The Secret Waiver Wire Gems You Need for Sunday’s Action-Packed NBA Slate
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Sunday.
It's a special day today. No, not because we have playoff football on TV; it's my birthday!
At 38 years old, it's all downhill from here on (it already has been), but thank you so much, you lovely people, for the assumed birthday wishes. With football and basketball on all day, it's set up to be action-packed, if nothing else.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players on three NBA teams with good matchups on Sunday. We'll 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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Brooklyn Nets @ Chicago Bulls
These two teams played on Friday, a game the Nets won 112-109. That moved Brooklyn to 12 wins, while Chicago is 19-22, 10th in the East. The play-in tournament is the ceiling for these two teams with a hope of securing a playoff spot before getting swept by one of the top teams in the conference.
The Bulls play at the fourth-fastest pace and have the sixth-worst defensive rating. The Nets have a poor defensive rating of their own but play at a slow pace, so they're not a team we look to target, but Brooklyn's bottom-five offensive rating shows how far down this team really is.
Guard
Demin is the top fantasy player from this group, averaging nearly 10.5 points and 2.5 three-pointers per game. He doesn't add a lot else, but Demin is a decent low-end streamer if you need a point guard. The other two are low-level guys, but both Drake Powell and Michael Porter Jr. will miss this game, giving the reserves more minutes.
Forward
Clowney is the guy to go after here, as he averages just over 13 points, four rebounds, and two three-pointers per game. Especially with some of the injuries, he has a good outlook. Wolf is another bench player who doesn't do enough to be on the fantasy radar most days, though he could get a little extra run today.
Center
Sharpe is another lower-level fantasy player, but he is coming off his third straight game with over 10 points, and he also had at least nine rebounds twice in that stretch. He has some intrigue here if you're short at center.
Houston Rockets vs. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans play at the ninth-fastest pace and have the third-worst defensive rating. They are also sixth worst in offensive rating, a clear explanation as to why New Orleans is tied for the fewest wins in the league.
The Rockets are on the other end of the spectrum, essentially a lock to make the top 10 in the West but in danger of falling into the play-in, as they are just one game above seventh place in the conference. Houston has the metrics of a contender but could help ease their path by rising toward the top of the Western Conference.
Guard
Sheppard is owned in more fantasy leagues, but it might be more about name value than production right now. After scoring double figures in all but three games in both November and December, Sheppard has reached 10 points in just four of nine games in January. Okogie is a low-level statistical player, not a fantasy guy.
Forward
Smith is a solid fantasy player who is owned in a little over half of leagues. He's a strong pickup today if you're able to grab him. Finney-Smith has gotten more time with Tari Eason out. Eason hasn't played since January 9, and if he misses this one, as expected, Finney-Smith gets some low-level fantasy value, though he's still probably not on your radar.
Center
These guys are both in reserve roles and are generally not worthy of spots in fantasy lineups. Adams has some good games, especially when he started for a short stretch with Alperen Sengun out, but both he and Capela are below the level of fantasy players with the starting big man active.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Sacramento Kings
The Kings play at a league-average pace, pushing them toward the outside of our streaming list. They still have the fourth-worst defensive rating, so Sacramento is a team worth attacking on the right days when we don't have enough of the best streaming teams, like today.
The Blazers were one of our targets early in the season, but while they kept playing fast, they improved to a league-average defense. When choosing between a fast team with a middling defense or a team that plays at a medium pace with a bottom-line defense, I'll take the bad defensive team, pushing us toward targeting the Kings.
Guard
There isn't a lot of upside here with Cissoko, though he can also slot in at forward. Love has played much better since around Christmas, scoring double figures in each of the past 14 games and averaging 3.4 three-pointers per game. Love is a good streaming player in this one, maybe with increasing value.
Forward
Deni Avdija and Kris Murray both missed yesterday's game and are questionable here, possibly leaving time for other forwards to get minutes. Grant is the best player from this group, averaging nearly 20 points and 2.5 three-pointers per game; he's a strong streamer in this one. Camara scores less but adds a few more rebounds than Grant and makes 2.5 threes per game. Either guy here would be OK, though I prefer Grant.
Center
Williams is a backup player who doesn't put up many stats. He would get some fantasy intrigue if Donovan Clingan were to miss an extended stretch.
