NBA Fantasy Weekly Streamers for Week 16 (Apr 12 - Apr 18)

Milos Zvekic's fantasy basketball waiver wire streamers for head-to-head leagues. He reviews the Week 16 NBA schedule (4/12 - 4/18) and streaming options to pick up.

To win your matchup
Every week
Your starting lineup
You have to tweak

Two games from a late-rounder
Don't mean a lot
You can do better
With a streaming spot

Here are my thoughts on the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 16. 

NBA Schedule Guide - Week 16

Here's the low-down:

Teams with 4 games:
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards

Teams with 3 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Milwaukee Bucks
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers

Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 18
Tuesday: 12
Wednesday: 24
Thursday: 8
Friday: 22
Saturday: 12
Sunday: 16

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

Days with SIX or fewer games:
Tuesday: 6 games
Thursday: 4 games
Saturday: 6 games

Teams playing on all three days:
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)

Teams playing on Tuesday and Thursday:
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sun)

Teams playing on Tuesday and Saturday:
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Utah Jazz (4 games - Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat)

Teams playing on Thursday and Saturday:
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Golden State Warriors (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Cleveland Cavaliers (3 games - Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Milwaukee Bucks (3 games - Wed, Thurs, Sat)

Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
Golden State Warriors (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Los Angeles Lakers (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Sacramento Kings (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun)

Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
-

Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Detroit Pistons (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sat)
Portland Trail Blazers (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sun)

Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Denver Nuggets (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)
Philadelphia 76ers (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)

Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 16

With Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday being the only days with six or fewer games played, our focus will be on teams that play on these days. As there are only three teams that play on all three days (and Boston has just these three games this week) we will also be looking at teams that play on two of these days.

So, our options for this week include players from teams that play:

• On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - the Lakers, the Suns (four-game week) and the Celtics (three-game week)
• On Tuesday and Thursday - the Hawks (three-game week)
• On Tuesday and Saturday - the Jazz (four-game week)
• On Thursday and Saturday - the Warriors (four-game week), the Cavaliers and the Bucks (three-game week)

Streaming Options for Week 16

Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week (Rostered in 25-75 % of Yahoo leagues):
Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF, LAL, (64% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB - buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to a calf strain
Jae Crowder, SF/PF, PHO, (39% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL
Robert Williams, C, BOS, (74% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG% 
Evan Fournier, SG/SF, BOS, (69% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL, a bit of everything - buyer beware: is currently in health and safety protocols
Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF, ATL, (65% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT% - buyer beware: is questionable to play on Sunday due to knee soreness
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF, ATL, (52% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL, AST
Lou Williams, PG/SG, ATL, (43% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
De'Andre Hunter, SF/PF, ATL, (39% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, STL - buyer beware: his injuries have been a nightmare this season, and is currently out as well
Bojan Bogdanovic, SF/PF, UTA, (71% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Jordan Clarkson, PG/SG, UTA, (74% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT% - buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to a sprained right ankle
Joe Ingles, SG/SF, UTA, (54% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, a little bit of everything
Darius Garland, PG, CLE, (74% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, STL, FT%
Kevin Love, PF/C, CLE, (72% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, STL
Larry Nance Jr., PF/C, CLE, (65% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: missed the previous two weeks of action due to illness, he could return on Wednesday
Donte Divincenzo, PG/SG, MIL, (68% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, AST, STL - buyer beware: missed the previous game due to a bruised right hip
Bobby Portis, PF/C, MIL, (51% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, REB, STL/BLK

Shallower League Add

Darius Garland, PG, CLE, (74% Rostered)

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

I was baffled by the fact that Garland is still not rostered in more than 1/4 of Yahoo leagues. What!? Are these like 6-team leagues, or do they punish TOs so much that the rest of things Garland does so well don't matter?

Anyways, a guy that is averaging 18.8 PTS with 2.5 3PM on 51.2 FG% and 100.0 FT%, 3.2 REB, 6.8 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.2 BLK and 3.3 TO in 34 minutes a night should really on a team in most formats. In case you were wondering, this is just outside of top 50 value.

True - his turnovers will hurt. True - his FG% will not stay this high (he is at 44.8% on the year). True - he does not contribute to blocks almost at all. Still, pick him up!

He contributes greatly in all "guard" categories and is a pleasure for all fantasy GMs who practice a punt FG%/TO/BLK strategy. In the off chance Garland is available, you anticipate a close matchup in any of his strong suits and don't care that he will get around 10 turnovers in his three games next week, he should really be your primary target from Wednesday till Saturday.

