Fantasy Basketball Category Streamers - Week 3

January 5, 2021

Week 3 fantasy basketball streamers based on H2H 9-category leagues for the 2020-2021 NBA season. Dale Johnson recommends guards, forwards and centers to target through waivers or free agency in fantasy leagues who may help in specific categories.

Another week down and we are now starting to see where team rotations are heading while some navigate injuries or COVID-19 complications.

Congrats to the managers starting off the season 2-0 and for the others, there is still a lot of season left! Ja Morant (ankle), Spencer Dinwiddie (knee), Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist), Alec Burks (ankle), Kevin Love (calf) and T.J. Warren (foot) headline some big injuries so far and could lead to streaming opportunities. Let's dive in to this week ahead and get your team to pull out a win in week 3.

Our staff at RotoBaller has great insight and daily columns on how to improve your squad and tips to make your team successful, so be sure to check them out! Now, let's get prepared for Week 3. All players in this article are rostered at 50 percent or less.

Week 2 Standard 9-Cat Leagues - Category Streamers

Columns are written based on H2H 9-category standard size leagues:

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Robert Williams III - C - Boston Celtics (15% rostered)

Williams is a per-minute stud. The Celtics are experimenting with a two-big starting lineup to get Williams off the bench and he has done the most with what he has gotten. Williams has averaged 6.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals in just 15.5 minutes per game. His biggest strength, though, has been his consistent shooting which is at 78.9 percent from the field. Williams holds the best field-goal percentage among players averaging 15 or more minutes per game. The Celtics have four games this week, including Monday which is the second night of a back-to-back. Tristan Thompson sat the last back-to-back which lead to Williams playing 23 minutes.

Other streamers:

Ivica Zubac - C - Los Angeles Clippers (29% rostered)

Marc Gasol - C - Los Angeles Lakers (28% rostered)

Derrick Favors - PF/C - Utah Jazz (12% rostered)

Daniel Gafford - C - Chicago Bulls (1% rostered)

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE

Carmelo Anthony - SF/PF - Portland Trail Blazers (35% rostered)

Anthony's resurgence last year has regressed to a minimal bench role with the new acquisitions of Robert Covington and Derrick Jones Jr. However, Anthony has been a solid anchor for free-throw percentage this season, while also chipping in some extras. Anthony is shooting 90.5 from the line on 5.3 attempts per game this season. He also chips in 13.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 threes in 23.3 minutes per game off the bench. The Trail Blazers only have three games this week, but two of those games are on days with six or fewer total games (Tuesday and Thursday). This makes Anthony a good pickup on Tuesday if you need help with free throws. 

Other streamers:

Cameron Johnson - SF/PF - Phoenix Suns (34% rostered)

Eric Gordon - SG/SF - Houston Rockets (29% rostered)

Ivica Zubac - C - Los Angeles Clippers (29% rostered)

Nicolas Batum - SF/PF - Los Angeles Clippers (21% rostered)

POINTS

Rudy Gay - SF/PF - San Antonio Spurs (18% rostered)

Gay is in his 15th season, yet continues to be a productive player for the Spurs, especially when it comes to scoring. Gay is the first option of the bench and is averaging 12.6 points on 12.2 shots per game. The efficiency is not there yet, but the opportunity is. Gay is averaging the most field goal attempts per game since the 2016-17 season. Gay has also never shot below 41.6 percent from the field in his career so it should increase sooner rather than later. Gay has games on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday so you could always add him on the weekend as a last-ditch effort to win your week.

Other streamers:

Jordan Clarkson - PG/SG - Utah Jazz (46% rostered)

Eric Gordon - SG/SF - Houston Rockets (29% rostered)

George Hill - PG/SG - Oklahoma City Thunder (27% rostered)

Patty Mills - PG - San Antonio Spurs (10% rostered)

THREE-POINTERS

Eric Gordon- SG/SF - Houston Rockets (29% rostered)

We all know Gordon has never seen a shot he didn't like. That said, Gordon is averaging 15.0 shot attempts over his two games played this year (missed the first three due to medical protocols). That said, Gordon has also attempted 10.0 threes per game, meaning 66.7 percent of his overall shot attempts are coming from three-point land. He is only hitting 43.3 percent of his shots from the field and 30.0 of his threes, but the volume is hard to ignore if you are desperate for threes. Even better news is the Rockets play four times this week and James Harden (ankle) may sit on Monday due to an ankle injury. Gordon makes a solid threes streamer, but may hurt your field goal percentage.

