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: 91-66
My Pick yesterday: Win – Andrew Painter @ ARI (ND): 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 6 K
My Pick today: Jack Perkins @ SEA
My Pick tomorrow: Jared Jones vs. LAA
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: 80-77
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Loss – Cody Bradford vs. ATH (L): 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BB, 3 K
Thursday 9/3 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal vs. STL – Aces gonna ace.
Logan Henderson @ CHC – Aces gonna ace.
Sandy Alcantara @ KCR – This looks too easy.
Probably Starts
Michael Wacha vs. MIA – Wacha is fresh off ten strikeouts after taking full advantage of a LHB-heavy lineup. What a lovely, consistent arm he’s been all season.
Hunter Brown vs. CHW – We saw the strikeouts last game and all I hope for is good fastballs to carry him through the outing. Also, maybe throw that legit hard slider more…?
Kade Anderson vs. ATH – His second outing came with worse four-seamer command and I imagine that won’t be his future. This is too good of a draw to pass up.
Shane McClanahan @ TEX – He’s not at his peak, but at least it’s @TEX.
Kevin Gausman vs. MIL – You can slot him into the third tier if you like. Personally, I think the risk/reward balance is in your favor.
Questionable Starts
José Soriano @ CLE – He’s been a HIPSTER since May.
Cal Quantrill vs. TBR – I was tempted to push him into the third tier, but I think we all agree this is unlikely to continue for that long. Vargas Rule all you want.
Jake Bennett @ BAL – Bennett did a great job with pitch separation against the Yankees after failing to do so for a while. Hopefully this is his success after his moment of adversity that sticks through the end of the year.
Brandon Young vs. BOS – Does he belong here or in the bottom tier? I’m going to favor Young’s four-seamer against a team that favors worse against RHP.
Tanner Bibee vs. TOR – Flip, flip, flip-a-delph—coin. Flip a coin.
Jack Perkins @ SEA – Ginn is getting some extra rest and Perkins gets a start in Seattle, where he could give you more strikeouts than others off the wire.
Do Not Starts
Luis Castillo @ HOU – I simply cannot trust him. Like a baby trying to take its first steps, the floor is so often hit.
Blade Tidwell @ PIT – Even against Pittsburgh, y’all. Tidwell ain’t the goods.
Quinn Mathews @ LAD – I like Quinn, but I really dislike the matchup.
Pirates Bullpen vs. SFG – With Mlodzinski throwing innings yesterday, it looks like a bullpen game for the Pirates.
Friday 9/4 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Chris Sale @ PHI – Aces gonna ace.
Blake Snell vs. WSH – Aces gonna #HOTSNELLSUMMER
Logan Gilbert vs. ATH – Aces gonna ace.
Nolan McLean vs. SFG – It’s the Giants, y’all.
Cristopher Sánchez vs. ATL – Even with the higher WHIP these days, I’m going to let Sánchez fly. He’s still a great play.
Probably Starts
Shota Imanaga @ MIA – Yeah, I know the HRs are back. I’m still doing it. It’s a pitcher’s park and the velocity is there.
Nick Martinez @ TEX – It’s too good of a Vargas Rule to stop now, even without the strikeouts.
Jared Jones vs. LAA – Jones gets a RHB lineup that his stuff is made to dominate.
Foster Griffin vs. DET – Here’s a solid Toby play.
Max Fried @ SDP – The Yankees are piggybacking Fried with Will Warren. That means both Fried and Warren are worthwhile plays for a dub, while neither is exemplary given the lower ceiling.
Questionable Starts
Shane Baz vs. BOS – Baz’s curveball is solid, but he’s run into more trouble lately.
Zebby Matthews @ CHW – Zebby’s command is looking better than ever. I wonder if there’s something to it.
Ranger Suarez @ BAL – Speaking of rhythm, Suarez has lost his. It could be good enough for 5+ frames here, but it’s precarious.
Keider Montero @ CLE – Montero is starting one of the doubleheaders today and the Guardians shouldn’t be a major obstacle to continue his WHIP excellence.
Cristian Javier vs. ARI – Javier is finding more whiffs. This should output strong performances in time. Probably.
Shane Drohan @ CIN – It’s good to see the Brewers giving Drohan a longer shot in the rotation, and I hope he can dominate with his secondaries.
J.T. Ginn @ SEA – Same goes for Ginn, except I have less faith he can keep it going than The UnQuantrillfiable.
Merrill Kelly @ HOU – Kelly is starting to regain our trust, though this may be difficult with the RHB-lineup.
Do Not Starts
Kumar Rocker vs. TBR – Rocker has strikeout potential, but the ratio risk is too high.
Ryan Johnson @ PIT – It’s the Pirates for a pitcher who rarely goes five frames. It’s a super cheap ratio play with a poor floor.
Walker Buehler vs. NYY – Buehler has surprised us all with a prolonged stay in the rotation and multiple successful outings. And yet, the ceiling is too low to risk a huge blowup.
Matt Wilkinson @ NYM – There’s some fun in Tugboat. He’s also carrying a Shag Rug with a 90 mph fastball.
Rhett Lowder vs. MIL – Lowder’s slider and change are solid and give him a chance for six quiet innings. Another low stud ceiling with a long leash.
Janson Junk vs. CHC – He’s not earning whiffs, nor does he get the trust of his team to go long.
Jameson Taillon @ KCR – Taillon is returning and gets a lovely matchup. Who knows, maybe he goes 5+ with Koufax on his side.
Andrew Sears @ CLE – I hope Sears can tower above the rest, but from here, I’m seeing a low pitch count in his last game and stuff that needs a little more oooomph for me to take the risk.
Slade Cecconi vs. DET – This is a Still ILL and I wasn’t a fan before the IL stint.
Jackson Kent @ LAD – It’s the Dodgers. I’m super curious how he pans out, though.
Andre Pallante @ COL – It’s Coors.
Erick Fedde vs. MIN – Fedde is not one to be trusted. WE WENT OVER THIS.
Daniel Lynch IV vs. TOR – We haven’t seen this work yet.
Ryan Feltner vs. STL – It’s Coors.
Saturday 9/5 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)