Deeper League Add

Markieff Morris, PF/C, LAL, (11% Rostered)

Strong Cats: 3PM, REB

With the Lakers looking like a hospital at the moment, backup guys are stepping up left and right. Three wins out of their previous five games on their road trip are nothing to scoff at as they are missing their two best players (LeBron James and Anthony Davis), and have had six other players from the standard rotation miss at least one game during this period for various reasons.

One of the guys who has been the most consistent for the wounded Lakers has definitely been Markieff Morris. He is providing top 100 value over the past two weeks with averages of 13.0 points with 2.0 threes on 50.0% from the field and 100.0% from the line, 6.9 boards, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.3 turnovers in almost 30 minutes a game.

With the LA Stars not returning in the next 10 days at least, and other lingering issues they have, Morris is the guy they were able to count on during this difficult time. It seems that fantasy managers can do the same. Especially with his favorable schedule next week.

Insanely Deep League Add

Juan Toscano-Anderson, SF/PF, GSW, (1% Rostered) 

Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, FG%

Positive Circumstance: should get more minutes due to both James Wiseman and Eric Paschall being out

We have seen this movie several times over the past few months. Half of the Warriors' big men get hurt, Toscano-Anderson gets a shot, he plays well, the injured guys return, JTA goes back to the bench. But what we need him to do is be good just next week. And he has every opportunity to do just that.

The previous stint that saw him play solid minutes consistently was back in February. He saw 20+ minutes in 10 games straight and averaged 9.0 points with 0.9 threes on 54.4% from the field and 77.8% from the charity stripe, 6.0 rebounds, 2.8 dimes, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.3 turnovers in 27 minutes per outing.

He is in a similar position as he was back then. Should he be able to be on a similar level this time around, he will be quite a valuable pickup in deep leagues. Especially with such a favorable schedule and a four-game week.

Other Deep League Options for the Week

Rostered in less than 25% of Yahoo leagues

Marc Gasol, C, LAL, (15% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK - buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to hamstring tightness
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PG/SG, LAL, (11% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Talen Horton-Tucker, SG/SF, LAL, (15% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK
Wesley Matthews, SG/SF, LAL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL - buyer beware: missed the previous game due to Achilles tendon tightness
Alex Caruso, PG/SG, LAL, (4% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL
Markieff Morris, PF/C, LAL, (11% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
Ben McLemore, SG/SF, LAL, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Cameron Johnson, SF/PF, PHO, (10% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%
Dario Saric, PF/C, PHO, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, FT%
Cameron Payne, PG/SG, PHO, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST, STL
Torrey Craig, SG/SF, PHO, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL
Tristan Thompson, C, BOS, (18% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG% 
Payton Pritchard, PG, BOS, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Grant Williams, SF/PF, BOS, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, a little bit of everything
Solomon Hill, SG/SF, ATL, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Onyeka Okongwu, C, ATL, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Royce O'Neale, SF/PF, UTA, (22% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, a bit of everything
Derrick Favors, PF/C, UTA, (8% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG%
Georges Niang, SF/PF, UTA, (0% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM- buyer beware: missed the previous two games due to a calf strain
Damion Lee, SG/SF, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Kevon Looney, PF/C, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK - positive circumstance: should get more minutes due to both James Wiseman and Eric Paschall being out
Juan Toscano-Anderson, SF/PF, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK, FG% - positive circumstance: should get more minutes due to both James Wiseman and Eric Paschall being out
Jordan Poole, PG/SG, GSW, (9% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Kent Bazemore, SG/SF, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL, a little bit of everything
Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, CLE, (10% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, AST, STL/BLK - buyer beware: could see a significant dip in playing time should Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. return
Taurean Prince, SF/PF, CLE, (8% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL/BLK - buyer beware: could see a significant dip in playing time should Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. return
Isaac Okoro, SG/SF, CLE, (7% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
Dean Wade, PG/PF/C, CLE, (5% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: could see a significant dip in playing time should Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. return
Jeff Teague, PG, MIL, (18% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Pat Connaughton, SG/SF, MIL, (4% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL
Bryn Forbes, PG/SG, MIL, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM

I sincerely hope you guys have already or are in a good position to secure a playoff spot. Just a few more wins and there we are! Good luck!

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