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.
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: 85-71
My pick yesterday: Tylor Megill vs. BOS – L
PL Bot’s 2024 Streamer Record: 87-69
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Valente Bellozo vs WSN – W
Want PL Bot’s pick today? Sign up for PL Pro here.
My streaming pick of the day is Underlined and Italicized.
Thursday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto Starts
Blake Snell vs. ARI – Aces gonna ace.
Pablo López @ TBR – Aces gonna ace.
Reynaldo López vs. COL – This is too good a matchup and Win chance.
Bryan Woo @ OAK – We love Woo right now, even away from Seattle.
UPDATE: Cody Bradford vs. LAA – He’s been fantastic and it’s the Angels.
Hunter Brown @ CIN – Brown is on a roll and you’re not benching him, even in Cin City.
Probably Starts
Ranger Suárez @ MIA – It’s a great situation, though Suárez isn’t quite in the same rhythm as we saw in May.
Merrill Kelly @ SFG – The results haven’t been there for Kelly, but seeing 92/93 mph last time out makes me confident he can be a Toby taking advantage of a weak offense. Too bad it’s against Snell for a lower Win chance than usual, though.
Joey Estes vs. SEA – He’s a Toby against a poor offense. Like Kelly, but with a lower ceiling.
Questionable Starts
Jake Irvin @ PIT – He’s a Cherry Bomb who doesn’t have the old curveball.
Martín Pérez vs. DET – I wanted to push this higher, but I’m a little worried that Pérez isn’t in a rhythm at the moment.
Bailey Falter vs. WSN – Falter’s four-seamer can force his way to the finish line against a middling lineup.
Taj Bradley vs. MIN – He’s a Cherry Bomb with a horrific floor.
Jack Kochanowicz @ TEX – Jack is a sinkerballer who could wake up and find a Quality Start at the foot of his bed.
Do Not Starts
José Ureña vs. LAA – He has the best matchup down here, but y’all know the phrase.
Adam Oller vs. PHI – Oller has surprised us a bit lately, but I don’t want to risk it against the Phillies. If he has his curveball landing over the plate with solid four-seamer feel, I’d love to roll with him for his easier schedule after this one (Pirates and Nats).
Austin Gomber @ ATL – You just saw Freeland take advantage of his time outside Coors, maybe this is Gomber’s shot? Very unlikely. I know, I know.
Rhett Lowder vs. HOU – Lowder didn’t impress me in his debut. His fastball/slider can find five frames, but the risk is too high.
Casey Mize @ SDP – Mize isn’t fixed and it’s the Padres.
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.
Friday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Auto Starts
Zack Wheeler @ MIA – Aces gonna ace.
Tarik Skubal @ OAK – Aces gonna ace.
Michael King vs. SFG – Aces gonna ace.
Max Fried vs. TOR – He’s an ace, right? Probably. Just get the changeup back please.
Cole Ragans vs. MIN – Aces gonna ace.
Framber Valdez vs. ARI – He’s sure looking like an ace with his curve these days.
Nick Pivetta vs. CHW – The White Sox make guys like Pivetta look like aces.
Probably Starts
Bryce Miller @ STL – It’s away from Seattle and Bryce isn’t a finished product yet.
Kevin Gausman @ ATL – Gausman doesn’t get splitter whiffs and it’s annoying. He’s just a Holly and Atlanta isn’t the scariest.
Questionable Starts
Zebby Matthews @ KCR – I know we’re all terrified after the Jays messed him up. The Royals are without Vinnie and he’s so much more than what we saw last time out.
Luis L. Ortiz vs. WSN – This was such a tough rank today with multiple streaming options to choose from. Ortiz looks like the safest in a good matchup, giving him the nod. However, this isn’t your strikeout play.
DJ Herz @ PIT – Herz is the guy to target if you’re chasing punchouts. The question is if his changeup will be there or not.
Frankie Montas vs. COL – The heater is comfortably 96/97 mph these days with a lean toward BSB and more cutters. That should be enough for Rockie Road, except that it’s Montas. You never really know.
Mitch Spence vs. DET – I dig Spence’s feel for his cutter and slider with sinkers mixed in well and the Tigers aren’t a team to fear. The ceiling seems capped, though the Rays certainly gave us a glimpse of Spence’s peak.
Erick Fedde vs. SEA – Fedde is a Toby who has been worse with the Cardinals, having him throw more four-seamers that are simply not good. However, it’s the Mariners. Why didn’t you lead with that? It’s right there!
Jose Quintana vs. CIN – I’m not as confident in Quintana’s command as I was about a month ago, but this is a lovely matchup at home.
Shane Baz @ BAL – It’s the Orioles, though I do like Baz’s stuff. I see this as a bit of a grind, limiting the ceiling.
Brandon Pfaadt @ HOU – Pfaadt fanned ten Dodgers batters…with poor ratios. Maybe he’s getting into rhythm at the right time?
Luis Gil @ CHC – This is a Still ILL and I’m unsure how long Gil goes. The Cubs are showing their teeth as well and I’d rather not chance this. Leave him on the IL for this start if you can.
Edward Cabrera vs. PHI – He’s a Cherry Bomb who is more opponent-agnostic than most.
Matthew Boyd @ LAD – If he has the BSB working like last time, this could still be worthwhile. I really don’t like the floor, though.
Landon Knack vs. CLE – Knack could steal a Win as we’ve seen him go Dancing With The Disco before across 5+ frames of production.
Do Not Starts
Brandon Williamson @ NYM – We saw 40% CSW cutters featured half the time in his first start back, but he tossed under 70 pitches and his changeup lagged behind. I need to see it in full for a start before trusting this.
Javier Assad vs. NYY – Maybe Assad has it in him. This is a ratio play against the powerful Yankee offense and that doesn’t seem like a good match.
Samuel Aldegheri @ TEX – He’s a Toby at best. This could be a sneaky AL-Only stream, but the risk isn’t worth the reward.
Mason Black @ SDP – Black was at his best in his last start, but this is the Padres. No thanks.
José Ureña vs. LAA – He has the best matchup down here, but y’all know the phrase.
Cole Irvin vs. TBR – How long does he go? Can he take advantage of a start against the Rays and steal a Win?
Davis Martin @ BOS – It’s in Fenway, though that lineup isn’t so tough with Devers ailing and if Martin’s changeup + slider are cooking…
Ryan Feltner @ MIL – At least it’s not in Coors?
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)