He’s Scored Double Digits in 10 Straight: The Fantasy Basketball Secret Waiver Wire Weapon
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Thursday.
Welcome back from the NBA All-Star break! Every team has fewer than 30 games remaining, leaving us truly in the home stretch. In less than two months, we will have the full postseason picture locked in and be ready for a wide-open playoff.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Thursday. 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 waiver wire tool to find the players being added to fantasy rosters most often!
Indiana Pacers @ Washington Wizards
We'll start with a game in which both teams are among our best streaming targets. Not only are Washington and Indiana at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, but they also have the two worst point differentials in the East. Brooklyn is just one game better than both, creating the clear bottom of the conference (and the teams with no shot at the play-in). Others will join.
Washington plays as the seventh-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating. Indiana is 10th in pace and has the 10th-worst defensive rating, on the fringe of both metrics, but together, that makes them one of our top five groups to go after.
Indiana Pacers
Guard
The Pacers have a lot of guys out or questionable considering that we're returning from a week off, and it leaves questions as to which streaming players are most likely to be on the court and produce.
Nesmith and McConnell are both questionable. Nesmith is the best of the group if he's active, averaging 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.9 3-pointers per game. McConnell does a little of everything but does it at a low level, capping his fantasy value.
Jones hasn't played much this season, but he topped 20 minutes in four of his five February games so far with guys missing around him, though with low stats. He's probably a player to skip even if the other two guys are out.
Forward
Pascal Siakam will miss this one with a personal matter, something that especially helps Walker (and the centers). While Walker's season-long numbers are a little more modest, he has scored in double figures in each of his past 10 games and in 16 of 20 since the new year. He's a strong streamer today. Sheppard is a guard/forward player who could see increased minutes due to other guys missing, but Walker is the superior option.
Center
Ivica Zubac was acquired at the trade deadline, but he will be out for a while, leaving the center minutes mostly to Huff and Potter (and Siakam when he's in the lineup). Potter is also questionable, and if he sits, Huff would be a good option. If both big men are active, then they are both lower-level fantasy guys who can probably be skipped unless you're desperate.
Washington Wizards
Guard
Washington is one of several teams that could have a lot of lineup shuffling during the final two months because they will be simultaneously developing guys, getting a look at some new/young players, and tanking.
Carrington is a name that you can expect to be on the court, as the second-year lottery pick is averaging 28 minutes per game. His stats leave him as a lower-level streamer with a little intrigue: 10.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 3-pointers per game.
Johnson scores a little more than Carrington (12.9 points) and also makes 2.1 3-pointers per game, but he doesn't add much else. Cooper has only played 12 games and hasn't done much statistically, making him tough to trust for anything.
Forward
Coulibaly, the seventh overall pick in 2023, is another guy who does a little bit of everything but does most of it at a low level, capping his fantasy impact: 9.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks. That can be feasible for a guy who can fill in at both guard and forward in many leagues. Champagnie is a lesser statistical player who isn't on the fantasy radar most days.
Center
Alexandre Sarr is out, leaving these two to fill most of the center minutes. Just like with Indiana, the two centers are not good fantasy options behind the injured starter. Neither guy generally gets on the court enough to make a real impact, and even if one of them was to have a good game, it's tough to pick between the two. Skip this position for Washington.
Toronto Raptors @ Chicago Bulls
Chicago plays at the fifth-fastest pace and has the sixth-worst defensive rating. More than any other team, we will need time to see what the Bulls will be over the rest of the year after a major roster shakeup at the trade deadline. I'd say it's a safe bet that they will continue as one of our favorite targets no matter who is in the lineup.
The Raptors are in good position to finish in the top six in their conference, currently nine games above .500 and three above the play-in. Winning just 14 of their final 27 would be enough to lock in a top-six spot, and if they do even better, they could move into home-court advantage in the opening round.
Guard
Toronto's five starters are all owned in most fantasy leagues, leaving subpar streaming options from most of the squad. Shead is the better player here by virtue of his 5.4 assists to just 1 for Walter, but the two are very similar otherwise with low-level stats.
Forward
Dick has regressed more than developed, playing career-worst basketball this season. He has his worst box numbers of his career (or very close to it) in essentially every category, most notably down close to 30% on 3-pointers, his best skill entering the league. Dick isn't worthy of fantasy consideration.
Center
Jakob Poeltl returned for one game before the break after missing close to eight weeks. He played just 20 minutes and could ease back into the lineup, but Poeltl's return pushes both Murray-Boyles and Mamukelashvili below a fantasy level, meaning you can probably find a better center option elsewhere.
