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: 111-61
My Pick yesterday: Loss - Brandon Sproat vs. WSN
My Pick today: Chad Patrick @ STL
My Pick tomorrow: Joey Cantillo @ MIN
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: 113-59
PL Bot's Pick yesterday: Loss - Brandon Sproat 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.
Saturday 9/20 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Tyler Glasnow vs. SFG - Aces gonna ace.
Joe Ryan vs. CLE - Aces gonna ace.
Carlos Rodón @ BAL - Aces gonna ace.
Shane Bieber @ KCR - He's looking like an ace.
George Kirby @ HOU - We saw the terrible, then we saw the absurd. Good news? The Angels were RHB-heavy and the Astros are similar.
Nolan McLean vs. WSN - He's been a stud. Can't stop now.
Framber Valdez vs. SEA - You may be a little hesitant given his last month. I say you have to go for it in such an important series.
Probably Starts
Bubba Chandler vs. ATH - We saw the real Bubba last start and it's PNC Park.
Luis Morales @ PIT - He's away from "Sacré Verde" and can take down an easy lineup.
Aaron Nola @ ARI - The skills have been good enough.
Jack Leiter vs. MIA - He nearly came through against the Astros and the Marlins + Arlington = A great situation.
Questionable Starts
Chad Patrick @ STL - Patrick is taking over for Jose Quintana and it's a lovely matchup. Biggest question is volume.
Noah Cameron vs. TOR - He's had just one rough outing and he didn't pitch poorly. It is the Jays, though, who generally love facing LHP.
Joey Wentz @ DET - I dig Wentz, but not against a good lineup.
Yu Darvish @ CHW - It feels strange to put Darvish down here, but he couldn't take advantage of the "Reds Carpet" or "Rockie Road". It's hard to bank on a better game in a tougher situation.
Bailey Ober vs. CLE - His command has been great. His velocity? Not so much. At least the Guardians are LHB-focused, which plays into his recent ability of dotting heaters and changeups.
Zac Gallen vs. PHI - Gallen went changeup heavy last time out, while the deathball curve wasn't at its peak. I wonder what we'll see here.
Slade Cecconi @ MIN - The Slade Brigade forced me to place him in this tier. I still don't grasp how his four-seamer gets by inside the zone.
Adrian Houser vs. BOS - Houser is a decent play for a QS against a Red Sox lineup that performs worse away from Fenway... even if it's in Tampa Bay.
Logan Allen @ MIN - The Twins aren't too scary and Allen is a deep-league "Toby". I'd stay away in most cases.
Do Not Starts
Adam Mazur @ TEX - Mazur just gave us a solid outing, though I have major questions about its repeatability. I wouldn't chance it.
Kyle Harrison @ TBR - He's getting a proper start, though I'm not ready to trust Harrison quite yet, especially in a terrible place for pitchers to find their rhythm.
Yoendrys Gómez vs. SDP - Gómez has fun elements, like a heater that can dominate upstairs and two whiffable breakers, but the command isn't quite enough to convince me to let him fly with the "Shag Rug" present against a strong offense.
Keider Montero vs. ATL - I know he made it work last time out and along with the above three in this tier, there is a chance Montero has enough to get through at least five with decent production. It's too minimal of a ceiling to chase, in my view.
Zack Littell vs. CHC - Littell has had some magic this season. Do you really want to bank on an extra sprinkle against the mighty Cubs offense?
Miles Mikolas vs. MIL - Mikolas is Mikolas. He's a desperate Win/QS play at the cost of strikeouts and likely a hit at your ratios.
Javier Assad @ CIN - How long will they let Assad go in this one? I'm not expecting success here.
Tomoyuki Sugano vs. NYY - Sugano has his moments dotting pitches. The Yankees make the margin of error absurdly thin.
Cade Cavalli @ NYM - He's electric, but the Mets are far tougher than the last trio of opponents that Cavalli failed to exploit.
