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Milos Zvekic analyzes Week 25 + 26 streaming opportunities for head-to-head fantasy basketball leagues. He reviews the upcoming NBA schedule and players to add.
It all comes down to this! The last week of the NBA and the last week of fantasy for the most persistent who have their leagues running until the very end! If you're reading this I must assume you're in the finals! Congratulations! One more step man! ONE MORE STEP!
Almost no one is undroppable at this moment and you should only focus on who helps you be the best in the next week and a half. Scheduling is a big part of it, and if you're looking to stream the players that will play on those days when almost nobody else plays, to get the upper hand on your opponent by clever waiver wire pickups, you're in the right place!
Get that W! Win that title! Get those bragging rights, or even some cash if there's a prize in your league! Here are our fantasy basketball streamers for Week 25 + 26.
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NBA Schedule Guide - Week 25 + 26
It's pretty clear which days us streamers should focus on for the next week and a half. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday all have four or fewer games, while all other days have at least nine games played on them. Players from teams that play on these scarce days will be our focus here of course.
Here's the low-down:
Teams with 6 games:
Charlotte Hornets
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers
Utah Jazz
Teams with 5 games:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Milwaukee Bucks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Teams with 4 games:
Los Angeles Clippers
New Orleans Pelicans
Washington Wizards
Number of teams playing each day:
Monday: 18
Tuesday: 8
Wednesday: 24
Thursday: 6
Friday: 26
Saturday: 4
Sunday: 28
Next Monday: 0
Next Tuesday: 22
Next Wednesday: 22
Back-to-Backs (beware of older or banged up players who might rest):
Monday/Tuesday: -
Tuesday/Wednesday: ATL, DEN, HOU, SAS
Wednesday/Thursday: PHI
Thursday/Friday: CLE, GSW, LAL, SAC
Friday/Saturday: -
Saturday/Sunday: BKN, MIL
Sunday/Monday the following: -
Monday the following/Tuesday the following: -
Tuesday the following/Wednesday the following: BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIN, NOP, NYK, OKC, PHI, PHO, POR, UTA, WAS
Days with six or fewer games
Tuesday: 4 games
Thursday: 3 games
Saturday: 2 games
Teams playing on all three days:
None
Teams playing on Tue/Thurs:
Golden State Warriors (6 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun, Next Tue, Next Wed)
Los Angeles Lakers (5 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun, Next Tue)
Sacramento Kings (5 games - Tue, Thurs, Fri, Sun, Next Wed)
Teams playing on Tue/Sat:
None
Team playing on Thurs/Sat:
Milwaukee Bucks (5 games - Mon, Thurs, Sat, Sun, Next Wed)
Philadelphia 76ers (6 games - Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sat, Next Tue, Next Wed)
Teams playing three games over the weekend (from Thursday to Sunday)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Milwaukee Bucks
Los Angeles Lakers
Sacramento Kings
Baller Streaming Strategy for Week 25 + 26
Streaming next week comes down to filling out your roster on (the first) Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with four, three and two games respectively. These are the only days that have fewer than nine games played on them and are definitely going to bring an advantage to fantasy owners who can field a respectable team.
No teams play on all three of these games, which will make it a bit harder for us, but five teams play on either Tuesday and Thursday (the Warriors, the Lakers, and the Kings), or on Thursday and Saturday (the Bucks and the 76ers). Players from these teams are most likely to help you during these scarce days and they could be your heroes when it's all over and you're sitting pretty with a trophy in your hand!
Streaming Options for the Week
Shallower League Streaming Adds for the Week:
Nemanja Bjelica, PF, SAC, (30% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL/BLK
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG/SF, LAL, (56% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL
Rajon Rondo, PG, LAL, (59% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL, REB
Shallower League Add
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG/SF, SAC, (67% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, FT%, PTS, STL, a bit of everything
2Bog has been in a huge slump lately. It led to him barely being inside the top-200 in Yahoo rankings with averages of 10.6 PTS with 1.9 3PM on 39.8 FG% and 66.7 FT%, 2.0 REB, 2.9 AST, 0.9 STL, 0.4 BLK, and 1.0 TO in just 23 minutes per game over the previous two weeks.
