NBA Waiver Wire Streamers for Fantasy Basketball Week 6 (Nov 22 - Nov 28)

Milos Zvekic analyzes Week 6 streaming opportunities for head-to-head fantasy basketball leagues for the 2021-22 season. He reviews the upcoming NBA schedule and players to add.

For the third week straight, the LA Clippers are playing on days with the least number of games played. This means their players will be good streaming options once again.

Which days are the scarcest next week and what other teams play on them?

As always, we're looking ahead to the NBA schedule for next week and pointing out a few options that can help you out. Here are the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 6.

NBA Schedule Guide - Week 6

If we count out Thanksgiving Thursday (no games are played), the two scarcest days next week are Tuesday with four and Sunday with five games. Friday is with eight games played is the only other day with fewer than 10 games. For next week's streamers, we will be looking at teams that play at least two games on these three days.

Here's the low-down:

Teams with 4 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards

Teams with 3 games:
Brooklyn Nets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors

Teams with 2 games:
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets

Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 20
Tuesday: 8
Wednesday: 26
Thursday: 0
Friday: 24
Saturday: 16
Sunday: 10

Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: -
Tuesday/Wednesday: DET, LAL, MIA, POR
Wednesday/Thursday: -
Thursday/Friday: -
Friday/Saturday: ATL, CHA, CHI, MIN, NOP, NYK, ORL, PHO, UTA, WAS
Saturday/Sunday: -
Sunday/Monday the following: IND, LAC

Days with EIGHT or fewer games
Tuesday: 4 games
Saturday: 8 games
Sunday: 5 games
And Thursday: 0 games, but I will just disregard Thursday from now on

Teams playing on all three days:
-

Teams playing on Tue/Sat:
Miami Heat (3 games - Tues, Wed, Sat)
New York Knicks (3 games - Tues, Fri, Sat)
Dallas Mavericks (2 games - Tues, Sat)

Teams playing on Tue/Sun:
Detroit Pistons (4 games - Tues, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Tues, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Los Angeles Clippers (3 games - Tues, Fri, Sun)

Teams playing on Sat/Sun:
-

Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
With Thursday having no games, there are no teams with either a good start or a good end to the week

Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
With Thursday having no games, there are no teams with either a good start or a good end to the week

Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Dallas Mavericks (2 games - Tues, Sat)
Denver Nuggets (2 games - Tues, Fri)
Golden State Warriors (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sun)
Los Angeles Clippers (3 games - Tues, Fri, Sun)
New York Knicks (3 games - Tues, Fri, Sat)
Toronto Raptors (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sun)

Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Dallas Mavericks (2 games - Tues, Sat)
Denver Nuggets (2 games - Tues, Fri)
Brooklyn Nets (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Cleveland Cavaliers (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Houston Rockets (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Miami Heat (3 games - Tue, Wed, Sat)
Oklahoma City Thunder (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)
Philadelphia 76ers (3 games - Mon, Wed, Sat)
Portland Trail Blazers (3 games - Tue, Wed, Fri)
San Antonio Spurs (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)

Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 6

Tuesday with four and Sunday with five games played are the hardest days to field a decent team, followed by Saturday (eight games). Thursday is Thanksgiving so NBA is taking a day off, and all other days next week have 10+ games so there's a decent chance fantasy GMs will already have their starting lineups full.

There are only six teams that play two games on these three scarcest days:

• Tuesday and Saturday - Miami, New York (both with three games next week) and Dallas (with just these two games)
• Tuesday and Sunday - Detroit, the Lakers (both with four games) and the Clippers (three games)
• Saturday and Sunday - No teams have back-to-back games on these two days

Players from these teams can prove helpful as well. Do beware though, Dallas only has these two games on Tuesday and Saturday.

Streaming Options for Week 6

Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week (Rostered in 25-75(ish)% of Yahoo leagues):

Saddiq Bey, SG/SF, DET, (73% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, REB, PTS
Carmelo Anthony, SG/SF, LAL, (74% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, a bit of REB, FT%, STL/BLK
Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, LAL, (62% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, a bit of REB, STL
Reggie Jackson, PG/SG, LAC, (77% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST
Ivica Zubac, C, LAC, (77% Rostered) -Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Nicolas Batum, SF/PF, LAC, (39% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Eric Bledsoe, PG/SG, LAC, (52% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL, AST
Duncan Robinson, SG/SF, MIA, (57% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, a bit of REB, FT% - buyer beware: left the previous game with a right knee contusion
Evan Fournier, SG/SF, NYK, (68% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL
Derrick Rose, PG/SG, NYK, (58% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, STL
Nerlens Noel, PF/C, NYK, (53% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: missed four straight games due to a knee issue and only been back one game (played 29 minutes with Taj Gibson out)
Tim Hardaway Jr., SG/SF, DAL, (72% Rostered) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, STL
Jalen Brunson, PG/SG, DAL, (69% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, REB

Shallower League Add

Jalen Brunson, PG/SG, DAL, (69% Rostered)

Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, REB

First of all, do keep in mind that Brunson only has games on Tuesday and Saturday, so there might be better options out there if you don't have full starting lineups on days like Monday and Wednesday.

However, if you're all set on the plentiful days and only need help on the scarce days, Jalen might be the guy for you.

