NBA Fantasy Weekly Streamers for Week 12 (Mar 15 - Mar 21)

March 14, 2021

Milos Zvekic's fantasy basketball waiver wire streamers for head-to-head leagues. He reviews the Week 12 NBA schedule (3/15 - 3/21) and streaming options to pick up.

If you're in the hunt for a playoff spot every matchup is important, and maximizing your chance of victory is what you should be focusing on. In case more played games can help you win, streaming the right players could be the deciding factor.

With the fantasy playoffs so close, this is no time to be sentimental or forgiving towards your end-of-bench guys or wait for them to start performing. Even quality guys missing time are cut candidates in shallow-enough leagues for a chance to pick up a hot player with a good schedule sitting on your waiver wire.

Here are my thoughts on the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 12. 

NBA Schedule Guide - Week 12

Here's the low-down:

Teams with 5 games:
Los Angeles Lakers

Teams with 4 games:
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Washington Wizards

Teams with 3 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Los Angeles Clippers
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz

Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 16
Tuesday: 14
Wednesday: 20
Thursday: 12
Friday: 20
Saturday: 10
Sunday: 20

Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: LAL, NYK
Tuesday/Wednesday: BOS, CHI, CLE, HOU, MIA, PHI
Wednesday/Thursday: CHA, WAS
Thursday/Friday: MIN, ORL, PHO, POR, UTA
Friday/Saturday: GSW, MEM, SAC, SAS
Saturday/Sunday: LAL, PHI
Sunday/Monday the following: BOS, CHI, CLE, HOU, IND, OKC, TOR

Days with SEVEN or fewer games:
Tuesday: 7 games
Thursday: 6 games
Saturday: 5 games

Teams playing on all three days:
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)

Teams playing on Tuesday and Thursday:
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
New York Knicks (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sun)
Portland Trail Blazers (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Minnesota Timberwolves (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri)
New Orleans Pelicans (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sun)
Oklahoma City Thunder (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sun)
Utah Jazz (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri)

Teams playing on Tuesday and Saturday:
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Philadelphia 76ers (4 games - Tue, Wed, Sat, Sun)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)

Teams playing on Thursday and Saturday:
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)

Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Charlotte Hornets (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
New York Knicks (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sun)
Washington Wizards (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun)

Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Portland Trail Blazers (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Orlando Magic (3 games - Thurs, Fri, Sun)

Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Orlando Magic (3 games - Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Toronto Raptors (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sun)

Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Los Angeles Clippers (2 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Milwaukee Bucks (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)

Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 12

With Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday being the only days with seven or fewer games played, I decided to focus on these days. I know Monday is not far behind with eight, but including this day as well would lead to too many possibilities and I just couldn't cover them all in one article.

Therefore, we will cover players from:

1. Teams that play on all three of these days - the Lakers and the Hawks
2. Teams have a four-game week and play on both Tuesday and Thursday - the Knicks and the Trail Blazers
3. Teams have a four-game week and play on both Tuesday and Saturday - the 76ers
4. Teams have a four-game week and play on both Thursday and Saturday - the Hornets

Of course, with playing on all three of these days and having a five-game week, players from the Lakers could prove to be the most valuable for next week.

Let's go!

Streaming Options for Week 12

Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week (Rostered in 25-75 % of Yahoo leagues):
Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF, LAL, (57% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB
Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF, ATL, (57% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF, ATL, (64% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL, AST
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SF/PF, ATL, (48% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, a bit of everything - buyer beware: just returned from a longer absence due to injury
Derrick Rose, PG/SG, NYK, (62% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS, FT%, STL - buyer beware: still missing games due to COVID related medical protocols
Elfrid Payton, PG, NYK, (34% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, STL - buyer beware: hamstring issue kept him out of his past few games
Nerlens Noel, PF/C, NYK, (59% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK - positive circumstance: is getting more minutes with Mitchell Robinson out with an injury
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, POR, (56% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Gary Trent Jr., SG/SF, POR, (55% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
Seth Curry, PG/SG, PHI, (60% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, AST
Dwight Howard, C, PHI, (25% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK, FG% - buyer beware: poor FT%
Miles Bridges, SF/PF, CHA, (50% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, STL/BLK
Malik Monk, PG/SG, CHA, (27% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
Devonte' Graham, PG/SG, CHA, (69% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST

Shallower League Add

Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF, LAL, (57% Rostered)

Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB

With Anthony Davis injured, Kuzma has really stepped up for the Lakers. He is their best rebounder and best three-point shooter over the previous month of action in which he averaged 15.4 points with 2.2 threes on 46.0% from the field and 70.8% from the line, 9.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks and 2.1 turnovers in almost 30 minutes a game. This has him ranked at #89 on Yahoo for this time frame.

