Target These Saturday Matchups for Fantasy Basketball Streamers
Streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
We have a bit of a short day today in terms of streaming options. I generally give you players from three different teams, but we only really have two good matchups today. I considered stretching the definition to reach the usual three, but some days, it's better to just take what we have and be happy with it; this world has a terrible habit of nothing ever being good enough.
Let's look at streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday. We'll focus on the guys who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from NBA.com.
Use FantasySP's defensive rankings to find the players and teams with the best matchups every day!
Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards
Washington ranks fifth in pace and has the second-worst defensive rating over the full season. Since the All-Star break, they have played faster than any other team while holding the third-worst defensive rating. There might not be a better target right now than the Wizards.
The Celtics are essentially guaranteed homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but they would surely love to hold onto the second seed, which they currently own with a one-game lead over the Knicks. Jumping to the top seed would require overcoming a five-game deficit to the Pistons, so Boston is more likely to end up second, third, or fourth.
Guard
Boston's starters handle a major bulk of the minutes, touches, and shots, meaning there's not always much streaming value to be found.
Scheierman does a little shooting and scoring; though his season-long numbers are low, he has averaged over 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in February and March while adding close to two 3-pointers per game. Walsh doesn't put up enough numbers to be anywhere near the fantasy radar.
Forward
Hauser is the guy to look for here, as he is averaging 9.3 points and 2.6 3-pointers per game. He doesn't add much else, but he can give you some mild shooting and scoring. Harper played 33 minutes and scored 22 points on Tuesday against the Spurs, but that was a true outlier; he has otherwise combined for just 38 minutes and 11 points in five other March games.
Center
Nikola Vucevic is probably out until the playoffs, leaving the center minutes to be filled by these two. Queta is a decent fantasy player, averaging 9.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on the season. Each of those numbers is as good or better in six March games.
Garza is in a reserve role and usually doesn't do enough to be a fantasy asset.
LA Clippers vs. Sacramento Kings
Sacramento's full-season numbers have them pegged as the third-worst defensive team while playing at a league-average pace. Since the All-Star break, they are seventh in pace and have the sixth-worst defensive rating, making them even more attractive as a target. On a day in which we are a little shorter, the Kings are a great team to go after.
The Clippers were listed here yesterday when they played the Bulls, a game that the Clips won 119-108. LA currently has the eighth seed in the West, which would give them two shots at advancing, but both the Warriors and Blazers are close behind, so there will be no room for error moving forward. The Clippers are almost guaranteed to finish in the play-in.
Guard
Darius Garland missed yesterday's game and is questionable here; his status directly affects these guys.
Miller has the most upside, and yesterday he scored 14 points in 27 minutes. He is intriguing if Garland is out again. Dunn doesn't put up much for numbers, giving more value in real basketball than fantasy.
Forward
There are more forward minutes and touches to go around with John Collins out, and Jones is the biggest beneficiary. In seven games this month without Collins, Jones is averaging 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game.
Even without Collins, Batum still doesn't get on the court enough to make a fantasy impact.
Center
Back in a starter's role since the trade deadline, Lopez has been putting up decent stats, including 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and nearly 2 3-pointers per game in March. Yesterday against the Bulls, he had 11 points, seven boards, and five blocked shots.
Jackson is in a reserve role, generally playing fewer than 20 minutes each game and putting up lower stats because of it.
