Fantasy Basketball Mid-Week Streamers: Week 4

Mike Barner looks at some mid-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to target on waivers in Week 4.

Injuries remain a significant concern for fantasy basketball managers. Some notable players are still sidelined, including Tyler Herro (ankle), Jamal Murray (hamstring), Terry Rozier (groin), Walker Kessler (elbow) and CJ McCollum (chest). Murray’s injury is especially troublesome, given that he is expected to miss at least the rest of November.

There have been some positives with regards to players returning from injury. Devin Booker is back for the Suns, while the Nets have welcomed back both Cameron Johnson and Nic Claxton. Unfortunately for the Nets, their returns were coupled with the losses of Ben Simmons (hip) and Cam Thomas (ankle).

Let’s look at the remaining schedules for each team and discuss some players to consider streaming. For those in daily lineup leagues, streaming players with favorable schedules can be key to having a winning week. However, be sure to be aware of your league rules. If you have a games played cap for the week, then streaming too much might not be ideal. All roster percentages used in this article are from Yahoo.

Weekly Schedule: Thursday to Sunday

Teams that play only game (AVOID):Atlanta, Indiana, LA Clippers, Minnesota, Washington

Teams that play two or more games (TARGET):Boston, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, LA Lakers, Miami, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, Toronto, Utah

Teams that play back-to-back (TARGET):Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, New York, San Antonio

Shallow League Streaming Options

Duncan Robinson, SG/SF (35%)

Robinson mostly fell out of favor last season, logging just 17 minutes per game. Depth issues and injuries have forced the Heat to turn his way more often this season, which has left him to log 29 minutes per game. With Herro injured, Robinson has started each of the last three games, averaging 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 three-pointers. Although those kind of rebounding numbers might be difficult for him to duplicate over the long haul, Robinson is one of the best three-point shooters in the league. The Heat will play two more games this week, making him an ideal option for fantasy managers who are hunting for three’s.

Moritz Wagner, C (32%)

Goga Bitadze has continued to start in place of Wendell Carter Jr. (finger). He has been serviceable, averaging 10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks over 23 minutes per game. Wagner has also provided better production, averaging 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.8 three-pointers per game during that span. He shot a robust 60.8 percent from the field over 21 minutes per game. The Magic have two more games remaining this week, making Wagner a great target for those who need a big man. The same can actually be said about Bitadze, who is rostered in only 17 percent of leagues.

Jordan Hawkins, SG (32%)

Hawkins has shown a lot of promise early in his rookie season. Since McCollum went down, Hawkins has averaged 34 minutes over the last five games. He hasn’t let his opportunity go to waste, averaging 18.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.8 three-pointers during that span. The downside is that he shot just 40.8 percent from the field. For those who can absorb his poor efficiency, he can provide plenty of scoring with the Pelicans set to play two more games.

Dario Saric (30%)

Saric has proven to be a key offseason addition for the Warriors. Not only does he provide them with added size up front, but he does so while also giving them another three-point shooter on the floor. Over their first 12 games, he has put up averages of 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 three-pointers. The Warriors will play two more games and Draymond Green (suspension) will be out for both of them, so rolling with Saric is appealing.

Deep Leagues Streaming Options

Kelly Olynyk, PF/C (28%)

The Jazz added John Collins during the offseason, which moved Olynyk into a smaller role. After averaging 29 minutes per game last season, he has logged just 21 minutes per game this year. However, with Kessler getting hurt, Olynyk has another opportunity to get more involved. Over the last three games with Kessler sidelined, Olynyk has averaged 7.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals, while shooting 53.3 percent from the field. He still likely won’t play around 30 minutes a game on a nightly basis, but he can log enough minutes to be worth streaming with the Jazz set to play two more games.

Jaime Jaquez Jr., SF (23%)

Jacquez has also benefited from Herro’s injury. Over the Heat’s first eight games, he only averaged 19 minutes. However, he has logged at least 32 minutes in each of the last three games, which he turned into averages of 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 three-pointers. Herro won’t be back for the Heat’s final two games, so expect Jacquez to remain in his increased role.

Reggie Jackson, PG (18%)

Jackson is now the Nuggets’ starting point guard with Murray injured. It’s a job he’s certainly familiar with, given his experience in the league. Since taking over for Murray, he has averaged 14.8 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 three-pointers over four games. With all of the good looks that he should get from playing alongside Nikola Jokic, Jackson is a great option not just for the Nuggets’ remaining two games this week, but for however long it takes for Murray to return.

Isaiah Joe, PG/SG (2%)

The Thunder are the only team with three games remaining this week. That makes Joe a prime target for those who need three-pointers. He’s not usually going to provide much in terms of rebounds or assists, given that he averaged just 2.4 boards and 1.2 dimes over 19 minutes per game last season. However, after averaging 2.2 three-pointers last season, he has averaged 2.3 of them per game this year. With him being available in this many leagues, he could help a lot of fantasy managers.

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