Brunson has been on a tear lately, returning mid-round value in the previous two weeks with averages of 16.5 PTS with 1.0 3PM on 48.8 FG%, 86.7 FT%, 3.8 REB, 6.8 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.0 BLK and 1.5 TO in 32 minutes a night.

Furthermore, he has scored in double digits in nine games straight. He also got five or more dimes in six out of his previous seven games, turning the ball over more than twice on just one occasion during this feat.

Brunson has established himself as one of Dallas' leaders behind Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. And with Luka having some trouble with his ankle and knee, Jalen has even more room to shine and an even clearer path to both minutes and shots.

With his form, and a starting gig in a shallow Dallas rotation, Brunson could contribute nicely in his two games next week, and you have the opportunity to swap him out after his Saturday's performance for another streamer who plays on Sunday if you need to.

Deeper League Add

Alec Burks, SG/SF, NYK, (22% Rostered)

Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL

Burks has spent most of his time being a backup shooting guard/point guard and has often shown flashes of greatness. But he has never really been given the opportunity to start and lead an NBA offense. Not much is different in New York at the moment, so what makes Burks a good streaming option now?

Well, just that - he is showing his usual flashes again, and a wise fantasy GM will recognize the right time to ride this wave. And, by the looks of it, the time is now!

In the last 14 days, Burks is averaging 12.4 points with 3.0 three-pointers while shooting 42.4% from the field and 66.7% from the charity stripe, 4.1 boards, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks and just 0.3 turnovers in 24 minutes a night. Apart from the poor FG% and FT% (which should go up as Burks is a 79.5% career free throw shooter), this is some great fantasy contribution from Burks. He capped it all off with a bang against the Rockets in his most recent game on Saturday hitting six 3-pointers for 20 points and getting five steals.

We have seen Alec do it before, but it never lasts too long. With a few favorably scheduled games next week, there isn't a much better time to take a dice roll on Burks if you have a need on your team for someone like him.

Insanely Deep League Add

Cory Joseph, PG, DET, (2% Rostered) 

Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, FT%

If you read my streaming article a few weeks ago you must be thinking "Really Milos, again with Cory Joseph!?". And I can't disagree with that rationale too much. But with him being available in all but the deepest leagues, and seemingly trending up, I have to mention Joseph as he has the potential to take over the starting PG job in Detroit.

Now, this is a long shot with young talents like Cade Cunningham and Killian Hayes being on the roster and Detroit really not having much more to play for apart from developing its youth. Also, Frank Jackson, another candidate for backcourt minutes in Detroit, blowing up for 27 points in the previous game isn't going to help Joseph in his hunt for increased minutes.

But, the last two games do give some hope, with Joseph playing 30 minutes in both scoring a combined total of 26 points (one three-pointer), going 9-of-16 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, grabbing seven rebounds, dishing out seven dimes, getting three steals and turning the ball over four times.

Meanwhile, Killian Hayes played just 20 and 18 minutes in those two games and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game with a thumb sprain.

Should Joseph get his feet on the court for 30+ minutes a night during Detroit's four-game week, deep-league managers who have him on their rosters could get the W in threes, points, assists or steals due to his contribution.

Other Deep League Options for the Week

Rostered in less than 25% of Yahoo leagues

Killian Hayes, PG/SG, DET, (14% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, STL, REB, but poor %s and TO
Cory Joseph, PG, DET, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, FT%
Frank Jackson, PG/SG, DET, (4% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Josh Jackson, SG/SF, DET, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, a bit of REB
Malik Monk, PG/SG, LAL, (5% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Avery Bradley, SG/SF, LAL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, a bit of STL
Wayne Ellington, SG/SF, LAL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Rajon Rondo, PG, LAL, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, a bit of STL - buyer beware: plays very limited minutes
Terance Mann, SF, LAC, (24% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL
Luke Kennard, SG/SF, LAC, (20% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, a bit of REB
Isaiah Hartenstein, PF/C, LAC, (15% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, FG%
Dewayne Dedmon, C, MIA, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB - buyer beware: played only 18 minutes total in his previous two games
Caleb Martin, SG/SF, MIA, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL, a bit of REB and 3PM - positive circumstance: could see some additional minutes if Duncan Robinson misses time
Max Strus, SG, MIA, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB - positive circumstance: could see some additional minutes if Duncan Robinson misses time
P.J. Tucker, PF/C, MIA, (19% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, REB, - positive circumstance: in good form
Alec Burks, SG/SF, NYK, (22% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL
Immanuel Quickley, PG, NYK, (22% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, FT%
Obi Toppin, SF/PF, NYK, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: is listed as a "game-time decision" on Sunday
Taj Gibson, PF/C, NYK, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: is listed as a "game-time decision" on Sunday
Dorian Finney-Smith, SF/PF, DAL, (21% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL, 3PM
Maxi Kleber, SF/PF, DAL, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, BLK - buyer beware: missed a few weeks of action and is listed as questionable for Sunday
Dwight Powell, PF/C, DAL, (9% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL
Reggie Bullock, SG/SF, DAL, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Frank Ntilikina, PG/SG, DAL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, 3PM, STL

Best of luck in your next week's matchup guys!

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