Welcome to your midweek guidance for week 16! The goal of this post is to find you stream candidates who will help you win your matchup in eight or nine category H2H leagues. The annual tank-a-thon is in full effect for some teams, while others will begin resting their stars in preparation for the playoffs. All that to say, there will be some diamonds in the rough that surface as we near the end.
Due to the fact that they only have one remaining game left this week, Facundo Campazzo and Monte Morris aren’t featured on the list below, but in the wake of the Jamal Murray news, they can be considered as speculative adds in twelve-team leagues.
If you went out and grabbed Bobby Portis and/or Malachi Flynn after last week’s post, you’re probably feeling pretty smug right now. If you took my advice on Tomas Satoransky, at least you got some assists out of the deal. The dip in minutes is worth monitoring, but Sato is a hold for now despite the turbulence.
Given the shorter-than-usual list of players for this week’s recommendations, I’ve included a separate list of players who should be rostered in all leagues. Their rates of ownership suggest that they are undervalued across the fantasy hoops landscape, and these guys can help you if you are in or heading for the playoffs.
To kick things off, I’ll profile players who can help you across multiple categories. Unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that they will not adversely impact your turnovers. Keep in mind that, unless a player has an asterisk next to his name, my recommendations are for streaming purposes only. These players have two or more games remaining in the current week and are rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues.
Four Category Contributors
- Kendrick Nunn* (Points, Threes, Assists, FT%): The Heat coaching staff expects Victor Oladipo’s absence to stretch for weeks, and Nunn is the most notable beneficiary of this absence. If you can absorb the streaky shooting from the field, he should provide production in everything aside from rebounds and blocks. Turnovers may become a factor with the increase in usage (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Jalen McDaniels* (Points, Threes, Rebounds, Steals): Injuries to Charlotte’s two highest usage players left a large productivity vacuum, and McDaniels is helping to fill the void. The FG% is likely unsustainable (60% over his past three games), but he’s getting big minutes and contributing volume stats in other categories (Plays Fri & Sun).
Three Category Contributors
- Brandon Goodwin (Threes, Assists, Steals): Trae Young is the status to watch heading into Thursday’s game. If Young is out again, expect the type of minutes that yielded Goodwin averages of 17.5 points, 3 threes, 5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1 steal over the Hawks’ past two games (Plays Thurs & Sun).
- Taj Gibson (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): Thibs appears to be gravitating back towards Nerlens Noel with the lion’s share of center minutes, so Gibson’s value is contingent upon surpassing the 20-minute threshold on most nights (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Hassan Whiteside (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%) Richaun Holmes is projected to miss at least another two games, and Whiteside should play 20+ minutes in each of those outings. If you need big man stats, you know what to do (Plays Thurs & Sun)!
- Reggie Jackson (Threes, Assists, Steals): Jackson has a string of starts in front of him. We’ve been here before, I know. One game he’s putting up across-the-board production, and the next game he’s laying waste to your efficiency categories. Proceed with caution if your team isn’t built to offset his shortfalls (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Khem Birch (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%): He started Wednesday’s game ahead of Chris Boucher and put up 14 and 6 with a steal and 2 blocks. After shooting below 50% from the field all season, he’s hit 57% of his shots through his last five games (Plays Fri & Sun).
Two Category Contributors
- Dorian Finney-Smith (Threes, Rebounds): Finney-Smith contributes sporadically in the defensive categories, but most of his value comes from rebounding and hitting threes. If the shot’s not falling, the value evaporates (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Marcus Morris Sr. (Points, Threes): He sat out Wednesday’s game against the Pistons, but Morris is on a tear over his past two games. Kawhi Leonard’s status for Friday will likely determine whether or not Morris can maintain his elevated usage (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Grayson Allen (Threes, FT%): Allen’s lines have been boom or bust lately, so count on some volatility when adding him. He will continue to have relevance until the Grizzlies return more of their backcourt from injury (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Cory Joseph (Assists, Steals): If you’re a tanking Pistons organization with a promising young talent in the backcourt, you want to play him as much as possible down the stretch, right? Wrong! Dwane Casey works in mysterious ways. To be fair, the team is being cautious with Killian Hayes, but it’s odd to see Joseph in such a prominent role with so many young guards on the roster (Plays Fri & Sat).
- Reggie Bullock (Threes, Steals): Naturally, he saw a decrease in minutes after I profiled him as a solid rotation player for the Knicks last week. Nevertheless, he’s an option if you’re in a dogfight for threes and steals over the weekend (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Kent Bazemore (Threes, Steals): Bazemore is getting opportunities of late due to an injury to Kelly Oubre Jr. The Warriors’ schedule is solid for streaming, with both of their remaining matchups occurring on low volume game days (Plays Thurs & Sat).
The following players shouldn’t be on any waiver wires:
Twelve-Team Must Roster Players
- Nerlens Noel
Hit me up in the comments section if you want any additional feedback or tips. Best of luck!
