Saturday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Jeremy Sochan, P.J. Washington, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
NBA Cup group play is underway, including all 11 games that took place last night. It will continue intermittently over the rest of the month, then the knockout tournament begins on December 9.
Does anyone care? The reason for the in-season tournament was to give more meaning to regular season games, but the difference seems to be negligible. People will watch the finals and maybe some of the knockout rounds, but the NBA Cup isn't drawing in huge viewers, and the lack of interest in the regular season is still the biggest culprit.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams that have good matchups on Saturday. Most stats are from NBA.com and correct before Friday's games.
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Dallas Mavericks @ Washington Wizards
The Wizards play at the third-fastest pace and have the second-worst defensive rating; they are the epitome of what we are looking for here as a target team. This is also a multi-year thing, and it's not looking good if you're expecting much improvement.
The Mavericks are still coming to terms with their new future, fans surely still in shock over losing Luka Doncic but realizing that Cooper Flagg is part of the answer. There are growing pains for the rookie, leaving fans anxious as Doncic continues doing his thing in LA.
Guard
Christie plays the most from this group, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game. That comes with modest stats (12.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists), but Christie is at least on the court.
Russell is more productive in fewer minutes, scoring 13 points per game with 5.6 assists. He played just 16 minutes yesterday, as the Grizzlies were blowing out the Mavericks for most of the day. Thompson fell into the same category, not scoring any points in 17 minutes, and he has been below the level of a fantasy player most of the season.
Forward
Washington is owned in just under half of fantasy leagues, and he might be worthy of a roster spot, especially when Anthony Davis is out (as he was yesterday). He is leading the team in minutes (nearly 35 per game) and is averaging nearly 16 points and nine rebounds.
Marshall had his best game of the season yesterday, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 25 minutes. He is usually much more modest with his stats and below the level of a fantasy player.
Center
Gafford didn't make his debut until November 1. He has scored in double figures twice in four games, though he was held scoreless in 12 minutes yesterday. That was a weird game in which the Mavs were down 23 at halftime and 22 at the end of the third quarter, so I'm more worried about the season-long stats. Gafford is getting a little more time with Dereck Lively II out and is a low-level streaming center here.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors play at the ninth-fastest pace. They did have a bottom-10 defensive rating for much of the early season, but they have gotten out of that level and are now simply below average; that's good enough for our purposes here.
Philadelphia is still trying to get to full strength, and even the guys who have made it back onto the court are still working to full speed. They started on a positive note, 5-3, and it will be more about staying in playoff position until they can get everyone back. Rookie VJ Edgecombe has been a needed source of production early.
Guard
Grimes is owned in just under half of leagues, and he's probably worthy of a spot on someone's roster. He is averaging 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game; this is a great pickup for Saturday.
Forward
Watford has put up modest stats: 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists. He plays less than 20 minutes per game, but he has had two big performances in the past three games, scoring 16 points with nine rebounds and seven assists last Sunday and scoring another 16 with six assists on Wednesday. Watford is an intriguing streamer in this one.
Center
Bona plays a little more, but Drummond is more productive in pretty much every area. Both players are only low-level fantasy guys and better skipped unless you're in a super-deep league.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans play at a slower pace, actually ranking in the bottom 10. That's usually a team I'd never consider here, as we're looking for those that create a lot of possessions, making for a lot of stats. New Orleans has the third-worst defensive rating, though, standing out as a poor team. Without many great targets, the Pelicans will fit the bill today.
San Antonio's place among the contenders won't really be known for a while, but they have the most important piece, Victor Wembanyama, on the court, and that means more than anything else when it comes to winning big.
Guard
Champagnie plays nearly 30 minutes per game. He doesn't put up great stats, but he gets on the court, and that's often much of the battle with streaming-level guys. He got more looks yesterday with De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper out, scoring 22 points. Fox is expected to finally make his debut today, which will take away from Champagnie just a bit.
Forward
Sochan has only played two games after missing the beginning of the season with an injury. He scored 16 points in 23 minutes on Wednesday but then had just two in 15 minutes last night. He has been just over 11 points per game in his career, and that's probably where he will average out again.
Barnes is another guy who plays 30 minutes per game and generally puts up more modest stats. He scored 24 points in 39 minutes yesterday, his best game of the season, and he has hit double figures in each of the past five games.
Johnson plays fewer minutes than Barnes but is more productive in most areas. I would rather have Johnson most days, though they are both just mid-level streamers at best.
Center
- None
Luke Kornet is the guy who would be an option, but he has been out with an ankle injury.
