November 20 Fantasy Basketball Streamers: Andrew Wiggins, Cason Wallace, Tari Eason and More
Four NBA teams with good matchups on Wednesday and their rotation players who are widely available in fantasy leagues.
I started yesterday’s column by talking about the 15-0 Cleveland Cavaliers facing their toughest test of the season in the defending champion Boston Celtics. Pour one out for Mercury Morris because Cleveland lost, and every team has now tasted defeat. (Since we’re cursing teams, who should we go for next?)
A season can’t be won or lost this early, but teams tell us who they are in sections. Injuries play a big part in wavering performance; it doesn’t have to be one great player, as losing several rotation players can deplete a team and force guys into playing more minutes and bigger roles than they can handle.
In fantasy land, it’s easy to get excited about a fast start or assume your season is over after a slow start, but we still have five months to go, so don’t get too comfortable/hopeless. Much like the real teams who are coming to terms with the beginning of their season, there’s plenty of time to turn things around in your fantasy league.
Let’s look at four NBA teams with good matchups on Wednesday and the rotation players on those teams who are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most of the guys below won’t ever be keepers, but things are in their favor to fill a spot in your lineup for a day.
Process
I like to use NBA’s measure of pace and defensive rating:
- Pace is an estimate of the number of possessions per 48 minutes that a team records. As the name suggests, it measures how fast a team plays. A faster pace means more possessions and more opportunities for fantasy points.
- A team’s defensive rating is the number of points they allow per 100 possessions. Defensive rating is not affected by pace because the speed of the possessions doesn’t matter.
By finding teams that rank high in pace and low in defensive rating, we are going after those who allow opponents to score often and play really fast while doing it. More possessions against worse defenses usually results in more fantasy points.
The defensive stats against positions that are listed below are from both our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings and FantasyPros.
Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta plays at the second-fastest pace and has the ninth-worst defensive rating. Atlanta’s 109-108 win over the Kings on Monday is the only game in which they’ve held their opponent under 110 points.
The Hawks have been vulnerable against point guards, shooting guards, and small forwards, with each position ranking near the top in scoring against Atlanta. Big men have been limited against the Hawks, though, so be careful with power forwards and centers.
Golden State’s Streaming Players
Guard
Forward
Center
Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers
Indiana has the eighth-worst defense, but they are just 14th in pace. They are less than half a possession behind 10th place, though, making them a team to target. Those numbers will separate a little more as the season goes on or will at least not change so fast because of increased data points. For now, a lot of teams qualify as “almost top 10.”
Power forwards have really excelled against the Pacers, and guards have been very limited, especially shooting guards.
Houston’s Streaming Players
Guard
- Dillon Brooks - It looks like this one could be a tough matchup for Brooks.
Forward
- Tari Eason - Eason, on the other hand, might fit the profile to have a nice day against Indiana.
Center
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls play at the fastest pace in the league and own the seventh-worst defensive rating. Chicago has only kept one opponent under 110 points in 15 games; their speed is always going to mean a lot of points, for better and worse.
Guards have done better in fantasy basketball against the Bulls than any other team, while power forwards and centers have also excelled. Small forward is the only position that hasn’t done well against Chicago.
Milwaukee’s Streaming Players
Guard
Forward
Center
- None
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers play at the seventh-fastest pace, and while their defensive rating is near league average, they are just a few points below the bottom 10. When these teams played each other on November 1, the Thunder won 137-114.
Point guards and small forwards have been the best against Portland, while centers have also had some success.
Oklahoma City’s Streaming Players
Guard
- Cason Wallace
- Alex Caruso
- Isaiah Joe – Joe didn’t play yesterday, so double-check his status before putting him in your lineup.
Forward
Center
- None
