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: 16-18
My Pick yesterday: Loss – Tyler Mahle @ PIT (L): 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K
My Pick today: Cade Cavalli @ NYM
My Pick tomorrow: Brandon Young vs. HOU
PL Pro Members have access to my 14-Day Sit/Start SP Grid, which ranks all expected starters into four tiers over the next 14 days. Here is an example from last season.
PL Bot’s 2026 Streamer Record: 20-14
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Win – Chad Patrick vs. ARI (W): 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, 5 BB, 5 K
Wednesday 4/29 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal @ ATL – Aces gonna ace.
Tyler Glasnow vs. MIA – Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez vs. SFG – Aces gonna ace. Right? Right.
George Kirby @ MIN – He’s a Holly until the strikeouts appear via RHB with the slider.
Drew Rasmussen @ CLE – Rasmussen has been pitching absurdly well + the changeup is getting involved to push his strikeout rate a little further.
Probably Starts
Nathan Eovaldi vs. NYY – Eovaldi’s season has been rough, but the stuff and overall command is still strong. Tough deal against the Yankees, and I’m personally still going for it.
Gavin Williams vs. TBR – He’s volatile and it’s absurdly annoying. One day he can throw strikes with everything, the other, he can’t. In the end, you’re gonna like it, but you’re not gonna like it.
Logan Webb @ PHI – The first month has been rough. It’s unlikely Webb is that same pitcher moving forward, considering he’s not dramatically worse in any specific area in his arsenal.
Questionable Starts
Cade Cavalli @ NYM – Cavalli is fresh off a fantastic outing and now gets the lowly Mets. It might be the most encouraging rank I’ll have for Cavalli for a while.
Peter Lambert @ BAL – Lambert is 2-for-2 and we’re all hoping he can land his kitchen-sink against the Orioles, or just go BSB with four-seamers and changeups to LHB. There is a low floor we haven’t seen yet, of course. His stuff isn’t absurd.
Brandon Sproat vs. ARI – Sproat is pitching well and arguably deserves to be in the third tier. If not for an unfortunate final frame with inherited runners scoring, he’d be in the better graces of the public eye. He’s putting it together.
Bubba Chandler vs. STL – COME ON BUBBA. This looks fantastic on paper… if you ignore the terrible command he’s had thus far. It was improving until the game in Texas broke the strained seams. The talent is in there, maybe if he doesn’t go max effort so much…
Sandy Alcantara @ LAD – Even if Alcantara has his best stuff, it’s still the Dodgers. I’m worried the floor is going to explode and many will be sending him to the wire.
Michael Wacha @ ATH – Wacha’s last outing didn’t end the Vargas Rule, even if the line suggested it. He was fantastic until a Careful, Icarus and I don’t believe his rhythm has been disrupted. Sadly, it’s Sacré Verde.
Luis Severino vs. KCR – Why does he have to pitch his home games in Sacramento?
JR Ritchie vs. DET – Outside of the very first pitch of his MLB career, Ritchie pitched well and made y’all upset at the PILOT rule. He’s a command-focused arm who has decent stuff, but not the ceiling I like to chase with prospects, as they carry a Shag Rug everywhere they go. The Tigers aren’t a fun offense, too. That said, it’s possible Ritchie’s precision is consistent and he becomes a solid Holly for the year.
Taj Bradley vs. SEA – We’ve seen a steady decline in his command since the first few outings, coming to a head in his last start. I was originally skeptical that Bradley had suddenly found the tweak to enable the ability to locate his four-pitch mix (at least two or three of them, that is), and I’d be cautious here. He’s always been a good stuff guy, it’s the command that has held him back.
Do Not Starts
Elmer Rodríguez @ TEX – It’s the MLB debut for Elmer, which means we have to initiate the PILOT Rule, but more than that, I, unfortunately, don’t think he has the glue to stick with the rotation. It’ll likely be a spot start or two as the Yankees anticipate Carlos Rodón’s return from the IL. In the short term, he’s a sinker/slider guy who is figuring out his LHB attack and does not carry the same ceiling as the likes of Tolle, Prielipp, Fuentes, etc. I see a potential low-end Holly in time, following in the footsteps of Will Warren if he were to get longevity in the rotation…which may be a while.
Yusei Kikuchi @ CHW – Kikuchi gets a chance to feast against the CrySox, but does he have enough in the tank to make it work? We haven’t seen prime Kikuchi in a long time.
