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: 57-43
My Pick yesterday: Win – Jake Bennett @ LAA (W): 7.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BB, 6 K
My Pick today: Kumar Rocker vs. DET
My Pick tomorrow: Brandon Sproat @ ARI
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: 53-47
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Loss – Christian Scott @ ATL (L): 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BB, 7 K
Saturday 7/4 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Chris Sale vs. NYM – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. SDP – Aces gonna ace.
Drew Rasmussen @ HOU – Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert vs. TOR – Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Brown vs. TBR – Let’s get those fastballs cooking again.
Jesús Luzardo @ KCR – It’s a great place to pitch. Expect 6+ strikeouts again.
Brandon Woodruff @ ARI – He’s killed it thus far and the Sneks are not a scary offense.
Sonny Gray @ LAA – It’s been so Sonny, I’ve had to turn my AC to 78 degrees. Standard power grid procedures during heat waves y’all. I’m doing my part!
Braxton Ashcraft @ WSH – It could be Coronation Day if Ashcraft dominates. If it’s mid, we wait.
Probably Starts
Shota Imanaga vs. STL – Imanaga’s HR rates are still and issue and it should even out. I’ll stand by him as long as the four-seamer sticks at 92 mph.
Parker Messick vs. CHW – Messick’s 96 mph velocity has fallen back down to 94 mph, but the command is there as a proper SWATCH. We dig.
Sean Burke @ CLE – He’s holding a 30%+ strikeout rate across the last month and it’s the Guardians. But the inconsistent breakers! I know, it won’t last. Remember, Guardians.
Robbie Ray @ COL – Robbie is doing what all veterans should do – when something isn’t working, don’t keeping brute forcing the same approach. He’s explored many options to help him find his footing and I have to imagine this TV will get its signal again soon. You can even hear Robbie’s grunts as he bangs the box. Son, can you hold this hanger and extend like a tree branch?
Questionable Starts
Hunter Greene vs. BAL – He’s BACK. It’s a Still ILL n all, and yet, if you have him, you know you want to give it a spin. His velocity is there, though I wonder what the pitch count is and if the slider strike rate will be above 60%.
Jack Flaherty @ TEX – Flaherty was his peak self last game, featuring both slider and curveball at the bottom of the zone for whiffs + a 93+ mph heater. It’s a good matchup and there’s a good case for a gamble to see if it continues.
Michael Wacha vs. PHI – Wacha recovered from a rough stretch and has a kitchen sink that can work for 6+ frames.
Brandon Young @ CIN – He just returned 23 whiffs and I still can’t quite believe it. His four-seamer/splitter combo isn’t this good.
Sandy Alcantara @ ATH – It’s the second stop of The Green Mile and I want to stress that six innings of poor ratios hurts. Here’s to hoping he pulls it off.
Kumar Rocker vs. DET – Rocker has earned a shocking number of whiffs lately, getting tons of LHB fishing for his slider under the zone. The overall mix is awfully mid, though.
Zebby Matthews @ NYY – The Yankees are in a cold stretch and Zebby is sure to throw plenty of strikes. What happened to Prielipp? It looks like they are managing his workload and will pitch later next week. It’s too bad given how awesome he looked last time out.
Shane Bieber @ SEA – It has been rough for his first two starts, and I’m tempted to put him in the bottom tier. That said, it’s a great place to pitch and it could be worth it to try one more time. Hopefully the breakers get their bite back.
Sean Manaea @ ATL – He’s getting close to sitting under 90 mph again (yikes) and it’s Atlanta.
Merrill Kelly vs. MIL – Kelly should be better than what he has been. I have him here only for those searching for potential six innings of decency.
Do Not Starts
Kyle Leahy @ CHC – Leahy has a chance for 5+ innings of something solid, but we haven’t seen huge upside from him thus far.
Aaron Civale vs. MIA – It’s in Sacré Verde, but we’ve seen Civale have unlikely games of success.
Sam Aldegheri vs. BOS – There’s a chance, but I’m unimpressed by Aldegheri’s arsenal thus far.
Zack Littell vs. PIT – Littell ain’t it, especially against a team that hits RHP super well.
