Here are today’s and tomorrow’s daily SP Streamer rankings for fantasy baseball.
Every day of the 2024 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!
Make sure to read the notes if you’re wondering why I’m favoring certain pitchers over others – I won’t get to everyone and hopefully I answer what questions you will have.
There is a second table 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.
Finally, there are my streaming picks of the day, and please keep in mind that I am forced to pick a streamer every day. 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 these guys until 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. You can use the rankings to realize who those picks would be instead.
(Opener) – Outlines that a pitcher is being opened for that day & the pitcher listed will follow the opener.
As I do my rankings, I thought it would be helpful to showcase a table of how we’re ranking offenses (in alphabetical order by tier):
I’m sure it’ll change through the year + there are differences to be made about teams vs. LHP or RHP, but it works as a general table that y’all should keep in mind.
Alright, let’s get to it.
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, 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.
Nick’s 2024 Streamer Record: 69-60
My pick yesterday: DJ Herz vs. SFG – L
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 74-55
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: David Peterson W
Want PL Bot’s pick today? Sign up for PL Pro here.
My streaming pick of the day is Underlined and Italicized.
Today’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto Starts
Zack Wheeler @ ARI – Aces gonna ace.
Jack Flaherty vs. PIT – Aces gonna ace.
Robbie Ray vs. DET – The next three guys are acting like aces and you gotta start them all. As for Ray, he’s been absurd for two games, sandwiching a dud. Small samples are weird, I’m leaning that the dud was just him shaking off rust. Gotta showcase the rebound start to show that you can roll with the punches moving forward, right?
Bailey Ober vs. CLE – He’s been so dang good.
Ronel Blanco @ BOS – Blanco’s slider is a phenomenal foundation and even Fenway isn’t holding me back.
Garrett Crochet vs. CHC – Should he be in the top tier given his questionable pitch counts? If you’re in a max starts league, probably not as it’s possible he’s limited to roughly 70 pitches again (I’m begging you Chicago, DON’T). I expect his innings to be of quality, though, which makes this a clear scenario to start Crochet if you don’t have a start limit. Why turn down the potential ceiling of bliss if the floor isn’t poor?
Probably Starts
Zach Eflin @ TBR – It’s the Rays, it’s a great Win chance, and Eflin is a super safe play…likely without a ton of strikeouts. #RevengeGameAlert
Carlos Rodón vs. TEX – He’s been pitching far better with his secondaries + his heater sat 96/97 mph last time out. It’s game time. Too bad it’s against the Rangers, though.
Bryce Miller vs. NYM – He’s far better at home (Eno on The Craft outlined how the T-Mobile park elevates strikeout rates massively + Miller is one of the more extreme Home/Road split guys in baseball) and the Mets are a weird offense.
Jose Quintana @ SEA – It’s in Seattle + Quintana is on a solid command run.
Martín Pérez @ MIA – Pérez is cooking for a winning club and gets the Marlins. Awww yeah.
Spencer Schwellenbach @ COL – I know it’s Coors, but he already has low iVB on his heater. Let the man cook.
Jameson Taillon @ CHW – He’s a Toby against the CrySox. That works.
Mitchell Parker vs. LAA – He’s a Toby against a poor club.
José Soriano @ WSN – Soriano has more volatility than the other guys here, but a touch more upside than some of the Toby types. Take your pick, I also see the Nationals as a slightly dangerous crew, too.
Michael Lorenzen vs. STL – Lorenzen is generally safe with a slightly worse matchup than the others and a touch less upside.
Questionable Starts
José Berríos vs. OAK – I dunno, do what you want with Berríos.
Tanner Houck vs. HOU – Houck has been struggling and his gauntlet of a schedule plods along. I know it sounds wild, but I dropped Houck for a bat in a league where I had too much pitching. Consider it.
Edward Cabrera vs. SDP – Cabrera has the tools to dominate if he simply throws enough strikes, regardless of his opponent. Oh, AND WHERE IS THE SLIDER?!
UPDATE: Grant Holmes @ COL – Atlanta is skipping a start for Schwellenbach (Mr. Crescendo), allowing Holmes (The Real Estate Broker) to grab a start in this series. I loved what I saw in his first start, disliked the second one, and now it’s Coors. You got this Holmes.
Aaron Civale vs. CIN – Will he have the cutter and breakers working? At least it’s the Reds.
Mitch Spence @ TOR – He could go Dancing With The Disco with cutters and sliders, shrug, sip his drink, and move on with five frames of a 2 ER. Yay.
Carson Spiers @ MIL – He’s a command guy and maybe this works out.
Do Not Starts
Louie Varland vs. CLE – It’s a doubleheader and Varland could be the extra man for the Twins. He could also find himself in a steady rotation spot with Joe Ryan likely missing time with a triceps injury. Watch from afar.
Mitch Keller @ LAD – It’s the Dodgers.
Ryne Nelson vs. PHI – It’s the Phillies. He could sneak by with his four-seamer in the upper third and find outs as he has many times over the summer, but you can’t risk it.
