Fantasy Basketball Mid-Week Streamers: Week 9

Mike Barner looks at some mid-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to target on waivers in Week 9.

As the NBA prepares for its marquee Christmas Day slate, we have a bit of a unique schedule for the rest of the week. There are no games scheduled for Sunday, so all teams will play either one or two games from Thursday through Saturday.

With the NBA trying to cram a lot of games into three days, we have nine teams who will play back-to-back sets. That means we’ll have to watch out for potential rest situations for those squads.

Let’s look at the remaining schedules for each team and discuss some players to consider streaming. For those in daily lineup leagues, streaming players with favorable schedules can be key to having a winning week. However, be sure to be aware of your league rules. If you have games played cap for the week, then streaming too much might not be ideal. All roster percentages used in this article are from Yahoo.

Weekly Schedule: Thursday to Sunday

Teams that play only game (AVOID): Boston, Charlotte, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix

Teams that play two games (TARGET): Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, San Antonio, Utah

Teams that play back-to-back (TARGET): Atlanta, Brooklyn, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, Houston, Sacramento, Toronto, Washington

Shallow League Streaming Options

Caris LeVert, SG/SF (54%)

This one is cheating a bit because LeVert isn’t available in at least half of leagues. However, it’s close enough to make it worth mentioning him. With Darius Garland (jaw) out at least a month, LeVert has a clear path to a larger role for much longer than the Cavaliers’ remaining two games this week. Over the three games since Garland went down, LeVert has averaged 16.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 three-pointers.

Talen Horton-Tucker, PG (47%)

Despite him playing so well at the end of last season, Horton-Tucker couldn’t carve out a significant role for himself at the beginning of this season. That has all changed with Jordan Clarkson (thigh) and Keyonte George (foot) going down. Over the last five games, Horton-Tucker has averaged 19.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers. The key was that he logged 28 minutes per game during that stretch. Clarkson is out through the rest of this week and George might be as well, setting up Horton-Tucker with the potential to provide value.

Dante Exum, PG (39%)

The Mavericks have a laundry list of injuries right now, the most notable of which is to Kyrie Irving (heel). There have been no recent updates on Irving’s status, so don’t expect him back anytime soon. With the Mavericks being so shorthanded, Exum has averaged 31 minutes over their last eight games. He has taken advantage of his opportunity, averaging 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.0 three-pointers. He has even shot 62.0 percent from the field during that stretch.

Jonathan Kuminga, PF (34%)

Kuminga isn’t going to get a better opportunity than this to shine for the Warriors. Draymond Green (suspension) could be out for at least three more weeks, leaving the Warriors even thinner up front. Although he is only logging 21 minutes per game for the season, Kuminga has averaged 26 minutes over the last six games. That enabled him to average 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 three-pointers during that span, while also shooting 55.2 percent from the field. Expect him to be locked into a larger role until Green returns.

Deep Leagues Streaming Options

Alex Caruso, PG/SG (34%)

Caruso has had a difficult time staying on the floor, missing three of the last six games for the Bulls. However, when he has been healthy, he has been a vital part of their defense. He has also improved his three-point shooting this season, which has allowed him to average 9.6 points and 1.6 three-pointers to go along with his 1.2 steals per game. While he’s an injury risk, the Bulls playing two more times this week makes him worth taking a chance on.

James Wiseman, C (24%)

An ankle injury has forced Jalen Duren to the sidelines again. He has missed six straight games for the Pistons, which has moved Wiseman into a more prominent role. Although he hasn’t produced eye-popping stats, he did average 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks during that span, while shooting a robust 79.4 percent from the field. Duren isn’t expected back for at least the Pistons’ final two games of the week, which will force them to continue to rely more on Wiseman.

Bilal Coulibaly, SF (20%)

With losses piling up, it makes sense for the Wizards to provide more opportunities for Coulibaly. He has averaged 29 minutes over their last eight games and should continue to at least push for 30 minutes on a nightly basis. During that eight-game stretch, he averaged 12.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 three-pointers. It certainly helps his cause that the Wizards have played at the fastest pace in the league.

Isaac Okoro, SG/SF (17%)

Okoro has also benefited from Garland going down. He has even started all three games since Garland was sidelined. The early returns have been promising, with him averaging 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 three-pointers. With him shooting at least 48.0 percent from the field in both of the last two seasons and plenty of minutes likely on the table the rest of the week, Okoro could provide value for fantasy managers who play in deeper formats.

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