RADIO
Milos Zvekic's fantasy basketball waiver wire streamers for head-to-head leagues. He reviews the Week 11 NBA schedule (12/30 - 1/5) and streaming options to pick up.
It's hard out here for an NBA fantasy pimp
When he tryin' to get this streamer for the Win
For the busts and the draft picks on them spent
Because a whole lot of guys playin' like sh*t
Using that last roster spot to stream available players with a favorable schedule in the upcoming week is a strategy known and used by many fantasy NBA owners. And rightfully so, as it maximizes the games your team plays and will more often than not contribute more than your end-of-the-bench guy will.
I've done some analysis of the week to come and here are my thoughts on the fantasy basketball streamers for Week 11.
NBA Schedule Guide - Week 11
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Clippers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Washington Wizards
Teams with 3 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Teams with 2 games:
Houston Rockets
New Orleans Pelicans
Philadelphia 76ers
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 12
Tuesday: 14
Wednesday: 8
Thursday: 18
Friday: 12
Saturday: 22
Sunday: 10
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged-up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: -
Tuesday/Wednesday: -
Wednesday/Thursday: MIN
Thursday/Friday: MIA
Friday/Saturday: ATL, BOS, NOP, ORL, WAS
Saturday/Sunday: CLE, DET, LAL, MEM
Sunday/Monday the following: -
Days with six or fewer games
Monday: 6 games
Wednesday: 4 games
Friday: 6 games
Sunday: 5 games
Teams playing on all four days:
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Portland Trail Blazers (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Teams playing on Mon/Wed/Fri:
Orlando Magic (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Washington Wizards (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Teams playing on Mon/Wed/Sun:
Minnesota Timberwolves (4 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun)
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Teams playing on Mon/Fri/Sun:
Miami Heat (4 games - Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sun)
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Teams playing on Wed/Fri/Sun:
Los Angeles Lakers (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sun)
New York Knicks (3 games - Wed, Fri, Sun)
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Teams playing three games over the weekend (from Thursday to Sunday)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 11
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday all have between four and six games played so the teams playing on these days are more likely to have players that can help you out the most. The Suns and the Trail Blazers play on all four of these days and their players are worth gold next week.
Six other teams play on three of these days - the Magic, the Wizards, the Timberwolves, the Heat, the Lakers and the Knicks. Therefore, their players are also on our radar.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans don't have a game until their back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday, so their players are best avoided, at least early in the week.
Streaming Options for Week 11
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week:
Dario Saric, PF/C, PHO, (57% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FT%, 3PM, PTS
Aron Baynes, PF/C, PHO, (30% Owned) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, BLK - buyer beware: will see a drop in playing time once Deandre Ayton returns from injury (and he is due any day now)
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, PHO, (38% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK - buyer beware: in poor form
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, POR, (76% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, REB
Terrence Ross, SG/SF, ORL, (48% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
Evan Fournier, SG/SF, ORL, (78% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Markelle Fultz, PG/SG, ORL, (40% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Isaiah Thomas, PG, WAS, (38% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS, 3PM, FT%
Troy Brown, SG/SF, WAS, (34% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, STL
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, MIN, (30% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK - buyer beware: will return to the bench role when Karl-Anthony Towns returns from injury which could be very soon
Jeff Teague, PG, MIN, (78% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS, 3PM, FT%
Duncan Robinson, SG/SF/PF, MIA, (44% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Tyler Herro, SG/SF, MIA, (62% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, REB
Goran Dragic, PG/SG, MIA, (64% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST
Kendrick Nunn, PG/SG, MIA, (71% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST, STL
Danny Green, SG/SF, LAL, (51% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Kyle Kuzma, SF/PF, LAL, (71% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS
JaVale McGee, C, LAL, (37% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Dwight Howard, PF/C, LAL, (38% Owned) -Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Elfrid Payton, PG, NYK, (33% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, AST, STL - buyer beware: poor FT%
Marcus Morris Sr., SF/PF, NYK, (75% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, FT%
RJ Barrett, SF/PF, NYK, (76% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, REB, STL - buyer beware: poor FT%
Shallower League Add
Duncan Robinson, SG/SF/PF, MIA - 44% Owned
Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Robinson is flirting with top-100 value both on the season and in the past week, so it strikes me as odd that he is owned in less than half of Yahoo leagues. Still, if this is the case in your league as well, now is the best time to add him with a four-game week on three of the four scarcest days.