Other streamers:

Luguentz Dort - SG/SF - Oklahoma City Thunder (45% rostered)

Cameron Johnson - SF/PF - Phoenix Suns (34% rostered)

George Hill - PG/SG - Oklahoma City Thunder (27% rostered)

Patty Mills - PG - San Antonio Spurs (10% rostered)

REBOUNDS

Bismack Biyombo - C - Charlotte Hornets (27% rostered)

Biyombo has been a solid fill-in starter ever since Cody Zeller (hand) went down in the season opener. As a starter, Biyombo is averaging 8.4 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game this season. He also chips in 10.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. The Hornets have a four-game week including two against the Atlanta Hawks who give up the 10th-most rebounds per game to opposing centers this season.

Other streamers:

Enes Kanter - C - Portland Trail Blazers (33% rostered)

Bobby Portis - PF/C - Milwaukee Bucks (25% rostered)

Jakob Poeltl - C - San Antonio Spurs (20% rostered)

JaVale McGee - C - Cleveland Cavaliers (12% rostered)

ASSISTS

Tyus Jones - PG - Minnesota Timberwolves (16% rostered)

Jones has been the fill-in starter for the Timberwolves with Morant gone and has been a low-end option for fantasy production so far. Jones came onto the scene with 12 assists on Friday, only to follow up with just three on Sunday. Still, fantasy managers can expect between four-to-seven assists a night as long as Jones is starting which is more than enough considering how scarce assists are on the wire. It helps the Timberwolves play four games this week, including a strong end to the week with a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday.

Other streamers:

George Hill - PG/SG - Oklahoma City Thunder (27% rostered)

Nicolas Batum - SF/PF - Los Angeles Clippers (21% rostered)

Monte Morris - PG/SG - Denver Nuggets (13% rostered)

Austin Rivers - PG/SG - New York Knicks (3% rostered)

STEALS

Thaddeus Young - PF - Chicago Bulls (9% rostered)

Young has a knack for swipes as he averages 1.5 steals per game in his career and has not averaged less than 1.4 per game since the 2011-12 season. Young had missed the start of the season with a leg infection, but has now been thrust into the Bulls rotation as some players are dealing with medical and safety protocols. Young has four steals in three appearances so far and is averaging 25.0 minutes per game over that stretch. With Lauri Markannen (contact tracing) among others out for the foreseeable future, Young makes for a viable steals streamer this week. He starts off week 3 with a back-to-back set on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Other streamers:

Kevin Huerter - SG/SF - Atlanta Hawks (48% rostered)

Jeff Teague - PG/SG - Boston Celtics (40% rostered)

P.J. Tucker - PF/C - Houston Rockets (23% rostered)

Dwight Powell - PF/C - Dallas Mavericks (6% rostered)

BLOCKS

Nerlens Noel - PF/C - New York Knicks (39% rostered)

Personally, I am a little disappointed to see Noel as just a streamer as I was big on him coming into this season. However, he has been nothing more than a back-up center with the Knicks this season. On the bright side, Noel still does what he does best which is pile up defensive stats, even in limited minutes. Noel has an average of 1.2 blocks in just 14.5 minutes per game this season. The Knicks also play four times this year against some stiff competition. If things get out of hand, the Knicks could get some more minutes to Noel and lead to more swats.

Other streamers:

Ivica Zubac - C - Los Angeles Clippers (29% rostered)

Bismack Biyombo - C - Charlotte Hornets (27% rostered)

Rudy Gay - SF/PF - San Antonio Spurs (18% rostered)

Robert Williams III - C - Boston Celtics (15% rostered)

TURNOVERS

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk - SF - Detroit Pistons (2% rostered)

Mykhailiuk has been in a limited bench role all season and was on the verge of getting a DNP-CD on Sunday. However, starter Josh Jackson (ankle) left the game with an ankle injury and did not return. This led to Mykhailiuk playing 15 minutes in the second half and he scored 15 points with no turnovers. In fact, Mykhailiuk only has three turnovers on the season which he committed all three in the second game of the year. Detroit plays again Monday, which does not bode well for Jackson's chances to play. If Jackson is ruled out, Mykhailiuk would be a good streamer for production without committing turnovers.

Other streamers:

Will Barton - SG/SF - Denver Nuggets (47% rostered)

Cameron Johnson - SF/PF - Phoenix Suns (34% rostered)

J.J. Redick - SG - New Orleans Pelicans (18% rostered)

Dorian Finney-Smith - SF/PF - Dallas Mavericks (10% rostered)

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