The Best Monday Fantasy Basketball Streamers to Grab Now
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Monday.
I've talked a lot recently about basketball's impending move to the spotlight as football ends, and we take an important step that way on Monday, as the college football championship game is tonight.
There are only three NFL games left to be played over two days; we are running out of football fast. For sports fans who shift with the season, it's just about time to put maximum focus on the NBA (and college basketball, I suppose, as March will be here before we know it).
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Monday. We'll focus on the guys who get on the court and are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from NBA.com.
Use FantasySP's daily and weekly projections to find the guys expected to excel and help make your toughest lineup decisions!
Los Angeles Clippers @ Washington Wizards
The Wizards play at the seventh-fastest pace and have the second-worst defensive rating. Trae Young will be out at least through the All-Star break, and if they stay at the bottom of the standings, that might turn into a season-long injury to help Washington's successful tank.
After a brutal start to the season, the Clippers have turned things around over the past month. They have won five straight and 12 of their last 14, moving them just outside play-in position. There's still a long way to go, but LA's slow start likely relegated them to nothing better than play-in standing.
Guard
Dunn is a starter and plays over 27 minutes per game, but he's more of a defensive ace than an offensive contributor, something that lowers his fantasy value when stats don't add up. Miller played 46 minutes and scored 19 points in an overtime win over the Raptors on Friday. Those aren't normal numbers for him, but there are multiple injuries LA is dealing with, and Miller could get on the court a lot again in this one (he has played at least 27 minutes in five straight games).
Forward
Both Kawhi Leonard and Bogdan Bogdanovic are out, leaving plenty of minutes open at the 2, 3, and 4 positions. Sanders played 37 minutes and scored 13 points in Friday's overtime win, and he is set up to again see plenty of the court today. Batum isn't a fantasy option at this point in his career.
Center
Lopez doesn't play enough now to really be a fantasy option. He started a few games with Ivica Zubac out and put up nice stats, but that's the only time he is more than a low-level or deep-league player.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Indiana Pacers
Indiana plays at the 10th-fastest pace, and though their defensive rating is creeping toward the middle, they are less than a half-point from the bottom-10, still pointing to the Pacers as a good target team, especially when some of our favorites are off today.
The 76ers are coming off a four-game stretch in which they played back-to-back games against the Raptors then did the same against the Cavaliers, matching up against the two teams directly ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings. Philly went 1-3, only picking up a victory against Toronto; now that they're mostly healthy, the Sixers need to build their ceiling to look like a true contender.
Guard
Grimes mostly works as Philadelphia's sixth man, playing 31.6 minutes per game with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He's one of my favorite streaming guards and has a good outlook in this one, particularly if some of the injuries discussed below cause guys to miss the game.
Forward
Paul George is questionable for this game, and if he is out, Oubre gets a major boost. Oubre puts up some decent streaming numbers, averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Barlow is a low-level fantasy guy either way.
Center
Joel Embiid is also questionable, and if he misses the game, Bona moves into the starting lineup and Drummond into a backup role. If Embiid plays, Bona moves into that backup spot, and Drummond is a deep bench player. Bona is a good streamer if Embiid is out but doesn't have much value if the star is playing.
San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz
Utah plays at the third-fastest pace and has the worst defensive rating in the league by nearly 1.5 points per 100 possessions. We couldn't ask for much else; I guess if they rose to the fastest pace, then we'd be looking at a true fantasy unicorn.
The Spurs overcame 55 points from Anthony Edwards to beat the Timberwolves on Saturday 126-123. Victor Wembanyama had 39 points of his own to lead San Antonio. That matchup would be a massively fun playoff series and could be in our future as a second-round matchup or even conference finals.
Guard
Champagnie plays a lot of minutes (28.4) and accumulates stats accordingly, averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He can slot in at both guard and forward, and he gets a boost from Devin Vassell being out. Harper was the second overall pick this year, and he has upside around inconsistency. He's more of a deep-league option most days.
Forward
Vassell's absence has a major impact here as well. Barnes is a starter and plays heavy minutes, but he just doesn't put up numbers, averaging 11 points and two three-pointers per game but not much else. Johnson is at 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, and he's coming off a game in which he scored 20 points in 31 minutes. Johnson is the better streamer here and a decent option today.
Center
Kornet is a backup player who mostly puts up backup stats. He got some starts when Wemby was out and had decent numbers, but that's the only time he'll have real fantasy value.
