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: 27-26
My Pick yesterday: Loss – Colin Rea @ CHW (ND): 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K
My Pick today: Christian Scott @ WSH
My Pick tomorrow: Zebby Matthews 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: 27-26
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Loss – Colin Rea @ CHW (ND): 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Monday 5/18 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Bryan Woo vs. CHW – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ SDP – Aces gonna ace.
Shota Imanaga vs. MIL – Aces gonna ace.
Framber Valdez vs. CLE – The new slider may help against LHB, but he’s going to get all the RHB here.
Shane McClanahan vs. BAL – McShane has his changeup on point and that’s all that matters.
Probably Starts
Robbie Ray @ ARI – Ray hasn’t been efficient enough to demand a spot in the top tier, but the skills are very much there to succeed against the Sneks.
Sonny Gray @ KCR – It’s more Sonny than Gray.
Ryan Weathers vs. TOR – Speaking of which, Weathers should be a solid all-around play against the Jays.
Trevor Rogers @ TBR – This may look bananas, I know. He pitched far better than the line suggested against the Yankees in his Still ILL and it’s the Rays. I think this is the start that gets everyone hyped again.
Nick Lodolo @ PHI – Lodolo didn’t have his breaking ball feel last time out and I’d wager he features a strike rate at least higher than 50% this time.
Michael King vs. LAD – It’s the Dodgers, yet I believe the King’s new groove is worthy of a start.
Christian Scott @ WSH – He’ll get plenty of LHB against the Nats. Scott is still figuring out how to attack them effectively, though I trust his cutter (and splitter!) can get the job done. He’s a solid arm.
Questionable Starts
Max Meyer vs. ATL – If only it weren’t Hotlanta. This is the best version of Meyer I’ve ever seen.
J.T. Ginn @ LAA – It’s not the most hype start. Ginn is a “Toby’ and the Angels are a huge shrug of an offense at the moment.
Noah Schultz @ SEA – Despite the great location, Schultz hasn’t had great, uh, locations since his first outing.
JR Ritchie @ MIA – Ritchie is getting the pearl on Monday (Pérez pushed to Tuesday) and despite my lack of enthusiasm for the rook, Ritchie can do enough to survive against a below-average offense.
Zac Gallen vs. SFG – The ability isn’t matching the results at the moment…except for a decline in velocity last time out. I wonder if that holds. He has a long enough leash and if the command is there, he’ll produce for six.
Walbert Ureña vs. ATH – Ureña has come through a fair amount thus far and the Athletics are away from their nightmarish home park. I just wish there was more outside of his changeup and Empty Velocity.
Do Not Starts
Seth Lugo vs. BOS – Lugo’s curveball velocity is down and his command is worse.
MacKenzie Gore @ COL – Gore has become a HIPSTER and this is not the time for a start in Coors.
Brandon Sproat @ CHC – As much as I see a legit starter here, heading to warm Wrigley isn’t a recipe for rookie success. We’ll jump back in at some point, I’m sure.
Slade Cecconi @ DET – The 89 mph cutter is still around, but the whole package isn’t enough.
Andrew Painter vs. CIN – Even against the Reds Carpet, we can’t. I sure hope he has the same breaking ball feel, though.
Jake Irvin vs. NYM – Irvin has been worthwhile once.
Patrick Corbin @ NYY – This looks terrible on paper.
Jose Quintana vs. TEX – It’s Coors.
Tatsuya Imai @ MIN – Imai should not be rostered until he shows us production.
Simeon Woods Richardson (Opener) vs. HOU – He’s still here?!
Tuesday 5/19 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob Misiorowski @ CHC – Aces gonna ace.
Chase Burns @ PHI – Aces gonna ace.
Nolan McLean @ WSH – Aces gonna ace. Look at these hype 7 fellas.
Jesús Luzardo vs. CIN – Luzardo is who he is. You do it.
Parker Messick @ DET – Messick’s command is legit, y’all.
Dylan Cease @ NYY – Cease gets the Yankees and it’s more about his own volatility on given day and less about the opponent.
Probably Starts
Ryne Nelson vs. SFG – Nelson has fanned 15 in his last two games, with his only blemishes of the season coming in Mexico City and that ridiculous 8-run bamboozling. You know this.
Will Warren vs. TOR – Warren is a generally safe Holly at the moment.
Kyle Bradish @ TBR – He proved himself against both the Athletics and Yankees, why wouldn’t you give this a spin?
Landen Roupp @ ARI – Roupp’s pitch separation is divine. This feels like a breakout season.
Emmet Sheehan @ SDP – The Dodgers are pushing Ohtani back a day and we’ll get Sheehan instead. He’s not carrying the four-seamer I want him to have, but he’s still productive. I think I just have to live with that.
Ranger Suarez @ KCR – Suarez has been far better in the last month than his inital few outings.
Bryce Miller vs. CHW – We saw Miller sit 2-3 ticks harder in his Still ILL season debut. It’s time to let him fly.
Reid Detmers vs. ATH – Detmers’ slider feel is waning, and let’s hope it returns here.
Kris Bubic vs. BOS – This isn’t the stud Bubic we saw for plenty of last season. Fortunately, we get the Red Sox and that should be fine.
Foster Griffin vs. NYM – I know, he just allowed so many ER. It was one game and he’s pitched so well that he deserves another shot. It’s also the Mets sooooooo…
Questionable Starts
Griffin Jax vs. BAL – It’s time to give Jax a try. He’s stretched out above 70 pitches and the velocity hasn’t fallen yet.
Zebby Matthews vs. HOU – Matthews had a phenomenal introduction to the season and I was hoping to see more than a Koufax favored game.
Mitch Keller @ STL – Keller is a boring QS play. He is who he is.
Matthew Liberatore vs. PIT – We’ve seen a better version of Libby in his last two games and I wonder if he can win me over in a third game. It all comes down to locating his arsenal effectively.
Ben Brown vs. MIL – I get it. You saw seven strikeouts in four frames and you’re not that scared of Milwaukee. Will he go a full five frames? Will it be any good? He can’t hold a 35% SwStr on his curveball every start, you know.
Keider Montero vs. CLE – Montero is a 15-teamer Toby getting a decent matchup. I don’t think it’s worth your time in 12-teamers, though if you need a low WHIP, he has a decent shot given his great walk rates.
Do Not Starts
Martín Pérez @ MIA – It’s the Marlins and Pérez has come through more than expected, but the shoe is destined to drop.
Jacob Lopez @ LAA – We got a better Lopez start last time out, and I need more before trusting him.
Anthony Kay @ SEA – I’m still skeptical of Kay’s command. He could prove he turned a corner if he’s able to take advantage of a matchup @TEA, despite my skepticism.
Braxton Garrett vs. ATL – Garrett was bamboozled in his Still ILL and now has to deal with Hotlanta. Womp womp.
Lance McCullers Jr. @ MIN – The chaos life is not for me.
Griffin Canning vs. LAD – The Dodgers + Canning was disastrous last time out. The talent is there to come through, but the floor is terrible.
Kumar Rocker @ COL – Rocker is always a no, but in Coors?!
Tanner Gordon vs. TEX – It’s the Colorado SP.
Wednesday 5/20 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)
