Grab These Wednesday Fantasy Basketball Streamers Before It's Too Late
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Wednesday.
I don't have a long preamble for you today; sorry to those who look forward to it. That means we can get directly into the fantasy basketball day, though, which is a treat for those who like getting down to business.
Let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Wednesday. 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 who are being added to fantasy teams most often.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Indiana Pacers
Indiana plays at the eighth-fastest pace and has the eighth-worst defensive rating. The Pacers are tied with Brooklyn for the worst record in the East and are ahead of just Sacramento in the West; adding a top-five pick to the returning Tyrese Haliburton next year could make this team look much different.
The Clippers are essentially locked into the play-in, though they could fall out of the postseason completely if they bottom out the rest of the way and Memphis hits a hot streak. Los Angeles will surely look to get back in the hunt next season with a major move or two, but this has to be a massive disappointment given the names on the roster at the beginning of the year.
Guard
Dunn had probably his best month in February, averaging 4 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game to go along with 8.2 points (which is right at his season average). He's not a great fantasy player, but Dunn has been a little better since James Harden was traded. Miller is more of a scorer than Dunn but doesn't add as much of the other stuff; he's another lower-level streamer.
Forward
John Collins is out, which benefits Jones as well as the guys listed at center. Jones averages double-digit points but doesn't add a lot else, though his scoring has been up since the new year. Sanders doesn't do enough to be on the fantasy radar.
Center
Ivica Zubac was traded to the Pacers at the deadline (and hasn't debuted for them yet), moving Lopez into the starting role. Lopez's minutes, points, and rebounds have improved since that time, but only to a small degree, keeping him as a lower-level streamer.
Niederhauser started getting more minutes after Zubac's trade, but the rookie is a lower-level statistical guy, not worth fantasy consideration right now.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Utah Jazz
Utah plays at the second-fastest pace and has the worst defensive rating in the league. The Jazz are another team at the bottom of the standings, and with their first-round pick hanging in the balance (top-eight protected), we will likely see them do everything possible to keep losing.
Philadelphia is just a half-game above Orlando for the sixth seed in the East, and they lost by 40 points yesterday to San Antonio. The Spurs are an excellent team, and Joel Embiid was out, but there's just too much evidence showing that the 76ers can't compete with the best in the playoffs.
Guard
VJ Edgecombe left yesterday's game with back soreness, and it's unclear if he will play today. If he is out, Grimes has intrigue as a player who can put the ball in the basket. Grimes is inconsistent in the numbers he puts up, leaving him as a risky proposition. Payne was playing in Serbia until signing with Philly after the All-Star break, and he hasn't done nearly enough to add to your roster.
Forward
Oubre missed yesterday's game with an illness and is questionable here. He is owned in around 45% of leagues, near the streaming line, but there's enough availability to check and see if you can grab him. Oubre averaged 15.5 points and 5 rebounds in February, each a little higher than his season numbers.
Barlow has put up some numbers when guys ahead of him (like Embiid) have been out, though he is inconsistent. There's more intrigue with Barlow than the guys listed in the center section.
Center
Embiid remains out, moving Bona into the starting lineup and Drummond into the backup role. Neither of the two really does enough to be worth fantasy consideration, even with the star big man inactive.
Portland Trail Blazers @ Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis plays at the 10th-fastest pace and has the 12th-worst defensive rating. They are right near the fringe of our targets in both areas, but that's enough to make them a good secondary target when we don't have our top teams to go after.
The Blazers are five games ahead of the Grizzlies for the 10th spot in the West, and they can help really lock in that position with a victory here. Portland isn't in a great spot by any means, but when they were seen as maybe one of the worst teams in the league entering the season, it has to feel like a win for Blazer fans (including my sister-in-law, who doesn't find my Portland jokes funny).
Guard
Henderson has name recognition as a former second overall pick. He didn't debut until February 6 but has scored double figures in nine of his 10 games, scoring eight points in the other. There's a little value here.
Krejci is averaging about the same numbers with Portland that he did with Atlanta, which is around nine points and not much else. He's below the level of a fantasy player.
Forward
This is where the most streaming value exists in Portland, though both guys are owned in 40% of leagues or more. Camara is averaging 13 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.5 3-pointers on the season, and he essentially matched those numbers in February, keeping up his strong play.
Grant is at 18.5 points and 2.3 3-pointers per game, and like Camara, he kept those numbers steady in February. Both Camara and Grant are good streamers.
Center
Williams is just a reserve who doesn't play enough to be worth a spot outside of the deepest leagues.
