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: 84-45
My Pick yesterday: Win - Jacob Lopez @ WSN
My Pick today: Cam Schlittler vs. HOU
My Pick tomorrow: Joey Cantillo vs. CHW
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: 84-45
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Jacob Lopez @ WSN
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.
Friday 8/8 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal vs. LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. KCR - Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ TEX - Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Brown @ NYY - Aces gonna ace.
Nick Pivetta vs. BOS - This looks like a lovely revenge game away from Fenway.
Brandon Woodruff vs. NYM - He's been incredible.
Matthew Boyd @ STL - Boyd is a rock in your rotation.
Chase Burns @ PIT - Three straight ten-strikeout games and now it's the Pirates.
Probably Starts
Edward Cabrera @ ATL - Cabrera has been fantastic.
Merrill Kelly vs. PHI - Kelly is a stable with a much-improved defense behind him in Texas.
Seth Lugo @ MIN - Lugo has his ups-and-downs, but should be solid.
Kodai Senga @ MIL - He hasn't been at his peak, though I expect him to recover.
Luis Castillo vs. TBR - Castillo looks to be on the decline with more teams ready to attack his heater, but you can't turn this down "@TEA".
Drew Rasmussen @ SEA - Even five innings in Seattle should help.
Mitch Keller vs. CIN - It's the "Reds Carpet" and he has a long leash.
Cam Schlittler vs. HOU - I love Cam's stuff and expect him to improve across the season.
Tanner Bibee @ CHW - It's the CrySox and Bibee still has swing-and-miss stuff.
Questionable Starts
Zac Gallen vs. COL - I know, it's Gallen, but "Rockie Road" solves everything, right?
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. ATH - I love facing the Athletics away from "Sacré Verde".
Max Scherzer @ LAD - The Dodgers are a little weaker than usual and Scherzer is pitching far better than we expected.
Aaron Civale vs. CLE - Civale is leaning more into his cutter and curve and the Guardians aren't scary.
Do Not Starts
J.T. Ginn @ BAL - There are signs that Ginn could be a strong Toby...in time.
Kai-Wei Teng vs. WSN - Maybe Teng can spin enough breakers over the plate to make this work?
Michael McGreevy vs. CHC - The matchup is too much for this "Koufax" dependent arm.
Clayton Kershaw vs. TOR - Kershaw looks rough and the Jays demolish southpaws.
Kyle Hendricks @ DET - It's Hendricks.
Bryce Elder vs. MIA - Don't trust every Elder.
Jake Irvin @ SFG - Despite the matchup, Irvin has just been so blegh.
Walker Buehler @ SDP - I'm still shocked Buehler is getting regular starts for the Sawx.
Austin Gomber @ ARI - Absolutely not.
Saturday 8/9 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob deGrom vs. PHI - Aces gonna ace.
Framber Valdez @ NYY - Aces gonna ace.
Blake Snell vs. TOR - Even against Toronto, he looks ready.
Probably Starts
Jesús Luzardo @ TEX - He's a "Cherry Bomb", though the it's the Rangers.
Joey Cantillo @ CHW - This is too juicy of a matchup after Cantillo just flexed his peak strikeout ability.
Noah Cameron @ MIN - Cameron is still a solid play and he gets a weakened Twins crew.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. COL - It's "Rockie Road" for an arm with a long leash.
Colin Rea @ STL - Rea has proven himself as a reliable streamer.
Lucas Giolito @ SDP - I went back-and-forth between tiers for Giolito and while I encourage heavy consideration for your situation, I think I'm generally rolling the dice.
Questionable Starts
Logan Henderson vs. NYM - I like what Henderson brings to the table, but the Mets aren't a fun team to face.
Bailey Ober vs. KCR - His "Still ILL" is out of the way and unfortunately, he has to deal with a strong Royals offense out of Kauffman.
Nick Martinez @ PIT - It's the Pirates and Martinez has flexed great command with his wide arsenal here and there.
Yusei Kikuchi @ DET - Kikuchi is a "HIPSTER" facing a good lineup.
Brandon Young vs. ATH - There's slight intrigue with Young and he's fortunate to face the Athletics outside of Sacramento.
Luis Gil vs. HOU - His "Still ILL" wasn't pretty and I'd prefer to wait to start Gil until he shows his upside.
Sean Burke vs. CLE - Burke has flexed better stuff lately and it's possible it comes out against the mediocre Guardians.
Charlie Morton vs. LAA - It's a "Vargas Rule"...right?
Joe Boyle @ SEA - I hate watching Boyle battle himself to get heaters over the plate, but at least it's in "@TEA" and the strikeout ceiling remains higher than others. As a tall man, I approve of tall ceilings.
Do Not Starts
Sandy Alcantara @ ATL - The changeup is looking better and the curve can be a great weapon, but his fastball command is not there yet.
Frankie Montas Jr. @ MIL - He's boring but has a shot at a dub for the Mets.
Chris Bassitt @ LAD - How much do you want to lean into the Dodgers as a cold offense?
Carson Whisenhunt vs. WSN - Whisenhunt's changeup may not be as effective against the Nationals' LHB-leaning lineup.
Michael King vs. BOS - FINALLY. It's a "Still ILL", though, and I'd play it safe for one outing.
Ryan Gusto @ ATL - Gusto gets the pearl for the Marlins for a doubleheader and it's too risky of a play.
Jack Perkins @ BAL - I know there's some hype about Perkins and I'm not a part of it. I don't see enough excitement in the arsenal and he tossed just 62 pitches last time out.
Carmen Mlodzinski (Opener) vs. CIN - Expect an opener for this one (Braxton Ashcraft?), which opens the door for a vulture dub against the "Reds Carpet".
Erick Fedde vs. MIA - Don't Trust The Feddes.
Hurston Waldrep vs. MIA - Waldrep was decent in his last performance for Atlanta as the "starter" in the speedway game post-suspension. I heavily question the command, fastball, and splitter, sadly.
Brad Lord @ SFG - Even against the Giants, I don't think this is worth your attention.
Logan Evans vs. TBR - Fortunately, this is "@TEA", though Evans lacks the juice you want as a streamer.
Andre Pallante vs. CHC - It's the Cubs and Pallante is not a fun ride.
Bradley Blalock @ ARI - At least it's not in Coors...?
Sunday 8/10 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.
