Friday's Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Bilal Coulibaly, De'Anthony Melton, and More
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Friday.
The NBA trade deadline is February 5. We just had the first big move of trade season (we'll talk about that more below), and there will be plenty of talk over the next month about which players will be on the move.
Until those blockbusters take place, let's focus on fantasy and look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Friday. 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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New Orleans Pelicans @ Washington Wizards
We'll start with a matchup in which both teams are among our favorite targets. The Pelicans play at the ninth-fastest pace and have the fourth-worst defensive rating; Washington is seventh fastest and has the second-worst defense.
The Wizards have a whole new landscape after the recent trade for Trae Young. They didn't gut their roster or draft capital the way a team usually does when acquiring a max player, so Washington has a similar outlook until Young makes his debut; he hasn't played since December 27, and it's unclear when he will take the court with his new team.
The Pelicans have the worst record in the Western Conference and second worst in the league. It has been ugly, and there could be major trades coming in New Orleans as well.
New Orleans Pelicans
Guard
Fears averages 14.2 points and 1.2 steals per game. He doesn't add a lot else, but Fears does enough to be a low-end streamer. McGowens has more value if Trey Murphy III is out again, but he's still not a great fantasy option.
Forward
Jones is doubtful for this game. Peavy gets a bump if Jones is out, but like McGowens, he's not a great statistical guy and is tough to trust. He did score 20 points in 37 minutes in their most recent game, but it's tough to count on anything close to that.
Center
Missi is the backup center and doesn't put up much for stats. Derik Queen is the top guy at the position, and if he's in the lineup, Missi won't have much fantasy value.
Washington Wizards
Guard
Until Young gets into the lineup, there will be minutes, touches, and shots for the other guards on the roster. Neither player is a great fantasy option; Johnson scores 12.3 points per game but doesn't do much else, while Carrington scores less but does a little bit more of everything else.
Forward
Coulibaly and Middleton are both averaging around 10 points, 4.5 rebounds, and three assists per game. Coulibaly is also at 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks, doing a little low-level stat stuffing. Champagnie is a step down from those guys, not leaving a lot of streaming excitement at forward.
Center
Bagley is a backup center who puts up low-level fantasy numbers (10 points, 5.5 rebounds). He's OK to think about as a deep-league streamer if you get desperate at center, but that's where he tops out.
Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings
Sacramento ranks near the middle in pace, but they are fewer than one possession per 48 minutes outside the top 10, making it close enough. That's especially true when considering that they have the third-worst defensive rating.
The Warriors are just a bit above average, sitting two games above .500 and holding a point differential of plus-1.4 per game. They probably don't have another level, but the front office will surely be on lookout before the trade deadline to try to salvage Steph Curry's final years.
Guard
Golden State shook up their rotation recently, giving Melton more time since Christmas (he only made his debut in early December). In six games beginning on December 25, Melton has played about 25 minutes per game while averaging 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals.
Podziemski has otherwise been the best streaming guard for the Warriors, sitting at 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a steal per game. Richard is a lower-level guy who was getting more minutes but is now further down the pecking order.
Forward
Moody scores a little over 10 points per game and makes over two three-pointers, but he doesn't offer much else, limiting his fantasy value. Horford is a former star who doesn't contribute much in a fantasy sense, though he can fill in at both forward and center.
Center
Post gets the most center minutes, so he will run into stats by virtue of being on the court, but he's not much of a fantasy player. He's a low-level or deep-league streamer if you're short.
