RADIO
In most fantasy leagues, the playoffs have either already begun or are about to. I hope you made it this far! I'm taking the look ahead to next week to check out which teams and players can be good options to stream and maximize your chances to win.
There is no real reason to hold on to guys in poor form or with a poor schedule as it's win or go home, so streaming is more important than ever.
Here are my thoughts on the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 17.
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NBA Schedule Guide - Week 17
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs
Washington Wizards
Teams with 3 games:
Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz
Teams with 2 games:
Toronto Raptors
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 18
Tuesday: 10
Wednesday: 24
Thursday: 12
Friday: 14
Saturday: 16
Sunday: 14
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: -
Tuesday/Wednesday: ATL, BKN, LAC, MIN, NYK, POR, SAC
Wednesday/Thursday: CHI, DAL, DET, PHI, PHO, SAS
Thursday/Friday: BOS, CHA
Friday/Saturday: DEN, HOU, MIA
Saturday/Sunday: IND, MIL
Sunday/Monday the following: ATL, CLE, MEM, ORL, PHO, SAC, WAS
Days with SEVEN or fewer games:
Tuesday: 5 games
Thursday: 6 games
Friday: 7 games
Sunday: 7 games
Teams playing on all four of these days:
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Teams playing on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday:
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Teams playing on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday:
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Orlando Magic (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sun)
Teams playing on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday:
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Atlanta Hawks (4 games - Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Brooklyn Nets (4 games - Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Portland Trail Blazers (4 games - Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Teams playing on Thursday, Friday and Sunday:
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Boston Celtics (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
Chicago Bulls (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Detroit Pistons (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Philadelphia 76ers (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun)
San Antonio Spurs (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Boston Celtics (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Milwaukee Bucks (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Toronto Raptors (2 games - Wed, Sat)
Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Toronto Raptors (2 games - Wed, Sat)
Los Angeles Clippers (3 games - Tue, Wed, Fri)
Minnesota Timberwolves (3 games - Tue, Wed, Sat)
New York Knicks (3 games - Tue, Wed, Sat)
Oklahoma City Thunder (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)
Sacramento Kings (3 games - Tue, Wed, Sun)
Utah Jazz (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 17
We have four days with five to seven games played. These days are Tuesday (5 games), Thursday (6), Friday (7) and Sunday (7).
Only the Charlotte Hornets play on all four of these days, and their players could be worth gold for streaming next week.
Other than the Hornets, five other teams play on three of these days. These teams are Atlanta (4 games next week), Boston (4 games), Brooklyn (4 games), Orlando (3 games) and Portland (4 games).
So, our options for this week will be selected from these six teams, as they are most likely to fill out our starting lineups on the scarcest of days.
Streaming Options for Week 17
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week (Rostered in 25-75 % of Yahoo leagues):
Miles Bridges, SF/PF, CHA, (70% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, PTS, REB, STL/BLK
PJ Washington, SF/PF/C, CHA, (69% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Jalen McDaniels, PF/C, CHA, (40% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF, ATL, (60% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT% - buyer beware: missed the previous three games with a foot injury
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF, ATL, (57% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL, AST
Lou Williams, PG/SG, ATL, (40% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, ATL, (36% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, STL - buyer beware: his injuries have been a nightmare this season, and is currently out as well
Robert Williams III, C, BOS, (72% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG% - buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to a sore knee
Evan Fournier, SG/SF, BOS, (66% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL, a bit of everything - buyer beware: is currently in health and safety protocols and will not play on Monday
Joe Harris, SG/SF, BKN, (70% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FG%
DeAndre Jordan, C, BKN, (52% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, BLK - buyer beware: poor FT%
Blake Griffin, PF/C, BKN, (44% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, AST - buyer beware: plays limited minutes and is far from the old Blake Griffin
Terrence Ross, SG/SF, ORL, (63% Rostered) -Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL
Chuma Okeke, PF, ORL, (33% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK, REB
Cole Anthony, PG, ORL, (31% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, a bit of everything
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, POR, (42% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Shallower League Add
Miles Bridges, SF/PF, CHA, (70% Rostered)
Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, PTS, REB, STL/BLK
Miles has been on a tear lately flirting with top 50 value in the past two weeks with averages of 20.1 points with 3.1 threes on 55.4% from the field, 85.0% from the line, 6.6 boards, 2.1 dimes, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.7 turnovers in almost 37 minutes a night. The abundance of injuries in Charlotte opened up space for Bridges, and boy has he used it well!
