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: 100-55
My Pick yesterday: Win - Cade Cavalli vs. MIA
My Pick today: Ryan Bergert vs. LAA
My Pick tomorrow: Shane Smith @ MIN
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: 101-54
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Michael Lorenzen 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.
Wednesday 9/3 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Shohei Ohtani @ PIT - Aces gonna ace.
George Kirby @ TBR - He's nailing the slider to LHB, let's hope he figures out RHB.
Aaron Nola @ MIL - Nola is looking fine.
Eury Pérez @ WSN - Eury had a horrific inning against the Mets. Brush it off.
Shane Bieber @ CIN - Bieber is cooking.
Probably Starts
Cade Horton vs. ATL - Horton's blister wasn't an issue after all. SORRY.
Robbie Ray @ COL - I'm tempted to put him lower, but I'm happy to report that his four-seamer velocity jumped back to a flirtation with 94 mph after sitting 91 mph.
Questionable Starts
Ryan Bergert vs. LAA - Bergert has been great, though it does feel a bit precarious with his low-velocity heater. The "Shag Rug" fills the whole dang room.
Zac Gallen vs. TEX - Gallen is on a streak and the Rangers aren't the scariest.
Will Warren @ HOU - Warren's secondaries have let him down lately. I really don't want him to be a four-seamer/sinker command arm.
Zebby Matthews vs. CHW - I haven't seen a truly dominant Zebby yet.
Clay Holmes @ DET - We've gotten a renovated Adobe lately, though I'm not a huge believer in his arsenal.
Jeffrey Springs @ STL - It's a decent start for a low-end "Toby". Here's to sunshine and rainbows in St. Louis. They have that arch, after all.
Casey Mize vs. NYM - It's a "Toby" against a tough offense. Don't love this at all.
Nestor Cortes vs. BAL - The fastball is scaring me and Cortes hasn't become that guy yet.
Jose Quintana vs. PHI - This is the last tough outing for Quintana for a while and it's up to you if you want to buy into a game of strong precision.
Cade Povich @ SDP - Povich is looking solid with high heaters and low curves + changeups, though it's the Padres. I'd prefer to target him as the schedule eases up later.
Jack Leiter @ ARI - The results have been better for Leiter, though I am skeptical he's found sustainability.
Jason Alexander vs. NYY - We've seen him have success against the Yankees with the "Neckbeard" approach. However, Alexander hasn't been able to replicate the phenomenal skill since then.
Matthew Liberatore vs. ATH - It's a good matchup for a fatigued southpaw. I doubt Liberatore is capable of taking full advantage of the situation.
Adrian Houser vs. SEA - It's a rough home park against an offense with plenty of thump. Be careful.
Do Not Starts
Joey Cantillo @ BOS - Cantillo is getting the pearl with Logan Allen either pushed back a day or getting demoted to the pen. I'm not sure how much Cantillo will pitch and it's not a fun matchup, but pay attention to this one as Cantillo could be a grab down the stretch.
Zack Littell vs. TOR - It's the Jays in a terrible park and the "Vargas Rule" looks to be over for Littell.
Yoendrys Gómez @ MIN - Gómez has a chance, but the floor outweighs the ceiling against a strong offense.
Mitchell Parker vs. MIA - Parker was better last time and it's the Marlins! I refuse to fall for this trap.
Braxton Ashcraft vs. LAD - How long will he go? Will you want him to go longer against the Dodgers? Will we see Bubba Chandler in this one?
Caden Dana @ KCR - It's our first look at Dana this year and I'm curious what we'll get. Wait and see.
Bryce Elder @ CHC - Elder has shocked us lately, I know. It's the Cubs. You can't do this.
Germán Márquez vs. SFG - It's the Colorado SP.
Boston Bullpen vs. CLE - They aren't calling up Harrison as we all thought. FUN.
Thursday 9/4 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Paul Skenes vs. LAD - Aces gonna ace.
Blake Snell @ PIT - HOT. SNELL. SUMMER.
Freddy Peralta vs. PHI - Here's the tough battle that you should feel fine starting Peralta.
Carlos Rodón @ HOU - Rodón has returned to form in the second half.
Ranger Suárez @ MIL - Suárez gets a tough matchup and the wheels haven't come off.
Probably Starts
NONE - Remember, I don't change my rankings just to satisfy the whole "four tiers" thing.
Questionable Starts
Ryan Pepiot vs. CLE - I hate starting Pepiot in Tampa Bay.
Shane Smith @ MIN - Smith can make it work, but the Twins are a tough team to endure.
Seth Lugo vs. LAA - This has been absurdly frustrating and despite all the signs that Lugo should have better feel for his non-curveballs, it's been a horrific stretch.
Cristian Javier vs. NYY - It's the Yankees, though Javier was at his best in his last outing.
Taj Bradley vs. CHW - Bradley is throwing harder and maybe he's better at finding his spots now.
Do Not Starts
Logan Allen @ TBR - Is he actually starting or has he been demoted to the pen? If it's Gavin Williams, he'd be slotted in the third tier after Pepiot.
Kyle Hendricks @ KCR - Absolutely not.
Friday 9/5 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.
