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: 36-29
My Pick yesterday: Win – Troy Melton @ CHW (ND): 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K
My Pick today: Christian Scott vs. MIA
My Pick tomorrow: Janson Junk @ NYM
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: 35-30
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Win – Troy Melton @ CHW (ND): 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Saturday 5/30 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Bryan Woo vs. ARI – Aces gonna ace
Drew Rasmussen vs. LAA – He’s so hard to hit. The Ras Pack arsenal is just so good.
Parker Messick vs. BOS – Messick is a legit SWATCH you can’t bench.
Probably Starts
Trey Yesavage @ BAL – Yesavage just allowed 5 ER to the Marlins, but he’s generally doing what we expected entering the year.
Sonny Gray @ CLE – It’s more often Sonny rather than Gray.
Michael King @ WSH – The King lost his crown last start and I’d expect a rebound.
Ryne Nelson @ SEA – It’s @TEA for a pitcher who has been fantastic when he’s been inside the Foul Rynes (Those two bad outlier starts).
Christian Scott vs. MIA – Scott is starting to earn our trust and a start against the Marlins should help him take another step forward. Hopefully we see all three of the heater, cutter, and sweeper working in tandem.
Reid Detmers @ TBR – He’s fresh off an unreal outing, and I sure hope it wasn’t a Dennis after a steady decline prior.
Ryan Weathers @ ATH – It’s not a fun matchup. The strikeouts have been flowing and you’re going to do it regardless.
Foster Griffin vs. SDP – He rebounded last start and now gets a Padre offense that hates LHP.
Questionable Starts
Framber Valdez @ CHW – The White Sox are kinda scary right now – they just destroy Prielipp, after all – and there’s more risk here than I’d like. It’s hard to believe that Valdez’s career of rebounding after tough stretches will appear now, forcing me to move him into the Questionable tier.
Ben Brown @ STL – I know it’s worked well so far and it could very well happen again. I can’t ignore highly unsustainable 30%+ SwStr rates on his curveball thus far and a history of struggling with his current arsenal.
Seth Lugo @ TEX – He’s the same Lugo as a kitchen-sink arm, and the matchup is good enough to treat him like a Toby. I hate the low floor, personally.
Peter Lambert vs. MIL – Lambert’s changeup is the pitch to watch over time. If he can nail that pitch down to LHB, the rest should fall into place. He gets bonus points for a longer leash than most on the wire.
Anthony Kay vs. DET – It’s been a great run for Kay, but the Tigers are a little scary and Kay’s command seems to be on a good stretch, not fixed.
Do Not Starts
Kumar Rocker vs. KCR – Am I underrating Rocker? It’s a great matchup in Arlington and yet, I really don’t like his heater. If he goes 65%+ slider/cutter again, that may be enough.
Brandon Young vs. TOR – Young’s high heater is decent, but I don’t love the whole approach for an arm unproven to go deep into games.
Brandon Sproat @ HOU – Will we see a breakout start from Sproat this year? His stuff isn’t the problem, but rather his command is the ball and chain holding him back. A RHB-heavy lineup may unlock the confidence. I’ll always hope.
Roki Sasaki vs. PHI – I may be too low on Roki with his improved fastball last time out. However, the slider command was the secret to success in his prior outing, and it left him last time out. I haven’t seen a start where his three pitches are all on point and I don’t want to risk him until he gets it.
Mitch Keller vs. MIN – If you’re chasing six frames, here it is.
Tyler Phillips @ NYM – Phillips was better than I expected in his brief outing last time and now it’s the Mets. This could be 5+ frames of production, but it’s too unknown.
Kyle Leahy vs. CHC – There are signs of Leahy taking a step forward, but I’d still avoid the Cubs, even with their current losing streak.
Bailey Ober @ PIT – He was around 87 mph last time out. Don’t expect another nine frames any time soon. Or ever.
Martín Pérez @ CIN – It’s Cincy. Sorry Pérez.
Brady Singer vs. ATL – When has Singer been great this year, let alone against a team like Hotlanta?
J.T. Ginn vs. NYY – Ginn was peak, then at his nadir. Now it’s the Yanks? No thanks.
Andrew Painter @ LAD – It’s the Dodgers. I hope we see more of his breaker-heavy approach to RHB + inside four-seamers to LHB.
Adrian Houser @ COL – It’s Coors and Houser.
Tanner Gordon vs. SFG – It’s the Colorado SP.
Sunday 5/31 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob Misiorowski @ HOU – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. PHI – Aces gonna ace.
Braxton Ashcraft vs. MIN – Ashcraft has been killing it, no reason to stop now.
Nolan McLean vs. MIA – Feels weird to put him here, but it has been a little rougher lately. And still, it’s Miami and the struggles shouldn’t last.
Shane McClanahan vs. LAA – Five of his last six games have been a goose egg.
Probably Starts
Michael Wacha @ TEX – Great matchup for a pitcher on a heater.
Bryce Miller vs. ARI – I hope Castillo doesn’t cut him off too soon.
Merrill Kelly @ SEA – Kelly is a solid Toby in @TEA.
Kyle Bradish vs. TOR – Let’s hope the slider and curve are both cooking.
Jesús Luzardo @ LAD – It’s the Dodgers, but Luzardo’s success hinges more on his own ability.
Will Warren @ ATH – It’s not a good place to pitch, and even with my concerns of Warren’s fastball-heavy approach, I’d let him fly.
Ranger Suarez @ CLE – It was a rough outing against Atlanta, but Suarez pitched far better than the line suggested.
Spencer Strider @ CIN – This is a proper test for Strider in Cincy. He was 95 mph with his heater and still under 10% SwStr, while the slider is down to just 83 mph.
Zebby Matthews @ PIT – Zebby has produced in three starts to kick off his 2026 campaign, and despite my questions about his lack of changes vs. 2025, it’s hard to resist a start in PNC park.
Questionable Starts
Nick Lodolo vs. ATL – I loved what we saw against the Mets, but this is Hotlanata.
Janson Junk @ NYM – Junk isn’t coming through on his stuff promise, but it’s the Mets.
Jack Leiter vs. KCR – He’s a HIPSTER. Good luck, even in a lovely matchup on paper.
Tanner Bibee vs. BOS – Flip a coin.
Do Not Starts
Tatsuya Imai vs. MIL – He’s four-seamer + slider now and I just can’t.
Matthew Liberatore vs. CHC – Libby has had more success lately but the command is still suspect + it’s the Cubs.
Spencer Miles @ BAL – There’s a Win chance here if the Jays keep using an opener, but the arsenal leaves much to be desired.
Sean Burke vs. DET – We know the ceiling with Burke can be great. Last start’s seven-inning performance was smoke and mirrors in my view and the Tigers aren’t a walk in the park.
Jordan Wicks @ STL – His arsenal looked great despite the poor results in his last outing. Hopefully it demands production here. A solid sneaky play if you’re chasing something on Sunday.
Robbie Ray @ COL – I haven’t seen Ray look so terrible in long time and now it’s Coors. Just give him one start, yeah?
Zack Littell vs. SDP – I’m not buying what Littell is selling.
Griffin Canning @ WSH – Canning isn’t carrying the fastball we saw in his debut start for the Friars and it’s been rough since.
Jack Kochanowicz @ TBR – Jackie K. isn’t taking the strides we want him to.
Keider Montero @ CHW – He’s been a WHIP booster this year, but the White Sox are kinda good…?
Jacob Lopez vs. NYY – He’s not the guy from last year.
Ryan Feltner vs. SFG – It’s the Colorado SP. In Coors.
Monday 6/1 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)
