Rankings of the SP Streamers for today’s, tomorrow’s, and the day after tomorrow’s games for fantasy baseball.
Every day of the 2026 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 twitch.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 Twitch 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 Twitch 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 2026 Streamer Record: 2-5
My Pick yesterday: Loss – Shane Smith @ MIA
My Pick today: Taj Bradley @ KCR
My Pick tomorrow: Joe Boyle @ MIN
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. Take a look at an example from last year. You can find it on the PL Pro Hub Page when logged into PL Pro.
PL Bot’s 2026 Streamer Record: 4-3
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Loss – Shane Smith @ MIA
Thursday 4/2 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Cole Ragans vs. MIN – PEW PEW PEW. Please get your command back.
Dylan Cease @ CHW – That first start was so good. Please do that again. How cool would it be if Cease was actually an ace for the full year? Postponed.
Probably Starts
Robbie Ray vs. NYM – He does what he does well. I wish it weren’t the Mets, though.
Ryne Nelson vs. ATL – I could put Nelson and Peterson down a tier, but Nelson’s heater is legit and it seems like he’s starting to invest more in the slider. Here’s to hoping it’s a good two pitch mix in time.
David Peterson @ SFG – This could be an easy QS, but that would require Peterson to throw a ton of strikes. He won’t have the ridiculous wind of his previous start that caused four extra inches of glove-side movement on everything, which makes it unclear exactly what we’ll get.
Questionable Starts
Taj Bradley @ KCR – I can’t believe I’m streaming Bradley, but that first start was the best he’s looked in a while. I’m going to regret this, aren’t I? If only he didn’t pitch on a day with only seven other arms.
Reynaldo López @ ARI – He sat 94 mph last time out after giving us a huge scare in the spring, and maybe that’s good enough for him to produce. I still dislike that he throws a questionable heater without a reliable secondary he can throw for strikes. Is that slider really enough?
Do Not Starts
NONE – Just three games after the Blue Jays vs. White Sox game was postponed due to thunderstorms in Chicago. Burke and Cease moved to tomorrow.
Sean Burke vs. TOR – I can squint and see Burke kill it, but he’ll need to sit 96+ mph, not the 94 and change we saw in his first start. Postponed.
Friday 4/3 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Bryan Woo @ LAA – Aces gonna ace.
Nolan McLean @ SFG – He’s going to get the AGA label in due time, and this start is lovely.
Dylan Cease @ CHW – That first start was so good. Please do that again. How cool would it be if Cease was actually an ace for the full year?
Kyle Bradish @ PIT – Bradish waned more than we’d like in the final frames in his first game, but you should hand-wave it.
Framber Valdez vs. STL – He’s Valdez. Have the curveball please, k thx.
MacKenzie Gore vs. CIN – The Reds Carpet is still a thing, right?
Cade Horton @ CLE – It’s a solid floor, though Horton will need his changeup working against the LHB-heavy crew. I believe it.
Probably Starts
Eury Pérez @ NYY – If it weren’t the Yankees, I’d have Pérez in the first tier. Maybe I still should.
Sonny Gray vs. SDP – He’s more often Sonny than Gray.
Michael King @ BOS – King was looking much more in rhythm than what we saw in the spring, but it’s Fenway.
Will Warren vs. MIA – Warren isn’t killing it with his secondaries, yet the Marlins won’t care.
Emmet Sheehan @ WSN – It’s been frustrating watching Sheehan run out of gas quicker than usual this year. He should get better with each start and I’m not afraid of the Nationals’ offense.
Questionable Starts
Joe Boyle @ MIN – It was a much different version of Boyle in his first start, stretched out enough to go six frames without a single walk and a ton of strikes. It was one game, but it certainly felt different. With the Twins up now, I’d consider a stream and see if it’s real.
Aaron Nola @ COL – I don’t know how to treat Coors yet. No one does.
Reid Detmers vs. SEA – Detmers returned strikeouts aplenty in his first start going four-seamer/slider. I worry he doesn’t have more than that combo in the tank (the show-me curve and splitter don’t inspire confidence), and I’d be thrilled to be wrong.
Michael Wacha vs. MIL – I was shocked at Wacha’s overall ability in his first start, excelling with his full arsenal. I’m not ready to tell you he’s a new arm now, but there is a different risk/reward here, including as a potential hold.
Chad Patrick @ KCR – I question if Patrick’s four-seamer, sinker, cutter mix is enough to last six frames consistently.
Michael McGreevy @ DET – McGreevy had a phenomenal first start despite a significant drop in velocity. It’s the Tigers, but be careful.
Brady Singer @ TEX – I don’t love Singer’s sinker/slider attack. He’ll benefit from a date in Arlington, though.
Joey Cantillo vs. CHC – It wasn’t prime Cantillo @TEA, and now he hosts the Cubs. As a Cherry Bomb type, it may not matter who he faces.
Mitch Keller vs. BAL – Keller had stellar movement against the Mets, but it was likely aided by the wind conditions. If he can hold the same improved four-seamer vert, then we’re talking.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. ATL – Yes, he took down the Dodgers. He’s a crafty southpaw who has those moments, like a slightly better Martín Pérez or Marco Gonzales. If you know them, you know it comes and goes.
Tyler Mahle vs. NYM – Mahle is a fun arm to target this year…in like three weeks when the schedule gets far better.
Grant Holmes @ ARI – Holmes has a slightly better four-seamer, but the rest isn’t a whole lot different. You could get some strikeouts, but REB comes with a lot of risk.
Do Not Starts
Sean Burke vs. TOR (Opener) – I can squint and see Burke kill it, but he’ll need to sit 96+ mph, not the 94 and change we saw in his first start. The one benefit? He’ll have Grant Taylor opening, allowing for a potential vulture win.
Jeffrey Springs vs. HOU – Springs looked a little different in his first outing and I’m awfully curious if it sticks. However, it’s rarely sunshine and rainbows in Sacramento.
Cristian Javier @ ATH – I don’t trust Javier’s command at all.
Bailey Ober vs. TBR – Ober’s fastball is rough. Fortunately, the changeup is still good, and maybe he survives?
Michael Lorenzen vs. PHI – It’s Coors.
Miles Mikolas vs. LAD – It’s Mikolas.
Saturday 4/4 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
PL Pro members get an extra day of full SP Streaming rankings for the day after tomorrow.
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.
Photos Courtesy of IconSportswire | Adapted by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)
