Small Slate, Big Upside: Saturday Fantasy Basketball Streamers
Streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday.
With just three games on the NBA schedule today, we are short on all types of fantasy players, including streamers. We are blessed with one fantastic matchup and one OK matchup, though, so there are some guys worth looking at picking up if you need help.
Let's look at streaming players from two NBA teams with good matchups on Saturday. 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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Detroit Pistons @ Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia is our matchup today that is just OK, not reaching the levels of dregs of the league (which we will see with the next pairing). Over the full season, the 76ers rank right in the middle in both pace and defensive rating. When looking just at the time since the All-Star break, though, Philly has played at the sixth-fastest pace and holds a defensive rating just outside the bottom 10, making them more targetable on a short day.
The Pistons won't top the Thunder or Spurs in the West, meaning they wouldn't have homecourt advantage in a potential Finals matchup with either, but they have a four-game lead on Boston in the East with both teams having just five games remaining. Locking in the top seed is a major bonus, and if Cade Cunningham can return and get up to full speed quickly, Detroit is in position to make a major run in the playoffs.
Guard
Jenkins is the main beneficiary of Cunningham's absence. He has played 10 games since March 17, when Cunningham left after just five minutes, and in those contests, Jenkins scored at least 15 points in eight games and had at least five assists in all but one game. There's real fantasy value through the end of the season.
Robinson has also seen a boost since Cunningham went out. Robinson has reached at least 10 points and two 3-pointers in all seven games he has played without the star, averaging 14 and 3.6, respectively, during that time. LeVert is a lesser statistical player who can score a bit but doesn't generally do enough to be on the fantasy radar.
Forward
Harris left Thursday's game after just six minutes due to a knee contusion, and he's questionable here. With the Pistons pretty much locked into their playoff seed, it wouldn't be surprising to see Harris sit out, but if he does play, he is the best fantasy option from this group.
Huerter has had his best stretch with the Pistons over the past five games, averaging 14 points and 2.4 3-pointers in that time. He doesn't add a lot else, but Huerter can help as a low-level streamer in a deep league. Both Holland and Green have shown a little scoring ability, but neither guy does it consistently enough to be a real option unless you're in a super-deep league.
Center
Isaiah Stewart hasn't played since March 13, and he remains out here. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him sit until the playoffs. Reed had a few good games in March, particularly when getting extended minutes, but he is more often limited to deeper reserve minutes and not a fantasy option.
Miami Heat vs. Washington Wizards
Washington is our top-line target today, a team that ranks sixth in pace and has the worst defensive rating in the league over the full season. In just the post-All-Star timeframe, the Wizards rank third in pace and have the second-worst defensive rating, keeping them as one of our best targets over the final stretch.
The Heat are currently 10th in the East, and though they are guaranteed to make the postseason in some form, it looks like they will be relegated to the play-in. They are within a game of eighth place, a spot that would allow them two chances to win and move further into the playoffs, so Miami has plenty to play for the rest of the way.
Guard
Miami has seriously tightened their rotation in the leadup to the playoffs, leaving us with a dearth of streaming options from the bench. Mitchell is a starter, having begun all 66 games that he has played and averaging over 28 minutes per game. His production is middling or worse, averaging 9.2 points, 6.5 assists, and 1 steal on the season.
His March numbers were all close to the same, and he is coming off a big game on Thursday in which he played 40 minutes and finished with 21 points and seven assists. Mitchell will keep getting minutes if the rotation stays tight, but it's tough to trust him as more than a lower-level fantasy guy.
Forward
Norman Powell is out for this game, and both Larsson and Jaquez have decent fantasy value because of it. Jaquez does a little of everything, averaging 15 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on the season. His numbers in March were close to the same, and on Wednesday, he had 17 points and 10 boards.
Larsson is a little lower in each category; he's still an OK streamer today, but Jaquez is the better option if you can grab him.
Center
Ware is owned in over 50% of leagues, but his ownership has been steadily dropping for a while, and his minutes have dropped at the same time. He averaged 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.1 steals in March versus his season-long numbers of 10.9, 9, 1, and 0.8, respectively.
That leaves him close to the same fantasy value, though he has a defined ceiling when Bam Adebayo is healthy and active.
