January 25, 2017

JT picks fantasy basketball waiver wire streamers and adds for points, assists, and three pointers in Week 14 of the NBA season. These players can be sleepers.

It's never too early to start streaming. Whether you have an opening due to an injury, you auction-drafted a crew of stars and scrubs, or you just didn't bother putting any effort into your last couple draft picks, you probably have a player or two on your team who isn't must-own. You're better off using that roster spot to stream players to eke out wins in close categories in your weekly head-to-head matchups.

This year, RotoBaller will be making weekly recommendations for extreme short term category specialists every week in all six counting stat categories (points, assists, threes, rebounds, steals, and blocks). Below are my Week 14 offensive category streamers for fantasy basketball - points, threes, and assists are below. All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

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Three Points Made Streamer

Iman Shumpert, SG/SF, CLE, Opponents: Friday vs. BKN, Sunday vs. OKC (22% Owned)

Since J.R. Smith fractured his thumb in late December, the Cleveland Cavaliers have finally settled on using Iman Shumpert as their starting two until Smith can return in late March. Shump has proven a worthy starter with the ability to knock down the open three ball and play defense on the other end. As a starter this season, he’s averaging 11.8 points, 3.2 boards, 1.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.7 threes. He’s scored in double figures his last five games, so he’s definitely a hold candidate past this week. He’ll be able to hold late-round value as long as he starts with the ability to contribute to steals and threes every game.

Another strong candidate to consider for treys is C.J. Miles as he’s staring down three more games in the late week. He’s pretty inconsistent, but he specializes in hoisting up shots from distance, so the quantity should be there. Terrence Ross will have at least Thursday’s game against Memphis to get some more looks as DeMar DeRozan (ankle) will be out. Wayne Ellington is in a similar situation with Tyler Johnson out for the upcoming two-game roadtrip. Frank Kaminsky has also hit a trey in seven straight games, so he’s worth a look while his shot is falling.

Other Options: Terrence Ross, SG/SF, TOR (20% Owned); C.J. Miles, SG/SF, IND (20% Owned); Wayne Ellington, SG/SF, MIA (6% Owned); Frank Kaminsky, PF/C, CHA (18% Owned)

Points Streamer

Alec Burks, PG/SG, UTA, Opponents: Thursday vs. LAL, Saturday vs. MEM (4% Owned)

Alec Burks played a season high 25 minutes on Monday which marked 13 points in back-to-back games. Not to mention playing 22 minutes in the second of a back-to-back on Tuesday. The Jazz will need his offensive production as Rodney Hood is expected to be out for the next week or so. Burks has averaged 13.8 points in his last three seasons, so he’ll be able to provide value on that end. If his minutes linger around the 25-minute mark, he’ll have no problem keeping this pace up for the week. If his minute’s increase past that mark, he could be a short-term hold until we know Hood’s status.

If Burks isn’t available in your league, Al Jefferson is a reasonable target for points with three games left in the late week. Garrett Temple has stepped into a starting role and has a bigger role with Rudy Gay out for the season. Marco Belinelli is in one of his hot streaks, so he’ll be worth a look until he cools down. Lastly, Jeff Green has scored in double figures six out of his last seven games. He’s also starting with Evan Fournier (heel) out, so while we’re not in love with him, he’s got enough value to warrant a stream in the mid-week.

Other Options:  Garrett Temple, PG/SG, SAC (24% Owned); Marco Belinelli, SG/SF, CHA (8% Owned); Al Jefferson, PF/C, IND (24% Owned); Jeff Green, SG/SF, ORL (11% Owned)

Assists Streamer

Matthew Dellavedova, PG/SG, MIL, Opponents: Friday @ TOR, Saturday vs. BOS (25% Owned)

It looks like Malcolm Brogdon is going to keep coming off the bench, which means (despite our protests) Matthew Dellavedova will keep his starting job with the Bucks. It’s Jason Kidd’s world, we’re just living in it. That’s alright because Matthew Dellavedova should hold down decent assist value as long as he’s the starter in Milwaukee. Since taking back his job, Delly has posted back-to-back games with at least 15 points, seven assists and two treys. That’s value that needs to be owned in most formats. Give him a look and hold until Brogdon takes his rightful starting gig back.

The other options in Week 14 aren’t great, but Ty Lawson has pretty much outplayed his counterpart Darren Collison and is worth a look if you need assists. Emmnuel Mudiay is dealing with a back issue right now, which makes Jameer Nelson the only 'true point guard' on the squad, so he should be able to rack up a few assists in that time. For the deep leaguers, we have Brandon Jennings, who’s been a bit erratic on the season, but if you’re desperate and the matchup is close in the assists category, why not take a chance there?

Other Options: Ty Lawson, PG, SAC (15% Owned); Jameer Nelson, PG, DEN (9% Owned); Brandon Jennings, PG, NYK (13% Owned);