Welcome dear readers to Rotoballer's guide on how to best utilize your streaming spot (or two) in Week 6. Streaming can be the decisive factor on who wins your matchup, and when you use them well and complement your team's needs, more often than not, the winner will be you.
However, it's difficult to predict who will have a good week or to calculate which players will give you the best opportunity to win your next duel. So to make it a bit easier on fantasy owners, we are taking a look at the NBA teams' schedules for next week and providing you with some standout options that could be the difference between a W or an L come the following Monday.
Welcome to Rotoballer's fantasy basketball streamers for Week 6.
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NBA Schedule Guide - Week 6
With Thanksgiving killing the action on Thursday, there are only six playing days next week. Tuesday and Saturday will be our focal points as they have a total of six games played between them - two on Tuesday and four on Saturday. These are the days that will surely give fantasy owners the most headaches.
All other days have a minimum of nine games so there should be no problems with fielding a decent starting lineup here. Do check however if you need help on other days as well and plan accordingly.
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Teams with 3 games:
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
Teams with 2 games:
Denver Nuggets
Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 22
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 28
Thursday: -
Friday: 26
Saturday: 8
Sunday: 18
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: -
Tuesday/Wednesday: LAC, WAS
Wednesday/Thursday: -
Thursday/Friday: -
Friday/Saturday: ATL, CHA, IND, MIL, PHI
Saturday/Sunday: -
Sunday/Monday the following: GSW, MEM, NYK, UTA
Days with six or fewer games
Tuesday: 2 games
Thursday: no games
Saturday: 4 games
Teams playing on Tue/Sat:
Denver Nuggets (2 games - Tue, Sat)
Teams playing on Tuesday:
Los Angeles Clippers (4 games - Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Washington Wizards (4 games - Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Dallas Mavericks (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sun)
Denver Nuggets
Teams playing on Saturday:
Atlanta Hawks (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Indiana Pacers (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Milwaukee Bucks (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Philadelphia 76ers (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Sacramento Kings (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Houston Rockets (2 games - Wed, Sat)
Denver Nuggets
Teams playing three games over the weekend (from Thursday to Sunday)
None
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 6
Let me start this off by telling you there is no simple or obvious way to stream your team to victory next week, even with Thursday being an off day for the NBA.
With most days having nine and more games played, fantasy owners will most probably be looking to add some contribution on Tuesday with just two, and Saturday with only four games. But this will be no easy feat. Especially for owners that could use some help on other days as well.
The only team that plays both on Tuesday and Saturday are the Denver Nuggets. But the problem here is that they ONLY play on Tuesday and Saturday. If you have your rosters set for other days, then the Nuggets could be the best options for your team.
But if you have free starting spots on Wednesday or Friday, Denver's assets only scratch a part of your itch. In this case, you may want to use a day by day approach and switch out several streamers during the week (depending on the number of player adds your league allows per week).
It would be impossible to single out options for every day with so many games played on most days. However, we do have you covered for the Tuesday and Saturday options.
On Tuesday, apart from Denver, we also have the Clippers and the Wizards with four games (both teams play on Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun) and the Mavericks with three games (on Tue, Fri, Sun).
When Tuesday's games end, there are several teams that play games on the next three consecutive game days (those are Wed, Fri, Sat). These teams are the Hawks, the Hornets, the Pacers, the Bucks, and the 76ers. Furthermore, the Kings also play on Wednesday and Saturday so their players might come in handy as well. These teams are most likely to help fantasy owners and we will look at some options from them all.
It is worth mentioning that the Rockets (two games) also play on Saturday, but are unlikely to help you on any other day.
Streaming Options for Week 6
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week:
Gary Harris, SG/SF, DEN, (56% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Will Barton, SG/SF, DEN, (72% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL, REB
Paul Millsap, PF/C, DEN, (76% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, FT%, STL/BLK, 3PM
Patrick Beverley, PG/SG, LAC, (61% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, AST, a bit of everything but low FG%
Ivica Zubac, C, LAC, (34% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, FT%, BLK
Davis Bertans, PF/C, WAS, (51% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, PTS, a bit of everything
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, WAS, (61% Owned) - Strong Cats: FG%, FT%, REB, STL, PTS
Isaiah Thomas, PG, WAS, (49% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS, 3PM, FT%
Maximilian Kleber, PF/C, DAL, (31% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, BLK
Delon Wright, PG/SG, DAL, (51% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, a little bit of everything
Jabari Parker, SF/PF, ATL, (76% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB, a bit of everything. Additional value now with John Collins out for another 15 games!!!
De'Andre Hunter, SF, ATL, (31% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
PJ Washington, PF/SF, CHA, (61% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, 3PM, STL/BLK
Nicolas Batum, SG/SF, CHA, (36% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST
Jeremy Lamb, SG/SF, IND, (74% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, REB - buyer beware: missed more than two weeks with an injury and just returned last game
T.J. Warren, SF/PF, IND, (77% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL
Richaun Holmes, PF/C, SAC, (63% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB, BLK/STL, FG%
Harrison Barnes, SF/PF, SAC, (73% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Nemanja Bjelica, SF/PF, SAC, (44% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, a bit of everything
Shallower League Add
Davis Bertans, PF/C, WAS - 51% Owned
Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, PTS, a bit of everything
The Latvian sharpshooter is on fire! He has been returning top-75 value for the past month, top-40 for the last two weeks and has cracked the top-25 in the last seven days. His averages over the last week are 18.7 PTS with 5.0 3PM on 54.3 FG% and 100.0 FT% (hit all three free throws), 7.0 REB, 3.0 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.0 BLK, and 1.3 TO in almost 30 minutes a night for Washington.
