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). UPDATE: We’ve added distinctions for Home/Away park factors and projected strength vL and vR handed pitchers:
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: 86-61
My Pick yesterday: Win – Cal Quantrill vs. LAA (W): 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BB, 6 K
My Pick today: George Klassen vs. CLE
My Pick tomorrow: Adrian Houser vs. CIN
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: 77-70
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Loss – Janson Junk vs. WSH (ND): 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 2 K
Monday 8/24 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Chase Burns @ SFG – Aces gonna ace.
Zack Wheeler @ SEA – Aces gonna ace.
Logan Gilbert vs. PHI – Aces gonna ace. Pushed back a day with Kade’s called up, moving Woo to Tuesday.
Drew Rasmussen @ DET – Aces gonna ace and not make us terrified. Please.
Cade Cavalli vs. COL – This should be a cakewalk.
Parker Messick @ LAA – Messick is at 95 mph. We love this.
Sandy Alcantara vs. BOS – Despite a mediocre start last time out, he’s been on such a good Quality Start run that we can’t deny him here.
Braxton Ashcraft @ SDP – Ashcraft has tallied 17 IP in his last two starts, even with his slider feel waning.
Probably Starts
Ranger Suarez @ MIA – He’s not locked in, but it’s the Marlins.
Kevin Gausman @ ARI – COME ON NICK. I’m sorry, but he’s been stupid unlucky and the Cubs’ defense should be helping him more than they have thus far.
Robbie Ray vs. PIT – Ray is slowly, step by step, getting back to the guy he should be + the ratios have been shockingly good despite his struggles.
Questionable Starts
George Klassen vs. CLE – On one hand, I love the gyro slider and his improved ability to throw strikes. On the other, it could be 100% LHB and I’m not sure Klassen has the arsenal to deal with it.
José Urquidy vs. TEX – Urquidy gave us six brilliant frames as a follower. We’re not seeing Peak Urquidy from his time with the Astros, but this could still be good enough.
Framber Valdez vs. TBR – PicardTheresStillTime.gif
Do Not Starts
Kumar Rocker @ CHW – Rocker is getting his slider down and featuring 17″ run on his sinker, but the results aren’t there. He’s an early-week strikeout play if you’re dire for them.
Zebby Matthews @ ATH – He’s HR prone with his ultra-zone approach without hitting the edges and it’s Sacré Verde. Yikes.
Merrill Kelly vs. CHC – Kelly needs a whole lot more luck than usual.
Jeffrey Springs vs. MIN – There’s no reason to expect sunshine and rainbows.
Carson Whisenhunt vs. CIN – Whisenhunt’s change is great, but we need more from the rest.
Ryan Feltner (Opener) @ WSH – Even outside Coors in a great matchup, you can’t do this.
Tuesday 8/25 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob deGrom @ CHW – Aces gonna ace.
Gavin Williams @ LAA – Aces gonna ace.
Payton Tolle @ MIA – He’s knocking on the door of the AGA label.
Kyle Harrison @ NYM – His velocity has been down, but he was able to command the heater much better last time out. Let’s hope we see close to 95 mph again.
Probably Starts
Ian Seymour @ DET – He’s hard to resist at this point.
Walbert Ureña vs. CLE – Ureña has been a Holly for a while and gets a LHB lineup that should play into his legit changeup.
Paul Skenes @ SDP – What do we do with you?!
Brandon Pfaadt vs. CHC – Pfaadt is on a Vargas Rule and don’t let a three-run HR on his final pitch stop you from starting him.
Michael King vs. PIT – King has been chaotic all season, giving him the HIPSTER tag, but it’s the Pirates. This should work, right?
Questionable Starts
Adrian Houser vs. CIN – Houser is sitting 96/97 mph with his fastballs and gets to enjoy his lovely home park.
Clay Holmes @ ARI – The Cubs defense is likely to scoop up all the grounders for The Adobe once again. Just don’t expect a great strikeout total as the WHIP could be high.
Jackson Jobe vs. TBR – Jobe isn’t dominating with his secondaries, but the four-seamer command is better than expected.
Andrew Alvarez vs. COL – Alvarez has a nice matchup against Rockie Road, though I question if his curveball and slider can do enough.
Will Warren vs. HOU – Warren is awfully mid. This is a play for a Win and hoping the ratios aren’t too bad.
Anthony Kay vs. TEX – I’ve enjoyed watching the improvements from Kay this season. He’s finding the edges more frequently with his wide arsenal and the Rangers aren’t a team to avoid.
Tyler Glasnow @ ATL – It’s a Still ILL for Glasnow and even with a low pitch count in his final rehab start, I’m kinda down to let him fly.
George Kirby vs. PHI – Kirby is all kinds of frustrating. The true HIPSTER of the season.
Taj Bradley @ ATH – No, Bradley was more straightforward in the beginning of the season than Kirby, even if he’s a HIPSTER now.
Aaron Nola @ SEA – Nola is on a heater and it’s @TEA, but then again, he’s continued to allow HRs while getting good results. It’s only a matter of time before the clunkers reappear.
Zac Thornton vs. MIL – Thornton is a ratio Toby. Don’t expect strikeouts and his value is better for those in QS leagues. In 12-teamers, I’d generally avoid.
Brady Singer @ SFG – Singer is the same way. At least he’s in Oracle Park…?
Do Not Starts
Chris Bassitt @ STL – He’ll have the long leash in a good park, but even then, the juice is often not worth the squeeze.
Max Scherzer vs. KCR – Scherzer hasn’t done enough quite yet to justify starting in a fantasy league.
Gage Jump vs. MIN – Jump has strikeout upside but it’s too risky, especially in Sacré Verde.
Seth Lugo @ TOR – There’s a chance for six frames, but will it be of quality?
Matthew Liberatore vs. BAL – Don’t let nine strikeouts via eight whiffs fool you. It’s highly unlikely he’ll replicate that against the Orioles.
Bryce Elder vs. LAD – Elder has found some leftover magic in the second half. That doesn’t mean you should risk it against the Dodgers.
Tyler Phillips vs. BOS – Phillips could easily be limited here.
Ethan Pecko @ NYY – He didn’t survive four innings in his MLB debut, nor did he display exciting stuff worthy of your trust.
Kyle Freeland @ WSH – It’s Freeland in one of the better matchups he’ll get and I still wouldn’t do this.
Wednesday 8/26 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)
