Daily Fantasy Basketball Forecaster

A big Wednesday in the NBA with 20 teams in action. Adam King is your usual resource for all things fantasy basketball and takes a look at the injuries heading into all 10 games. He then covers the games themselves, focusing on the value to be found on waiver wires, including Tyler Johnson who bounced back with a solid performance in the impressive victory over the Bucks.

Not using Fantrax to host your fantasy basketball league? Check out our fantasy basketball commissioner and see why you should be!

Key Injuries

Robert Covington – Timberwolves (ankle – doubtful)
Jakob Poeltl – Spurs (hamstring – questionable)
John Collins – Hawks (illness – questionable)
Dewayne Dedmon – Hawks (knee – doubtful)
Ante Zizic – Cavaliers (concussion – out)
Joel Embiid – 76ers (knee – doubtful)
Jonah Bolden – 76ers (illness – questionable)
Jahlil Okafor – Pelicans (ankle – questionable)
DeAndre Jordan – Knicks (ankle – questionable)
Mario Hezonja – Knicks (leg – out)
T.J. Warren – Suns (ankle – out)
Marvin Bagley – Kings (knee – out)
Kyle Kuzma – Lakers (ankle – out)
Brandon Ingram – Lakers (shoulder – questionable)

Potential Pickups

Luke Kennard – Pistons
Tyler Johnson – Suns
Robin Lopez – Bulls

Potential Streamers

Dion Waiters – Heat (points, three-pointers)
Frank Kaminsky – Hornets (points, rebounds)
Wayne Ellington – Pistons (three-pointers)
Thomas Bryant – Wizards (blocks)
Patty Mills – Spurs (three-pointers)
Marco Belinelli – Spurs (three-pointers)
Alex Len – Hawks (Dedmon injury)
Kevin Huerter – Hawks (three-pointers)
DeMarre Carroll – Nets (points, three-pointers)
Allen Crabbe – Nets (three-pointers)
Ed Davis – Nets (rebounds)
Rodions Kurucs – Nets (points, three-pointers)
Amir Johnson – 76ers (multiple injuries)
Kyle Korver – Jazz (three-pointers)
Kenrich Williams – Pelicans (steals)
Cheick Diallo – Pelicans (rebounds, steals)
Damyean Dotson – Knicks (points, three-pointers)
Allonzo Trier – Knicks (points, three-pointers)
Richaun Holmes – Suns (blocks)
Harry Giles – Kings (rebounds, FG%)
Mason Plumlee – Nuggets (rebounds, assists)
Malik Beasley – Nuggets (three-pointers)
Reggie Bullock – Lakers (three-pointers)

Matchups for Wednesday, March 6

Heat @ Hornets

The Heat continue to battle for a playoff berth in the East, meaning as long as players are healthy, they should be able to remain on the court. Dion Waiters is rostered in only 34 percent of leagues but can provide points and three-pointers, as well as a smattering of assists and steals.

Frank Kaminsky has impressed over the past two games, playing well enough to take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist out of the rotation. We have seen runs like this from Kaminsky in the past which does make it hard to trust. However, the playing time is there and as long as he is in the coach’s good books, he is worth a look in 12-team formats as a streaming option.

Timberwolves @ Pistons

The Timberwolves travel to Detroit to face a much-improved Pistons team, just 24 hours after defeating the Thunder in Minnesota. It doesn’t sound as though Robert Covington will be back for this game, although he is getting closer. Until then, Josh Okogie will continue to see an increased role although he is not worth rostering outside of deeper formats.

Wayne Ellington has now scored in double-figures in four straight games, hitting a combined 14 three-pointers over that period. Aside from the obvious streamability, Ellington can contribute in steals, giving him a little more overall value. If you are chasing threes, give Ellington a look.

Mavericks @ Wizards

The Mavericks were destroyed by the Nets on Monday and look to be all but done for this season. A positive has been the impressive play of Dwight Powell who has become a must-roster player across all formats. He is still available in over 40 percent of leagues, a number that will likely decrease over the next week. He has been the 38^th ranked player over the past two weeks and the Mavericks have a lot of incentive to see what Powell can do in a prolonged sizeable role.

Thomas Bryant has been one of the more talked about players this season with a number of impressive performances. Outside of one game where he played 31 minutes, Bryant has failed to reach the 20-minute mark in eight of his past nine games. At this stage he can be relied upon for blocks and rebounds, but nothing more.

Spurs @ Hawks

The Spurs are coming off an impressive victory over the Nuggets, their third straight win after three straight losses. They currently occupy the eighth seed in the West but will likely have to contend with both the Clippers and the Kings. Marco Belinelli has been inconsistent, to say the least over the past few games but should be heading for a strong performance in the near future. If you need three-pointers and the more reliable options are gone, give Belinelli a look.