Kuzma has really picked up the slack on the boards with four straight games with 11 or more rebounds. With such a condensed schedule and with Davis out, Kuzma is bound to get a lot of playing time next week as one of the younger guys on the Lakers roster. And with him already doing a pretty good job as is, he is really a guy who can make a huge impact on next week's fantasy matchups.

If you need help winning threes, points or boards next week, Kuzma is your guy (if he is still available in your league of course).

Deeper League Add

Immanuel Quickley, PG, NYK, (24% Rostered) 

Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, FT%

Positive Circumstance: is getting more minutes due to both Rose and Payton being out

Quickley has been pretty decent in his rookie year, especially if you take into consideration the amount of competition he has on the Knicks. He has managed to score in double digits in six of his last seven games, and has been even better in the last two games (played without Rose and Payton). Over these two games he averaged 18.0 PTS, 3.0 3PM, 46.2 FG%, 66.7 FT%, 2.0 REB, 2.0 AST, 1.0 STL and 1.0 TO (no blocks) in 28 minutes per game.

Furthermore, Quickley has been contributing across the board the whole season with averages of 12.5 points, 1.9 threes, 2.3 boards, 2.4 dimes, 0.5 steals, 0.3 blocks and 1.0 turnovers while shooting 92.0% from the charity stripe, and all this in under 20 minutes per game. His only real weakness is his FG% which is at just 39.5% on the year.

With both Rose and Payton struggling with injuries, should they be kept out for a few more games, Quickley will be able to provide a real boost to your fantasy team's stats next week, so if you like what you get in him, make sure he is not on your wire for too long.

Insanely Deep League Add

Markieff Morris, PF/C, LAL, (4% Rostered) 

Strong Cats: 3PM, REB

Just like Kuzma, Markieff stepped up with Davis injured. Over the last four games he is averaging 11.0 PTS, 2.3 3PM, 55.6 FG%, 83.3 FT%, 6.5 REB, 2.3 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.8 BLK and 0.8 TO in just under 27 minutes per game. This is good enough for #83 over this period. Not too shabby for a guy rostered in less than 5% of the leagues.

The Morris twin will not have flashy stat lines, but he will contribute in several categories, especially in threes and boards. Furthermore, he hasn't missed a single game over the previous month. And over five games next week he should be quite valuable to fantasy teams in deep leagues. So, if rebounds and three-pointers are important for you next week, Morris could be the guy who helps you win these categories.

Other Deep League Options for the Week

Rostered in less than 25% of Yahoo leagues

Marc Gasol, C, LAL, (18% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK - buyer beware: is out for Monday and Tuesday
Damian Jones, C, LAL, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK - could see some playing time with Gasol out for the first couple of games, but is not a good option outside of the deepest leagues
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PG/SG, LAL, (10% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, LAL, (5% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK
Wesley Matthews, SG/SF, LAL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Alex Caruso, PG/SG, LAL, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL - buyer beware: suffered a mild concussion so it's likely he will miss at least a couple of games
Markieff Morris, PF/C, LAL, (4% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
Tony Snell, SG/SF, ATL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Rajon Rondo, PG, ATL, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST
Solomon Hill, SG/SF, ATL, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Immanuel Quickley, PG, NYK, (24% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, FT% - positive circumstance: is getting more minutes due to both Rose and Payton being out
Reggie Bullock, SG/SF, NYK, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
Obi Toppin, PF/C, NYK, (15% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK
Alec Burks, PG/SG, NYK, (18% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT% - positive circumstance: is getting more minutes due to both Rose and Payton being out
Taj Gibson, PF/C, NYK, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK
Derrick Jones Jr., SG/SF, POR, (24% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, FG%
Anfernee Simons, PG/SG, POR, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Rodney Hood, SG/SF, POR, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: huh, I really couldn't say
Nassir Little, SF, POR, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB
Shake Milton, PG/SG, PHI, (23% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, AST
Danny Green, SG/SF, PHI, (23% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL/BLK, a bit little of everything
Matisse Thybulle, SG/SF, PHI, (9% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK
Furkan Korkmaz, SG/SF, PHI, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Mike Scott, SF/PF, PHI, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Cody Zeller, C, CHA, (20% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Bismack Biyombo, C, CHA, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, BLK
Cody Martin, SG/SF, CHA, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: I'm not sure really

Good luck with your matchups next week, and I sincerely hope this helps you closer to your playoffs or a better seed if you're doing well already!

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