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Ready to run over and crush your next week's opponent like a STREAMroller? You're in the right place!
If you got a roster spot to spare or a guy you're not particularly fond of and wouldn't mind sacrificing him to the Waiver Wire Gods in return for some more games played next week, streaming is your cup of tea. I'm taking a look at which teams play on scarce gamedays next week, as their players should help most fantasy GMs fill out their starting rosters on those days, and analyzing which players could bring you some juicy stats and a W in the upcoming matchup.
Here are my thoughts on the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 8.
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NBA Schedule Guide - Week 8
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards
Teams with 3 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz
Teams with 2 games:
-
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 16
Tuesday: 14
Wednesday: 18
Thursday: 10
Friday: 22
Saturday: 10
Sunday: 20
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: GSW, HOU, SAS
Tuesday/Wednesday: BKN, NOP
Wednesday/Thursday: IND, TOR
Thursday/Friday: BOS, DET, ORL, POR
Friday/Saturday: ATL, NYK, UTA
Saturday/Sunday: PHO
Sunday/Monday the following: CLE, LAC, SAC
Days with SIX or fewer games:
Thursday: 5 games
Saturday: 5 games
Teams playing on both days:
Golden State Warriors (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Houston Rockets (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Indiana Pacers (3 games - Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Miami Heat (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Philadelphia 76ers (3 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Teams with a GOOD START to the week (three games from Monday to Thursday)
Golden State Warriors (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Houston Rockets (4 games - Mon, Tue, Thurs, Sat)
Toronto Raptors (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat)
Teams with a GOOD END to the week (three games from Thursday to Sunday)
Boston Celtics (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Detroit Pistons (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Orlando Magic (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Portland Trail Blazers (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Teams with a POOR START to the week (one or no games from Monday to Thursday)
Atlanta Hawks (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sat)
Boston Celtics (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sun)
Los Angeles Clippers (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sun)
New York Knicks (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sat)
Sacramento Kings (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sun)
Utah Jazz (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sat)
Teams with a POOR END to the week (one or no games from Thursday to Sunday)
Brooklyn Nets (3 games - Tue, Wed, Sat)
Chicago Bulls (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)
New Orleans Pelicans (3 games - Tue, Wed, Fri)
Washington Wizards (3 games - Mon, Wed, Fri)
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 8
Thursday has only four, and Saturday only five games scheduled, while all other days have at least seven. So these are the two days most likely to bring empty starting spots for fantasy GMs. Five teams have games on both these days and their players could fill in these holes nicely. Primarily Golden State and Houston who have a four-game week, and also Indiana, Miami and Philadelphia who play one more time in addition to the two days mentioned above. Players from these five teams will be our focus.
Fantasy managers with a bigger acquisition limit who need some help on other days as well could potentially try to maximize their games played by combining several players with different schedules throughout the week.
For example, San Antonio has a back-to-back set on Monday and Tuesday, then Atlanta and Indiana play three games from Wednesday till Saturday, and 18 teams play on Sunday so you can have your pick. If you stream players from these teams in the correct order, you could potentially get a six-game week from just one streaming spot using three acquisitions. There are other options as well of course, but this is just one example.
Streaming Options for Week 8
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week (Rostered in 25-75 % of Yahoo leagues):
Eric Gordon, SG/SF, HOU, (59% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C, HOU, (67% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL - positive circumstance: will get more minutes while Christian Wood is out
Justin Holiday, SG/SF, IND, (42% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, a bit of everything
Jeremy Lamb, SG/SF, IND, (53% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, a bit of everything
Duncan Robinson, SG/SF, MIA, (70% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Goran Dragic, PG/SG, MIA, (68% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST - buyer beware: sprained his ankle in the previous game and we don't have an update at the moment so be sure to check his status before adding him
Kelly Olynyk, PF/C, MIA, (26% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Seth Curry, PG/SG, PHI, (60% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, AST - buyer beware: an illness kept him out of his previous game
Shallower League Add
DeMarcus Cousins, PF/C, HOU, (67% Rostered)
Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL
Positive circumstance: will get more minutes while Christian Wood is out
Boogie Cousins is a household name, especially in fantasy basketball. A top-10 player for years while back in Sacramento, Cousins is known to be able to stuff the stat sheet when he hits his groove. And with Wood being out for some time, he should be getting enough playing time to really be fantasy relevant.
You gotta take the good with the bad with Boogie, and he could be quite frustrating to have on your team, but when he shines, he shines brightly! Here is what I mean.
He is second on the all-time ejections list behind only Rasheed Wallace (found this on several unofficial websites so if it's not correct I apologize, although it sounds legit) and he is starting to gain on Rasheed with a few ejections this season as well.
Furthermore, Boogie doesn't care if he's got a cold hand as he is capable of shooting 2-of-16 from the field (in his first of three games that Wood has missed during January).
But, then he steps up and hits 9-of-15 (4-of-8 from three-point range), and goes 6-of-7 from the charity stripe for 28 points, adds 17 boards and five assists the very next game. Then he follows that one up with 6-of-11 from the field for 19 points with 11 rebounds, five steals and a block. Very hot and cold. But that's Boogie for you.
