Saturday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Zaccharie Risacher, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
If you're not staying current with everything NBA, you might not realize that the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are 22-1. They are on pace to finish with the best record ever, and OKC's 15.6-point differential is about four points better than anyone else in the league.
It might seem like the Thunder will just walk to another title, but it's never that easy. They will walk to the playoffs, but Oklahoma City will have to beat multiple great teams in a seven-game series to get back to the promised land.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players on three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday. We will focus on the guys who are widely available in fantasy leagues and can easily be picked up. Most stats are from NBA.com.
Keep up with FantasySP's injury report to stay current with which players are dealing with health issues.
Atlanta Hawks @ Washington Wizards
Hello, Washington! Our favorite target is back again, as the Wizards play at the fifth-fastest pace and have the worst defensive rating. I'm going to have to start finding new things to say about Washington because they will be here often.
The Hawks have been without Trae Young for over a month now, and he is still likely a week or more away from returning. Atlanta is holding on at 13-11 and in play-in position, a place they might themselves at the end of the season.
Guard
Krejci and Kennard both play a little over 20 minutes per game and put up modest stats. Krejci does just a little bit more, but both guys are low-level streamers who you can probably improve on elsewhere.
Forward
The No. 1 pick a year ago, Risacher is averaging 25.2 minutes and 11.4 points per game. He doesn't add a lot else (1.1 steals per game are nice), but Risacher is an OK streamer in this one.
Center
Gueye only plays backup minutes and doesn't do enough to be on the fantasy radar. He's only a desperation option.
Brooklyn Nets vs. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans sits right in the middle in pace, but that isn't far from the top 10; they keep moving closer to being a great target. They also have the fourth-worst defensive rating, meeting enough criteria to go after here.
Brooklyn has shown up often this week, playing the Hornets, Bulls, and Jazz in December before this game. They aren't very good (5-17 record), but that doesn't mean that streaming-level guys can't find fantasy value in the right matchups.
Guard
A lot of names here but not a ton of fantasy value. Demin and Martin and low-level fantasy guys who get on the court but don't put up much for stats. Mann returned on Thursday against the Jazz after missing a few games, but while he plays a little more, he puts up close to the same stats as the other guys.
Saraf is an interesting case, as he generally plays less, but over the past week, he had two games with at least 20 minutes played and 10 points scored. He should stay on the free agent market now, but Saraf is a name to remember.
Forward
Williams is coming off a 23-point game in which he attempted the second-most shots (14) on the team and the most three pointers (10). He is a productive scorer, averaging just under 10 points per game, but Williams doesn't add much else.
You could say the same about Wolf, who is starting to get more time on the court and scoring points (double digits in three of the past four). Wolf is another decent streamer if you're looking for someone who puts the ball in the basket.
Center
Clowney has been my favorite streamer from the Nets, averaging 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the three games this week. He can fill in at both forward and center in many leagues, making him a strong streaming option.
Sharpe plays backup minutes and puts up low stats, keeping him off the fantasy radar.
Miami Heat vs. Sacramento Kings
The Kings play at the eighth-fastest pace and have the fifth-worst defensive rating. They have been playing without Damantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray for long stretches, and though Murray is back, this team is short on guys who will make a positive impact.
Miami plays at the fastest pace in the league, but they also have the fourth-best defensive rating, so they're not a team I want to go after in fantasy. The Heat also have the 12th-best offensive rating, putting them in position to compete in the Eastern Conference.
Guard
Mitchell has some fantasy value, averaging more than 30 minutes per game with 9.7 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.3 steals. Mitchell is a solid streamer today. Larsson scores some points (9.4 per game in 22.5 minutes), but he doesn't add a lot else, and I'd much rather have Mitchell.
Forward
Jaquez is a valuable bench player for the Heat, averaging 29 minutes, 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. He is owned in fewer than 50% of leagues, but that will likely change if Jaquez keeps producing. Fontecchio scores 10 points per game but doesn't do much else, making him an OK low-level streamer.
Center
- None