DeWayne Dedmon is doubtful heading into Wednesday with an apparent knee injury. If he misses time, Alex Len could get another run with the starting unit. He was disastrous in his last start but had been productive in the two games prior. If Dedmon is ultimately ruled out, Len could put up serviceable numbers once again.

Cavaliers @ Nets

Ante Zizic has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game, meaning Marquese Chriss will continue to feature in the rotation. Chriss has shown the ability to have a fantasy-friendly game when everything clicks, however, that doesn’t happen all too often. He should not be viewed as a standard league option and would need to string together a number of strong performances before being so.

The Nets are coming off their biggest win since the New Jersey days, a 39-point thumping of the Mavericks. Rodions Kurucs was back in the starting lineup and had 19 points in 24 minutes. He was putting up standard league numbers for a stretch earlier in the season and perhaps he is about to get hot again. His playing time may be somewhat volatile but he is worth considering if you have a spare roster spot.

76ers @ Bulls

Despite being the fourth-string center, Amir Johnson moved into the starting lineup Tuesday, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks, two assists, and one steal in 20 minutes. Joel Embiid and Boban Marjanovic both appear set to miss another game, and Jonah Bolden is questionable once again. If Johnson is the nominated starter, he could be worth streaming in if you need cheap big man stats.

Another Bulls game, another confusing discussion around why Robin Lopez is not rostered in more leagues. He ended Tuesday’s loss with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting, to go with nine rebounds and three blocks. He is unquestionably the starting center and has played over 30 minutes in seven of his last nine games. Make sure he is not available in your league.

Jazz @ Pelicans

After four consecutive victories, the Jazz fell to the Pelicans on Monday in what was a disappointing loss. They will be looking for revenge here and will hope Kyle Korver can continue shooting the ball well from beyond the arc. He has hit at least five triples in two of his past three games making him a viable streaming option. Owners should just be aware that outside of those two games he had hit a combined seven triples in eight games.

Cheick Diallo has been added in a number of leagues but has failed to deliver on his tremendous upside. He has been solid enough in limited playing time and is still worthy of consideration, however, it does not seem as though he is going to break out as many would have hoped. Things could change if Anthony Davis is eventually phased out of the rotation but that is mere speculation at this point.

Knicks @ Suns

Allonzo Trier went off for 29 points in the loss to the Kings, hitting three triples for the second straight game. The Knicks rotations continue to baffle even the savviest owners making it hard to have any faith in what Trier might do from one game to the next. He has scored in double-digits in four of his past five games and is probably worth the benefit of the doubt for at least this next game.

Tyler Johnson had put together two dreadful performances prior to his last game in which he totaled 13 points and four steals. Despite the struggles, Johnson’s playing time has remained consistent and it appears as though the Suns would like to see what they have in him. If you can take a potential dud or tow, Johnson is worth picking up based on the opportunity and ability to produce across the board.

Celtics @ Kings

As always, the Celtics are bereft of potential fantasy value given the depth of their playing roster. A point of interest for many owners was that Gordon Hayward was able to put up one of his better games of the season in Tuesday’s demolition of the Warriors. He finished with 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting, his highest points total since January 3 and a welcome relief after totaling just 26 points over his last five games.

Harry Giles has increased his production since Marvin Bagley went down with a knee injury. Over the past three games, he is averaging 16.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in just over 18 minutes per game. He is not yet a viable standard league option but could be streamed in if you need points and boards.

Nuggets @ Lakers

Malik Beasley came away from the last game with 15 points including a pair of three-pointers. The return of Gary Harris and Will Barton has basically cruelled any chance Beasley had to be a regular standard league player. He still has the ability to score the ball in bunches and could be streamed in if you need an injection of points.

The Lakers are fighting an uphill battle to make the playoffs after losing five of their past six games. Reggie Bullock continues to feature heavily in the starting unit but has cooled off when it comes to production. He has hit a combined two triples across his last three games but has gone through periods like this before. He typically comes out the other end with a strong performance, making him a viable streaming option if you need perimeter scoring.

Got a question about today’s fantasy basketball fringe report? Hit Adam up on twitter @adamking91 or give a shout out to @Fantrax

Adam King is new to NBA writing for FantraxHQ. He also currently writes for Rotowire and has previously written for Locked on Fantasy Basketball and Locked on Timberwolves. He has played sports his entire life with fantasy basketball becoming a passion over the past six years. By day, Adam is the service coordinator at the Autism Centre in Canberra, Australia. Adam was born and raised in Queanbeyan, Australia and currently resides in Bungendore, Australia with his wife and two children.

Fantrax is one of the fastest growing fantasy sites of 2018. With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan – sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com.