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: 7-5
My Pick yesterday: Win – Janson Junk vs. CIN
My Pick today: Cade Cavalli vs. STL
My Pick tomorrow: Brady Singer @ MIA
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: 8-4
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Win – Janson Junk vs. CIN
Tuesday 4/7 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal @ MIN – Aces gonna ace.
Garrett Crochet vs. MIL – Aces gonna ace.
Paul Skenes vs. SDP – Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ SFG – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ TOR – Aces gonna ace.
Cam Schlittler vs. ATH – He’s going to get AGA soon, isn’t he.
Sandy Alcantara vs. CIN – It was a Maddux “CGSHO” and now he gets the “Reds Carpet.” Wow.
Freddy Peralta vs. ARI – Aces gonna ace, but not as much of ZOMG as the others above.
George Kirby @ TEX – Aces gonna ace.
Jacob Misiorowski @ BOS – This is a good test to see if he’s on the AGA path.
Trevor Rogers @ CHW – What a lovely matchup.
Nick Pivetta @ PIT – PNC Park is a great place for Pivetta.
Nathan Eovaldi vs. SEA – It hasn’t been smooth so far. It’s not going to last, don’t worry.
Probably Starts
Andrew Abbott @ MIA – What a lovely matchup.
Drew Rasmussen vs. CHC – Rasmussen is a ratio beast, even if it’s the Cubs. I’m not confident we’ll see those strikeouts from last year, though.
Gavin Williams vs. KCR – He was brilliant in his last outing. Does it stick? If so, he could get an AGA tag in time. That’s the ceiling, but he’s never been consistent over a long enough time to earn it.
Robbie Ray vs. PHI – Ray has been Ray. Maybe a little higher WHIP than ideal, but generally productive, regardless of matchup.
Noah Cameron @ CLE – He looks like Cameron from last year, though does he have what he needs for LHB? He does, right?
Kevin Gausman vs. LAD – I’ve dug Gausman’s feel thus far and wish it weren’t the Dodgers.
Questionable Starts
Cade Cavalli vs. STL – I do not call myself the biggest Cavalli fan, though a start against the Cardinals is safer than others here.
Reynaldo López @ LAA – López is doing what he did in 2024 at a lower velocity. We knew regression was coming then, and now it’s bound to be worse.
Taj Bradley vs. DET – Bradley has gotten the results, and I’m still worried about the overall command. We’ve seen him have blips of success in the past, is this truly different?
Matthew Liberatore @ WSN – Liberatore is a decent Toby against a mid offense. Alright.
Zac Gallen @ NYM – Gallen’s slider/cutter is better this year and I love that he’ll get a good leash. I hate the floor without a giant ceiling.
Mike Burrows @ COL – It’s Coors. It’s also a better Burrows than we saw his first start and maybe the Rockies aren’t used to Coors yet.
Yusei Kikuchi vs. ATL – Kikuchi is throwing a different heater and maybe there’s something to that…this is borderline Tier 4.
Do Not Starts
Shane Smith vs. BAL – Smith was terrible against the Marlins.
Javier Assad @ TBR – I know it’s a great matchup, I question how long he’ll go.
Aaron Civale @ NYY – Absolutely not.
Kyle Freeland vs. HOU – Definitely not.
Wednesday 4/8 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Bryan Woo @ TEX – Aces gonna ace.
Cole Ragans @ CLE – Aces gonna ace.
Shohei Ohtani @ TOR – Aces gonna ace.
Eury Pérez vs. CIN – The secondaries haven’t been what we want but it’s the Reds Carpet.
Framber Valdez @ MIN – The curve is working and it’s the Twins.
Kyle Bradish @ CHW – It’s the White Sox. I hope Bradish has better stamina to hold his velocity through 80 pitches.
Michael King @ PIT – King is on an active search for his crown and the Pirates may have one in their stash. (He’s close to being the old king and it’s PNC Park).
Aaron Nola @ SFG – It’s a solid matchup for Nola.
MacKenzie Gore vs. SEA – Gore is showcasing the stuff we want to see, now he needs to lock in for six.
Sonny Gray vs. MIL – The final two here are Cherry Bomb types who are Sonny more than Gray.
Dylan Cease vs. LAD – Cease is A NEW MAN! Wait, scratch that. Cease is Cease! More at eleven.
Probably Starts
Will Warren vs. ATH – I’m not absurdly thrilled about Warren, but I’m fine with this matchup.
Ryne Nelson @ NYM – Without Soto in the lineup, I find myself interested in this start from Nelson. He displayed a new approach of sliders to RHB, cutters + curves to LHB, and I’m a fan of it. His stuff is really good.
Reid Detmers vs. ATL – It’s not the strongest Probably Start tier, with Detmers coming in the middle despite my concerns about his approach focused mostly on just his fastball and slider. That said, after returning plenty of strikeouts in his first two games, we start against Atlanta and hope it continues.
Brady Singer @ MIA – Singer is pretty blegh, but he can go six frames against the lowly Marlins.
Joey Cantillo vs. KCR – Cantillo is a HIPSTER who we’re playing for the strikeout potential, but I worry about his inconsistent precision and hittable fastball.
Questionable Starts
Grant Holmes @ LAA – The slider is a little better this year and he’ll get a fair number of RHB against the Angels. The downside? He breaks the Huascar Rule and that scares me.
David Peterson vs. ARI – His upside isn’t as high as others as we root for a quality start and a day where he can throw strikes without getting the scorn of “Koufax,” as we saw last time out.
Joe Boyle vs. CHC – I’m coming around on Boyle, but this may be his last start in the rotation with Pepiot’s imminent return + I wish it weren’t the Cubs.
Michael McGreevy @ WSN – He’s down two ticks in velocity and I’m concerned he’ll get Singled Out without anything to salvage. Decent QS chance, though.
Chad Patrick @ BOS – He doesn’t go six frames and Fenway isn’t a fun place to pitch. Think of him as Rasmussen-lite. RasLight. Are you gaslighting me?! What?! No, just workshopping names. Chill.
Sean Burke vs. BAL – I’m actually kinda interested in this…? Burke was his best self in his last start with 95/96 mph heaters and great command overall, and the Orioles offense is going through…things.
Luis Severino @ NYY – It’s a revenge game for Sevy away from “Sacré Verde,” but do you really want to go up against this offense?
Mitch Keller vs. SDP – I was wrong for my intrigue after his first start in Citi field – I was foolish to ignore the wind’s impact on his fastball movement – and we’re back to meh Keller.
Do Not Starts
Tyler Mahle vs. PHI – I’m still waiting for April 26th – the first good matchup Mahle will get this year when he faces the Marlins.
Colin Rea @ TBR – Rea is stepping in for Horton (Assad for Boyd) and despite the poor Rays offense, I wouldn’t take the risk for what will likely be a short performance.
Bailey Ober vs. DET – Ober and out.
Cristian Javier @ COL – It’s Coors for a guy who has struggled with everything this year.
Michael Lorenzen vs. HOU – Coors, y’all.
Miles Mikolas vs. STL – Mikolas is getting a revenge game. Maybe he doesn’t return double-digit runs this time?
Wednesday 4/8 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Thursday 4/9 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)
