With Nikola Jokic Sidelined, This Under-the-Radar Big Man Is a Tuesday Must-Stream
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Tuesday.
Basketball is a game of runs. A team will score 10 points in a row before giving up 12 straight; it's the nature of the beast.
The season is the same way, as teams go on winning and losing streaks, and fans can get in trouble if they live and die with every game. Understand that your team will lose multiple games in a row, even if they are among the best, and stay calm when it happens.
Moving to fantasy, 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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Denver Nuggets @ New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans plays at the ninth-fastest pace and has the fourth-worst defensive rating. With as lowly as the Pelicans have been, everything is likely on the table, including trading Zion Williamson; maybe that could help make up for not having their first-round pick.
Nikola Jokic was doing Jokic things, but he suffered an injury a few weeks ago and remains out. Denver's chances to contend revolve around Jokic's health, but they will be fine if he's healthy for the postseason. This might be more impactful on the MVP race, which would open up if the big man were to fall out of the running.
Guard
Jamal Murray and Christian Braun both missed Sunday's game against Milwaukee. Braun is out here and Murray is questionable, giving a lot more opportunity to Pickett and Brown. Pickett had 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in 37 minutes on Sunday, making him an intriguing player in the right circumstances. If Murray is in the lineup, it does limit the fantasy value of both guys.
Forward
These two are similar fantasy players, but Watson is the better option. Hardaway scores a little more (13.8 versus 13.2 points per game), but Watson has the advantage everywhere else, including averaging one steal and one block. Watson is a good streamer, and Hardaway is a fine Plan B.
Center
- Zake Nnaji
On top of Jokic being out, Jonas Valanciunas is injured and expected to be out at least a few more weeks, leaving Nnaji in position to pick up a lot of minutes. His season stats are lower, but in six games in January, Nnaji has averaged 24.5 minutes, 12.7 points, 5.2 rebounds. 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. That makes him a nice low-to-mid-level streamer while the guys in front of him remain out.
Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers play at the eighth-fastest pace and have the 12th-worst defensive rating. They are more of a fringe target team rather than a favorite, but their defense is only a few tenths of a point from the bottom 10, making them a prime team to target.
Golden State is a step below the West contenders, a group that includes the Nuggets and at least four others. The Warriors will need their biggest names to play like superstars to get to that next level, but they might not have it at this point, which would leave Golden State simply as playoff fodder.
Guard
- Brandin Podziemski
- Will Richard
- Gary Payton Jr.
Podziemski is the guy you want from this group. He's only a low-to-mid-level streamer, averaging 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, but he's a decent option with the good matchup. Richard and Payton are lower-level fantasy players. Richard got more looks when they were dealing with injuries, but the Warrior guards are healthy now, leaving minutes sparse.
Forward
In eight games beginning on Christmas Day, Melton played at least 23 minutes in seven of them and averaged 12.8 points. He has been a bigger part of the rotation than before that time and is now a feasible streamer. Moody is a low-level statistical guy, not on the fantasy radar now that he is seeing fewer minutes.
Center
Post has the chance for more minutes without many center options on the team, but he hasn't broken through, averaging fewer than 18 minutes per game in January. He scored in double figures in four of those six games but didn't add much else, a common occurrence. Horford isn't on the fantasy radar at this point in his career, though an injury or two could change that.
Houston Rockets vs. Chicago Bulls
Chicago plays at the third-fastest pace and has the sixth-worst defensive rating. I've been touting Utah and Washington as our clear best fantasy target teams, but the Bulls have made a strong case to become our third must-target group.
The Rockets are part of that contending group in the Western Conference with the Nuggets, rating good enough on both offense and defense to prove their spot. Houston has a deep group, so though they are dealing with injuries right now, they are equipped to withstand; being healthy in April is the important thing.
Guard
Sheppard is on the edge of streaming range, owned in around half of fantasy leagues. He averages 13.1 points, 1.5 steals, and 2.5 three-pointers per game. Sheppard is a strong streamer but inconsistent with his production. Both Okogie and Holiday are low-level fantasy players, probably not on your radar.
Forward
Smith is another guy who might be owned in too many leagues to call a streamer, but he still has enough availability to go check if you can pick him up with the great matchup. Smith has a little extra value because he can slot in at forward and center; 15 points and seven rebounds per game are nice too.
Eason was injured on Friday and missed Sunday's game, and he is questionable for this one. If he plays, he is an OK low-level streamer, averaging 12 points, six rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, though there is risk involved.
Center
Alperen Sengun returned after a short absence, pushing Adams back into a reserve role. Adams was an intriguing streamer when playing as a starter (31.1 minutes, 10.3 rebounds per game in a three-game stretch without Sengun), but he is now just a low-level streamer.
