SP Streamers for today's, tomorrow's and the day after tomorrow's games for fantasy baseball.
Every day of the 2025 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 Playback.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 Playback 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 Playback 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 2025 Streamer Record: 107-57
My Pick yesterday: Win - Cade Povich vs. PIT
My Pick today: J.T. Ginn vs. CIN
My Pick tomorrow: Brandon Sproat vs. TEX
My Pick day after tomorrow: Unlock with PL Pro
My picks for the day after tomorrow are located at the bottom of this article for PL Pro members.
In addition, PL Pro Members have access to my 14-Day Sit/Start SP Grid, ranking all expected starters into the four tiers across the next fourteen days. You can find it on the PL Pro Hub Page.
PL Bot's 2025 Streamer Record: 108-56
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Win - Ryan Weathers vs. WSN
PL Bot's Pick today: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Pick tomorrow: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Pick day Sunday: Unlock with PL Pro
PL Bot's Picks are located at the bottom of this article for PL Pro members.
Friday 9/12 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tarik Skubal @ MIL - Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ SFG - Aces gonna ace.
Jacob deGrom @ NYM - Aces gonna ace... in his former home of Citi Field. Whoa.
Pablo López vs. ARI - He's back and ready to go.
Matthew Boyd vs. TBR - Boyd has been a sturdy "Holly" all year.
Trevor Rogers @ TOR - You can't hold him back, even if it's in Toronto.
Probably Starts
Quinn Priester vs. STL - Despite my skepticism, it's a fantastic matchup.
Jonah Tong vs. TEX - The Rangers have a weak offense and Tong should have his vulcan change working.
Luis Castillo vs. LAA - It's "@TEA" and he's been keeping his head above water.
J.T. Ginn vs. CIN - I dig Ginn's command and four-pitch mix for an easy stroll down the "Reds Carpet" - even in "Sacré Verde".
Questionable Starts
JP Sears vs. COL - He's getting a spot start for the Padres and you couldn't dream of a better matchup. That said, it's unclear how long the Padres will let him go.
Hurston Waldrep vs. HOU - He's a little too reliant on the splitter for me to endorse further.
Sandy Alcantara vs. DET - Will he have the changeup working properly? It's become clear that his success rests on the whim of the "slow" ball and it's no lock for success.
Chris Bassitt vs. BAL - He's had a solid run, but he's still a "Toby" at the end of the day.
Martín Pérez @ CLE - Pérez came up empty-handed against the SlySox, but the general command was still solid. The Guardians are far better matchup.
Brady Singer @ ATH - The slider feel is there, yet I don't feel comfortable in "Sacré Verde".
Shane Baz @ CHC - The velocity is still up and it's away from Tampa Bay. Why does it have to be the Cubs? They aren't at their peak right now. Maybe...
Luis Gil @ BOS - Gil is still wrangling his arsenal and it makes for a coin-flip matchup in Fenway.
Brandon Pfaadt @ MIN - Pfaadt had a stellar start on the back of a kitchen-sink approach that I'm not completely sold on.
Yusei Kikuchi @ SEA - Kikuchi has strikeout upside in "@TEA". Unfortunately, the arsenal has been erratic for a while.
Mitch Keller @ WSN - He's leaned into the sweeper more as of late, though that tweak won't be nearly as effective against the Nationals' slew of LHB.
Lucas Giolito vs. NYY - It's the Yankees and Giolito is not pitching with precision.
Brad Lord @ PIT – Lord just had a dazzling outing and now gets the Pirates. His success isn’t sustainable, but it’s the Pirates.
Do Not Starts
Tanner Bibee vs. CHW - He finally had an outing focused on stellar changeups and cutters, but it's the SlySox and one start is not enough to risk the floor.
Justin Verlander vs. LAD - It's the Dodgers and Verlander's slider isn't the painted pitch of old.
Michael Lorenzen @ PHI - There's a QS chance given the weaker Phillies lineup. Reserved for AL-Only formats.
AJ Blubaugh @ ATL - He's stepping in for Garcia and he's not stretched out.
