Friday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Tobias Harris, Jared McCain, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Friday.
Christmas Day for the NBA was…just like any other day. As much as the league wants to make the regular season matter, it seems to be drifting further and further the wrong direction, especially with the NFL stealing the spotlight on one of the league's biggest days.
We're back into the normal schedule now that the NBA Cup is over and we have passed Christmas, so the long slog of the season is about to get underway.
Let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Friday. 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.
Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the teams and players with the best matchups each day!
Detroit Pistons @ Utah Jazz
Utah plays at the third-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating. The Jazz and Wizards stand out as our top two targets and are worth going after with opposing fantasy players every time they play.
The Pistons have been a recent friend here in the streamer column, with games against the Kings and Blazers giving them good outlooks. After 110 points against Portland on Monday, Detroit broke out for 136 against Sacramento on Tuesday, a number they could approach here with a great matchup.
Guard
Everyone here is a lower-level fantasy player who works in a backup role. LeVert is probably the best fantasy option of the group, but Ivey has the most intrigue as a former top-five pick who has averaged over 15 points per game in his career but dealt with injury issues recently. Everyone here is only a deep-league and/or desperation option today.
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Forward
- Tobias Harris
- Duncan Robinson
- Ronald Holland II
There's more value in the frontcourt, where Harris averages 14 points and 4.9 rebounds while being owned in a little under half of leagues. Robinson scores 12 points per game and make three three-point shots, but that's about all he offers; he's a decent option if you need scoring/shooting.
Holland is questionable for this game, but he is also a low-level fantasy guy and should probably be skipped even if he is on the court.
Center
Backup centers are a bit of a different breed in fantasy basketball in that they can sometimes have a little value even with stats that wouldn't match up at other positions. Especially with a great matchup, a guy like Stewart, who is averaging 10.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, has decent streaming value if you need help at center.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Chicago Bulls
The Bulls play at the second-fastest pace and have the eighth-worst defensive rating. The appeal of a team that plays fast is easy: They create more possessions, giving more chances to accumulate stats. Chicago and Miami have been at the top of the pace list all season. (The Heat have a top-10 defense, so we don't mess with them.)
Philadelphia surely has championship aspirations, but as always, they have dealt with injury issues all year. Three starters, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Kelly Oubre, are out or questionable for this game as of Thursday night, and Embiid and Paul George have each already missed more than 10 games.
Guard
There is an illness running through the Philly locker room, a big reason why so many guys are out or questionable today. That makes it extra important to check inactives before game time, and it makes it hard to know who is going to play the most minutes.
Grimes is one of the questionable players, but he would be in line for big minutes if available (though anyone who was sick could also see limited time). McCain is also likely to see more minutes, but that would change if Edgecombe and Grimes both play.
Forward
Barlow is another questionable player, and Walker got the start in the 76ers' last game with several guys out. Like the guards, these are lower-level fantasy guys, but due to a shuffling lineup, they could find some fantasy value. There's also a lot of risk here with so many questions.
Center
Drummond's fantasy value is directly tied to Embiid: When the starter is in the lineup, Drummond probably isn't worth a spot in your lineup, but if Embiid is out, then Drummond can put up volume while soaking up minutes in the middle. He is averaging 7.6 points and 9.7 rebounds.
Toronto Raptors @ Washington Wizards
I mentioned above that the Wizards are one of our favorite targets, and there is good reason. Washington plays at the eighth-fastest pace and has the worst defensive rating in the league. While their pace ranking has fallen a little, they are less than one possession per game away from fourth place, keeping them among the fastest teams.
Toronto is a surprise contender in the East, though a look at their roster proves that they were accumulating talent while losing and making trades last season. They might still need to find their superstar (unless Scottie Barnes jumps another level), but the Raptors are on the right path.
Guard
Everyone here is a backup and doesn't do enough to really show up on the fantasy radar. Shead is the best of the group, but you can find a better option unless you're in complete desperation mode.
Forward
Murray-Boyles is questionable for this game with an illness, but if he plays, he will have an expanded role with Toronto's top center out (more on that in a moment). The rookie first-round pick has a little deep-league intrigue; he had his first career double-double in his most recent game.
Agbaji doesn't put up many stats. He might get some extra court time because RJ Barrett is out, but he's too risky of a player to put in your lineup.
Center
Mamukelashvili started Toronto's previous game with Jakob Poeltl out, and he will likely do the same here, or at least play expanded minutes again. He is an intriguing fantasy player with Poeltl out. Battle would have some low-level streaming value if Murray-Boyles were to miss the game.
