The Secret Fantasy Basketball Weapons Hiding in Sunday's Fastest Matchups
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Sunday.
While God rested on the seventh day, fantasy basketball rarely takes a day off during the season, so we are here with a Sunday edition of fantasy basketball streamers. The season is running short; we have less than two months remaining. If you need to make a move in your fantasy standings, the next few weeks might be your last chance to do it.
Let's look at streaming players from 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.
Use FantasySP's daily and weekly projections to find the players expected to perform best!
Charlotte Hornets @ Washington Wizards
Washington plays at the sixth-fastest pace and has the third-worst defensive rating. The Wizards spent most of the early season last in defensive rating, then they moved up to second worst ahead of Utah, and now Sacramento has fallen below the Washington; that's progress, I suppose.
The Hornets are 10th in the East, which might not sound like a lot, but for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2016, they are in position to at least reach the play-in. Charlotte ranks ninth in offensive rating and right near the middle in defensive rating, which should be enough to keep them inside the top 10 in the conference.
Guard
Charlotte's top three guards, LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Coby White, are all owned in most fantasy leagues, meaning there aren't a lot of quality streaming minutes for these guys. White is out for this one, which will open things up, but none of the three listed here is much of a statistical player. You can find a better option elsewhere.
Forward
Williams didn't make his debut until January 10 and didn't do much during that first month, but he has scored in double figures in four of six games in February, including 20 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes in his first game after the All-Star break. Connaughton hasn't played much but could get some extra time with guys out. He's not much of a fantasy player either way.
Center
Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate are suspended for this game, meaning more minutes for these two and Williams. Kalkbrenner has played at least 30 minutes in each of the past two games, combining for 24 points and 17 rebounds. He will likely get a lot of minutes in this one again, making him a decent streamer. Hall doesn't play much or put up many stats, leaving him as a player to skip.
Dallas Mavericks @ Indiana Pacers
Indiana plays at the eighth-fastest pace and has the 11th-worst defensive rating. It's a lost season for the Pacers, who lost Tyrese Haliburton to a torn Achilles in Game 7 of the Finals while also losing Myles Turner in free agency without adding any high-level impact players.
The Mavs aren't quite as lowly, but they are likely to miss the postseason altogether, sitting 17 games below .500 and seven back of 10th place. They have the most important piece in place in Cooper Flagg, but it's going to take a few years to get anywhere close to competing at the highest level.
Guard
Christie plays the most minutes and puts up the best fantasy numbers from this group, though he doesn't add much more than a little scoring and shooting (and he's questionable here). Williams puts up similar stats but just a bit lower across the board, while Jones is new to the team and hasn't played much yet in Dallas.
Forward
This is a strong group of streamers, with a few guys bordering on being owned in too many leagues to qualify. Washington and Marshall are both owned in over 40% of leagues, while 50% is usually the cutoff I use. They still have some availability if you need help at forward. Those two are the best options (with Washington having a slight advantage), while Middleton is the next step down but still an OK low-to-mid-level streamer.
Center
Gafford is also questionable here, but if he plays, these two have essentially split the center minutes over their past two games (one before the All-Star break, one after). Bagley has been better in the three games the two have played together, and he has a higher ceiling, but Gafford's floor might be a little more solid. Neither is a great option.
New York Knicks @ Chicago Bulls
Chicago plays at the fifth-fastest pace and has the sixth-worst defensive rating. Chicago lost their first eight games of February, including all six since the trade deadline. This isn't a surprise; the Bulls are on the way down.
The Knicks won eight in a row before alternating wins and losses over the past six. They are in good position to stay above the play-in if they can just play middling basketball, but New York has a chance to climb as high as second in the East if they finish the season strong.
Guard
New York's five starters are all owned in most fantasy leagues, leaving us with bench guys for streamers. That severely limits their ceiling, leaving us with lower-level options. Alvarado is often more of a defensive addition who doesn't put up many stats, while Shamet scores a little more but really doesn't add much else. You can find a better player elsewhere.
Forward
Neither of these two have put up many numbers this year, and they both played only four minutes apiece yesterday. There's no fantasy value here.
Center
Robinson is a reserve player who plays a reserve role and puts up reserve stats; that's not a good fantasy player. If Karl-Anthony Towns ever misses time with injury, Robinson will get more run, but until then, he's a guy to skip.