Bertans has established himself as more than just a three-point threat and is absolutely rolling this season. He is a rotisserie dream with his lovely percentages along with the across-the-board contribution. In addition to being a great player in magnificent form, he also has a very friendly schedule for next week, so fantasy owners should take advantage of this if no one else in their league hasn't already.
Deeper League Add
Donte Divincenzo, SG, MIL - 21% Owned
Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL
With Khris Middleton out, the Bucks needed a bench player to step up, and it was Donte that had done just that. In the five games Khris has missed, he averaged 12.0 PTS with 1.8 3PM on 51.1 FG% and 75.0 FT%, 4.8 REB, 2.2 AST, 1.8 STL, 0.0 BLK, and 1.2 TO in 26 minutes per game. Furthermore, he has scored in double-digits in the most recent four. This has him ranked just outside the top-50 for the previous week. We always knew DiVincenzo could shoot the ball, but it's nice to see him finally showing us more than just that with the boards and steals as well.
Middleton is not expected to return in the next week or two, so Donte will have the opportunity to keep providing for his fantasy owners. He might not do it every night, and it might not be too flashy, but with Milwaukee having four games next week, one being on Saturday, double-D might just be that firing needle your team's riffle needs to shoot down your league rival.
Insanely Deep League Add
Damian Jones, PF/C, ATL, - 3% Owned
Strong Cats: BLK/STL, REB, FG%
Jones was the 30th pick in the 2016 draft by the Golden State Warriors. If we just mention the names like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, it is obvious that the Warriors know what they are doing when it comes to drafting young talents. Now, with Golden State being a favorite to win the title for the past few days with their jam-packed roster, it's no wonder that Damian didn't get the chance he needed to develop. He is getting that chance in Atlanta now.
With the Hawks star big man John Collins suspended, it was expected that Alex Len (along with some small-ball lineups) will soak up most of his minutes, but Jones made sure that didn't happen. Furthermore, Jones took some minutes away from Len, a projected starter at the C position for the Hawks, himself and has played over 22 minutes a game in the last two weeks, compared to Len's 17.
And he has taken advantage of that time too, averaging 9.4 PTS on 66.7 FG% and 86.7 FT%, 5.3 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.1 BLK, and 1.0 TO. He even hit one three-pointer in those seven games. I will concede that his stats are nothing too flashy, but a guy owned in just 3% of Yahoo leagues, that gives you decent percentages, a few boards and an admirable 1.8 steals and blocks combined is someone to keep a tab on. Perhaps even take a flier on next week with Atlanta playing on Saturday, along with three other days.
Deep League Options for the Week
Monte Morris, PG, DEN, (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Jerami Grant, SF/PF, DEN, (16% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, BLK
Mason Plumlee, PF/C, DEN, (6% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Maurice Harkless, SF, LAC, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG%
JaMychal Green, PF/C, LAC, (7% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, 3PM, STL/BLK
Ish Smith, PG, WAS, (10% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS
Moritz Wagner, PF, WAS, (28% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, a bit of BLK/STL
Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF, DAL, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL
Deandre Bembry, SG, ATL, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK
Cam Reddish, PG/SG/SF, ATL, (10% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, FT%, a little bit of everything - buyer beware: missed the previous game due to a wrist sprain
Alex Len, PF/C, ATL, (26% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK, 3PM
Damian Jones, PF/C, ATL, (3% Owned) -Strong Cats: BLK/STL, REB, FG%
Malik Monk, SG, CHA, (11% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
Marvin Williams, SF, CHA, (17% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, 3PM, BLK/STL
Doug McDermott, SF, IND, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, FT%
Goga Bitadze, C, IND, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK
Aaron Holiday, PG, IND, (14% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, AST, STL - buyer beware: had inflated stats lately with the Pacers having a number of injuries
Justin Holiday, SG/SF, IND, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT% - buyer beware: had inflated stats lately with the Pacers having a number of injuries
Wesley Matthews, SG/SF, MIL, (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, a bit of everything
Donte Divincenzo, SG, MIL, (21% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Sterling Brown, SG/SF, MIL, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, STL
George Hill, PG/SG, MIL, (12% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL
Kyle Korver, SG/SF, MIL, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%
Robin Lopez, C, MIL, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, BLK
Yogi Ferrell, PG/SG, SAC, (0% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, AST - should see more game time with De'Aaron Fox out
Cory Joseph, PG, SAC, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, a little bit of everything - should see more game time with De'Aaron Fox out
I hope you guys enjoyed the article and I hope that this will help you win your matchups next week and bragging rights for the week after.