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: 59-47
My Pick yesterday: Loss – Jack Perkins (Opener) @ DET (L): 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BB, 2 K
My Pick today: Brandon Sproat @ PIT
My Pick tomorrow: Tyler Mahle vs. COL
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: 56-50
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Win – Sean Manaea vs. KCR (W): 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 6 K
Friday 7/10 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Chris Sale @ STL – Aces gonna ace.
Shohei Ohtani vs. ARI – Aces gonna ace. Hope the bicep/knee is alright.
Braxton Ashcraft vs. MIL – He’s as steady as any non-ace.
Nolan McLean vs. BOS – The Red Sox are a good draw for McLean, and while not being at his peak, he’s still performing better than his nadir.
Sonny Gray @ NYM – The sweeper feel has been there with a string of Sonny days at his back.
Parker Messick @ MIA – It’s the Marlins. I sure wish the four-seamer velocity returns to 95 mph.
Hunter Brown @ TEX – His four-seamer has been off, which is unusual for Hunter. I’d wager it returns to form instead of returning sub-50% strikes once again.
Robbie Ray vs. COL – It’s Rockie Road. Ray has tinkered to find ways to get through games, even if the four-seamer has suddenly dropped to the bottom of the menu. Wait, it’s just a dessert now?
Probably Starts
Sandy Alcantara vs. CLE – He’s been a QS machine and it’s the Guardians. I wonder if the cutter will be a major factor again.
Hunter Greene vs. CHC – Greene’s Still ILL came with a good slider and a horrible 52% strike rate on his four-seamer. That latter mark is highly unlikely to stick around.
Sean Burke vs. ATH – Burke has been cooking and it’s a decent matchup. I regret not pushing him more before his recent stretch.
Shota Imanaga @ CIN – It’s a little shifty with GABP and Imanaga’s HR issues, but I think the skills are still solid.
Nick Martinez vs. SEA – He’s on a roll, even without the highest strikeout rates.
Questionable Starts
Ryan Weathers @ WSH – It’s one of the toughest lineups against LHP + Weathers weird failures.
Jack Flaherty vs. PHI – Flaherty has done better in his last two, though the slider wasn’t keeping its head above water last time around, making me believe he’ll fall back toward his unproductive self.
Luis Castillo @ TBR – He’s had a better slider, though his ceiling is a solid six frames, nothing more.
Eduardo Rodriguez @ LAD – He’s a Vargas Rule, but it’s the Dodgers.
Brandon Young vs. KCR – He returned 23 whiffs, then had a rough outing. It’s the Royals and it’s possible he leans on the favorable side.
Brandon Sproat @ PIT – It’s not a good lineup to face and despite Sproat’s recent improvements, I’m still not seeing the complete arm that demands success here.
Zebby Matthews vs. LAA – We know the HR risks with Zebby, and it’s a coin flip if he’ll get away with his strikes in the zone to return a solid ERA.
Do Not Starts
Aaron Nola @ DET – The velocity is back down and I don’t want to chase to the ceiling when we’ve seen the floor so often.
Kyle Leahy vs. ATL – There’s not enough to chase for me to gamble Leahy against Atlanta.
Luinder Avila @ BAL – Avila has been able to go five productive innings, but that’s not much of a reward when a blow-up start is possible.
Grayson Rodriguez @ MIN – It’s an obvious Still ILL where I just hope we get 96 mph heaters and a strong changeup to support it.
Aaron Civale (Opener) @ CHW – Civale is outside of Sacré Verde, at least, and he has a longer leash than most waiver wire adds. The skills are highly suspect, though.
Shane Bieber @ SDP – Bieber has looked terrible since his return. Don’t start him until we see it come through, if you’re even rostering him at this point.
Zack Littell (Opener) vs. NYY – I may be overvaluing the cold Yankee offense, but Littell does little to excite.
JP Sears vs. TOR – Sears just had a Gold Star against the Dodgers, with rare command along the outisde edge to RHB. I do not expect that to return.
Cal Quantrill vs. HOU – He’s the UNQUANTRILLFIABLE. Which means…? You don’t want him.
Tanner Gordon @ SFG – Absolutely not.
Saturday 7/11 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Cam Schlittler @ WSH – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. ARI – Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. LAA – Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert @ TBR – Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ DET – Aces gonna ace. Don’t do it again.
Probably Starts
Griffin Jax vs. SEA – He’s looking incredible.
Eury Pérez vs. CLE – I wonder how we’ll feel if he goes perfect for the first two innings of the game.
Kyle Bradish vs. KCR – The breakers just need to earn strikes.
Nick Lodolo vs. CHC – Lodolo’s feel is improving across his arsenal, but the home park can push Lodolo into the lower tier for some.
Casey Mize vs. PHI – I love the improved stabilizing slider, even if some regression should come.
Gage Jump @ CHW – Two poor starts in Sacré Verde, and I’m happy he’s out of it now.
Questionable Starts
Freddy Peralta vs. BOS – It’s been all kinds of frustrating for those rostering Peralta, but at least he’s hosting a team susceptible to RHP.
Peter Lambert @ TEX – He’s a solid Toby, who could arguably be in the tier above.
Trey Yesavage @ SDP – I don’t trust his command, even if Yesavage has returned enough strikes with his heater in his last few.
Tyler Mahle vs. COL – It’s the ideal matchup for Mahle, who we hope will be 93+ on his heater. There’s no way those were actually sinkers last time, right? He’s a four-seamer first guy!
Reynaldo López @ STL – ReyLó may be spouting his 2024 magic once again.
Tanner Bibee @ MIA – It’s always a coin flip, even if it’s in Miami.
Shane Drohan @ PIT – I’m not the biggest believer in Drohan and I’m not in love with the matchup.
Kumar Rocker vs. HOU – Rocker’s lean into cutters and sliders is a good thing, but the ceiling is rarely touched.
Do Not Starts
Matthew Liberatore vs. ATL – It’s possible he has another strikeout explosion, though he’s a Werewolf. Don’t expect it.
Bubba Chandler vs. MIL – I don’t see why this would be the start where it all turns around.
Noah Cameron @ BAL – Cameron just had a solid outing, though I’m not ready to jump for him.
Ryan Johnson @ MIN – He’s had some strikeout games, sure. I don’t think it’s sustainable.
Erick Fedde vs. ATH – Fedde had an awesome velocity boost last start, but is it for real?
Brayan Bello @ NYM – He’s back! And without an opener. Wait and see.
Javier Assad @ CIN – Maybe he squeaks out a Win once again, with few strikeouts.
Walker Buehler vs. TOR – Absolutely not.
Brandon Pfaadt @ LAD – It’s the Dodgers.
Kyle Freeland @ SFG – Even outside of Coors, I have no interest.
Miles Mikolas vs. NYY – Nooooope.
Sunday 7/12 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)
