Saturday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Bilal Coulibaly, Tristan da Silva, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
It's the first day of November. Game 7 of the World Series is tonight, so while football will always be king, the day-to-day sports world is about to be dominated by the NBA (and the NHL to a lesser extent).
With every team having played at least five games, the season has begun in earnest, and we are in for a long haul. In the fantasy basketball world, that means the daily/weekly grind is already underway.
Let's look at streaming players on three teams that have good matchups on Saturday. We'll focus on the guys who are widely available in fantasy leagues and can probably be picked up. Most stats are from NBA.com.
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Minnesota Timberwolves @ Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte has been one of the worst teams in basketball for several years, and they again meet the criteria we are looking for in a target team because they play at a top-10 pace and have a bottom-10 defensive rating. The Hornets have played at the sixth-fastest pace and have the sixth-worst defensive rating.
Minnesota is coming off back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances and hoping to break through. They have started 2-3, but better days are surely ahead, maybe starting with this nice matchup.
Guard
DiVincenzo is the guy you want here, as he is playing 30 minutes per game and scoring 12.6 points. He is owned in more leagues and might not be available, but he's still free in over half of leagues.
Conley and Clark are low-level guys who you're probably not grabbing unless you're desperate. Conley puts up just modest numbers, and Clark is questionable with a calf strain.
Forward
Shannon had 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the first game of the season but has had lower stats since then, otherwise notably scoring nine points once. Shannon is another low-level streamer.
Center
- None
Orlando Magic @ Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards vs. Orlando Magic
Here, we have a matchup of two teams that fit our criteria as targets, lining up as an up-and-down contest that might bring with it a lot of points and other stats. Orlando figures to get better as the season goes on, but Washington has been one of our target teams for multiple seasons, and they are likely to stay among the dregs of the league.
The Magic are closer to the fringe, playing at the 10th-fastest pace and holding the ninth-worst defensive rating. They were expected to compete in a wide-open Eastern Conference, but Orlando also has a bottom-10 offensive rating, so they need to improve their performance from the early small sample.
Washington plays at the fourth-fastest pace and has the third-worst defensive rating. I mentioned above that this is an ongoing issue for the Wizards, and we will be targeting them all season. Offensively, there's nothing special here, but someone has to score the ball and rack up stats when they have a good matchup.
Orlando Magic
Guard
Black is worthy of your attention, as he is averaging 26.5 minutes and 13 points per game. That's how Black contributes: scoring the basketball without doing a lot else. Jones is just a low-level contributor who doesn't put up many stats.
Forward
da Silva is the third forward rotating in most with the starters, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, and da Silva has been productive. He has scored at least 15 points in four of six games, and while he doesn't do a lot else, he'll grab a few rebounds. da Silva is a very good streaming option here.
Center
Carter might be a keeper if you're short at center. He is averaging 28 minutes, 10.5 points, and 8.2 rebounds; I love him as a streamer here. Bitadze is a low-volume player, but he is around six points and six rebounds per game, decent desperation production.
Washington Wizards
Guard
The Wizards have 10 players averaging at least 15 minutes per game, and nine of them have played all five games. That leaves a lot of potential streamers. Coulibaly made his season debut on Thursday and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks; he is a very good pickup who might be worth holding onto.
Carrington has played over 28 minutes per game but operates at a low volume, ranking ninth on the team in points per game. He only helps modestly in other areas, making Carrington a low-level fantasy player. Johnson has been better, scoring nearly 14 points per game; he's a decent streaming option here.
Forward
Again, we have multiple options, but Middleton is the only guy you really want to grab. He is averaging 25.8 minutes and 12.4 points per game and has scored in double figures in three of five games, once also grabbing 10 rebounds. Middleton is a strong streamer here.
Kispert and Whitmore are lower-level players who are fine in deep leagues but probably not guys you want to count on if you can help it.
Center
If you were wondering whether Bagley were still in the league, here you go! He's only playing 15 minutes per game in a reserve role, but he has scored eight or more points three times in five games (while combining for just three points in the other two games). Bagley is another low-level fantasy player.