You must be wondering why I'm suggesting an out of form player in such a critical point in your fantasy season. And you're right to do so. And here is the answer.
First of all, Bogdan's drop in form is just a short-term hiccup. He has already proved this statement correct as he has strung together three straight games with at least 14 points, two 3-pointers, three assists and 50.0% or better shooting. Moreover, he is a phenomenal basketball player. He is an easy top-100 guy when playing his game and it seems he has it back!
Second, his schedule is pretty good for the remainder of the year as he plays on both Tuesday and Thursday and has two more games until the end of the week. You can swap him out then for a player who plays on both Tuesday and Wednesday to end the season if you like.
Third, it's pretty slim pickings in shallower leagues if you're looking to strengthen your team on the three scarce days. Bogdan seems the most talented option at this moment and helps across the board.
Deeper League Add
Pat Connaughton, SG/SF, MIL, (9% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB, STL, FG%
Malcolm Brogdon got injured and Pat stepped up big time, for both his Milwaukee Bucks and his fantasy owners who jumped on him right away.
In the last two weeks Pat is returning top-75 value with averages of 9.3 PTS with 1.9 3PM on 51.1 FG% and 75.0 FT%, 6.1 REB, 2.7 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.4 BLK, and 0.6 TO in 30 minutes a game. And with Brogdon out for the rest of the regular season, George Hill coming back from a small injury and Tony Snell sitting out the previous two games as well, it looks like Pat will continue to get the opportunity. And with the way he's been playing, he should!
He should also be owned in most leagues with that kind of production lately and with his schedule next week. He is definitely one of those players who come out of nowhere to win you your fantasy league. Just make sure he wins it for you and not your opponent if he picks him up before you do.
Insanely Deep League Add
Sterling Brown, SG/SF, MIL, (0% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
A lot of what was said about the injury woes in Milwaukee above applies to Brown as well. With Nikola Mirotic also out and now Giannis Antetokounmpo spotted limping after the Bucks' last game, it looks like everyone will get an opportunity here.
And Sterling is definitely one of the guys who will benefit. He's already seen a bump in his playing time in the last two games, averaging 25 minutes, and if that continues he could easily be a pretty nice surprise for his fantasy owners.
In the three games in the previous week, Sterling is flirting with top-100 value with averages of 11.7 PTS with 1.7 3PM on 57.7 FG% and no free throw attempts, 4.3 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.7 BLK, and 0.3 TO in 22 minutes per game.
If you're in a deep league and need some guys to play on Thursday and Saturday, you could do a lot worse than Sterling Brown I imagine.
Other Deep League Options for the Week
Andre Iguodala, SG/SF, GSW, (7% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, AST, STL/BLK
Kevon Looney, PF/C, GSW, (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: BLK, REB, FG%
Shaun Livingston, PG/SG, GSW, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
Quinn Cook, PG, GSW, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM
Reggie Bullock, SG/SF, LAL, (9% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, PTS, FT%, STL - buyer beware: missed several games last week
Alex Caruso, SG/SF, LAL, (9% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, STL, a bit of everything
Lance Stephenson, SG/SF, LAL, (9% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, AST, bit of everything
Yogi Ferrell, PG/SG, SAC, (1% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, AST
Corey Brewer, SF, SAC, (0% Owned) - Strong Cats: STL, 3PM
Ersan Ilyasova, SF/PF, MIL, (5% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
George Hill, PG/SG, MIL, (3% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST, STL
D.J. Wilson, PF, MIL, (5% Owned) - Strong Cats: 3PM, REB
Boban Marjanovic, PF/C, PHI, (5% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, BLK, PTS, FG%, FT%
Mike Scott, PF/C, PHI, (2% Owned) - Strong Cats: REB, 3PM
T.J. McConnell, PF/C, PHI, (4% Owned) - Strong Cats: AST
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.