Walker Buehler vs. KCR - How are you here.
Andre Pallante @ MIL - Absolutely not.
Tanner Gordon @ SDP - He's the Colorado SP.
Saturday 9/13 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Bryan Woo vs. LAA - Aces gonna ace.
Hunter Greene @ ATH - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. ARI - Aces gonna ace.
Brandon Woodruff vs. STL - Aces gonna ace...? He hasn't taken down a legit team yet, but does that matter?
Dylan Cease vs. COL - Look, it's "Rockie Road". His gyro slider should destroy. He did fine last time in Coors and this should be a strikeout explosion.
Max Fried @ BOS - It's a tough matchup, though Fried's velocity is there and he's been far better lately.
Hunter Brown @ ATL - Aces gonna ace.
Sonny Gray @ MIL - It's been a weird month for Gray, but he should be Sonny moving forward.
Probably Starts
Ryne Nelson @ MIN - The heater is dope and the secondaries are good enough.
Max Scherzer vs. BAL - His back issue is behind him (hopefully) and the Orioles are a decent matchup.
Logan Webb vs. LAD - The Dodgers have me a little scared without Webb demanding success with every start. Still a great chance for a Quality Start.
Drew Rasmussen @ CHC - Rasmussen's quality per inning is still solid and the Cubs have been hit-or-miss.
Clayton Kershaw @ SFG - It's the Giants and Kershaw just had his best command.
Brandon Sproat vs. TEX - I'm not ecstatic for his 2026, but Sproat brings enough to the table to produce against a mediocre Texas offense.
Luis Severino vs. CIN - It's the "Reds Carpet", though that means Severino is in "Sacré Verde", which hasn't served him well this year.
Charlie Morton @ MIA - Has Morton come through recently? Nope. Is this the easiest matchup he's had in a while and does he have his curveball working? YUP.
Bubba Chandler @ WSN - His first start was a nightmare, and follows the traditional "don't start MLB debuts" adage given the gravity of his first start (and not first appearance). With that out of the way, Chandler's skills are too good to pass up against the Nats. Expect far better.
Questionable Starts
Colin Rea vs. TBR - He's in Wrigley and has a decent Win chance. Arguably in the second tier, though he's been a bit underwhelming lately.
Brayan Bello vs. NYY - Bello has been a solid "Toby" and elite offenses should bring hesitation.
Davis Martin @ CLE - He's fine. A 15-team "Toby".
Ryan Bergert @ PHI - Bergert just got humbled by the Guardians. It's not a death sentence and the Phillies are worse without Trea and Bohm.
Andrew Alvarez vs. PIT - He's a southpaw with a little extra drop on his two breakers, but no changeup. It could be enough for a decent outing against a poor lineup.
Parker Messick vs. CHW - I'm not the biggest believer in Messick - his command has been a mix of elite and questionable in his four starts - and the SlySox are more dangerous than we expected.
Bryce Elder vs. HOU - No, I don't believe in Elder. It also could be a "Vargas Rule" and I don't blame you for trying.
Do Not Starts
Taijuan Walker vs. KCR - No. I refuse.
Mitch Farris @ SEA - It's "@TEA" and there's a lot of drop on the slothball, but his "fast"ball is 90 mph and has such a small margin of error.
Janson Junk vs. DET - He's back and not looking like a proper JunkBaller.
Patrick Corbin @ NYM - I LOVE that he featured his fastball just 10% of the time in his last outing with a proper changeup focus. Sadly, it's the Mets.
Tomoyuki Sugano @ TOR - Sugano is not looking close to good enough to take a risk against the Jays.
Bradley Blalock @ SDP - It's the Colorado SP.
Sunday 9/14 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
New for PL Pro members - I am making the streaming table for an extra day out (no write-ups as these pitchers change often). I wanted to add a bonus for those who support us without taking anything away from everyone else, and I thought this was a good compromise.
In addition, PL Pro Members have access to my Sit/Start SP Grid, ranking all expected starters into the four tiers across the next fourteen days. You can find it on the PL Pro Hub Page.
