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Hello, my dear fellow fantasy nuts! For those of us in tight battles for those last playoff spots, or better playoff seeding, streaming is next to a necessity. That sweet green W is worth a lot more than those bottom of the roster players that had to be sacrificed for the sake of the whole team.
To help you best use the schedule to your advantage, I've taken a look ahead to next week. Here are my thoughts on the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 19.
Nothing can stop us now!
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
NBA Schedule Guide - Week 19
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Washington Wizards
Teams with 3 games:
Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Teams with 2 games:
Chicago Bulls
San Antonio Spurs
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 16
Tuesday: 14
Wednesday: 18
Thursday: 8
Friday: 20
Saturday: 16
Sunday: 14
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: MIL
Tuesday/Wednesday: BOS, CHA
Wednesday/Thursday: NYK, PHI
Thursday/Friday: OKC, SAC
Friday/Saturday: ATL, BKN, CLE, MEM, MIA, ORL, PHO
Saturday/Sunday: GSW, LAL
Sunday/Monday the following: DAL, MIL
Days with five or fewer games
Thursday: 4 games
Teams playing on Thursday:
Golden State Warriors (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
New York Knicks (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Philadelphia 76ers (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Sacramento Kings (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Indiana Pacers (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Oklahoma City Thunder (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri)
Portland Trail Blazers (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
New York Knicks (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Philadelphia 76ers (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sun)
Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
Golden State Warriors (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Sacramento Kings (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Chicago Bulls (2 games - Tue, Sat)
San Antonio Spurs (2 games - Wed, Sat)
Denver Nuggets (3 games - Tue Fri, Sun)
Detroit Pistons (3 games - Tue Fri, Sun)
New Orleans Pelicans (3 games - Tue Fri, Sun)
Toronto Raptors (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sun)
Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Chicago Bulls (2 games - Tue, Sat)
San Antonio Spurs (2 games - Wed, Sat)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Tue, Wed, Sat)
Houston Rockets (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Utah Jazz (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 19
It's a pretty even out week with six out of the seven days having 7-10 games played. Only Thursday stands out with just four games, and our primary goal will be to fill our rosters then.
There are five teams that play on Thursday and have a four-game week ahead. These teams are the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings. Most fantasy teams will benefit from players from these teams for streaming purposes next week.
Three additional teams play on Thursday, but only have two additional games during the following week and they are the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers. We will take a look at players from these teams as well.
Streaming Options for Week 19
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week:
Marquese Chriss, PF/C, GSW, (57% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK, REB
Eric Paschall, SF/PF, GSW, (31% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, PTS, a bit of everything
Danny Green, SG/SF, LAL, (44% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF, LAL, (64% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
JaVale McGee, C, LAL, (37% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Dwight Howard, PF/C, LAL, (50% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
RJ Barrett, SF/PF, NYK, (64% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB
Elfrid Payton, PG, NYK, (61% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, AST, REB - buyer beware: missed the game on Friday with a sore right ankle
Alec Burks, PG/SG, PHI, (28% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, STL, FT% - buyer beware: just joined the 76ers, his role is still unknown
Harrison Barnes, SF/PF, SAC, (63% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Nemanja Bjelica, SF/PF, SAC, (66% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, a bit of everything
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG/SF, SAC, (66% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL, PTS, a bit of everything
Jeremy Lamb, SG/SF, IND, (59% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, REB
Dennis Schroder, PG, OKC, (79% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, FT%
Nerlens Noel, PF/C, OKC, (37% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK - buyer beware: in poor form with low minutes
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, POR, (69% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, REB
Trevor Ariza, SG/SF, POR, (27% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL
Shallower League Add
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, POR - 69% Owned
Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, REB
Melo is one of the most talented offensive players in the NBA. He is past his prime, but since he joined Portland from free agency this season he is showing off his good side again.
Not too consistently though. He hasn't been great lately, failing to reach double-digit scoring in three of his past seven games. Furthermore, he is ranked outside the top-200 for the past 14 days with averages of 14.5 PTS with 1.3 3PM on 33.9 FG% and 84.6 FT%, 6.8 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.5 BLK and 2.3 TO in 32 minutes a night.
This might have seen him get dropped from more competitive teams so he is now available in just over 30% of leagues.
But why pick him up when he's been playing poorly?