Brendan Beck vs. MIN – The Yankees received another blow to their staff with Carlos Rodón heading to the IL with elbow inflammation. Beck debuted this year with three mediocre frames, showing a 92 mph heater with high vert and an 83 mph gyro slider. That’s it. Uhhhh. Yeah, not super encouraging.
Griffin Canning @ LAD – Oh jeez. This hasn’t worked for a while and it’s the Dodgers.
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. SFG – It’s the Colorado pitcher, opposite Webb, in Coors. Poor Sugano.
Sean Sullivan vs. SFG – Sugano was scratched late with back spasms so Sullivan was recalled.
Sunday 7/5 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Joe Ryan @ NYY – Aces gonna ace.
Ranger Suarez @ LAA – He’s been on such a tear and it’s the Angels.
George Kirby vs. TOR – Kirby just had the most promising start of his 2026 season. Please do it again.
Nolan McLean @ ATL – McLean isn’t out of the woods, but I don’t see managers holding him back here.
Probably Starts
Griffin Jax @ HOU – Jax just threw six frames for the first time all season, marking the second poles to get removed from the scaffolding after throwing 88 pitches in his previous outing. This could be hype.
Gage Jump vs. MIA – He struggled hosting the Dodgers, fine, but this is the Marlins and his four-seamer and slider are still great.
Casey Mize @ TEX – Mize’s slider is much better than what we’ve seen in previous seasons. He’s relatively safe.
Emmet Sheehan vs. SDP – Sheehan hasn’t been that guy yet. The skills are far better than the ERA will tell you.
Nick Lodolo vs. BAL – Give Lodolo time. 2025 was the first year he pitched uninterrupted for an extended period and he was stellar when he got in a rhythm. The skills are there.
Ryan Weathers vs. MIN – Check out my video of Weathers’ last outing and you’ll understand that Weathers is underperforming, instead of pitching to his ability.
Kyle Bradish @ CIN – Bradish’s breakers have the velocity we want, but not the strike rates. He’s so close.
Questionable Starts
Brandon Sproat @ ARI – Two great starts against the Reds are awfully encouraging (get the heater higher like the first one, thanks), and the Sneks give a solid cushion to give this a spin.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. MIL – He’s on a Vargas Rule against a mid offense. He just struck out one in seven frames, though. ONE.
Peter Lambert vs. TBR – He’s a solid Toby who does enough each start. The ceiling isn’t super high, but he’s gold for QS leagues.
Tanner Bibee vs. CHW – I hope he has the same command we just saw, even if it’s with a low strikeout rate. I wonder if the new changeup will be the same.
Bubba Chandler @ WSH – It’s been a great run for Chandler, but it looks more like smoke and mirrors than a true adjustment to pitching in the majors. I’m skeptical he’s turned a corner.
Trey Yesavage @ SEA – I highly doubt we’ll see Yesavage feature the same fastball command for another start, but at least it’s @TEA. What a HIPSTER.
Javier Assad vs. STL – He’s a low strikeout, decent Win stream.
Eury Pérez @ ATH – It’s Sacré Verde for a pitcher who constantly features poor command.
Martín Pérez vs. NYM – This is a play for a cheap Win. It’s meh…?
Do Not Starts
Matthew Liberatore @ CHC – He just boasted a ton of strikeouts with great feel for his slider, but he still walked many and didn’t have much else cooking. I need more evidence before starting in summer Wrigley.
Aaron Nola @ KCR – Despite the matchup, we can’t trust Nola. At all.
Ryan Johnson vs. BOS – Maybe he’s able to swing a strikeout an inning again against a team that hates facing RHP. The splitter can get whiffs but that’s about it.
Luinder Avila vs. PHI – Avila doesn’t have a high enough ceiling to justify the floor.
Erick Fedde @ CLE – Don’t trust em. Even against the Guardians.
Tyler Mahle @ COL – It’s Coors. Yeesh.
Miles Mikolas vs. PIT – It’s Mikolas against a top-tier offense vs. RHP.
Cal Quantrill vs. DET – He’s unlikely to go a full five, but maybe he’s opened for and provides a Win chance.
JP Sears @ LAD – His floor is lower than Quantrill’s.
Tanner Gordon vs. SFG – Same as Sears but a lower ceiling.
Monday 7/6 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)
