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A further step or two and we're there! Let's make them together!
As always, I have taken a look ahead at the NBA schedule for next week, and here are the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 22.
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NBA Schedule Guide - Week 22
Tuesday with four and Thursday with five are the days with the fewest games played and we will focus on them as they are most likely to create lineup headaches for fantasy managers. All other days have seven or more games, so fantasy GMs with shorter starting lineups should be fine on those days or at least there is an abundance of players to chose from as so many teams play.
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Teams with 3 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Toronto Raptors
Teams with 2 games:
Los Angeles Clippers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 18
Tuesday: 8
Wednesday: 22
Thursday: 10
Friday: 14
Saturday: 16
Sunday: 14
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: CHI
Tuesday/Wednesday: ATL, GSW, NYK, ORL
Wednesday/Thursday: IND, MEM, PHO
Thursday/Friday: WAS
Friday/Saturday: CHOU, MIA, POR
Saturday/Sunday: BKN, NOP
Sunday/Monday the following: BOS, CHA, GSW, NYK
Days with FIVE or fewer games
Tuesday: 4 games
Thursday: 5 games
Teams playing on both of these days:
Chicago Bulls (4 games - Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat)
Denver Nuggets (3 games - Tues, Thurs, Sat)
Milwaukee Bucks (3 games - Tues, Thurs, Sat)
Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
Chicago Bulls (4 games - Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat)
Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
New Orleans Pelicans (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Washington Wizards (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Phoenix Suns (3 games - Wed, Thurs, Sun)
Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Los Angeles Clippers (2 games - Tues, Fri)
Sacramento Kings (2 games - Wed, Sat)
San Antonio Spurs (2 games - Wed, Sat)
Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sun)
Los Angeles Lakers (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sun)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Tues, Wed, Fri)
Oklahoma City Thunder (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Orlando Magic (3 games - Tues, Wed, Sat)
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 22
Tuesday with four and Thursday with five games are the only days with fewer than seven games played.
Therefore, we will focus on teams that play on both of these days:
- Chicago Bulls (4 games - Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat)
- Denver Nuggets (3 games - Tues, Thurs, Sat)
- Milwaukee Bucks (3 games - Tues, Thurs, Sat)
Players from teams that play either on Tuesday or Thursday and also have a four-game week can also be valuable to fantasy teams. Unfortunately, I won't be able to cover their players as well, but I will list those teams here so you can target their guys in case this fits your strategy better:
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- Golden State Warriors (4 games - Tues, Wed, Fri, Sun)
- New York Knicks (4 games - Tues, Wed, Fri, Sun)
- New Orleans Pelicans (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
- Washington Wizards (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Streaming Options for Week 22
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week (Rostered in 25-70% of Yahoo leagues):
Monte Morris, PG/SG, DEN, (60% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL
Aaron Gordon, SF/PF, DEN, (73% Rostered) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB, a bit of everything
Will Barton, SG/SF, DEN, (66% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, PTS, AST
Bones Hyland, PG/SG, DEN, (45% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, 3PM, STL
Ayo Dosunmu, PG, CHI, (42% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL, a bit of everything
Coby White, PG/SG, CHI, (36% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, PTS, FT%
Alex Caruso, PG/SG/SF, CHI, (40% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL, AST, 3PM
Brook Lopez, C, MIL, (40% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, 3PM - buyer beware: just returned from long-term injury and still plays limited minutes
Shallower League Add
Will Barton, SG/SF, DEN, (66% Rostered)
Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, PTS, AST
Barton has been a top-100 player for most of the season with averages of 14.6 PTS, 2.1 3PM, 43.4 FG%, 79.8 FT%, 4.9 REB, 3.8 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.5 BLK and 1.8 TO in almost 32 minutes a game. He is in a bit of a slump lately and all of these stats (apart from FT%) have taken a slight dive in the past two weeks which is a big reason why he is rostered in just 2/3 of Yahoo leagues.
Barton is still the same guy, playing roughly the same minutes (30 a night), but has just lost his footing a bit. He is a great player and a decent all-around fantasy contributor, so if he is available in your league, you're targeting teams for Tuesday and Thursday, and you don't mind if he drags your FG% down a bit, he could provide your team with help in multiple categories and get you that edge you need in your matchup this week.
Deeper League Add
Brook Lopez, C, MIL, (40% Rostered)
Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, 3PM
Buyer Beware: just returned from long-term injury and still plays limited minutes
I had to go with BroLo here, even though he is still not back to his usual self. There's a reason he was going in the top-100 in drafts at the beginning of the season and if he can flash just a part of that this week he could win quite a few matchups for his fantasy GMs.
We all know what we can expect from Brook when he is playing right - a unique combination of blocks and boards with threes and decent percentages. But will he be able to produce is the question.
After playing 15 minutes in both of his first two games back, the rust was apparent as he scored just nine points in total (2-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from the line), grabbed three boards and got NO BLOCKS. In his last game though, he looked more like BroLo we all know and love, getting 15 PTS (60.0 FG%, 100.0 FT%), four REB, one AST and two BLK. Now that's more like it!
It's realistic to expect Brook to get better has his conditioning improves and he gets his feeling back, so I would expect more of what he showed in this last game. And with him playing on scarce days next week, it is a pretty good time to root for Lopez!
Insanely Deep League Add
Pat Connaughton, SG/SF, MIL, (11% Rostered)
Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL, REB
Buyer Beware: just returned from a month-long injury
Another dice-roll here with a player who has missed some time lately, but another high reward play as well. Pat has played his last game on Feb 11 before getting 20 minutes on Saturday against Minnesota where he hit 5-of-11 shots (all from down-town) for 15 points, took down three boards, dished out two dimes and got a steal in just over 20 minutes. Pretty decent for a guy who missed over a month.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was missing in this game, but I don't think his return will make a big impact on Pat here. He is ranked at #134 for the season playing 27 minutes per outing so if he can get close to those minutes and his shot keeps falling, he will be well worth a pickup in deeper leagues.
So, if you're in a hunt for a guy who can get you some boards and steals, shoot the ball and score without hurting your percentages and doesn't turn the ball over almost at all, Pat could just be what you're looking for.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Rostered in less than 25% of Yahoo leagues
Jeff Green, SF/PF/C, DEN, (9% Rostered) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB
JaMychal Green, PF/C, DEN, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK
Austin Rivers, PG/SG, DEN, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C, DEN, (14% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: plays limited minutes
Javonte Green, PG/SG/SF, CHI, (7% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK, a bit of everything
Patrick Williams, SF/PF, CHI, (16% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL - buyer beware: just returning from long-term injury
Derrick Jones Jr., PG/SG/SF, CHI, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB,STL/BLK, a little bit of everything
Tristan Thompson, PF/C, CHI, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, a bit of STL/BLK, FG%
Grayson Allen, SG/SF, MIL, (16% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL
Pat Connaughton, SG/SF, MIL, (11% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL, REB - buyer beware: just returned from a month-long injury
Serge Ibaka, PF/C, MIL, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, a bit of BLK, 3PM
Jordan Nwora, SF, MIL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, REB
George Hill, PG/SG, MIL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: a little bit of 3PM, AST, STL
Bling, bling! Get that ring!
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