Grab Fantasy Basketball Streamers From These Three Teams on Tuesday
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Tuesday.
I have talked about how the NBA was finally able to take the spotlight after the NFL season ended, but that is currently on hold, as NFL free agency negotiations started yesterday and dominated the news.
Basketball has its time coming; March Madness selection Sunday is this weekend. This is another piece of evidence that the NBA is far behind, though, without much hope of catching the NFL any time soon.
Moving to fantasy basketball, let's look at streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Tuesday. 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 Who Should I Start? tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions every day!
Golden State Warriors vs. Chicago Bulls
Chicago plays at the fourth-fastest pace and has the eighth-worst defensive rating. The Bulls are creeping toward being more functional on defense, but with a roster that has gone through plenty of in-season churn and without much incentive to keep winning, we are likely to see them stay among the worst over the final month.
The Warriors were listed here yesterday against the Jazz, a game that Golden State lost 119-116. Their play-in spot is still essentially locked in, so Golden State's main concern has to be getting/keeping everyone healthy, most importantly Stephen Curry, who hasn't played since late January.
Guard
Podziemski is the best option from this group, a guy who averaged 21.7 points in his first three games in March before finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals yesterday. He's worth a spot in a fantasy lineup today.
Melton has combined for 45 points, 13 rebounds, five steals, and three blocks over his past two games. He is a strong scorer who doesn't always add much else, but he is a decent streamer if you need points.
Forward
Moody has missed the past three games and is questionable here. He's another guy who scores but doesn't do much else, and there's some risk even if he does play. Santos is a better option, a guy who has been hot over the past month-plus. He came a bit out of nowhere, but Santos is a strong streamer who would be owned in more leagues if he had a bigger name.
Payton has gotten more court time with guys injured in front of him. He's another guy who adds more points than anything else, and he does it at a lower level than Melton and Moody, leaving Payton off the fantasy radar in most leagues.
Center
Horford and Kristaps Porzingis missed yesterday's game, leaving Post to play 25 minutes and finish with 10 points and four rebounds. Prior to that, he hadn't played much recently, and Horford and Porzingis are both set to possibly play in this one, which would relegate Post to the deep bench.
Horford has put together some good games recently but is inconsistent statistically and tough to trust regularly. If Porzingis misses this one, Horford would get a bump, but otherwise he's just a deep-league streamer.
Miami Heat vs. Washington Wizards
Washington plays at the sixth-fastest pace and has the second-worst defensive rating. Trae Young has now played two games for the Wiz, staying under 20 minutes in both, but importantly, they lost both games, improving their chances of keeping their top-eight protected draft pick.
The Heat currently sit in the play-in but are in great position to jump into the top six in the East, just percentage points behind the Magic for that spot currently. Miami has three games remaining against the Wizards (including today), one against Orlando, and one against Indiana, but they also have tough matchups with the Spurs, Rockets, Cavs, and more, so nothing will come easy.
Guard
There's not much streaming value among these guys; Mitchell is the starter and plays the most minutes, but that number has dropped a bit along with his production. Mitchell's per-game assists have dropped every month since November, and his scoring did the same before seeing a small bump in February. He's a low-level fantasy player.
A first-round rookie, Jakucionis won't turn 20 until late May. While his future is bright, Jakucionis is just a reserve player now who doesn't put up the stats to be on the fantasy radar. Smith is even a step lower on the ladder, not someone to consider.
Forward
Jaquez is one of my favorite streamers in the league, though his ownership has reached 50%, putting him on the fringe of the streaming world. He has reached at least 18 points and four assists in all four March games, and he grabbed at least five rebounds in three of those games.
Larsson can score the ball (10.4 points per game) but doesn't add much else, leaving him as a low-level fantasy player.
Center
- None
Both Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware are owned in most leagues, and Nikola Jovic has been out injured.
Sacramento Kings vs. Indiana Pacers
Indiana plays at the eighth-fastest pace and has the seventh-worst defensive rating. It's a lost season for last year's Eastern Conference champions, but they will surely hope to at least jump back into the playoffs next year with the return of Tyrese Haliburton.
The Kings are half a game behind the Pacers, giving Sacramento the current distinction of worst record in the league. With the flattened lottery odds, it's not as important for a bad team to finish last, and both teams are in position to possibly finish among the bottom three, getting those maximum chances at the top pick.
Guard
Clifford has been his best since the beginning of February, averaging 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.1 steals during that month. He has scored in double figures in nine of 15 games since the beginning of February.
Monk is even a better scorer and had 30 points against the Bulls on Sunday (when he was listed here). Monk doesn't add much outside of scoring, but it's a real skill that he exhibits regularly (along with 2.1 3-pointers per game).
Forward
Achiuwa has been a standout recently, putting up four double-doubles since the All-Star break. In four March games, he is averaging 17 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 36.5 minutes per game; he's a good pickup today. Plowden is an inconsistent statistical player who isn't on the fantasy radar for the most part.
Center
The 42nd pick in the most recent draft, Raynaud may not have expected to play a ton, but injuries in front of him have moved the rookie into the starting lineup, where he has put up some big numbers. Raynaud is averaging 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in four March games, and he has notched at least 10 points and five boards in nine straight games.
Eubanks is a lower reserve player who hasn't put up numbers often enough to be a real fantasy option.
