RADIO
Welcome to the first weekly edition of the RotoBaller H2H Streamer Specialists column! This column will be posted every week as part of RotoBaller's regular season NBA coverage for the 2015-16 NBA season. It will focus on available players who could win you your H2H matchup in specific categories.
All of these players will have multiple games over the weekend, but in most cases will only help your team in one or two categories. To be clear, most of these players are “streamers,” meaning that unless they drastically increase their basketball skills overnight, these players should NOT be rostered for an extended period of time in leagues of standard depth. Except for Gerald Green -- you should snag that guy for the long haul. Everyone else should only be used if you need help winning a specific category in your matchup and you don’t have to drop anyone valuable.
Last thing, we’ll usually only focus on one player per category, but list other available options underneath. Certain guys might be listed in more than one category, so if you need help in both, be sure to make those players a priority.
NBA Week 1 Category Streamers
Blocks Streamer
Kosta Koufos (PF/C, SAC) - 30% owned
Weekend Schedule: Fri vs. LAL, Sat @ LAC
Koufos will be a common occurrence in this article for both rebounds and blocks. He’ll always get around 25 minutes a game depending on the matchup (and whether or not he starts), and can usually fall into at least a block and 7ish rebounds.
I don’t love his matchup against the high flying front court of the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, but if you’re in a desperate situation for blocks, there aren’t many other options.
Also consider: Ed Davis (PF/C, POR), Festus Ezeli (C, GS)
Steals Streamer
Shane Larkin (PG, BKN) - 2% Owned (!!)
Weekend Schedule: Fri @SAS, Sat @. MEM
Yes, I know, these are not the best matchups. However, Larkin started in place of the injured Jarrett Jack against the Bulls on Wednesday night and snagged three steals. I don’t think he’ll duplicate that every night, but with a volatile category like steals, you want to try find players who get a lot of minutes, maximizing their steal oppurtunities.
I could have also focused on Larkin for the assists streamer pick, as he recorded eight (career-high) in the season opener, but steals is much scarcer.
If he continues to start, Larkin is a no brainer add for steals and assists, and even if Jack returns over the weekend, Larkin would probably still be my number one option.
Side Note: Tony Allen is always an option for a steals streamer and will be listed below every single week.
Also consider: Dennis Schroder (PG, ATL), D.J. Augustin (PG, OKC), Tony Allen (SG/SF, MEM)
3PM Streamer
*All of the 3PM streamers will also help you in points; I usually won’t have a “Point Streamers” category because it would just be the same players listed twice.
Gerald Green (SG/SF, MIA) - 43% Owned
Weekend Schedule: Fri @CLE, Sun vs. HOU
This will be the third time I’m writing about Gerald Green in a week on RotoBaller, and I could easily go three more. Seriously, I’m not sure why he’s still only 43% owned.
He jacked up eight 3’s on opening night and I don’t think that will be an outlier. Like I mentioned here and here, the Heat will need Gerald Green to keep firing away from distance if they want any resemblance of spacing on offense.
That Houston game on Sunday looks particularly juicy. If you need to win 3PM and points this weekend there is not a better option.
Also Consider: Nick Young (SG/SF, LAL), Anthony Morrow (SG/SF, OKC), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (SG, DET)
Assists Streamer
Dennis Schroder (PG, ATL) - 32% Owned
Weekend Schedule: Fri vs. CHA, Sat @. CHA
I will probably not focus on assist streamers very often in this article, as that’s usually a very hard category to find on the waiver wire unless there is a major injury. However, Dennis Schroder is an exception to that rule, and felt compelled to fit him into this article so you could go out and snag him.
Just to be clear, I think Schroder is a must add regardless of whether you need help in assists or not. This guy is going to be a key fantasy piece for someone in your league, so go make sure it’s you.
It is very clear after just one game that Dennis Schroder can straight up ball. His size gives him the opportunity to play alongside Jeff Teague in dual guard lineups, which gives him even more opportunity to stuff the stat sheet.
He’s developing as a basketball player at a rapid pace, and I would not be shocked (depending on how the Hawks do this year) if Schroder takes over the starting role by the end of the season.
Also consider: Shane Larkin (PG, BKN)
