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):
PLV Projections Team Offense Ranking (4/20 Update)
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: 27-25
My Pick yesterday: Win – Trevor McDonald @ ATH (W): 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K
My Pick today: Colin Rea @ CHW
My Pick tomorrow: Christian Scott @ WSH
My Pick 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.
Nick’s 14-day SP Sit/Start Grid with Tiers:
PL Bot’s 2026 Streamer Record: 27-25
PL Bot’s Pick yesterday: Loss – Chris Bassitt @ WSH (L): 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 K
PL Bot’s Pick today:
PL Bot’s Pick tomorrow
PL Bot’s Pick day after tomorrow:
Sunday 5/17 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Paul Skenes vs. PHI – Aces gonna ace.
Drew Rasmussen vs. MIA – I wonder, will we want to give Ras the AGA tag at some point?
Zack Wheeler @ PIT – Wheeler vs. Skenes is so dope. New school vs. old school.
George Kirby vs. SDP – You’re going to get a fair number of RHB. Please throw the sweeper well and get that dang sinker inside.
Kevin Gausman @ DET – Gausman does what Gausman does.
Nathan Eovaldi @ HOU – If the Rangers feel good enough to start Eovaldi, then we feel good enough to start Eovaldi.
Gavin Williams vs. CIN – I wonder, is the Reds Carpet still a thing…? You just said that about Cantillo. WE’LL I’M WONDERING.
Probably Starts
Freddy Peralta vs. NYY – Peralta is a Holly and should be fine, even against the Yankees.
Eury Pérez @ TBR – We keep going back and forth and this feels like a decisive start to see if we can trust him or not.
Peter Lambert vs. TEX – Lambert is a Toby on the borderline of a low-end Holly, making him worthy of a start when facing a mid team.
Questionable Starts
Colin Rea @ CHW – The White Sox are kinda decent now?
Michael Soroka @ COL – It’s Coors, even if Soroka’s pitch separation is fantastic.
Stephen Kolek @ STL – Sneaky stream here after the heavy majority of managers will look at his first start of the season and consider him unstartable. This has a decent chance for six innings.
Bailey Ober vs. MIL – He’s been on a heater despite his lack of heater, all due to legit command. I can’t get behind that when its oh-so precarious, but I understand if you feel the need to Vargas Rule.
Do Not Starts
Brandon Young @ WSH – There’s a four-seamer with good vert and he locates it up, but it’s a high arm angle (not as deceptive) and there’s not much else in the arsenal.
Elmer Rodríguez @ NYM – Fried is hurt and Elmer is taking his spot. He pushes back Warren and Weathers to stay on his own schedule and give the other arms an extra day of rest, and it sets him up for a date against the mediocre Mets lineup. I wish I had more faith in Elmer’s arsenal to take advantage of this super sneaky stream.
Brayan Bello @ ATL – He’s had an opener and it’s worked out for him far better than as a starter, though it’s Hotlanta and there isn’t much different with Bello to suggest consistency.
Jack Flaherty vs. TOR – Remember that ten strikeout game? That was something.
Robert Gasser @ MIN – He’s back! I’m super curious how he looks today and I’m going to treat this like a PILOT Rule for now.
Andre Pallante vs. KCR – He can be decent where he gets a handful of RHB and avoids damage to LHB.
Lucas Giolito @ SEA – Ayyyyy, he’s finally debuting! Definitely not worth the stash at this point. Just wait and see.
Grant Holmes vs. BOS – We haven’t seen a fantastic REB start for a long time. No shock there.
Brady Singer @ CLE – Singer against a slew of LHB?! No thanks.
Jeffrey Springs vs. SFG – It hasn’t been Sunshine and Rainbows for a long time.
Roki Sasaki @ LAA – When are we going to see a legit start? How about a productive one?
Adrian Houser @ ATH – It’s Sacré Verde and this is a desperate play for a QS.
Erick Fedde vs. CHC – You know not to trust ’em.