Eduardo Rodriguez @ MIL – He’s hoping to prove himself as a Toby and the Brewers are meh. Not a bad chance here, but super boring.
Brandon Williamson vs. COL – It’s Rockie Road. It’s also a guy who hasn’t done a whole lot of anything for a while. Sigh. The cutter and changeup could be fantastic.
Jameson Taillon @ SDP – There’s a chance Taillon comes through here for a dub or QS, while the floor has been hard to endure.
David Peterson vs. WSH – Peterson is too chaotic for me to trust here.
Andre Pallante @ PIT – There’s a shot that Pallante can return all the whiffs with his slider again. I’d hold back on chasing it save for the deeper formats. Better in points leagues.
Chris Bassitt vs. HOU – Maybe he can go six…? I tried.
Brayan Bello @ TOR – It was so rough last time that even if I know this has recency bias baked into it, I just can’t endorse it.
Eric Lauer vs. BOS – Lauer had one game of 17 whiffs and failed to do so since the illness, with his velocity down as a result. You didn’t make the joke again. I have standards.
Erick Fedde vs. LAA – You don’t trust him. You know why.
Tomoyuki Sugano @ CIN – Sugano isn’t in Coors! It’s Cincy. STILL BETTER.
Matt Waldron vs. CHC – Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer.
Thursday 4/30 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Paul Skenes vs. STL – Aces gonna ace.
Freddy Peralta vs. WSN – Not an ace, but an obvious play.
Kevin Gausman @ MIN – Gausman is Gausman. Hope the splitter is cooking.
Framber Valdez @ ATL – Same for Valdez. Tougher offense, but in reality, it’s all about having good enough feel with his secondaries.
Brandon Woodruff vs. ARI – He’s looking like last year’s Woodruff. That’s cool.
Probably Starts
Michael Soroka @ MIL – Soroka has been cruising. His curveball has been earning whiffs, while the pitch separation has been stellar to LHB, including the new cutter.
Questionable Starts
Bryce Elder vs. DET – Elder is a Vargas Rule and you don’t have much of a choice.
Andrew Painter vs. SFG – Painter hasn’t been the guy we all wanted him to be, but he’s still good enough to take down the Giants. The floor is lower than you’d like, though.
Brandon Young vs. HOU – Young is kinda interesting. There’s decent four-seamer vert and his secondaries aren’t terrible. I don’t love it – it’s too mid for me – and I also recognize he can return 5+ productive frames.
Noah Cameron @ ATH – Cameron’s velocity has been up and he’s commanding better these days. I’m totally fine leaving him on the wire for now and may scoop him up if this one continues in a positive trajectory. Stupid Sacré Verde.
Hunter Dobbins @ PIT – Dobbins is making his St. Louis debut in what could be considered a Still ILL. I may have this one a little too high (arguable for the bottom tier), but I wanted to give him a little more attention as a possible pickup. He displayed solid all-around stuff last year without anything exceptional, and here’s to hoping he blossoms with security in the Cardinals’ rotation.
Andrew Abbott vs. COL – He has struggled massively and dropped in many leagues. He also gets Rockie Road. If there ever were a start to get him back on track…
Jeffrey Springs vs. KCR – The four-seamer has been much worse in his last three starts and it’s Sacré Verde. I also recognize that he throws cross-body and if it clicks back into place, this could be sunshine and rainbows once again.
Do Not Starts
Bailey Ober vs. TOR – He’s been much better than expected and yet I cannot endorse Ober and his sub 89 mph four-seamer. Blegh.
Adrian Houser @ PHI – Houser didn’t come through against the Marlins. It’s hard to bank on better against the Phillies, though there is a chance Koufax is kind and lets him go six frames.
Lance McCullers Jr. @ BAL – The chaos. THE CHAOS!
Michael Lorenzen @ CIN – At least Strong Bad is not in Coors. It’s Cincy. Still better.
Miles Mikolas @ NYM – Absolutely not. But an opener could be involved! It’s the Mets! IT’S MIKOLAS. Noted.
Friday 5/1 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
PL Pro members get an extra day of full SP Streaming rankings for the day after tomorrow.
PL Pro Members have access to my 14-Day Sit/Start SP Grid, which ranks all expected starters into four tiers over the next 14 days. Here is an example from last season.
Photos Courtesy of IconSportswire | Adapted by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)