Miles Mikolas @ KCR – The Royals are kinda a good offense at home and Mikolas is so dang boring.
UPDATE: Zack Littell vs. BAL – He’s getting pushed up a day and I don’t love this matchup in the slightest.
Brant Hurter @ SFG – He made his MLB debut in relief over the weekend and I’m not interested in this 93 mph sinker/sweeper southpaw.
Cody Bradford @ NYY – He’s back in the rotation and gets the Yankees. Oh dear.
Alex Cobb @ MIN – This may finally be the season debut of Cobb, marking a very obvious Still ILL.
Triston McKenzie @ MIN – McKenzie could be the extra man for the double-header. It could also be Joey Cantillo. Either way, I’m not interested – Triston hasn’t been killing it in Triple-A.
Tyler Alexander vs. BAL – It’s possible this is Ryan Pepiot instead, though the last report suggests a Sim Game is next before he returns to the rotation. I’m guessing T-Lex gets the pearl, possibly in a bullpen game with an Opener ahead of him. I wouldn’t touch it.
Tanner Gordon vs. ATL – Inside Coors, too. Yikes.
Enjoy these rankings? Support my work and Pitcher List by getting PL+ or PL Pro! You’ll get an Ad-Free website, access to our incredible non-toxic baseball Discord community, my weekly PL Pro exclusive SP FAAB Forecast podcast, a full suite of fantasy baseball tools, and much more. Get 10% off yearly with code SPSTREAMERS here.
Tomorrow’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto Starts
Corbin Burnes @ TBR – Aces gonna ace.
Justin Steele @ CHW – Not an ace, but a former ace, who looks like an ace again, pitching against a team that makes every pitcher look like an ace.
Logan Webb vs. DET – He should cruise against the Tigers.
Paul Skenes @ LAD – Aces gonna ace…but the Dodgers. It feels weird placing him fourth, but you get it.
Logan Gilbert vs. NYM – Aces gonna ace. The Mets are kinda good…?
Aaron Nola @ ARI – Aces gonna ace, but Arizona is heating up.
Sean Manaea @ SEA – Weird, I know. Manaea is too hot right now and it’s in Seattle.
Gerrit Cole vs. TEX – If you have Cole, you’re doing it. THROW THE SLIDER NOT THE CUTTER.
Max Fried @ COL – Fried was terrible in his Still ILL outing, but the line was worse than the underlying skill set in my view. He should be back to normal here. What about his slow start every year in April? Does that apply here, forcing Fried to shake off rust for a few starts? Hmmmm. Maybe?
Probably Starts
River Ryan vs. PIT – He’s had peak command once in three games thus far and I’m still going for it. The stuff is too dang good and the Pirates aren’t scary. Great Win chance here.
Tobias Myers vs. CIN – Myers is a Vargas Rule against a meh offense.
Zac Gallen vs. PHI – He’s been wobbly as of late and it’s the Phils.
Nathan Eovaldi @ NYY – It’s the Yankees.
Gavin Williams @ MIN – I believe in Williams’ four-seamer foundation + his breakers have improved. Loved the slider/cutter thing returning and shelving the change.
Matt Waldron @ MIA – It’s the Marlins, who could fold even against Waldron’s non-knucklers.
Michael Wacha vs. STL – A decent matchup for a Toby works for me.
Questionable Starts
Griffin Canning @ WSN – Uggggh, is Canning the streaming again? The other options below are not appealing enough, sadly. Just nibble a bit with the secondaires, okay?
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. CLE – SWR has been far worse as of late and I’ve done a poor job of choosing the right spots. I’d rather just not do this.
Spencer Arrighetti @ BOS – The Pasta Pirate has dominated inside the zone in his last few games, but it could very easily just be a short stretch instead of a true breakout + it’s Fenway.
Andre Pallante @ KCR – I don’t like this much at all but we’ve seen him go 5/6 innings with cut-fastballs and sliders over the plate.
Nick Martinez @ MIL – He’s getting the chance to start now, meaning he’s not fully stretched out yet. The changeup wasn’t a major player last time out and I hope it’s there for him here + the Brewers without Yelich are easier to digest.
Yariel Rodríguez vs. OAK – He’ll be limited to 75-80 pitches per usual and maybe that’s enough. His four-seamer has returned a stunning ICR under 30% this year and I’m skeptical it will hold.
Do Not Starts
Osvaldo Bido @ TOR – Bido has had some weird magic as of late. Maybe that pushes him into the third tier, but I just can’t get behind it.
Roddery Muñoz vs. SDP – Sometimes his command is good enough around the edges and the reward when he executes just isn’t worth it with the Marlins offense behind him.
Cal Quantrill vs. ATL – Maybe the splitter is at its peak again? Unlikely.
Cooper Criswell vs. HOU – Criswell showed some promise before heading back to the pen and with Pivetta getting his start skipped, Criswell will get another chance. Don’t expect bliss, but there could be five decent frames here.
Chris Flexen vs. CHC – I just want you to feel the sand between your toes. I want FLEXEN AT THE BEACH. (He’s a command guy who has his moments when on point.)
