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: 102-71
My Pick yesterday: Win – Connor Prielipp @ LAA (W): 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BB, 8 K
My Pick today: Andrew Alvarez @ STL
My Pick tomorrow: Ryan Johnson vs. MIN
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: 88-85
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Win – Connor Prielipp @ LAA (W): 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BB, 8 K
Saturday 9/19 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal vs. SFG – Aces gonna ace. Update: Moved from Sunday to Saturday.
Cam Schlittler @ ARI – Aces gonna ace.
Reid Detmers vs. MIN – His slider is too good.
Joe Ryan @ LAA – I think he’s far better than what we just saw + the Angels.
Noah Cameron @ PIT – Like a pat of butter, he’s on a ROLL.
Probably Starts
Trevor Rogers vs. MIL – Rogers is still doing what we want him to do.
Jackson Jobe @ CHW – Jobe just had his best performance and I sure hope we see more of the same breakers.
Cal Quantrill vs. TOR – Looks like we’re riding The UnQuantrillfiable to the end.
Freddy Peralta vs. BOS – Peralta’s feel for four-seamers and changeups are better than when he started his journey with the Rays. He may be finding his groove.
Sean Burke vs. DET – Burke may have an opener again. I sure hope so, and I also hope he’s able to find his slider feel. It’s such a big deal for him. The curveball was there last time, so at least he’s got that going for him.
Christian Scott vs. PHI – Scott’s four-seamer is there, it’s the rest of the arsenal that has me a touch concerned.
Andrew Painter @ NYM – It’s the opposite for Painter – the breaking ball and changeup feel is excellent, the four-seamer is the issue.
Michael McGreevy vs. WSH – McGreevy has given us more velocity and is looking more polished than usual.
Brandon Pfaadt vs. NYY – Judge left Thursday’s game early and it may mean he’s out for this game, too. That could push Pfaadt to Probably Start, but he still won’t bea strikeout threat.
Questionable Starts
Andrew Alvarez @ STL – The curveball is cool, will the slider help enough? At least it’s a solid matchup.
José Soriano @ TEX – Despite the matchup, Soriano’s success hinges more on his own ability rather than the opponent’s.
Eury Pérez @ SDP – Pérez has vastly disappointed and I still can’t wrap my head around why his four-seamer doesn’t simply obliterate. It really should.
Matthew Boyd @ CIN – Without a single four-seamer whiff last start and a history of HRs, Boyd looks like a risky play in Cincy.
Jacob Lopez @ CLE – While he’s not so far off from the rhythm of his peak, JLo is turning into a pumpkin fast. I’d jump off if I could.
Brayan Bello @ TBR – The Red Sox are pushing back Tolle to Sunday, giving Bello the pearl to start the game (we think) on Saturday. I wonder how long he’ll go and if his stuff will be up to snuff.
Casey Mize vs. MIA – Is Mize still hurt? I feel like he has been for a while and we saw yet another outing of diminished velocity.
Nick Lodolo vs. CHC – Lodolo’s breaker hasn’t been the same since his blister + the Cubs in Great American Small Park.
Do Not Starts
Robert Gasser @ BAL – The cutter is cool and he’s trying to make the changeup work. That’s still not enough to push him into my lineups.
Hayden Wesneski vs. ATL – Wesneski’s success is mostly command-based, and I’m not a big believer in it.
Tanner Bibee vs. ATH – It’s Bibee. I don’t care about the matchup, the dude has disappointed far more than what you should deem acceptable.
Bubba Chandler vs. KCR – Chandler. Buddy. You’ve had two starts of looking great….this season. One was two starts ago and then you relapsed last time out. I can’t do this.
Grant Holmes @ HOU – There’s an idea that The Realtor matches up well against the Astros as his slider should get their slew of RHB fishing more than usual. And yet, Holmes has flexed a low ceiling all year.
Nick Frasso (Opener) vs. SEA – It’s the return of Jose Quintana and Frasso is set to follow. I normally wouldn’t have the Coors arm two spots above the bottom, but at least there is an elevated Win chance.
Yunior Marte @ LAD – Marte is kinda interesting but it’s the Dodgers.
Bryce Miller @ COL – Bryce has not been nice and it’s Coors.
Sunday 9/20 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Jacob deGrom vs. TOR – Aces gonna ace.
Gavin Williams vs. ATH – Aces gonna ace.
Payton Tolle @ TBR – Aces gonna ace.
Cristopher Sánchez @ NYM – Please throw changeups for strikes. K thx.
