Tuesday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Jake LaRavia, Anthony Black, and More
Streaming players on three NBA teams with good matchups on Tuesday.
Now close to a week into the new year, holiday season is officially over. Your neighbors have (hopefully) taken down their Christmas decorations, and the NFL regular season is over; we're on to the next thing.
Basketball keeps chugging along in their own version of the Dog Days of Summer, pushing through a regular season that isn't gaining back popularity despite the efforts of NBA executives.
Let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Tuesday. We will focus on the guys who get on the court and are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from NBA.com.
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Dallas Mavericks @ Sacramento Kings
Sacramento currently sits in the middle of the league in pace, but they are less than one possession per game outside the top 10, so they still qualify as a target team here. They have the third-worst defensive rating, so we can overlook the small discrepancy on their resume.
Dallas has a top-10 defense but a bottom-five offense. The depth chart has plenty of names renowned for their D, but it will take more offensive firepower and a few years of seasoning for Cooper Flagg before this team can become competitive again.
Guard
These guys all offer close to the same fantasy value, probably in the order they are listed. Christie is over 12 points per game with 2.5 three-pointers. He also plays the most minutes from the group, giving him the best chance to accumulate stats.
Williams and Thompson are both a little over 11 points per game, Williams adding four assists and Thompson 2.7 three-point makes. Nembhard scores a little less (7.7 points) but leads this group with 5.1 assists per game. Christie is the guy to grab, but any of the others could be deep-league streamers today.
Forward
Washington left Dallas' most recent game on Saturday with an ankle injury, and he is questionable here. He is owned in around 50% of leagues, making him a borderline “streamer,” but Washington is a decent fantasy player, averaging close to 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Marshall would get a boost if Washington were to miss this game. Marshall averages 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and a steal per game as a reserve player, decent production in a deep league or today as a strong streamer.
Center
Gafford isn't much of a fantasy player, but he has some low-level value because he can slot in at both forward and center and averages 8.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks; that's OK if you need help at center in a deep league, but there's a low floor.
Los Angeles Lakers @ New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans rank 10th in pace and have the fourth-worst defensive rating. They have a similar profile to the Kings in that they play fast enough to be an attractive target given how vulnerable they are on defense.
The source of much of that heartbreak in Dallas, Luka Doncic is doing his thing as an MVP candidate in Los Angeles. He is slightly better than his career rates and recent numbers in most stats; Doncic's 12.1 free-throw attempts per game would blow away his previous career high. The Lakers are third in the West and will go as far as Doncic takes them.
Guard
Gabe Vincent and Austin Reaves have both been out for extended periods, giving Smart and Smith both more opportunities. Smith can score the ball, reaching 20 points a few times, but that has been inconsistent, and he doesn't add a lot else. Smart is the better fantasy player, but he's still a low-to-mid-level guy, averaging 9.6 points and 1.4 steals per game.
Forward
Rui Hachimura hasn't played since December 28 and is out for at least two more games. His absence is of benefit to these guys, especially LaRavia, who stepped into the starting lineup and has played at least 35 minutes in each of the past three games. LaRavia is coming off back-to-back games with at least 12 shot attempts and 20 points; he is a strong fantasy streamer today (and maybe tomorrow in a tougher matchup with the Spurs).
Center
Hayes is just a low-level fantasy player, not getting on the court enough or putting up enough stats to be on the fantasy radar. He would be of note if Deandre Ayton suffered a long-term injury.
Orlando Magic @ Washington Wizards
Washington plays at the eighth-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating. The Wizards had the worst defense most of the season but were recently passed by the Jazz for 30th; that says more about Utah's ineptitude than Washington making any real improvement.
Every time they end up here, I talk about the injuries that Orlando has dealt with. I wish there was another story, but that has been the dominant theme for the Magic so far. They should be proud to be above .500 and in playoff position, but Orlando needs to get fully healthy for any potential postseason run.
Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner are both officially out for this game but could return soon, and Jalen Suggs is listed as doubtful after missing Orlando's previous game against the Pacers on Sunday.
Guard
- Antony Black
- Tyus Jones
- Jase Richardson
Everyone here has more value if Suggs is out again. Black had 27 points and 10 assists against the Pacers without Suggs, and Richardson surprisingly played 27 minutes, the most he has played all season. Richardson and Jones are both deep-league options, but Black is a strong fantasy player today.
Forward
da Silva is a getting more minutes with Franz Wagner out, but he isn't much of a statistical player, only putting up double-digit points three times since Wagner went down on December 7.
Center
Carter is coming off a big game against Indiana, when he had 18 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. That was another good matchup, and it doesn't get much better than this one against the Wizards. Bitadze is a backup player who puts up low-level stats.