Patrick Corbin vs. LAA – WHERE. IS. THE. CUTTER.
TBD Tigers @ SFG – Who knows what the Tigers are doing right now.
TBD Rays vs. BAL – With Pepiot throwing a Sim game, this could be Tyler Alexander. It’s definitely not a start to make.
Enjoy these rankings? Support my work and Pitcher List by getting PL+ or PL Pro! You’ll get an Ad-Free website, access to our incredible non-toxic baseball Discord community, my weekly PL Pro exclusive SP FAAB Forecast podcast, a full suite of fantasy baseball tools, and much more. Get 10% off yearly with code SPSTREAMERS here.
Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto Starts
Tyler Glasnow vs. PIT – Aces gonna ace.
Dylan Cease @ MIA – Aces gonna ace.
Luis Castillo vs. NYM – Aces gonna ace.
Probably Starts
Chris Bassitt vs. OAK – It’s Bassitt. Not the sexiest, but it’ll work. Just plug and chug. That’s for a calculator. SET AND FORGET. I’m so SORRY.
Tanner Bibee @ MIN – He mentioned that his shoulder has been bothering him all year. And yet he’s still performed a fair amount…?
Cristopher Sánchez @ ARI – He’s been rough, but it’s been against elite offenses. Arizona is hot right now, but I think I still roll with it.
Nick Lodolo @ MIL – Lodolo confounds me a bit, but the ceiling is too high to ignore.
Luis Severino @ SEA – Severino was horrid in his last start…but had his fastball velocity and now heads into Seattle where the strikeouts flow like streams of Atlantis. That’s underwater, there is no stream. IT’S AN ALWAYS STREAM.
Albert Suárez @ TBR – He’s my streaming pick with a great Win chance against a poor offense. Suárez stepped up last time out and should have roughly 80 pitches in him to make this worthwhile.
David Festa vs. CLE – I dig what Festa brings to the table, but the Guardians are not a fun team to square up against. I’m for it, just cautious.
Hayden Birdsong vs. DET – We saw the downside of Birdsong last time out – inconsistent slider, still terrible fastball – though the curve has turned into the major focus it should be. I’m expecting the slider to be better, allowing him to provide value against the Tigers.
Hunter Brown @ BOS – I know he’s been great for y’all, but I just can’t get behind his “Approach” – chaos that he figures out each day he pitches, like paint falling down a canvas. Throw in the volatility of Fenway, and you have a whole lot of anxiety.
Questionable Starts
Keider Montero @ SFG – He’s of consideration after taking care of the Mariners, but the Giants are a touch tougher and Montero isn’t a special arm. It’s a 95+ mph heater (poor shape) with a good slider and decent curve as his number three.
MacKenzie Gore vs. LAA – The dude has been tanking across the last month. His velocity has fallen and his secondaries are not consistent. That said, the skills are there and this is the Angels, making for a high risk/reward Cherry Bomb.
Marcus Stroman vs. TEX – This is a Win/QS play if you need one.
Andrew Heaney @ NYY – Heaney’s slider is better than earlier in the year, but he hasn’t come through as consistently as you’d like + the Yankees.
JP Sears @ TOR – Sears has been on a mini-run, recently expressing fantastic four-seamer command upstairs that I don’t trust to last moving forward. It’s come and gone all his career.
Brandon Pfaadt vs. PHI – Pfaadt isn’t a guy I chase, especially against the Phillies, but he’s starting to look more in rhythm akin to his October run last year. I’m watching.
Bryce Elder @ COL – He didn’t pitch so poorly in his last outing despite the final line and now he’s getting another chance with Schwellenbach pushed back. It’s Coors, though, and y’all know the floor.
Do Not Starts
James Paxton vs. HOU – Maybe the new sinker is actually decent and he steals a Win? You really shouldn’t do this.
Max Meyer vs. SDP – His slider is the only pitch going for him and even that isn’t looking like the Elite McAwesome Sauce we want it to be.
Johnny Cueto @ WSN – YOU’RE STILL HERE?! He left his contract with the Rangers to sign with the Angels a few weeks ago and now he’s expected to make a start against the Nationals. It’s weird to place him this high up, but I’ll tell ya this – he’s going to give EVERYTHING he has in this one. Something to be said about that, especially against a middling offense.
Bailey Falter @ LAD – Falter has had some rare magical moments and maybe this is one of them?
Jeffrey Springs vs. BAL – It’s Baltimore and Springs isn’t fully back.
Kyle Freeland vs. ATL – It’s Atlanta. In Coors.
DL Hall vs. CIN – It’s a very clear Still ILL for Hall and I don’t expect him to go long. But for real, WELCOME BACK. I hope your attack angle and velocity are fixed.
Enjoy these rankings? Support my work and Pitcher List by getting PL+ or PL Pro! You’ll get an Ad-Free website, access to our incredible non-toxic baseball Discord community, my weekly PL Pro exclusive SP FAAB Forecast podcast, a full suite of fantasy baseball tools, and much more. Get 10% off yearly with code SPSTREAMERS here.
Photos Courtesy of IconSportswire | Adapted by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)