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: 108-59
My Pick yesterday: Loss - Cade Cavalli vs. PIT
My Pick today: Matthew Liberatore vs. CIN
My Pick tomorrow: Michael McGreevy vs. CIN
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: 110-57
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Loss - Mike Burrows @ 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 9/15 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Carlos Rodón @ MIN - Aces gonna ace.
Kyle Bradish @ CHW - Not an ace, but you know.
Ranger Suárez @ LAD - Aces gonna ace. Let's be real, Suárez deserves it and you're not benching him even against the Dodgers.
Probably Starts
Jameson Taillon @ PIT - A safe matchup for a "Toby" on a winning team.
Zac Gallen vs. SFG - We have two former studs trying to find their old forms against generally mediocre lineups. I was tempted to place both in the third tier, but they've shown enough success lately.
Spencer Strider @ WSN - The worry I have with Strider is his two-pitch mix that works best against RHB, not the Nats' LHB-heavy crew.
Questionable Starts
Matthew Liberatore vs. CIN - He's strolling down the "Reds Carpet", yet I've been heavily concerned about Liberatore's ability in the second half with displays of fatigue.
Jason Alexander vs. TEX - Alexander has been a surprising find across the last few months, though the Rangers haven't rolled over as much as we expected.
Emmet Sheehan vs. PHI - Not the ideal matchup, though he could easily come through. A little risky as we've only seen Sheehan excel against the weakest of lineups.
Jack Leiter @ HOU - He's a true "PEAS" and here's to hoping he's his best self. I'll be at this game, after all. SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT.
Zack Littell @ STL - Littell is far from my favorite. His splitter and slider has come through over the plate at times and pitching in St. Louis is a gift.
Do Not Starts
Sean Burke vs. BAL - We haven't seen Burke put it all together with any consistency.
Kai-Wei Teng @ ARI - The strikeouts could be there, but the floor is awfully low.
Trey Yesavage @ TBR - It's an MLB debut in an annoying park. He's super over-the-top with a 93/94 mph heater (we'll probably see 95 mph early) with a meh slider and splitter. Not the guy I'm chase.
Joe Boyle vs. TOR - Expect all the volatility.
Braxton Ashcraft vs. CHC - He'll likely not go long enough to be worthwhile, let alone grant quality against a legit offense.
Mitchell Parker vs. ATL - Parker. Ohhhhh Parker. He has these flashes of "BSB" with sliders getting into the action and I just wish he could find the plateau.
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. NYY - It's the Yankees and I sure don't trust SWR.
Tuesday 9/16 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Paul Skenes vs. CHC - Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert @ KCR - Aces gonna ace.
Chris Sale @ WSN - Aces gonna ace.
Freddy Peralta vs. LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Shohei Ohtani vs. PHI - Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ LAD - Aces gonna have a tough matchup and you can't resist it.
Andrew Abbott @ STL - Abbott gets a great matchup away from Cincy.
Cade Horton @ PIT - Horton has been so dang reliable and it's the Pirates.
Merrill Kelly @ HOU - Kelly has been too consistent.
Michael King @ NYM - He was stretched out to five frames last time and I'd have him higher if we had more time to see him get into a groove + not face a strong offense like the Mets.
Cam Schlittler @ MIN - Schlittler is legit and I don't see why you wouldn't start him.
Probably Starts
Michael McGreevy vs. CIN - It's the "Reds Carpet" for a decent "Toby".
Connelly Early vs. ATH - His MLB was phenomenal. Unfortunately, it's the same lineup and we've seen difficult outings following incredible debuts in the past. I believe in the wide arsenal and overall skill, but this could be troublesome in Fenway.
MacKenzie Gore vs. ATL - It's unclear if Gore will get back into proper form before the end of the season, but this seems like a worthwhile risk.
Joey Cantillo @ DET - I dig Cantillo and even against a Tigers crew that has done well against LHP, I'd go for it.
Casey Mize vs. CLE - Mize is a "Toby" against a LHB-lineup that plays into his splitter well.
Shane Smith vs. BAL - Not a bad matchup for Smith. I wish he were firing on all cylinders, but I'm fine starting him here.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. SFG - Another "Toby" in a slightly worse matchup.
Tyler Wells @ CHW - Worse matchup, slightly better pitcher for another "Toby".
Questionable Starts
Eury Pérez @ COL - I believe in Eury's stuff, though Coors can mess things up.
Sean Manaea (Opener) vs. SDP - He'll be piggy-backing with Clay Holmes, which is the perfect situation for Manaea given his struggles facing lineups for a third time. The lack of expected volume makes this a questionable play, though.
Ryan Pepiot vs. TOR - It's in Tampa Bay and the Jays are not a fun time.
Cristian Javier vs. TEX - Who knows what you'll get from Javier. If his four-seamer is on point, this could go very well.
Zebby Matthews vs. NYY - Zebby gets a tough matchup, though his stuff has the potential to take down any lineup.
Michael Wacha vs. SEA - It's in Kauffman, which may help depress the thump of the Seattle lineup.
José Berríos @ TBR - He's "The Great Undulator". Now under a 4.00 ERA, he has a few starts left to get under 3.90 to make everything right in the world...
Do Not Starts
Caden Dana @ MIL - I'm not ready to buy into Dana's strikeout ability.
Jeffrey Springs @ BOS - It's in Fenway, which normally doesn't bring sunshine and rainbows.
Carson Seymour @ ARI - He has good velocity, but not much else to trust against an Arizona offense that has its occasional offensive onslaughts.
Kyle Freeland vs. MIA - Freeland has excelled since yelling at Devers. Maybe that sticks for one more game in Coors against a poor offense?
Jake Irvin vs. ATL - Uh huh.
Nathan Wiles @ WSN - This looks like a bullpen game for Atlanta in the second game of a double-header.
Wednesday 9/17 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.
