RADIO
Lance Roberson looks at some early-week waiver wire options for fantasy basketball leagues. These players may be free agents to target on waivers in Week 22.
After an exciting start, it's already Week 22 of the 2023-2024 NBA season. While you want to have faith in the players you drafted, don't get too attached. You may feel confident about your draft decisions, but remember: stars are born and eroded every day. Take a moment to see what's on the other side of the waiver wire.
Most leagues limit how many players you can stream each week in daily leagues. If your league only allows three moves per week, you need to be very efficient with your moves and grab players who will help you maximize your games played and help you win an extra category or two of counting stats.
This article's goal each Monday morning is to help you plan your roster moves for the first half of the week. Planning is important, and I always include which teams play on optimal days for streaming in the first section so you can look for additional players that I don't mention. All the rostered percentages used in this article are from Yahoo! Let's see who can help us start the week strong!
Weekly Schedule: Monday to Thursday
Teams that play one game (AVOID): Miami, Minnesota, Toronto, Washington
Teams that play three games (TARGET): Atlanta
Shallow League Streaming Option
Aaron Nesmith - SF, PF (46%)
Something must be in the water in Indiana. Typically known as an efficient player, Tyrese Haliburton converted a measly 16 percent from three in his last 10 outings. Now that you know Haliburton's struggle, Aaron Nesmith's recent four-game stretch of converting 33 percent from distance seems like a nice breeze. The Pacers play the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls in the early schedule of Week 22. Although equipped with a few defensive studs, both teams rank in the bottom ten of the league.
I see Aaron Nesmith as a worthy streamer for shallow-league fantasy leagues, mainly because he faces lesser defensive efficiency in the early Week 22 schedule.
Dillon Brooks - SG, SF - (32%)
The Houston Rockets are on quite the run. Currently on a five-game winning streak, Houston's recent resurgence sees the projected lottery team closing in on the final Play-In seed as it trails the Golden State Warriors by two losses. Dillon Brooks is on the list of Rockets players helping in the fray for a potential playoff spot.
Ironically, the same pushing-the-envelope leadership helps the young and inexperienced Rockets unit gain some edge. Aside from the irritating antics, Brooks's slightly above-average 59.9 true shooting percentage in his past four games aided Houston's valiant efforts to knock Golden State into the lottery realm. Thankfully, for potential suiters of Brooks's fantasy capabilities, Houston faces the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday. There is plenty of opportunity for Brooks to capitalize on such an inferior opponent.
Rui Hachimura - SF, PF (34%)
Trying their best to stave off the Golden State Warriors from the nine-seed, the Los Angeles Lakers' recent 2-2 stretch depicts the desperate attempt to keep playoff hopes alive. During the .500 stretch, Rui Hachimura averaged 16 points on an efficient 40 percent from the three-point line, including a 20-point performance in the 120-107 loss at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. Hachimura has a high chance to extend his double-digit scoring streak, as it currently sits at seven consecutive games.
Rui Hachimura for three! 👌
Tune in to Lakers vs. Pacers on SN1 and stream on Sportsnet+. pic.twitter.com/BSyNz9FfGP
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 25, 2024
The Lakers take on the Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies this week; both teams sit in the bottom 10 and lack the personnel necessary to genuinely bother Hachimaru.
Trayce Jackson-Davis - PF, C (48%)
While the Warriors' recent draft decisions warrant skepticism in any of their young talent (here's looking at you, James Wiseman), Trayce Jackson-Davis is a shining bright spot on a team struggling to find consistency. Admittedly, the Warriors' competition this week is on the more difficult side of the spectrum.
Facing the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic in Week 22, both teams are equipped with capable front-court defenders. Such a lineup of opponents could play spoil to Jackson-Davis's recent positive production. In the Warriors rookie's previous five games, he averaged 11.4 points and rejected 2.2 blocks per contest, which translated to a 30.5 fantasy points average. Regardless of the opponent, Jackson-Davis's recent productions merit a quick rental.
Deep League Streaming Options
Jalen Smith - PF, C (10%)
Regardless of the bigs lined up against the Indiana Pacers, both centers of the darling Eastern Conference team will stretch out their opposition. Backup center Jalen Smith keeps second units honest thanks to his three-point shooting. In the last four games, Smith's 45.5 percent mark from deep makes him an intriguing streamer option for deep league fantasy managers. Although he's far from a legitimate NBA starter, Smith gets his respectable numbers in 15 minutes per game.
James Wiseman - C (24%)
It's getting safer to call James Wiseman a bust, as he's failing to leave a significant mark on a team starved for talent in the Pistons. However, contrary to where he lies in the basketball hierarchy, at least Wiseman is gaining traction within the fantasy community, as evidenced by the 14.8 points; such a score opens your mind to suspecting Wiseman is possibly a good number bad team production player.
Contest & release by James Wiseman
Cade Cunningham finds him running the floor in transition pic.twitter.com/s3AHG7FY9I
— Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloydNBA) March 22, 2024
As the Pistons attempt not to embarrass themselves against the elite defenses of the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, perhaps producing stats in garbage time would be fitting for a player such as Wiseman.
Jock Landale - C (24%)
The Rockets are a gold mine of opportunity for streamer options. Jock Landale was once perceived as a locker-room guy with a few on-court bright spots. However, in light of recent performances, Landale's defense puts the backup center on the map. Averaging 2.5 blocks in his past four games, I suggest picking up the Rockets center as big insurance in your fantasy lineup.
Eric Gordon - SG, SF (16%)
I believe it's been over a month since I last recommended taking Eric Gordon as a streamer option. However, as the Phoenix Suns heat up, winning their previous three contests, Gordon's ultra-efficient three-point shooting (76.9 percent) warrants a spot on the streamers' list as the regular season wraps up. The Suns' bench receives a glow when playing with any of Phoenix"s "Big Three," and Gordon is no exception.
I suggest capitalizing on Gordon's extremely efficient shooting streak.