If you have nerves of steel, and you like having a high impact player (whether it's a positive or negative impact, only Boogie will tell), he is definitely worth a shout with Wood out. Especially with a four-game week with games on the scarce days.
Deeper League Add
T.J. McConnell, PG/SG, IND, (22% Rostered)
Strong Cats: AST, STL
I absolutely love McConnell! As I am a big fan of a three-way punt FT%, 3PM, PTS build, he is exactly my type of player in the final rounds of drafts (or off the waiver wire in most cases as well). He brings elite per minute assists and steals to the table, along with a few boards without hurting you FG% from the PG spot, which is quite useful in such builds.
Now, T.J. is definitely an acquired taste, as he doesn't shoot or score much, is not too good from the free-throw line and doesn't get many threes or blocks. Furthermore, he might hurt you in the TO department as well on an off night. So, if these categories are important to you, McConnell is probably not your guy.
However, in the previous month, he is averaging 5.5 PTS on 49.2 FG% and just 20.0 FT% (but on only 0.4 attempts per game), 0.3 3PM, 3.3 REB, 8.3 AST, 1.9 STL, 0.3 BLK and 2.3 TO in over 25 minutes a game. This is good enough for spot #118 in Yahoo rankings.
So, if you don't need much help in his weak categories from your streamer, and you do anticipate a close matchup in AST, STL and FG%, McConnell is your guy! Furthermore, Indiana doesn't play before Wednesday, so if you're a gambling man, and you believe T.J. will be waiting for you, you could potentially get in a Houston, San Antonio or Golden State player for the back-to-back on Mon/Tue and then switch to McConnell for his three games on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Insanely Deep League Add
Juan Toscano-Anderson, SF/PF, GSW, (10% Rostered)
Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, REB, BLK/STL
The NBA is crazy, and this season is making it even crazier. Thus, it shouldn't come as too big a surprise that I am recommending a player here who has played just seven games from the start of the season until February and scored a total of 22 points in those seven games. He actually had 11 personal fouls in those seven games as well, so 2 points for every personal foul. Not quite what you want from your fantasy players.
Juan Toscano-Anderson is buried in a crowded Warriors' rotation when everyone is healthy. But at this very moment, almost no one is. We got Marquese Chriss, James Wiseman and Kevon Looney already confirmed out for the next week (Chriss even longer of course), and Eric Paschall missing the previous game and questionable for the Week 7 Saturday game, so he could potentially also miss games in Week 8 as well.
And in the two February games in these new circumstances, Juan has been quite good, averaging 15.0 points with 2.5 threes on 70.6% from the field and no misses (in just one attempt) from the line, 5.0 boards, 3.0 dimes, 0.5 steals, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 turnovers in 33 minutes a night. I will just mention that this has him ranked at #30 on Yahoo, although this isn't a reliable indicator on such a small sample size.
Nevertheless, Juan has been given a shot and has used it quite well. He even played 40 minutes in the previous game. And with so many players making way for him, and such a favorable schedule for GSW next week, Toscano-Anderson is someone who could really contribute to your fantasy team. Of course, he could do nothing as well, since he is a rotational player usually, but it seems he is as good a bet as any in deep leagues.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Rostered in less than 25% of Yahoo leagues
Juan Toscano-Anderson, SF/PF, GSW, (10% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, 3PM, REB, BLK/STL
Eric Paschall, SF/PF, GSW, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB - buyer beware: currently injured day-to-day
Kent Bazemore, SG/SF, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL/BLK, REB
Brad Wanamaker, PG/SG, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FT%, 3PM, AST, STL
Damion Lee, SG/SF, GSW, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
P.J. Tucker, PF/C, HOU, (16% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, REB
Jae'sean Tate, SG, HOU, (7% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK - positive circumstance: rookie factor; - buyer beware: also the rookie factor
Sterling Brown, SG/SF, HOU, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, a little bit of everything
David Nwaba, SG/SF, HOU, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL, a little bit of everything - buyer beware: missed a couple of games due to an ankle sprain and still hasn't returned
Danuel House Jr, SF/PF, HOU, (11% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, a little bit of everything
Doug McDermott, SF/PF, IND, (12% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%
Aaron Holiday, PG, IND, (2% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, FT%
T.J. McConnell, PG/SG, IND, (22% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Goga Bitadze, C, IND, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, BLK
Kendrick Nunn, PG/SG, MIA, (19% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, STL, FT% - buyer beware: his minutes are very dependable on whether Goran Dragic is playing or not
Precious Achiuwa, SF/PF, MIA, (3% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG% - buyer beware: plays just 16 minutes a game so far this season
Andre Iguodala, SG/SF, MIA, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: AST, STL, REB
Shake Milton, PG/SG, PHI, (22% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, AST
Danny Green, SG/SF, PHI, (23% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, a bit little of everything
Tyrese Maxey, SG, PHI, (6% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
Matisse Thybulle, SG/SF, PHI, (7% Rostered) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK
Dwight Howard, C, PHI, (16% Rostered) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK, FG% - buyer beware: poor FT%
Furkan Korkmaz, SG/SF, PHI, (1% Rostered) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL
I hope this article helps you jump over your next obstacle on the way to the Fantasy ring!
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