Welcome to your midweek guidance for week 14, where the goal is to get you the W in your eight or nine-category H2H matchup.
The trade deadline turned a couple of last week’s suggestions into duds, but Alec Burks and Danny Green were among the gems who outperformed over the weekend. Though it was a relatively quiet trade deadline, there are several players who have an opportunity to fill a productivity vacuum in the wake of a deal. The Magic are the most glaring example of this after trading away their three highest usage players.
This week’s streaming recommendations are broken down into those who can help you in either three or four categories. For nine-category managers, it is assumed that none of these highlighted players negatively impact turnovers. If I view a player as a solid mid-to-long-term option in twelve-team leagues, I will signal that with an asterisk next to his name. In all other cases, I only recommend these players as options for teams with dedicated streaming spots.
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 Specialists
- Danny Green* (Threes, Steals, Blocks, FG%) The 2014 redux rolls on. Green is on a bender from three, converting an average of 4.4 attempts over his last seven games. The usage has not climbed drastically with Joel Embiid out, so it appears likely that he can stay on a heater so long as the looks are there. (Plays Thurs, Sat, & Sun).
- Nerlens Noel* (Rebounds, Steals, Blocks, FG%) Noel is a must roster player on the heels of Mitchell Robinson’s season-ending injury. He averaged 11 boards, 2 steals, and 3.5 blocks in his two starts since Robinson went out. As long as you remember that his floor is much higher than his ceiling, you’ll have your expectations correctly managed. (Plays Fri & Sat).
- Ivica Zubac (Rebounds, Blocks, FG%, FT%) Serge Ibaka remains without a clear return date due to back soreness, meaning Zubac should continue to see minutes in the high twenties to low thirties. This workload makes him dependable enough for at least one more game of high-volume rebounding and shot-blocking on excellent efficiency (Plays Thurs & Sun).
- Chuma Okeke (Points, Threes, Steals, FG%) You’ve likely heard of this guy by now, but it bears repeating that he’s currently available in most leagues. He is scoring and hitting threes at a high clip while not hurting managers in any category. Look out below if (when?) the efficiency comes down, as he averaged nearly eighteen points on eleven FGAs over his previous four games. Until that happens, add him, and let’s see where it goes (Plays Thurs, Sat, & Sun).
Three Category Specialists
- TJ McConnell (Assists, Steals, FG%) After a short adjustment period when Caris Levert joined the Pacers, TJ is back to doing TJ things: Dimin’ and thievin’. Sadly, the days of fifteen assists on thirty minutes of playing time appear to be a thing of the past, but there’s no better streamer if you’re in the market for the aforementioned stats (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Josh Hart (Threes, Rebounds, Steals) Hart is a rare find as a break in case of emergency rebounding guard. He posted his second fifteen rebound effort in four games on Monday night. Unfortunately, he can’t be relied upon for much else, but the three remaining games in the week give you more volume to fall back on if you add him (Plays Thurs, Fri, & Sun).
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Points, Threes, Blocks) Alexander-Walker looks to have a promising future, potentially as a starter somewhere. Unfortunately, he has to play behind Lonzo Ball for now, and this current run of productivity will likely end when Ball returns. All that to say, keep an eye on Lonzo’s status and don’t hesitate to stream Alexander-Walker if he misses more time (Plays Thurs, Fri, & Sun).
- Otto Porter Jr. (Threes, Rebounds, Steals) I’m not ready to call the meat wagon in on OPJ’s fantasy value just yet. If there’s a place it can be revived, it’s on the depleted Orlando roster. The playing time in his first two Magic performances was not great, but he put up 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Expand that playing time a bit, and maybe, just maybe, we get a taste of the glory days (Plays Thurs, Sat, & Sun).
- Jaden McDaniels (Threes, Blocks, FG%) Since the Chris Finch hiring, guessing the Wolves’ has been a largely futile endeavor. However, he found a solid contributor in Jaden McDaniels. In his most recent performance, McDaniels played 38 minutes. Threes and blocks are his calling card (Plays Fri & Sat).
- Theo Maledon (Threes, Steals, FT%) He’s not the solid twelve-team option we expected, but with the Thunder already waving the white flag on their 2020-21 season, Maledon figures to continue seeing a heavy workload. His assist numbers remain stubbornly low despite the added responsibility. This is partially due to the emergence of Ty Jerome, who is another name to watch in the Thunder backcourt when he gets healthy (Plays Fri & Sat).
- De’Anthony Melton (Threes, Steals, FG%) Any time you see Melton written up here, you can be sure there’s an injury in the Grizzlies’ guard rotation. This time, it’s Grayson Allen, so check his status going into the weekend before relying on Melton in twelve-team leagues. I had hope that the Grizzlies’ coaching staff would give more minutes to Melton, but that hope is waning. If they see the light and give him 25+ minutes per game, he’s a must roster player in twelve-team leagues (Plays Fri & Sun).
- Hamidou Diallo (Rebounds, Steals, FG%) Like others in this post, Diallo is a player who can gain value from the trade deadline fallout. In the short-term, he should benefit from the limited guard options for the Pistons (Plays Thurs & Sat).
If you’re simply looking to pick up additional games and none of the above players are helpful or available, take a look at players on teams with three remaining games this week: Hawks, Hornets, Warriors, Pelicans, Magic, and Sixers.
Hit me up in the comments section if you want any additional feedback or tips. Best of luck!