Jacob Misiorowski @ BAL – Aces gonna…like get limited by the Brewers in some way. Is he even starting Sunday night? Is he going Monday instead? Don’t rely on Jay Mis to get you a Win or QS here, just a small boost in ratios and bag of 5/6 strikeouts
Probably Starts
Hunter Brown vs. ATL – Are the fastballs actually fixed? I sure hope so.
Michael Wacha @ PIT – Wacha is grooving and I don’t see why we’d slow down now.
Griffin Jax vs. BOS – Jax’s stuff is legit and outside of the Still ILL, he’s helped plenty.
Will Warren @ ARI – Warren is grooving right now, featuring more secondaries than I’ve seen in a long time.
Troy Melton @ CHW – Melton is not returning whiffs, nor is he returning the low ratios we saw at the start of the season. However, it’s the White Sox and I expect his command to climb out of the nadir we saw last game.
Sandy Alcantara @ SDP – Sandy is…someone I feel you are going to still throw out there and yet, he’s too hittable. Hopefully his heaters and changeup can earn more strikes as a unit this time around.
Questionable Starts
Ryan Johnson vs. MIN – He only threw five sinkers last game, which may explain the two tick drop in velocity from his previous five weeks, while the cutter and sweeper are Dancing With The Disco with ease. It’s a bit risky given the lack of overpowering stuff, and the ceiling isn’t the highest you’ll find.
Jonah Tong vs. PHI – Speaking of ceiling, think of Tong being an atrium if Johnson is a walk-up studio apartment in Brooklyn – a higher ceiling and lower floor. The Vulcan change has been reliable across his small sample thus far, and as much as I want to tell you it’ll be there, it’s a toss-up.
Quinn Mathews vs. WSH – Despite two successful starts against the Giants, Mathews didn’t impress me. His arsenal wasn’t spotted as well as I’ve seen in the past and I’m worried his slider is waning at the end of a long season. Maybe I’m big-braining this one.
Martín Pérez @ HOU – Pérez is an option for a decent ERA and an elevated Win chance. Don’t come knocking for a solid WHIP and strikeouts.
Dean Kremer @ LAA – He has the leash and the cutter + splitter are in a good place. Expect all the cutters down-and-away to RHB.
Justin Wrobleski vs. SFG – How long is he going to go? The Dodgers let him throw fewer than 40 pitches to open for Landon Knack on Thursday, which likely spells 50 at most here on Sunday. Knack has been sent to the minors since, and I’m not sure what the plan is here. If Wrobo Cop somehow is able to go five frames, I’d love to have it on my squad after showcasing upped velocity across three perfect innings against the Reds.
Do Not Starts
Jack Perkins @ CLE – It’s away from Sacré Verde and I was tempted to push him up a tier, and if you’re desperate for punchouts, this is your best bet down here. The volume and ratio ceiling is very limited, sadly.
David Peterson @ CIN – If Peterson has his prime command, then it could be a dub in Cincy. The floor is detrimental, though, and he goes in and out often. Like inside the zone? No. The burger joint? Stop, no. Like a ship in a storm. Oh dear.
Brandon Young vs. MIL – I like his four-seamer and question everything else.
Kade Anderson @ COL – The command hasn’t been there, which is supposed to be the thing for Kade. Throw in Coors and that’s a nope.
Corbin Burnes vs. NYY – Burnes was limited to just 57 pitches last game, making this another outing where you’re fighting for five frames. Throw in a cutter that’s down to 92/93 mph with poor vert marks (it’s like a cut-fastball now) + a Yankee offense that even without Judge still packs thump, and it’s an easy call to avoid Corbin.
Landen Roupp @ LAD – Roupp isn’t a changed man and the Dodgers are not a fun lineup to face.
Davis Martin vs. DET – Martin was super lucky last time out. I don’t expect Koufax to be so kind.
Walker Buehler vs. MIA – The hope here is a decent enough ERA over five frames, if that. Not worth the squeeze.
Rhett Lowder vs. CHC – Sure, the changeup and slider have their moments and he could go six frames. We see the floor a whole more often without upside that pushes the needle.
Jake Irvin @ STL – It hasn’t worked for a while.
Spencer Arrighetti (Opener) @ TEX – Ditto. Even with an Opener? DIT. TOE.
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. SEA – So, got any more of them Wins?
Antwone Kelly vs. KCR – I wonder if the Pirates will use an opener and if Kelly is set to get more than three frames, if even that.
Monday 9/21 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)
