Welcome to Week 14 of the NBA fantasy basketball season. Not much has changed since last week; the Cavs are still atop the East, and the Thunder are still dominating the league. I suppose we all sort of knew already, but we have a good idea of which teams are shamelessly dropping their anchors to sink their ships to the bottom in the search for buried treasure, AKA Cooper Flagg.
The 6-38 Wizards are the losers of 13 straight, holding an astonishing 1-20 Away record in the process and a pathetic 13.6% win percentage. The next worst team is the Jazz, who are 10-33 and spiraling straight down into the lottery. Despite the NBA’s efforts to curb blatant tanking by changing the rules a few seasons ago, the issue is still rampant. The bottom three teams who missed the playoffs all have an equal 14% chance of securing the number one pick. Last season, the Atlanta Hawks won the lottery despite having 3% odds to do so.
Enough about the lottery. These teams suck; your fantasy teams might too. Let’s fix that.
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
Vit Krejci, PG/SG, Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks will be without Trae Young, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and perhaps also De’Andre Hunter for the first leg of their back to back set on Monday and Tuesday. Krejci has already been a fixture of their rotation as of late, most recently coming off a huge 20 point, seven assist, and five stock game with six triples in a loss to the Raptors. Given we’re not sure yet when Jalen Johnson will return, Krejci is a must-roster player for a banged up Hawks squad as we await further news.
Guerschon Yabusele, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
A frequent to this list, Yabusele is having a solid third NBA season after playing in France in the last few years. He’s become an integral part of a struggling 76ers squad that’s desperate for signs of life at the moment. His energy and grit are as necessary to the 76ers this season as anything else is, and even though he’s not an exceptional talent, he should be rostered due to his high playing time and the unavailability of the Philly starters. He’s currently averaging 14.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG alongside 50% FG per 36 minutes.
Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors
Podziemski has recently returned from a lengthy absence and has been effective in his time back, playing just 21 and 24 minutes in his first two games since December 28. Despite a hot start to the season, the Warriors have been losing a ton. Draymond Green’s recent calf injury, sidelining him for at least a week, hasn’t made matters any easier for the Dubs. Steph Curry seems to have noticeably lost a step, and despite still being an elite player, probably no longer has the capacity to carry this team to a playoff spot in a loaded Western Conference.
Enter Brandin Podziemski. The former Santa Clara product is not going to single-handedly pull the Warriors up the standings, but he’s an intriguing option at the moment. He was largely a bust in fantasy leagues this season, due to his late mid-round draft price, but I’m wondering whether a second-half comeback is in the cards.
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.
