Thanksgiving rounds the horizon in the midst of another intriguing, dramatic season of the NBA. The Houston Rockets (12-6) have quietly crept up to the third seed in the West on the back of stellar defensive play and exceptional depth. The third seed in the East, the Orlando Magic (11-7), have held on without Paolo Banchero. We’ll see whether these two young teams can keep it moving along.
Unfortunately, there are also teams trending in the opposite direction. The storied 76ers’ struggles this season have been inescapable. In fact, they only have one more win than the 2-13 Wizards. There’s still time to turn it around; after all, they’re only four wins removed from the 8th seed in the East. At least they have Jared McCain.
We’re shooting the Three Lists of Threes today for your weekly dose of fantasy tips: Buy-lows, sell-highs, and streams.
Here are some streams we can consider.
Stream ’em
Robert Williams III, C, Portland Trail Blazers
Fellow backcourt teammate Donovan Clingan is currently dealing with a knee sprain, opening up minutes for Williams as Deandre Ayton recovers from a finger sprain. Williams is putting up absurd per-36 averages of 18 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3 BPG, and 2.1 SPG on extremely efficient shooting numbers both from the field and the free-throw line.
It’s no secret that Williams has been a per-minute monster for a long time. The problem seems to be his ability to stay on the court, or lack thereof. I’m still highly interested in Williams this week due to his sheer upside.
Guerschon Yabusele, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
Surprise surprise; Joel Embiid’s knee has more issues, and the former MVP is expected to miss more time. The typical stream in Embiid’s absence is Andre Drummond, but he’s still been receiving sub-20 minutes in the recent games that Embiid has missed. So where are those minutes going?
To Guerschon Yabusele, the French Olympic standout who impressed during France’s silver-medal run over the Summer. In fact, he was so impressive that he signed an NBA contract afterward. He’s been a productive role player thus far for the reeling 76ers, averaging 9.1 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 22 minutes a game. He’s been chasing loose balls, hounding ball handlers, and aggressively contesting the glass.
Javonte Green, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans
Just print out a headshot of every current healthy Pelican player and hang it around your room. Close your eyes and throw a dart. Who did it land on? At this point, I’d take any healthy Pelican. Okay, maybe not any, since CJ McCollum has been upgraded to probable and Yves Missi will be active.
I still think Green is a fair dice roll. Brandon Ingram is listed as Questionable, and should he be out for tonight’s game, we might see some big minutes from Javonte Green. Green is averaging a measly 6.8 PPG with 1.1 SPG, but hey, you gotta roll someone out there! Green has reached double-digit scoring in two out of his last five games, and recorded a block as well as a triple in each one. You could do a lot worse.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $222K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st].
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
