Fantasy Basketball Streaming Gold: Start Jaime Jaquez Jr. Today
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
Can you believe that it's the last day of January? Time really does fly, and now 2026 is more than 8% over with.
We're down to about 10 weeks left in the NBA season with the All-Star game a few weeks away, so things are about to get interesting as teams make moves at the trade deadline and the final push starts for postseason position.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday. 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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Atlanta Hawks @ Indiana Pacers
Indiana plays at the ninth-fastest pace and has the 10th-worst defensive rating. They have been hanging around that fringe of the targets that we are looking for, making them an enticing team to go after with streaming players.
The Hawks play at the third-fastest pace, making this a matchup likely to see a lot of possessions. These teams played on Monday in Atlanta, a game the Hawks won 132-116. We can expect another high-scoring game here; fantasy points should be flying on both sides.
Guard
Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and CJ McCollum are all owned in most fantasy leagues, not leaving many quality minutes for our streaming guards. Krejci usually doesn't play much but did get 27 minutes on Thursday with guys out injured; Kennard is a bench player who can shoot but does it at a low volume. You can skip both these guys unless you're in a super-deep league.
Forward
Jalen Johnson missed Thursday's game against the Rockets and is questionable here. Risacher has missed 11 straight games but could return for this one, though that's not confirmed. Injuries will tell a lot about the fantasy value of this group and the next one.
There is risk with Risacher even if he does play, though he should get plenty of opportunities once he's back up to speed. Kispert had his minutes reduced after a good start with Atlanta, but he played 31 minutes and scored 17 points against Houston and would again have plenty of intrigue if both Johnson and Risacher are out.
Center
This group handled most of the power forward and center minutes on Thursday, as starting center Onyeka Okongwu was also out and will miss Saturday's game. None of the three is much of a statistical player; this is simply about the minutes available. You can probably skip each of these guys.
Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls play at the fifth-fastest pace and have the seventh-worst defensive rating. Chicago sits right in the middle of the league in offensive rating, leaving them with a serious cap on their ceiling. It's not a surprise to see the Bulls once again hanging around the play-in, where they seem destined to remain.
This is another matchup of fast teams, as the Heat have played at the quickest pace pretty much all season. This is another recent rematch, as these teams played on Thursday in Chicago, a game Miami won 116-113; we might be able to expect more points in this one.
Guard
Injuries are a major story here also, as Tyler Herro and Norman Powell are both out, and Davion Mitchell is listed as doubtful. That means these three guards, who are generally limited in minutes, will get much more time, putting them on the fantasy radar. Larsson is the best bet to put up big numbers, and he has scored in double figures in three of his past four, including 15 points in 29 minutes on Thursday.
Smith has three straight games with more than 10 points, though those are the only three times he reached that mark in January. Jakucionis was regarded as a strong player in the draft, but he's only a 19-year-old rookie and doesn't yet put up many numbers. (Jakucionis was born a few weeks after I graduated high school, and that makes me want to vomit.)
Forward
Jaquez is one of my favorite streamers, so it makes sense that his ownership rate is close to moving him off the streaming list. He is averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, and he had 19, 10, and six on Thursday. With so many guys out, he's a big-time fantasy player today. Fontecchio generally doesn't do much, and even expanded minutes wouldn't put him on our radar.
Center
Jovic is just a backup player, and the big men are healthy, so he won't get as much benefit from the absences, though there might be a few more forward minutes available.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans plays at the 11th-fastest pace and has the fourth-worst defensive rating. They are one of the worst teams in the league by record, point differential, defensive rating, and offensive rating, not hiding many underlying numbers that point toward coming success (though the Pelicans did beat Memphis yesterday).
The 76ers won their first four games and have essentially played .500 basketball since, holding a 26-21 record overall. That's enough to have them above the play-in, though that margin is small. Philadelphia needs a roster of injury-prone stars healthy in the playoffs; that is the case now, but we still have over two months until the postseason.
Guard
Grimes is probable with an ankle injury, and if he does play, he's the best streamer from this group. His minutes have gone down over the past few weeks, making his production inconsistent, but Grimes can put the ball in the basket, averaging 13.3 points and two three-pointers per game. McCain is a lower-level backup who doesn't do enough to be on the fantasy radar when everyone is healthy.
Forward
Oubre has dealt with injuries but has been productive when on the floor. Before combining for just 11 points in his past two games, Oubre had reached double figures in six straight games. There's some inconsistent upside here. Barlow is a lesser statistical player who isn't generally on the fantasy radar, though he can also slot in at center, bumping his value just a bit.
Center
Bona doesn't play enough minutes to be a fantasy factor when Joel Embiid is in the lineup. Pick the spots when the matchup is right and Embiid is out to try Bona as a low-level streamer, but not here.
