Let’s cover some streaming options for week 11 of the fantasy basketball season, December 24th-30th. Note: The ultimate goal of streaming is to maximize the number of games played by players who can help you win closely contested categories.
We also have these other resources to help you with roster construction:
- For an overview of streaming strategy, please visit the Fantasy Basketball Streaming Strategy: Overview.
- For daily streaming recommendations, follow me on Twitter @BasketBlogBoy.
- For RoS rankings, visit our individual FantasyPros rankings (BBB, Kevin, Jay, Pat — a compiled rankings page coming soon!).
- And we also do a weekly waiver wire draft of players available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
Let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to cover in next week’s post.
| Rank | Name | Team | Pos | Games | Q. Games | Y! Own |
| 1 | Mason Plumlee | DEN | PF/C | 3 | 0 | 18% |
| 2 | Moe Harkless | POR | SF | 4 | 2 | 2% |
| 3 | Noah Vonleh | NYK | PF | 3 | 2 | 45% |
| 4 | Cody Zeller | CHA | PF/C | 3 | 0 | 35% |
| 5 | Juan Hernangomez | DEN | SF/PF | 3 | 0 | 35% |
| 6 | Monte Morris | DEN | PG | 3 | 0 | 39% |
| 7 | Marcus Smart | BOS | PG/SG | 3 | 2 | 44% |
| 8 | Josh Hart | LAL | SG/SF | 4 | 2 | 40% |
| 9 | E’Twaun Moore | NOR | SG/SF | 3 | 0 | 31% |
| 10 | Wesley Matthews | DAL | SG/SF | 3 | 0 | 48% |
| 11 | Reggie Bullock | DET | SG/SF | 3 | 0 | 37% |
| 12 | Rajon Rondo | LAL | PG | 4 | 2 | 48% |
| 13 | Kevin Huerter | ATL | SG | 3 | 0 | 13% |
| 14 | P.J. Tucker | HOU | SF/PF | 3 | 2 | 45% |
| 15 | Rodions Kurucs | BKN | SF/PF | 3 | 0 | 10% |
| 16 | Mikal Bridges | PHO | SG/SF | 3 | 0 | 12% |
| 17 | D.J. Augustin | ORL | PG | 3 | 0 | 34% |
| 18 | Kelly Olynyk | MIA | PF/C | 3 | 0 | 40% |
| 19 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | LAC | PG/SG | 3 | 0 | 46% |
| 20 | Jeremy Lin | ATL | PG/SG | 3 | 0 | 10% |
Context and a tip:
- These rankings are based on 9-category formats & all players are available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
- “Q. Games” stands for quality games. That means games played on a day with a light NBA schedule, typically 5 games or less.
- Follow injury news closely throughout the week and stream players who get unexpected opportunities. Injuries and rotation changes can significantly alter the streaming landscape.
| Rank | Name | Team | Pos | Games | Q. Games | Y! Own |
| 1 | Mason Plumlee | DEN | PF/C | 3 | 0 | 18% |
| 2 | Noah Vonleh | NYK | PF | 3 | 2 | 45% |
| 3 | Cody Zeller | CHA | PF/C | 3 | 0 | 35% |
| 4 | Juan Hernangomez | DEN | SF/PF | 3 | 0 | 35% |
| 5 | Monte Morris | DEN | PG | 3 | 0 | 39% |
| 6 | Marcus Smart | BOS | PG/SG | 3 | 2 | 44% |
| 7 | E’Twaun Moore | NOR | SG/SF | 3 | 0 | 31% |
| 8 | Kevin Huerter | ATL | SG | 3 | 0 | 13% |
| 9 | P.J. Tucker | HOU | SF/PF | 3 | 2 | 45% |
| 10 | Rodions Kurucs | BKN | SF/PF | 3 | 0 | 10% |
| 11 | Mikal Bridges | PHO | SG/SF | 3 | 0 | 12% |
| 12 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | LAC | PG/SG | 3 | 0 | 46% |
| 13 | Jeremy Lin | ATL | PG/SG | 3 | 0 | 10% |
| 14 | Jae Crowder | UTA | SF/PF | 3 | 2 | 49% |
| 15 | Derrick White | SAS | PG | 3 | 0 | 9% |
| 16 | Moe Harkless | POR | SF | 3 | 2 | 2% |
| 17 | Thomas Bryant | WAS | C | 3 | 0 | 19% |
| 18 | Miles Bridges | CHA | SF | 3 | 0 | 7% |
| 19 | Jakob Poeltl | SAS | C | 3 | 0 | 18% |
| 20 | Davis Bertans | SAS | PF/C | 3 | 0 | 5% |
More context and tips:
- Why Monday-Saturday streamers? To maximize the number of games played by “weekly” streamers while also affording you roster flexibility for additional moves on Sunday, depending on what categories are close. Or, if your matchup is already decided by Sunday, you can proactively acquire players for next week, both conserving roster moves and giving you first dibs on streamers.
- Hold the following streamer if he’s on your roster: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And I’m giving longer leashes to Cody Zeller, Marcus Smart, & Monte Morris.
- Consider a consolidation trade if your streamers get too good to drop and cramp your streaming. Sometimes you’ll be too deep to roster every serviceable player and will have to cut bait. It happens. But when you can, first attempt to extract some value by trading more players for fewer players, so long as you’re clearly getting the best player(s) in return. Someone recently tweeted me about a THJ + Lou Williams for Marc Gasol deal (they got Gasol). That is a great example of a consolidation trade.
- Stash quality injured players if you have an IR spot. Injuries make fantasy managers nervous, often leading them to drop players they shouldn’t. If you have the small luxury of an IR spot, stash any player who could become fantasy-relevant at some point this season. Bogdan Bogdanovic was an injury stash to start the year, and now he looks like a top-80 player at worst. Others to monitor:
- Caris LeVert is now under 50% ownership. Check his availability in your league.
- Same goes for Kristaps Porzingis and Elfrid Payton. Why not take a flier?
Other helpful streaming resources:
- The Week Ahead by Jonas Nader at Rotoworld
- NBA Weekly Streamers by Milos Zvekic at RotoBaller
- Weekly Schedule Primer by Tyler Watts at Hashtag Basketball
- Fantasy Basketball Reddit usually has a weekly thread or two on streaming
- Weekly Schedule Grid for planning out moves (remember to manually select the correct week)
Please share your feedback with me on Twitter @BasketBlogBoy.
