November 23, 2016

JT picks fantasy basketball waiver wire streamers and adds for points, assists, and three pointers in Week 5 of the NBA season. These players can be sleepers.

It's never too early to start streaming. Whether you have an opening due to an injury, you auction-drafted a crew of stars and scrubs, or you just didn't bother putting any effort into your last couple draft picks, you probably have a player or two on your team who isn't must-own. You're better off using that roster spot to stream players to eke out wins in close categories in your weekly head-to-head matchups.

This year, RotoBaller will be making weekly recommendations for extreme short term category specialists every week in all six counting stat categories (points, assists, threes, rebounds, steals, and blocks). Your week one offensive category streamers for points, threes, and assists are below. All position eligibility and ownership percentages are based on Yahoo! fantasy leagues.

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Three Points Made Streamer

Nik Stauskas, SG, PHI, Opponents: Friday vs. CHI, Sunday vs. CLE (10% Owned)

After losing five straight to start the season, the Sixers have been unstoppable at home, having won four straight in Philadelphia. It’s Always Sunny in The Wells Fargo Center. Philly is in the middle of a six-game home stand and we’ll get to see what they’re really made of when they take the Champs on Sunday.

Over that span, Sauce Castillo has splashed an average of 2.4 threes per game, while shooting 46.0% from deep for the season. He’s looked to have locked up a consistent role with Brett Brown, who’s feeding the third-year player consistent minutes (24.0 MPG) with the second unit. On top of that, Nik Stauskas has hit a three in every game after the home-opener. He’s an awesome target to stream for treys in standard leagues.

The Sixers are getting nearly a third (31.0 %) of their points off three-pointers, which is currently ranked fourth in the league. Philly ranks eighth in 3PTM (10.1) and sit inside the top-ten for 3P% (35.6%). Yeah, they’re letting it go from deep. They have two games over the weekend including a bout on the final day of this week’s matchup, making Sauce an easy streaming target after Thanksgiving. Give him a look.

Other Options: Tim Hardaway Jr., SG/SF, ATL (12% Owned); Justin Hamilton, PF/C, BKN (12% Owned); Matt Barnes, SG/SF, SAC (23% Owned); Tony Snell, SG/SF, MIL (3% Owned)

Points Streamer

Jamal Murray, SG, DEN, Opponents: Friday vs. OKC, Sunday @ PHX (24% Owned)

After an abysmal start to his rookie season, the 19-year old Canadian has caught fire, posting 21.0 points with 3.0 threes on a ridiculous 71.4% shooting over his last two. He’s not sorry. The shooting is unsustainable, which makes him a streaming option only at this point for re-draft leagues. Gary Harris is out for a month, but Will Barton has reclaimed the starting SG spot after returning to the lineup. That still frees up plenty of backup minutes (22.2 MPG since Harris’ injury) for Murray to do his thing.

The Nuggets will see the Thunder and the Suns over the weekend, who’ve been great fantasy opponents this season. Oklahoma City runs a torrid pace (102.31) and sits fourth in the league, with the Nuggets a few spots behind at seven (101.58). Get your popcorn ready for that one. Phoenix ranks in the bottom-five for both opponent field goals made (40.7) and opponent field goal percentage (46.3%), which should offset Denver’s equally stinky defense. Both make great match-ups on the fantasy front. The weekend schedule and the sudden surge have put Jamal Murray in a great place to stream for buckets in most formats.

Other Options:  Michael Beasley, SF/PF, MIL (2% Owned); Ersan Ilyasova, SF/PF, PHI (21% Owned); Gerald Henderson, SG/SF, PHI (5% Owned); Vince Carter, SG/SF, MEM (15% Owned)

Assists Streamer

Ty Lawson, PG, SAC, Opponents: Friday vs. HOU, Sunday @ BKN (12% Owned)

Okay, hear me out. He’s not the Ty Lawson we remember, but Sacramento is looking for answers after losing four straight before the controversial shot-clock win against the Raptors on Sunday. I’m still not over it. Coach Joerger has switched things up with Matt Barnes and Darren Collison entering the starting unit, while giving Kosta Koufos and Arron Afflalo the boot.

Surprisingly, Lawson has started all but one game this season even with DC returning. He’s using the two guards together, but it’s more out of necessity since Afflalo and Ben McLemore simply have not produced. Lawson is averaging 6.5 assists in 31.5 minutes over the last two games, which is great value for a widely available waiver option. It’s encouraging that Joerger is still committed to Lawson and could potentially be a hold option past this week.

Over the weekend, the Kings will have a tasty match-up against the Brooklyn Nets, who’ve been among the best fantasy opponents to square off against this season. The Nets are only behind the Suns in pace (104.3), while owning some of the worst defense in the league. They’re last in both opponent field goals made (42.6) and attempted (91.2). On top of that, they’re second last in opponent field goal percentage (47.5%). Good for us, not so great for Brooklyn fans. To put the cherry on top, the Nets also allow the most assists per game (24.9), which make Lawson a strong streaming option for assists in the late week. Aren't you glad you heard me out?

Other Options: Jarryd Bayless, PG/SG, PHI (11% Owned); Marco Belinelli, SG/SF, CHA (10% Owned); Jameer Nelson, PG, DEN (3% Owned); Brandon Jennings, PG, NYK (15% Owned)