Sunday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Neemias Queta, Marcus Smart, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Sunday.
Welcome to another NFL Sunday during the NBA season. There is only one regular-season week of football remaining after this, then the playoffs will keep attention through January until the Super Bowl takes place in mid-February.
The NBA has its All-Star Weekend right after that time, and basketball gets the spotlight (along with hockey) until the playoffs, with baseball starting near the end of the regular season. It's easy to map out the year through the sports seasons.
Let's switch to fantasy basketball and look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Sunday. We will focus on the guys who get on the court and are widely available in fantasy leagues, able to be picked up. Most stats are from NBA.com.
Use FantasySP's daily and weekly projections to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions!
Boston Celtics @ Portland Trail Blazers
Portland plays at the fifth-fastest pace and has the ninth-worst defensive rating. The Blazers have been a team of streaks recently, mostly on the wrong side of things: beginning in late November, they lost three games, won one, lost three more, won three, then lost the previous three heading into Sunday.
Boston is without the star power they had last season, but the Celtics are still 19-11 and in third place in the East. There isn't a team that really stands out as the clear best in their conference, so Boston could still make a splash in the playoffs.
Guard
Gonzalez hasn't played many minutes most of the season, but he had a recent three-game stretch in which he played 28-plus minutes and put up OK stats. Walsh had his own run in early December in which he scored at least 17 points in three of four games, but he also has played inconsistent minutes, with his stats affected accordingly.
With everyone healthy, we can't count on either guy here to play enough or accumulate enough numbers.
Forward
These guys are both low-level fantasy players, averaging around seven points, four rebounds, and one assist per game. Both Hauser and Minott are off the fantasy radar aside from the deepest leagues.
Center
Center is where the most streaming value comes from Boston, as their top options at guard and forward are heavily owned in fantasy. Queta is a decent streamer, averaging 24.4 minutes, 9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Garza has had a few bigger games but doesn't play enough minutes regularly, leaving him as only a deep-league option.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings
The Kings play at the 11th-fastest pace and have the third-worst defensive rating. Sacramento hosted the Dallas Mavericks yesterday and actually picked up the win 113-107.
There is consternation around the Lakers, who have lost three straight games, each by at least 15 points, including a 119-96 loss at home to the Rockets on Christmas. Coach J.J. Reddick called out the defensive effort, but LA's destiny lies with how far LeBron James and Luka Doncic can take them.
Guard
Smart averages 10.3 points and 1.4 steals per game. Those are fine, but he doesn't add much else, leaving Smart as a lower-level fantasy guy; at least he gets on the court (27.7 minutes per game). Vincent has been out for over a week but could return here. He's not on the fantasy radar even if he plays unless you're in a super-deep league.
Forward
Hachimura is averaging nearly 33 minutes per game, scoring 12.8 points and grabbing 3.8 rebounds. Despite his time on the court Hachimura doesn't put up many stats, leaving him as a low-to-mid-level streamer. LaRavia is even a lesser fantasy player who probably isn't on your radar.
Center
Hayes missed the Lakers' previous game, so he needs to be verified as playing before you put him in your lineup. He also doesn't put up many stats, leaving him as a lower-level guy, though he can help if you really need a center. Vanderbilt gets a little extra value if Hayes is out, and he can slot in at both forward and center, but I don't want to count on Vanderbilt either way.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Washington Wizards
Our best matchup of the day comes against Washington, who plays at the eighth-fastest pace and has the worst defensive rating. The Wizards are more than a point worse than the team ranked 29th (the Jazz, who are over two points worse than the 28th-ranked Kings).
The Grizzlies have been a somewhat common friend here lately, facing the Blazers, Jazz, Wizards, and Jazz again over the past three weeks. They didn't take advantage, going 2-2 in those games, and that's a big reason why the team is under .500 and in play-in position.
Guard
Coward is an OK streamer, averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in just over 27 minutes per game. Spencer is a little lower in points (12.5), but his 4.7 assists help get him to an acceptable lower fantasy level.
Williams has been out injured but is questionable to return here. He's not a great fantasy player, but 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists is something if you're in a deep league.
Forward
Wells scored 12.5 points per game but doesn't do a lot else, making him a limited fantasy player (though an OK option if you need scoring). Caldwell-Pope is a better real-life player than fantasy player, not usually putting up enough stats to really be on the radar. Both guys here can slot in at guard and forward, which is helpful, but I would rather look elsewhere if possible.
Center
Landale is on a stretch of extra fantasy value because starting center Zach Edey has been out and will continue to be for close to two more weeks. Landale isn't a great player, but he has played over 20 minutes in each of the past seven games and averages around 11 points and six rebounds per game. He missed Friday's game, so make sure he is playing before putting him in your lineup.