Bridges helps out in every category (apart from turnovers) and with half the Hornets out, he is pretty safe to play 35 minutes a night going forward. he might not keep shooting this well, but then again, he is at 50.5 FG% and 88.3 FT% on the year so there shouldn't be a big drop-off.
With so many qualities, and such a good schedule for next week, if you're lucky enough to be in one of the 30% of leagues where Bridges is available, you should really look into picking him up.
Deeper League Add
Jalen McDaniels, PF/C, CHA, (40% Rostered)
Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Jalen came out of nowhere and took the fantasy NBA world by storm. Over the past 14 days, he is averaging 13.3 PTS with 1.7 3PM on 50.7 FG% and 75.0 FT%, 4.1 REB, 2.1 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.6 BLK and 1.3 turnovers in 30 minutes a night. This has him in the top 90 for the period.
McDaniels played 30+ minutes in five of Charlotte's previous six games, is in hot form and is getting every opportunity to show how good he can be. With the Hornets being quite understaffed due to injuries, it seems pretty safe to assume that McDaniels will be getting around 30 minutes a game for at least the next week.
With all four games for Charlotte coming on days with seven or fewer games, Jalen is worth a punt as an across-the-board contributor in most leagues.
Insanely Deep League Add
Gary Harris, SG/SF, ORL, (6% Rostered)
Strong Cats: 3PM, a bit of everything
I had to go with poor Gary here! He has been a fantasy beast when healthy, but his body just didn't let him prove his worth in Denver lately. He is in Orlando now and is definitely one of the best players on their rebuilding roster. Furthermore, believe it or not, Harris is still only 26 years old! So he has value as a long-term piece in Orlando as well.
This season, he really hasn't shown us his real potential as he averaged under 10 points, under one steal and just over a three-pointer per game. Not too flashy is it?
But I'd like to take you back to his 2017-18 season when he averaged 17.5 points with 2.3 threes on 48.5% from the field and 82.7% from the line, 2.6 boards, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.2 blocks and 1.8 turnovers in 34 minutes a night over 67 games.
Now, of course, this was three years ago. Gary hasn't been at this level for quite some time. But I just wanted to remind everyone of how good he has already shown he can be when he is not ravaged by injuries.
Surely we can't expect him to be as good as then, I agree, but he is rostered in just 6% of the leagues, he is on a new team with a lot less talent around him, and he is one of the most experienced players on that team. He has a clean slate ahead, and there is a real opportunity for him to reset his mind and go back to where he left off a couple of years ago.
Now there are safer options, there might even be higher upside guys out there, and Orlando does play just three games next week. But Harris could be one of the main options on the Magic, has both the experience and the talent to lead a team, and if he gains his confidence back he could really be a game-changer for both the Magic and your fantasy team.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Rostered in less than 25% of Yahoo leagues
Cody Zeller, C, CHA, (13% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK - buyer beware: lost a lot of playing time
Bismack Biyombo, C, CHA, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, BLK - buyer beware: lost a lot of playing time
Cody Martin, SG/SF, CHA, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: I'm not sure really
Brad Wanamaker, PG/SG, CHA, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Vernon Carey Jr., C, CHA, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, BLK - buyer beware: never played more than seven minutes in a game before he exploded the previous game (21 points, six boards in 35 minutes)
Caleb Martin, SG/SF, CHA, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB
Solomon Hill, SG/SF, ATL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Onyeka Okongwu, C, ATL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Tristan Thompson, C, BOS, (21% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%
Payton Pritchard, PG, BOS, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Grant Williams, SF/PF, BOS, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, a little bit of everything
Jabari Parker, SF/PF, BOS, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, PTS - just joined and played 15 minutes in his debut, could be a wild card as his role is still unknown
Jeff Green, SF/PF/C, BKN, (14% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, a bit of everything
Bruce Brown, SG, BKN, (7% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL, FG%
Nicolas Claxton, C, BKN, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG%
Landry Shamet, PG/SG, BKN, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Michael Carter-Williams, PG/SG, ORL, (5% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, STL/BLK, REB - buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to a sprained left ankle
Dwayne Bacon, SG, ORL, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
Gary Harris, SG/SF, ORL, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, a bit of everything
James Ennis III, SG/SF, ORL, (5% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB
Mo Bamba, C, ORL, (19% Rostered) - Strong Cats: BLK, REB, FG% - buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to a hip contusion
R.J. Hampton, PG, ORL, (4% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL, 3PM, REB
Derrick Jones Jr., SG/SF, POR, (12% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, FG%
It's time to win, win, win, no matter what! Good luck guys!
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