To be fair, Robinson is not much more than a three-point threat. But he is a big three-point threat though. His season averages of 11.9 PTS with 3.3 3PM on 48.1 FG% and 95.0 FT%, 3.1 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.3 BLK, and 0.6 TO in 27 minutes per game tell the whole story. He will not hurt you anywhere, is very useful for non-counting stats as well, and with his turnovers this low, streaming him has no down-side.
So, if you expect a close matchup with threes being a decisive category, Duncan is your guy!
Deeper League Add
Elfrid Payton, PG, NYK - 33% Owned
Strong Cats: REB, AST, STL
It wasn't easy for Payton to find his way to playing time this season with him missing the whole month of November with an injury, and two former top-10 draft picks - Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina - fighting with him for the starting PG spot in New York.
But Payton is a top-10 pick himself and he has shown us his talent since his return to health. In the last eight games, he is averaging 9.1 PTS with 0.4 3PM on 41.8 FG% and 44.4 FT%, 4.6 REB, 7.4 AST, 1.4 STL, 0.3 BLK, and 1.5 TO in 26 minutes per game. This has him around the top-100 for the period.
Furthermore, Elfrid has played 30+ minutes two games in a row and it seems that he is the starting point guard for the Knicks from now on.
If you don't mind his terrible free-throw shooting and could use some dimes, steals and out of position boards, Payton's three games next week all come on days with six or fewer games played so he could be a great streaming option.
Insanely Deep League Add
Ian Mahinmi, C, WAS - 3% Owned
Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
To be honest, I am not in love with Mahinmi, but it's slim pickings this week for the deepest of leagues, and Ian is a constant contributor in his categories. He had at least five points and five boards in each of his previous six games. During this period he failed to block a shot only once, had at least one steal in four out of the six games, and is averaging 7.5 points with 0.2 threes on 45.5% from the field and 60.9% from the line, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 1.8 turnovers in 22 minutes per outing.
The percentages are not great (although he is a career 53.5% field-goals shooter sho that should improve) and almost two turnovers from a center that barely plays 20+ minutes is not ideal so he does come with some limitations. But his contribution in boards and stocks is real and not easy to find in very deep leagues.
With Thomas Bryant not expected to return soon, Mahinmi should keep eclipsing the 20-minute mark on a regular basis, and with his consistency, he should get you around 25 points and boards and almost 10 combined blocks and steals if he plays all four games for your team next week. That could easily be the difference between a win and a loss, especially in the deepest of leagues.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Cameron Johnson, SG/SF, PHO, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Frank Kaminsky, PF/C, PHO, (16% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
Kent Bazemore, SG/SF, POR, (26% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK - should see additional minutes with Rodney Hood out for the season
Anfernee Simons, SG, POR, (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Skal Labissiere, PF/C, POR, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, STL/BLK
Ish Smith, PG, WAS, (18% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS, 3PM
Ian Mahinmi, C, WAS, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK
Anzejs Pasecniks, C, WAS, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, REB, FG%
Gary Payton II, SG, WAS, (18% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, AST, STL - buyer beware: could lose minutes due to Isaiah Thomas' return from suspension
Treveon Graham, SG/SF, MIN, (0% Owned) - Strong Cats: he doesn't really do much, but he did play 40 minutes in his previous game so I had to at least mention him
Shabazz Napier, PG/SG, MIN, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, 3PM, FT%
Derrick Jones Jr., SF/PF, MIA, (14% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, a bit of everything
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, PG/SG/SF, LAL, (7% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, STL
Rajon Rondo, PG, LAL, (22% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Kevin Knox, SF/PF, NYK, (5% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, 3PM
Bobby Portis, PF/C, NYK, (17% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL
Frank Ntilikina, PG/SG, NYK, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, 3PM, STL
I hope you guys enjoyed the article and I hope that this will help you win your matchups next week and bragging rights for the week after.
