Saturday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Jerami Grant, Wendell Carter Jr., and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
We are to the part of the NFL season where Saturday games have started, meaning football keeps its stranglehold on the entire weekend. The college football playoffs are also in action, pushing basketball firmly out of the spotlight.
Fantasy basketball never stops, though, so let's look at streaming players from 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 added. Most stats are from NBA.com.
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Memphis Grizzlies vs. Washington Wizards
The Wizards play at the sixth-fastest pace and have the worst defensive rating. Washington has just four wins, the fewest in the league, and the worst point differential at minus-14.4.
Memphis won't be full strength for a while, but they are hanging around .500 with Ja Morant in and out of the lineup and Zach Edey currently sidelined, among others. The Grizzlies are 12th in defensive rating but 24th in offensive rating.
Guard
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Coward is averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in over 27 minutes per game, second on the team among guys who have played 20 games. He's a good streamer here. Caldwell-Pope doesn't put up many numbers; he's a low-level fantasy player.
Forward
Aldama is the top guy here, but he's owned in over half of fantasy leagues and might not be available. He can slot in at both forward and center, and with Edey out, Aldama is getting plenty of minutes, making him a strong fantasy option many games.
Wells scores just under 13 points per game, but he doesn't add a lot else. He's a fine streamer if you need points. Clarke finally made his season debut on Wednesday after dealing with a knee injury. He played just 17 minutes and could be eased back in, keeping him off the fantasy radar for now.
Center
Landale is getting extra run with Edey out; he won't have a time when he's more valuable in fantasy. In three games since the starting big man went down most recently, Landale is averaging 28 minutes, 12 points, and 7.7 rebounds with a block in each game.
Orlando Magic @ Utah Jazz
Utah plays at the fourth-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating. Three teams have stood out as the worst in the West (the Kings, Clippers, and Pelicans), but the Jazz would be the fourth of that group, even though their record is a little better.
The Magic were seen as sneaky contenders in a wide-open East, but they are only middling so far. Paolo Banchero missed the second half of November, and Franz Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain on December 7 and hasn't played since. The best players all need to be healthy before this team can think about their ceiling.
Guard
Black scores 13.3 points per game with 4.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He's a good streaming option here, particularly with Jalen Suggs questionable.
Forward
da Silva is also questionable, but if he does play, he is an OK low-level streamer, averaging 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Center
Carter plays close to 30 minutes per game, averaging 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. He's a great streamer today and maybe a guy worth keeping if you need help at center. Bitadze plays backup minutes and puts up backup stats. He's not a fantasy option outside of the deepest leagues.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Sacramento Kings
The Kings play at the eighth-fastest pace and have the fourth-worst defensive rating. Another team dealing with injuries, Sacramento probably isn't even a playoff team when at full strength, and they're more likely to sell off veterans than make the play-in tournament.
Portland acts as one of our target teams at times, but we'll focus on their offense today. The Blazers are right in the middle in offensive rating and at the fringe of the bottom 10 in defensive rating, settling in as another below-average team.
Guard
Cissoko and Love are both low-level fantasy players, averaging around 20 minutes per game. Love is better statistically, but neither guy here is probably worthy of a spot in your lineup.
Forward
There's much more value at forward on this team, where Camara and Grant both average over 30 minutes per game. They are both owned in 40-50% of fantasy leagues and might not be available, but either would be a worthy fantasy player today.
Grant averages 20 points per game and Camara 12.5, and while Camara is a little better elsewhere, it's not enough to make up that difference. Grant is the better fantasy player here, though Camara is a fine backup plan.
Center
Williams is just a backup and averages around six points and six rebounds per game. He won't have much value unless someone gets hurt in front of him.