Well, for one thing, his season averages of 15.2 PTS with 1.4 3PM on 41.2 FG% and 84.5 FT%, 6.6 REB, 1.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.5 BLK and 1.8 TO are good enough for spot #136 in Yahoo rankings. As these stats are pretty similar to his stats from the last two weeks, bar the shooting efficiency and the increased turnovers, it shows that Melo isn't really in a slump, but his shot is just not falling. If he turns that around, he can easily get 20 points a night. Especially now that Damian Lillard is out with an injury.
Ow, right! That's another reason to pick him up. Dame, a top-15 player when it comes to usage % is on the shelf and is set to miss at least the first half of next week. This will open up a ton of minutes and shots for others, and Melo is one of the beneficiaries.
Although Portland plays just three times next week, one of those games are on the scarce Thursday, so if you need help on that day, a Dame-less Melo could prove deadly for your league rival.
Deeper League Add
Damion Lee, SG, GSW - 18% Owned
Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, a bit of everything
The Warriors have dealt away several players at the trade deadline which opened up space for other guys, like Lee, to get a larger role. Lee has actually been playing quite well this whole season. His averages of 12.0 points with 1.5 three-pointers on 41.1% from the field and 88.7% from the charity stripe, 4.8 boards, 2.5 dimes, 1.0 steals, 0.1 blocks and 1.3 turnovers in just under 28 minutes per outing have him inside the top-130.
He has been even better in his last three games with 16.3 PTS with 2.7 3PM on 44.1 FG% and 100.0 FT%, 3.3 REB, 2.3 AST, 1.7 STL, 0.0 BLK and 1.0 TO in 30 minutes a night. That's top-50 value right there.
Now, it's not realistic to expect Lee to return top-50 value the rest of the season. But with his play as of late, and no challengers for his minutes, it is quite reasonable to expect a top-100 production. And with Golden State having a four-game slate that includes Thursday next week, he is a good target for those in need of primarily threes and points, as well as a splash of boards, assists and steals. He is definitely a target in deep leagues, but I wouldn't shy away from adding him in 12-team leagues either if he fits my build and streaming schedule.
Insanely Deep League Add
Jordan Poole, SG, GSW - 4% Owned
Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Poole has also lucked into a larger role with the Warriors at the trade deadline. Unlike Lee, however, Poole's role was neither steady nor secure before the trades but it seems to be both of those things now.
Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks have been traded on Feb 6. Golden State has played five games since then and here are Jordan's averages: 15.6 PTS with 1.8 3PM on 43.8 FG% and 92.9 FT%, 3.4 REB, 2.8 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.0 BLK and 1.8 TO in 29 minutes. That is absolutely great from a guy owned in just 4% of the leagues.
Poole should continue to get playing time close to the 30-minute mark. And even though that probably won't be enough for him to stick inside the top-100, he is a good shout for those looking for a boost in guard stats for next week, especially in deep leagues.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Damion Lee, SG, GSW (18% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT% a bit of everything
Jordan Poole, SG, GSW (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Ky Bowman, PG, GSW (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Alex Caruso, SG, LAL, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: a little bit of everything
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PG/SG/SF, LAL, (8% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Rajon Rondo, PG, LAL, (12% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Avery Bradley, PG/SG, LAL, (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Bobby Portis, PF/C, NYK, (14% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL
Frank Ntilikina, PG/SG, NYK, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, 3PM, STL
Reggie Bullock, SG/SF, NYK, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Furkan Korkmaz, SG, PHI, (7% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS - buyer beware: had two incredible 30+ point games just before the AllStar break, but didn't do much in his other games
Cory Joseph, PG, SAC, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL, a little bit of everything
Kent Bazemore, SG/SF, SAC, (20% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Harry Giles III, PF/C, SAC, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, BLK/STL, additional value while Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley are out
Jabari Parker, SF/PF, SAC, (25% Owned) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, STL, - buyer beware: played 15 mins in his first game since arriving in a trade and just returned from injury
Doug McDermott, SF, IND, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, FT%
Justin Holiday, SG/SF, IND, (9% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
T.J. McConnell, PG, IND, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, FG%
Luguentz Dort, SG, OKC, (0% Owned) - Strong Cats: a little bit of everything
Terrance Ferguson, SG/SF, OKC, (0% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM - buyer beware: he gets around 20 mins per game but mostly does nothing of fantasy value
Gary Trent Jr., SG, POR, (10% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%
Anfernee Simons, SG, POR, (7% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM
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.