Michael Lorenzen vs. ARI – Strong Bad is back in Coors. I wonder if his fastball is up a tick again.
Miles Mikolas vs. BAL – I don’t care if Mikolas scrounged together a few decent innings here and there. You can’t.
Grayson Rodriguez vs. LAD – It’s a Still ILL for a pitcher who wasn’t looking good when healthy in the spring against the Dodgers. Oh jeez.
Sunday 5/17 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Monday 5/18 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Auto-Starts
Bryan Woo vs. CHW – Aces gonna ace.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto @ SDP – Aces gonna ace.
Shota Imanaga vs. MIL – Aces gonna ace.
Framber Valdez vs. CLE – The new slider may help against LHB, but he’s going to get all the RHB here.
Shane McClanahan vs. BAL – McShane has his changeup on point and that’s all that matters.
Probably Starts
Robbie Ray @ ARI – Ray hasn’t been efficient enough to demand a spot in the top tier, but the skills are very much there to succeed against the Sneks.
Sonny Gray @ KCR – It’s more Sonny than Gray.
Ryan Weathers vs. TOR – Speaking of which, Weathers should be a solid all-around play against the Jays.
Trevor Rogers @ TBR – This may look bananas, I know. He pitched far better than the line suggested against the Yankees in his Still ILL and it’s the Rays. I think this is the start that gets everyone hyped again.
Nick Lodolo @ PHI – Lodolo didn’t have his breaking ball feel last time out and I’d wager he features a strike rate at least higher than 50% this time.
Michael King vs. LAD – It’s the Dodgers, yet I believe the King’s new groove is worthy of a start.
Christian Scott @ WSH – He’ll get plenty of LHB against the Nats. Scott is still figuring out how to attack them effectively, though I trust his cutter (and splitter!) can get the job done. He’s a solid arm.
Questionable Starts
Max Meyer vs. ATL – If only it weren’t Hotlanta. This is the best version of Meyer I’ve ever seen.
J.T. Ginn @ LAA – It’s not the most hype start. Ginn is a “Toby’ and the Angels are a huge shrug of an offense at the moment.
Noah Schultz @ SEA – Despite the great location, Schultz hasn’t had great, uh, locations since his first outing.
JR Ritchie @ MIA – Ritchie is getting the pearl on Monday (Pérez pushed to Tuesday) and despite my lack of enthusiasm for the rook, Ritchie can do enough to survive against a below-average offense.
Zac Gallen vs. SFG – The ability isn’t matching the results at the moment…except for a decline in velocity last time out. I wonder if that holds. He has a long enough leash and if the command is there, he’ll produce for six.
Walbert Ureña vs. ATH – Ureña has come through a fair amount thus far and the Athletics are away from their nightmarish home park. I just wish there was more outside of his changeup and Empty Velocity.
Do Not Starts
Seth Lugo vs. BOS – Lugo’s curveball velocity is down and his command is worse.
MacKenzie Gore @ COL – Gore has become a HIPSTER and this is not the time for a start in Coors.
Brandon Sproat @ CHC – As much as I see a legit starter here, heading to warm Wrigley isn’t a recipe for rookie success. We’ll jump back in at some point, I’m sure.
Slade Cecconi @ DET – The 89 mph cutter is still around, but the whole package isn’t enough.
Andrew Painter vs. CIN – Even against the Reds Carpet, we can’t. I sure hope he has the same breaking ball feel, though.
Jake Irvin vs. NYM – Irvin has been worthwhile once.
Patrick Corbin @ NYY – This looks terrible on paper.
Jose Quintana vs. TEX – It’s Coors.
Tatsuya Imai @ MIN – Imai should not be rostered until he shows us production.
Simeon Woods Richardson vs. HOU – He’s still here?!
Monday 5/18 Starting Pitcher Streamer Rankings
Tuesday 5/19 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.
Nick’s 14-day SP Sit/Start Grid with Tiers:
Tuesday 5/19’s Starting Pitcher Streamers:
Photos Courtesy of IconSportswire | Adapted by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)
