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: 99-54
My Pick yesterday: Win - Ian Seymour @ WSN
My Pick today: Parker Messick @ BOS
My Pick tomorrow: Cade Cavalli vs. MIA
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: 99-54
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Ian Seymour @ 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.
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?
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".
Andrew Alvarez vs. MIA - With Gore on the IL, Alvarez is making his MLB debut. He's a high-arm angle LHP at 90 mph with a series of breaking balls and a developing changeup. Who knows, maybe it's another southpaw who overperforms, and is it really a debut if it's the MiAAAMi(LB) Marlins? Nick, you butchered that Miami joke. The things I do for y'all.
Kai-Wei Teng @ COL - He has some interesting breakers and poor control. The thinner air may keep them in the zone, but is that a good thing?
Chase Dollander vs. SFG - It's the Colorado SP.
Bryse Wilson @ MIN - Civale was released by the White Sox and claimed by the Cubs (lucky for Civale, no need to relocate!) and the White Sox called up Bryse. Remember him?
Tuesday 9/2 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Garrett Crochet vs. CLE - Aces gonna ace.
Bryan Woo @ TBR - Aces gonna ace.
Shota Imanaga vs. ATL - IM AN AGA.
Max Fried @ HOU - He's looking much better.
Nolan McLean @ DET - McLean has been too good to bench.
Framber Valdez vs. NYY - The curve is back, though it's the Yankees.
Probably Starts
Drew Rasmussen vs. SEA - He's gone six innings in four straight.
Logan Webb @ COL - It's Coors and Webb isn't his April/May self.
Cade Cavalli vs. MIA - It's too good a matchup to pass up. Cavalli's velocity, hammer curve, and decent changeup should outline a strong stream.
Clayton Kershaw @ PIT - Kershaw isn't someone to trust the rest of the way, but it's the Pirates.
Nick Lodolo vs. TOR - It's a terrible matchup as a LHP against the Jays, though Lodolo looked great in his "Still ILL" and I'm going for it.
Questionable Starts
Yu Darvish vs. BAL - I debated Darvish and settled on the third tier. Darvish seems good to go moving forward, but if you want to wait to see it first, I completely get it.
Davis Martin @ MIN - We've seen him go 5/6 frames of quiet production in the past, though the Twins have some thump.
Luis Severino @ STL - It's in St. Louis and there's a decent chance he comes through for six frames.
Jacob Latz @ ARI - Latz has a solid changeup and four-seamer, but the pitch count is still a little limited, the Sneks are decent, and Latz has a questionable track record.
Casey Mize vs. NYM - Mize has been able to be a "Toby" and the Mets are not the team to chase.
José Berríos @ CIN - He's "The Great Undulator" and at least it's the Reds.
Joey Wentz @ CHC - I dig Wentz, I don't dig facing the Cubs.
Nabil Crismatt vs. TEX - Crismatt's changeup can be a winner, though he doesn't have a whole lot else.
Slade Cecconi @ BOS - The Slade Brigade grinned last start, but this is Fenway. The long leash helps the ceiling.
Do Not Starts
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. CHW - It's the SlySox and SWR isn't the guy to chase.
Miles Mikolas vs. ATH - At least it's a good matchup...?
Adam Mazur @ WSN - Mazur was a little better in his return to the rotation but it's not worth the gamble yet.
Michael Lorenzen vs. LAA - Is this the game he has a QS? Probably not.
Tyler Wells @ SDP - It's a "Still ILL" for a pitcher on the fringe before TJS.
Carmen Mlodzinski vs. LAD
Kyle Freeland vs. SFG - It's the Colorado SP.
Chase Silseth @ KCR - He isn't stretched out. Is he opening? Does it matter?
Wednesday 9/3 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.