Kai-Wei Teng @ LAD - You may find some strikeouts here at the cost of terrible ratios and a high chance of four or fewer frames.
Kyle Hendricks @ COL - Absolutely not.
Germán Márquez vs. LAA - It's the Colorado SP.
Sunday 9/21 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Logan Gilbert @ HOU - Aces gonna ace.
Ranger Suárez @ ARI - Aces gonna ace.
Probably Starts
Emmet Sheehan vs. SFG - It's a great matchup and I'm glad to see he's finally rostered as much as he should.
Michael King @ CHW - I know it was a ghastly line last time out, but that's not who he is.
Cam Schlittler @ BAL - Schlittler didn't quite have it last start. I'm still rolling with it.
Eury Pérez @ TEX - Pérez has a solid matchup and a stellar fastball.
Connelly Early @ TBR - Early reinforced the talent of his first start and looks like a clear play against the Rays.
Jameson Taillon @ CIN - A solid "Toby" on a winning club against a meh lineup? Works for me.
Joey Cantillo @ MIN - Cantillo's changeup is legit and the Twins don't scare me.
Sean Manaea vs. WSN - I have Manaea listed given he's expected to follow Clay Holmes and is a far better play given his strikeout ability, elevated Win chance, and the LHB-lineup he's sure to face.
Trey Yesavage @ KCR - Trey was so dominant in his MLB debut that you're going to roll with him in Kauffman.
Questionable Starts
Andrew Abbott vs. CHC - Abbott gets a tough draw against the Cubs. Does he have a sprinkle of magic left?
Kyle Bradish vs. NYY - Bradish's slider has been there, but I wish I saw more in his first few starts to make me confident against the Yankees.
Ryan Pepiot vs. BOS - I wish this weren't in Tampa Bay.
Jeffrey Springs @ PIT - Springs has as good of a chance for sunshine and rainbows in PNC Park.
Spencer Strider @ DET - Strider's slider isn't doing what we want it to and the Tigers are showing their teeth.
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. CLE - We've now seen two straight of SWR excellence, and now the Guardians are sure to serve him LHB that may struggle against Richardson's splitter.
Casey Mize vs. ATL - He's a "Toby" in a questionable matchup.
Patrick Corbin vs. MIA - It seems bonkers to trust Corbin at all, though this is as good as it gets: The Marlins, in Arlington, after Corbin has performed well with a legit shift in approach to pull his fastball usage down to just 10% in favor of sliders, cutters, and changeups. Yes, changeups. It's your sneaky weekend stream.
Do Not Starts
Jason Alexander vs. SEA - Alexander has legit "Toby" ability, but it's the Mariners.
Michael Wacha vs. TOR - Same with Wacha. This isn't the team to start him against.
Mike Burrows vs. ATH - How long will Burrows go? How scared should we be of the Athletics' offense?
Matthew Liberatore vs. MIL - Liberatore did well in an ideal matchup in his last start, but I'm not comfortable starting him against a solid offense.
Eduardo Rodriguez vs. PHI - Like Wacha but worse.
Clay Holmes vs. WSN - As mentioned with Manaea, "The Adobe" is setting up the walls of a start, likely going about four frames before Manaea steps in.
Robert Gasser @ STL - He's back! And likely heavily limited in what is an incredibly obvious "Still ILL" and he shakes off the TJS rust.
Sean Burke vs. SDP - We haven't seen the skills needed to trust Burke against the Padres.
Carson Whisenhunt @ LAD - The only hope is for the changeup to be at its peak and for the Dodgers to somehow struggle to punish the sinker.
Kyle Freeland vs. LAA - We've seen some high strikeout games at random from Freeland...
Sam Aldegheri @ COL - Oh hey, Aldegheri is starting! In Coors. Yeaaaaah.
Jake Irvin @ NYM - Uh-Huh
Monday 9/22 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.
