Saturday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Collin Sexton, Will Richard, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
Every sports season can be broken into chunks based on the calendar and the number of games played. Right now, we are in a stretch from Christmas Day to the All-Star break that often gets lost among the new year and the NFL getting into playoff football.
Once we reach the All-Star Game, the Super Bowl will be done, and the NBA will be able to jump further into our consciousness for the final few months of the season. The regular season doesn't mean as much as it used to, but the NBA playoffs are always a spectacle for sports fans.
Let's look at streaming players on three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday. We will focus on the guys who get on the court but are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from NBA.com.
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Charlotte Hornets @ Chicago Bulls
Chicago plays at the second-fastest pace and has the seventh-worst defensive rating. The Bulls have played fast all season, ranking behind only Miami in pace for most of the year.
The Hornets are a poor team themselves, holding a bottom-five defensive rating. They play at a bottom-10 pace, so they don't qualify as one of our target teams, and they rate better than average in offensive rating, so maybe better days could be ahead (next year…or later).
Guard
Sexton is the guy you want from this group: He is averaging 15.3 points and 4.4 assists per game. Yesterday, he had 16 points and six assists against Milwaukee. James is a lower-level fantasy player who doesn't put up many stats and should stay out of your lineup.
Forward
Salaun doesn't put up enough numbers to really be a fantasy option. If the centers are out injured (more on that below), then Salaun will get a little bump, but you can probably find a better option.
Center
Ryan Kalkbrenner hasn't played since December 20, due to an elbow injury. If he were to return, he would be an OK streaming option (with risk involved), but assuming Kalkbrenner stays out, Diabate and Hall are the guys playing the center minutes.
Diabate also missed yesterday's game, but he could be back for this one. If he is, Diabate would be a decent fantasy player. If Diabate again misses this game, Hall would be the guy; he's still a lower-level fantasy player, as he only played 19 minutes yesterday and finished with four points and eight rebounds.
Golden State Warriors vs. Utah Jazz
The Jazz are one of our best targets, playing at the fourth-fastest pace and holding the second-worst defensive rating. They are another group sitting in the middle in offensive rating, but there's a long way to go for Utah to be competitive.
The Warriors obviously don't hold the same aura that they did at the height of the Steph Curry era. Curry still does his thing, and Jimmy Butler is there after and in-season trade last year, but Golden State is short on star power elsewhere and probably can't compete with the top teams in the league.
One note: Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green all sat out yesterday but could play today. With last night's game against Oklahoma City, maybe the Warriors decided to concede the day and focus on picking up the win in the second night of the back-to-back (they lost by nearly 40 points to the Thunder). Everything below has to be taken in the context of these players being questionable.
Guard
Podziemski and Richard are both good streamers if the stars miss again, particularly Curry. Podziemski is the safer fantasy player between the two. Hield is a low-level statistical player at this point, not even making shots at a high clip, which was always his strongest area.
Forward
Moody is another guy who will get a huge boost with the starters out, particularly Butler. If everyone else is mostly active, then Moody has just low-level streaming value. Horford doesn't put up enough stats to be on the fantasy radar, and he hasn't played both games of back-to-backs, so there's a good chance he could miss this game.
Center
If Horford does sit, that would give more value to these two guys. Green was sitting simply because of rest last night, so he should play today, something that fills Horford's minutes. Post and Jackson-Davis are going to fill the other center minutes, with Post as the better fantasy player (though still a low-level guy).
San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers
I talked yesterday about how Portland was a prime target team most of the season, but they have played better on defense recently, not falling among our most vulnerable teams. With a shorter schedule on Saturday, though, the Blazers are still a worthy team to go after, as they play at the fifth-fastest pace and have the 12th-worst defensive rating.
The Spurs rank in the top eight in both offensive and defensive rating; those are the marks of a championship contender. That ceiling is still months away, but everything happening now seems to point toward San Antonio as one of the favorites in the West.
Guard
Devin Vassell is out, giving a little extra value to Champagnie and the guys listed in the Forward section below. Champagnie is an OK streaming player, averaging 27.5 minutes, 10.5 points, and 5.6 rebounds per game. Harper is at 11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, enough to make him a lower-level streamer given his pedigree.
Forward
Vassell's absence opens more opportunities for these players. Barnes scores around 12 points per game but doesn't add much else. Johnson is at 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds, and last night, he had 16 and six. Johnson has the advantage between the two, and with Vassell out, he is a decent pickup here.
Center
Victor Wembanyama also missed yesterday's game and is questionable for today. His status directly affects these two, as Kornet moves into the starting lineup and Olynyk into a reserve role with Wemby out. If he plays, Kornet returns to the reserve spot, and Olynyk goes deeper to the bench, where he is far from the fantasy radar.
