Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Target These Sunday Defensive Disasters
Streaming players from three NBA teams with good matchups on Sunday.
The last day of the NBA season is two weeks from today. We already know the 20 teams that will make the postseason, but there is a lot to figure out in the standings, particularly near the play-in in both conferences.
Moving to fantasy basketball, 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.
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Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings
Though Sacramento is right in the middle of the league in pace over the full season, they are only about one possession per 48 minutes outside the top 10, leaving them close enough for our purposes. Throw in their third-worst defensive rating, and the Kings are a team worth targeting. Their numbers are very similar since the All-Star break, not doing anything to change our perception.
The Nets are fighting for the worst record in the league. The bottom three teams end up tied for the best odds in the lottery, so it's important for a team near the bottom this late to keep losing and not waste a horrendous season by accidentally winning too much in the final few weeks. Brooklyn's final eight games bring one goal: lose.
Guard
Traore and Saraf have similar stats in March, both averaging around 9 points, 4 assists, and 1 steals per game. Traore has a slight advantage because he is at 1.2 3-pointers this month while Saraf doesn't make hardly any, but both guys are low-level, deep-league options at best.
Powell and Mann are even lesser statistical players than the other two. Since the Nets are spreading minutes around (as any team near the bottom of the standings is wise to do), there aren't many opportunities for big performances.
Forward
Clowney has a few decent season-long numbers, averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2 3-pointers, and just under one block and one steal per game. His March numbers are all lower, and that includes time missed with injury; Clowney isn't much of a fantasy asset right now. Johnson has had a few decent scoring games but not enough consistency to be a fantasy option in his short time above the G League.
Williams is the best fantasy player here, averaging 13.5 points, 2 steals, and 1.5 3-pointers per game in March. Each of those numbers are better than his season-long marks, and Williams has a little lower-level intrigue.
Center
Minott has averaged around 11 points and 2 3-pointers in 13 games since joining the Nets (from Boston), OK low-level marks, but he doesn't add anything else, leaving him short of a fantasy level most days. He has also been added to the injury report and is questionable here.
Miami Heat @ Indiana Pacers
Indiana has by far the worst defensive rating in the league since the All-Star game. They are fourth worst over the full season, and they rank in the top 10 in pace in both segments of time, leaving them as one of our top targets. They are one game worse than Brooklyn, leaving the Pacers with the current worst record.
The Heat are part of a group of six teams fighting to get above the play-in in the East. They are guaranteed to make the postseason in some form and just 2.5 games behind the fifth seed, meaning a strong final stretch could help them skip the play-in altogether.
Guard
Though Mitchell gets on the court, he doesn't put up a ton of stats, working more as a rotation guy in the fifth starter spot. He is averaging 9 points and 6.5 assists per game, OK low-level work but not enough for most fantasy leagues.
Jakucionis was seen as a draft steal by some when he fell to the 20th pick last June, and while he has upside, he's not nearly enough of a statistical player to be on our radar right now.
Forward
Jaquez's season-long numbers are solid fantasy marks: 14.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. He has been down just a little since the new year, but he still does enough to be a low-to-mid-level fantasy contributor. He's fine as a streamer.
Larsson adds some scoring (11 points per game on the season and better in each of the past three months), but he doesn't do a lot else, leaving him with a lower ceiling and floor than you'd like.
Center
- None
Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware handle the center minutes in Miami, and they are both owned in way too many leagues to be thought of as streamers (though Ware has a bit of availability).
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Washington Wizards
Washington might be our favorite target right now. Over the full season, they rank sixth in pace and have the worst defensive rating. Just when looking at the time since the All-Star break, the Wizards are third in pace and have the third-worst defensive rating, leaving them as a fantastic target the rest of the way.
The Blazers are another team fighting for postseason position, though they are essentially locked into the play-in. The teams currently ranked No. 8 through No. 10 (the Clippers, Blazers, and Warriors) are within two games of each other, so it will be a dogfight to try to secure that eighth spot to get two chances to win one game to advance into the playoffs.
Guard
Camara does a little low-level stat-sheet stuffing, averaging 12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.5 3-pointers per game in March. His season-long numbers are all close to the same, making Camara an OK option.
Henderson is close to the same in scoring and shooting (14.1 points, 2.1 3-pointers in March), but he doesn't add as much elsewhere, leaving him a half-step below Camara but still worth low-level consideration.
Forward
Grant left Friday's game with an injury (after playing 29 minutes) and is questionable for this game. He's Portland's best streamer if active, as he is averaging 17.7 points, 1.1 steals, and 2.8 3-pointers per game in March. His points are a little higher over the full season while the other stats are slightly lower, but Grant is a decent fantasy option either way.
Neither Murray nor Thybulle does enough statistically to be on our fantasy radar, mixing intermittent decent performances with many more anonymous games.
Center
Williams is relegated to backup work behind Donovan Clingan, so even though he has decent statistical games now and then, it's hard to trust him unless you're in a super-deep league or desperate at center (or when Clingan is out).
