei Kikuchi @ HOU - Kikuchi is a "HIPSTER". Good luck.
Colin Rea vs. ATL - It's not a good matchup and he just got roughed up by the Giants. He's been shockingly reliable, though, and he may rebound.
Chris Bassitt @ CIN - I don't like trusting Bassitt and the HR chance in GABP is no fun. That said, he has a good Win chance if you're able to digest the floor.
Charlie Morton vs. NYM - I'm in on Morton after this one. The strikeouts should be there if that's your need.
Bailey Ober vs. CHW - Ober's fastball has fallen to sub 89 mph levels and that terrifies me.
Taijuan Walker @ MIL - He's still in the rotation and has vastly overperformed. Maybe that continues...?
Do Not Starts
Ryan Gusto @ WSN - Gusto hasn't found his rhythm yet. Who knows, maybe it's this one?
Shinnosuke Ogasawara vs. MIA - It's the Marlins! Sadly, Ogasawara's pitch count and upside is heavily suspect.
Patrick Corbin @ ARI - He just had himself the game of his season and y'all know it isn't sustainable.
Carson Whisenhunt @ COL - A changeup-focused southpaw is an appealing thing these days, but Whisenhunt hasn't found success with it yet. And, you know, Coors.
Luis García Jr. vs. LAA - He's returning from TJS in a very obvious "Still ILL".
Aaron Civale @ MIN - Civale has a decent leash and could squeeze his way through five frames. The floor is lava.
Chase Dollander vs. SFG - It's the Colorado SP.
Tuesday 9/2 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.
