Fantasy Basketball Streaming: Pickups for Thursday's Short Slate
Streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Thursday.
Dealing with days in which you are short on active players is sometimes a reality in all fantasy sports, but the NBA is especially short today, as we have just three games in action. In the middle of the season, that's not a big deal, but for those trying to hit their minutes/games limits and make a push over the final few weeks, it can be a serious issue.
For those still in the championship hunt, time is running perilously short. The last day of the NBA season is on April 12, about two-and-a-half weeks away. If you have plenty of games left to fill, it's time to go all out and throw in players who are in position to possibly excel.
Let's look at streaming players from two 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 daily and weekly projections to find the players expected to excel and help make your toughest lineup decisions!
Detroit Pistons vs. New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans is a more favorable target when looking at the full season, where they rank just outside the top 10 in pace and have the seventh-worst defensive rating.
In just the time since the All-Star break, the Pelicans are closer to the middle of the league in both pace and defensive rating, though they are slightly on the right side of those numbers for our purposes. With so few games today, this is a team that is worth targeting.
The Pistons lead the Eastern Conference by four games with just 10 remaining for both them and the second-place Celtics; Detroit is likely to lock in that top seed and homecourt advantage throughout the East playoffs. (The Pistons did lose yesterday against the Hawks while the Celtics beat the Thunder, moving Boston a little closer.)
The major question is the status of Cade Cunningham, who is dealing with a collapsed lung. There is optimism that he could return for the playoffs, and Detroit might be OK in the first round even if he needs more time, but this team can't compete for a title without their best player.
Guard
Without Cunningham, there are a lot of minutes and shots to be filled. Robinson does some scoring and shooting, averaging 10.6 points and 2.4 3-pointers in March. Both those numbers are down from his season averages, and he doesn't add much else, leaving him as a lower-level fantasy guy.
LeVert is a deeper reserve who doesn't generally get the minutes or numbers to be on our radar.
Jenkins is the interesting one here, as he is primarily filling the void left by Cunningham. In his past five games (including the one in which Cunningham was hurt), Jenkins has averaged 19 points, 7.6 assists, and 2 3-pointers per game, giving him plenty of intrigue here.
Forward
Harris is averaging 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds in March, both numbers a little better than his season-long marks. That's fine if you need help at forward, though he is owned in close to half of fantasy leagues.
Huerter has some games where he scores a little more, but he has been too inconsistent to trust in your fantasy lineup unless guys are out in front of him.
Green and Holland are both lesser fantasy players than the guys mentioned above, not putting up enough numbers to be on our radar. Holland is a guy to watch in the future as a former fifth overall pick who doesn't turn 21 until July.
Center
Isaiah Stewart is out, leaving Reed in main backup center role, but outside of a few games, he hasn't put up many stats and is below the level of a fantasy player.
Orlando Magic vs. Sacramento Kings
Over the full season, Sacramento ranks right in the middle in pace while holding the third-worst defensive rating. They are just outside the top 10 in pace since the All-Star game, and they have the fifth-worst defensive rating, right in line with their season-long ranking.
The Kings likely had hopes of competing for the play-in given the veterans and names on the roster, but injuries and poor performances from some of those guys have them holding the worst record in the West and the fourth-worst record in the league overall.
The Magic are part of a large glob of teams in the middle of the East who could finish anywhere between the fifth and 10th seed, where the six franchises are within three games of each other. Orlando is currently No. 10 in the conference, placing them in the play-in, but they could climb above that level with a strong finish. There's a lot to figure out over the next few weeks.
Guard
Anthony Black remains out, and Jalen Suggs missed the past two games and is questionable here, so there could be a lot of minutes available for these backup guards. Carter played 24 and 27 minutes in the previous two games without Suggs, and after a slow first game, he had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three 3-pointers on Tuesday.
Howard has played fewer minutes and generally put up fewer stats as a result. Neither Carter nor Howard are a great option, but Carter has a little low-level intrigue if Suggs is out again.
Forward
da Silva is having his best month in March, averaging 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2 3-pointers while reaching double figures in 10 of 14 games. With Franz Wagner still out, da Silva is in line to keep producing moderate numbers.
Cain didn't play much most of the season but has seen at least 18 minutes in the past four games, reaching 10 points in three of those four and averaging 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in that stretch.
Center
Carter has been one of my favorite streamers all season and continues to put up numbers, averaging 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game in March. Those aren't high-level numbers, but it's enough to be an asset if you need help at center.
Bitadze has been back in the main backup center role over the past week, but his numbers aren't enough to put him on the fantasy radar.
