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With less than two months left until most fantasy playoffs, the playoff race is heating up in many leagues. If you are in the midst of this race there is less incentive to keep out of form or injured, border-line players. I know, I like Jonas Valanciunas too. But I just had to let him go in my 12-team league when the news of him missing more time broke out. I need to get those wins as I'm in the 6th place, the last spot that leads to the playoffs.
I'm going to be streaming the hell out of that spot for the rest of the regular season! I have to do my man Jonas justice and reach those playoffs. Otherwise, it would just be a waste - cutting such a good guy...
If you're in a similar situation as I am, you will probably do the same. To help you get the most out of that streaming spot, here are our Fantasy Basketball Streamers for Week 14.
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers received five total writing awards and 13 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association, tops in the industry! Congrats to all the award winners and nominees including NBA Writer of the Year, Best NFL Series, MLB Series, PGA Writer and Player Notes writer of the year. Be sure to follow their analysis, rankings and advice all year long, and win big with RotoBaller! Read More!
NBA Schedule Guide - Week 14
This week looks a lot like the last, with only one day having less than six games played. That day is Sunday, and as always, we will focus on that. As all other days have between six and ten games, you will probably find it much easier to fill the empty starter spots on those days - if you have any at all.
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 4 games:
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns
San Antonio Spurs
Teams with 3 games:
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Denver Nuggets
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Teams with 2 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Dallas Mavericks
Teams with 1 game:
New York Knicks
Washington Wizards
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 12
Tuesday: 12
Wednesday: 16
Thursday: 12
Friday: 14
Saturday: 20
Sunday: 6
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: -
Tuesday/Wednesday: GSW, MIL
Wednesday/Thursday: TOR
Thursday/Friday: -
Friday/Saturday: BOS, CLE, DET, MEM, MIA, ORL
Saturday/Sunday: CHA, IND, PHO
Sunday/Monday the following: -
Days with five or fewer games
Sunday: 3 games
Teams playing on Sunday:
Charlotte Hornets (4 games this week - Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Indiana Pacers (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
Los Angeles Clippers (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Phoenix Suns (4 games - Tue, Thurs, Sat, Sun)
San Antonio Spurs (4 games - Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun)
Minnesota Timberwolves (3 games - Tue, Fri, Sun)
Teams playing three games over the weekend (from Thursday to Sunday)
Charlotte Hornets
Indiana Pacers
Phoenix Suns
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 14
Obviously, most fantasy teams will have a hard time to put out a decent lineup on Sunday, so we will try and fill that gap this week.
There are six teams that play on Sunday and these are Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves. All these teams play four games next week, except for the Timberwolves.
These six teams will give us our streaming options for this week.
It's also worth noting that the Hawks and the Mavericks have only two games this week and the Knicks and the Wizards have only a game apiece so beware of their players for next week and avoid them in weekly lineups.
Streaming Options for the Week
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week:
Jeremy Lamb, SG/SF, CHA, (73% Owned) - Strong Cats: PTS, 3PM, FT%, REB, STL
Marvin Williams, SF/PF, CHA, (55% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Nicolas Batum, SG/SF, CHA, (67% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, REB, a bit of everything
Bojan Bogdanovic, SG/SF, IND, (74% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Darren Collison, PG, IND, (75% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL, FT%, a bit of everything
Thaddeus Young, SF/PF, IND, (79% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, REB, FG%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG, LAC (31% Owned) - Strong Cats: FT%, STL/BLK, AST, a bit of everything
Josh Jackson, SG/SF, PHO (36% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, STL/BLK - buyer beware: poor percentages
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF, PHO, (26% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK, 3PM, FT% - buyer beware: poor FG% and quite inconsistent
Kelly Oubre Jr., SG/SF, PHO, (46% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL/BLK
Bryn Forbes, PG, SAS, (33% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Rudy Gay, SF/PF, SAS, (68% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL - buyer beware: missed a couple games last week, check his health before adding
Dario Saric, PF/C, MIN, (64% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, 3PM, FT%, PTS
Taj Gibson, PF/C, MIN, (48% Owned)- Strong Cats: REB, FG%, STL/BLK - buyer beware: Minnesota has fired coach Tom Thibodeau so Gibson might see a dip in playing time
Shallower League Add
Derrick White, PG, SAS, (51% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, a bit of everything
White was definitely one of the biggest profiteers from the San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder double-overtime bonanza.
What did White do in that game?
He hit 10-of-17 from the field (1-of-3 from downtown) and both free-throws for 23 points, five boards, eight dimes, two steals, one block, and two turnovers in 48 minutes.
What have we learned from that game that is important for White's fantasy value?
ONE: White can fill up a stat sheet. This is the most important thing for all fantasy owners to know. A player can play however many or few minutes, but if he isn't fantasy relevant it just doesn't matter. Just remember all those useless minutes Tony Snell used to bring in the previous two seasons, or Avery Bradley this year.
