RADIO
Week 3 of the NBA season is coming to a close, and H2H league managers realize that every category win counts in the fight for a playoff spot. Earlier this week, we took a look at category streamers with multiple games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Today's column focuses on last minute fights for categories on Saturday and Sunday.
Remember, these streamers are solely for short term gains in specific categories. For recommendations on guys to add for the long-term, be sure to check out our Waiver Wire Pickups List.
NBA Waiver Wire: Category Streamers – Weekend Edition (Week 3)
Weekend of 11/14 & 11/15
Teams with 2 games: DET
Teams with 0 games: CHI, IND, MIA
Points
Cory Joseph (PG, TOR)
Owned in 8% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Sunday, Nov. 15 @ Sacramento
ANALYSIS: One of the more under the radar moves this summer was the Raptors signing of Joseph, a former first round pick of the Spurs. Being a first round pick of the Spurs is generally enough to garner interest and intrigue. Now that Terrence Ross is out indefinitely, Joseph has seen a significant bump in time on the court, reaching a season high 31 on Wednesday night where he scored 15 points on 6-9 shooting. He offers virtually nothing from downtown, but has shown the ability to get to the rack and score in the double digits when given the opportunity. It appears that opportunity exists in a big way this weekend against the defensively-challenged Kings, who presently rank 28th in the league in opponents points per game.
Rebounds
Zaza Pachulia (C, DAL)
Owned in 41% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Nov. 14 @ Houston
ANALYSIS: Pachulia is currently on an impressive run when it comes to crashing the boards, grabbing 10 or more in 3 of his last 4 games and his season average of 9.5 ranks inside the top-20 in the league. Pachulia’s weekend opponent, the Rockets, will be on the second night of a back-to-back, and have given up a combined 26 rebounds to opposing centers in their past two games.
Assists
T.J. McConnell (PG, PHI)
Owned in 38% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Nov. 14 @ San Antonio
ANALYSIS: McConnell was in this same spot in last weekend’s NBA Week 2 Streamers by Category – Weekend Edition. At that time, his ownership percentage was at a mere 23%, so you can see that his stock is steadily on the rise. All McConnell has done since taking the starting reigns from Isaiah Canaan on November 4 is average 9.2 apg. This guy has a natural ability of finding teammates in the right spot, and is dishing out assists at a historic rate. While it’s possible the everyday grind of the NBA season could eventually take its toll on the undersized point guard, he’s been as effective as anyone of late when it comes to dropping dimes. If you are one of the last remaining holdouts, go get him now and watch your assist totals rise.
Steals
Courtney Lee (SG/SF, MEM)
Owned in 31% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Sunday, Nov. 15 @ Minnesota
ANALYSIS: Lee’s offense will always be inconsistent, and he is presently in a slump at the offensive end of the floor. His steals and minutes, however, have not been slumping. Playing right around 30 minutes is nice, and his penchant for steals makes him valuable for Sunday night if you are in need of steals. Lee has had 4 games this season with multiple steals, and is on a nice little run in the steals department this week (6 in two games). As long as his offensive woes don’t cut into his minutes, he should be good for two steals Sunday.
Blocks
Jerami Grant (SF/PF, PHI)
Owned in 4% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Saturday, Nov. 14 @ San Antonio
ANALYSIS: Grant has flown under the radar on a bad Sixers team and as the younger brother of Knicks rookie Jerian Grant. The second year pro is starting to develop a nice all-around game, as has averaged around 27 minutes of action in his last five tilts. Where Grant has really excelled from a fantasy standpoint is in the blocks category, where he has shown the timing and athleticism to swat shots at a high rate. Grant is averaging 1.8 bpg for the season, and has been a beast of late on the defensive end, averaging 2.4 bpg in his last five games. Facing the talented Spurs frontcourt this weekend is far from an ideal matchup, but the younger Grant should be up for the task and continue his shot-blocking prowess.
Three Pointers
Langston Galloway (PG/SG, NYK)
Owned in 47% of Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues
Weekend Schedule: Sunday, Nov. 15 vs. New Orleans
ANALYSIS: Galloway has had a strong start to the 2015-2016 campaign, proving wrong the doubters who believed his impressive play following a January call up from the D-League last season was a fluke. Where Galloway has impressed the most in the early going is from downtown, where he is currently shooting an otherworldly 60% (!!!). Obviously that rate won’t hold up over an 82 game season, but he has converted multiple threes in 7 of 9 games this season. Despite going 0-1 from beyond the arc in Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte, there is reason for optimism this weekend: The only other night Galloway did not convert on a three-pointer this season (11/2 vs. San Antonio), he rebounded with 3 threes his next night out (11/4 @ Cleveland). Galloway and the Knicks get the underperforming Pelicans Sunday afternoon in a 12:00 start at the world’s most famous arena, a game setting that historically does not favor the road teams.