To attest to this and prove he's not just a one-hit wonder, here are Derrick's stats from the last two weeks: 17.7 PTS with 1.1 3PM on 69.7 FG% and 85.7 FT% (on four attempts a game), 3.7 REB, 3.3 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.6 BLK, and 1.3 TO in 31 minutes per outing. These have him ranked one place outside the top-30 for the period.
TWO: Gregg Popovich trusts him. Coach Pop doesn't give 48 minutes in a double-overtime close encounter against one of their direct rivals for a playoff spot to a guy he doesn't believe in. This, combined with the fact that the Spurs are likely to fight for the playoffs until the very last game of the regular season, and Derrick's age of 24, which makes him one of the youngest players on San Antonio's roster, should guarantee him minutes for the remainder of the season.
THREE: Fantasy owners in shallower leagues have slow reflexes. White is still owned in only 55% of the leagues despite being a top-30 candidate in the last 14 days and a top-70 candidate for the last month.
So, if your league still has White sitting on the waiver wire, pick him up now! Furthermore, if you do it by tonight, you can enjoy the rematch of the SAS - OKC spectacle taking place in Oklahoma tonight with White on your roster!
Deeper League Add
Richaun Holmes, PF/C, PHO, (27% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, FG%, BLK
Ahhh, one of the favorites of the NBA fantasy community has finally been given a large-enough role to become relevant! Holmes, a per minute fantasy stud is flirting with top-120 value on the year with just under 16 per game. But the important thing is that his minutes have seen an increase and so has his fantasy value.
He has been getting almost 19 minutes per game in the last month, and in the last seven days, the playing time is up to 21 minutes. And Richaun is rewarding both his coach Igor Kokoshkov and his fantasy owners for their belief in him with top-25 value in the last week through averages of 11.3 points on 86.7% from the field and 80.0% from the charity stripe (on 3.3 attempts per game!), 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks and no turnovers whatsoever in those three games.
Furthermore, he is still just 25, so it makes sense for the young and tanking Suns to play him as much as they see fit. Who knows, maybe we are looking at the making of one of the best frountcourt duos for the next decade in Deandre Ayton and Holmes. Yeah, it's a bit far-fetched, I know...
Richaun's recent production has seen him jump from 15% to 27% owned in a matter of days, and if he is still on your waiver wire and you're not quick about it, he could be gone by the time you make your decision. If he fits your needs, especially for the next week pick him up fast. When given enough playing time - he rarely lets you down.
Insanely Deep League Add
Patty Mills, PG, SAS, (11% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, AST
The veteran has been quietly showing up night after night and providing for his fantasy owners quite selflessly. He hit double-digits in points for six games straight and seems to have benefited the most from Rudy Gay's recent injury. In the last four games, Patty is averaging 13.8 PTS with 2.8 3PM on 55.9 FG% and 85.7 FT%, 3.0 REB, 3.8 AST, 1.5 STL, and 1.0 TO with no blocks in over 27 minutes per game. This is enough for top-50 value for this period.
Now, of course, Mills isn't going to keep this kind of value or production for the rest of the season, but with a favorable schedule next week and the negative comments about Gay's availability in the short term, there isn't a better time to take a flier on Mills in deep leagues. Spurs don't even have a back-to-back to worry about next week. And even if they did, DNP-Old doesn't seem to apply to 30-year-old Mills as he played a combined 60 minutes on their back-to-back set on Jan 9 and Jan 10.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, CHA, (3% Owned) -Strong Cats: REB, BLK, a bit of everything
Malik Monk, SG, CHA (6% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, PTS
Tony Parker, PG, CHA, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, PTS
Bismack Biyombo, PF/C, CHA, (11% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK, FG%
Willy Hernangomez, C, CHA, (16% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB
Doug McDermott, SF, IND, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%
Cory Joseph, PG, IND, (8% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, AST, 3PM
Jamal Crawford, SG/SF, PHO, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, AST
De'Anthony Melton, PG, PHO (6% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, FT%, 3PM
Patrick Beverley, PG/SG, LAC (15% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, AST, 3PM, REB
Marcin Gortat, C, LAC, (20% Owned) - Strong Cats: FG%, REB, BLK
Avery Bradley, PG/SG, LAC, (5% Owned) - Strong Cats: none really, but he once was a great fantasy player and is getting 30 minutes a night
Jakob Poeltl, C, SAS, (17% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK, FG%
Davis Bertans, PF/C, SAS, (6% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, REB
Marco Belinelli, SG/SF, SAS, (9% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%
Tyus Jones, PG, MIN, (10% Owned) - Strong Cats: FT%, AST, STL
Josh Okogie, SG, MIN, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL/BLK
Anthony Tolliver, SF/PF, MIN, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C, MIN, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK/STL, FG%, FT%, new coach - new opportunity
Hope you guys enjoyed the article and the advice, and I hope that this will help you win your matchups next week and bragging rights for the week after.
