After nearly three-quarters of the league played on Monday, Tuesday offers a quieter four-game slate. This doesn't mean that fantasy managers get a break, rather, a smaller schedule in the heart of the playoffs means it's time to be active and proactive.
Competitive leagues can come down to just a handful of stats, thus it's imperative to chase every advantage possible while maximizing games played.
For instance, the New Orleans Pelicans host the Oklahoma City Thunder in a matchup of Western Conference contenders. The Pelicans will be without Brandon Ingram for several games due to a knee injury, vaulting 3-and-D wings Trey Murphy III (39.2% rostered in ESPN leagues) and Herbert Jones (37.1%) into a higher tier of usage and creation on offense. Both make for stellar streaming plays this evening given this expected bump in opportunity rates.
Continuing on the theme of injury-driven value, Rui Hachimura (16.4%) should be busy against the Milwaukee Bucks with LeBron James out, while D'Angelo Russell will become a building block in DFS and a target for props given his expected surge in touches and playmaking duties. Even Spencer Dinwiddie (71.6%) rises to a new level of utility with James sidelined.
Other absences glean direction for our fantasy roster(s), such as the Miami Heat missing Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson for Tuesday's tilt with the visiting Golden State Warriors. The loss of those two key perimeter scorers likely leads to increased offensive work for Caleb Martin, is listed as questionable but has been active over the past several games.
The premise is to stay aware and aggressive with your roster deep into the fantasy postseason. It took such precise moves to get you here, so it's wise to maintain that momentum throughout the fantasy postseason.
Tuesday's Stream Team
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans (Rostered in 31.8% of ESPN leagues)
How many wings in this league are capable of swatting four shots while lofting nine 3-point attempts? Well, Murphy did so in his most recent outing against the Detroit Pistons, revealing a unique ability to deliver on both ends of the court. He should be busy again tonight against a sharper opponent. His teammate Jones arguably brings even more distribution skills and defensive savvy to the floor, if less shooting and scoring volume.
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers (16.4%)
Hachimura could be slashing and cutting all night on offense while chasing around Giannis Antetokounmpo on defense in an elevated role without James. Hachimura already proven he can produce big lines this season, so it's worth it to see if he can rise to the challenge against the Bucks Tuesday night.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, PF, Golden State Warriors (13.6%)
Jackson-Davis is listed as questionable for tonight, so you will want to keep up with lineup information ahead of tip-off. But if can play, there is real value in Jackson-Davis' defensive rates and his ability to clean the glass at a high level, particularly against a smaller Miami frontcourt.
Naji Marshall, SF, New Orleans Pelicans (3.8%)
We have focused on Murphy and Jones for weeks now, but now we are also seeing a rise in value and impact from Marshall, who has 15 combined boards over the past two games and should be asked to contribute more scoring with Ingram out.
Projections and injury reports
Fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics. * Projections assume all players who are listed as GTD will play. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.
Golden State Warriors at Miami Heat
7:30 p.m. Kaseya Center, Miami
BPI Projection: Warriors in the 4th highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Warriors: Trayce Jackson-Davis, (GTD - Knee)
Heat: Caleb Martin, (GTD - Ankle); Jaime Jaquez Jr., (GTD - Knee); Jimmy Butler, (GTD - Illness); Kevin Love, (GTD - Heel); Duncan Robinson, (OUT - Back); Tyler Herro, (OUT - Foot); Josh Richardson, (OUT - Shoulder)
Warriors projections:
Stephen Curry, PG: 40.2 FPTS (24.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 4.6 ast, 4.2 3PM)
Draymond Green, PF/C: 24.5 FPTS (9.5 pts, 6.8 reb, 4.8 ast)
Jonathan Kuminga, PF: 24.2 FPTS (14.7 pts, 4.5 reb, 1.9 ast)
Brandin Podziemski, SG: 23.6 FPTS (9.9 pts, 5.6 reb, 3.2 ast)
Klay Thompson, SG/SF: 23.3 FPTS (13.2 pts, 2.8 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.7 3PM)
Andrew Wiggins, SF/PF: 21.3 FPTS (12.7 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.6 ast)
Chris Paul, PG: 19.7 FPTS (7.2 pts, 3.2 reb, 4.2 ast)
Heat projections:
Jimmy Butler, SF/PF: 40.5 FPTS (22.5 pts, 5.4 reb, 4.9 ast)
Bam Adebayo, C: 36.5 FPTS (19.3 pts, 10.1 reb, 3.7 ast)
Terry Rozier, PG/SG: 34.3 FPTS (18.4 pts, 4.1 reb, 4.7 ast, 2.2 3PM)
Jaime Jaquez Jr., SF: 24.2 FPTS (11.8 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.6 ast)
Caleb Martin, SG/SF: 18.4 FPTS (9.3 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.9 ast)
Nikola Jovic, SF: 14.3 FPTS (7.0 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.4 ast)
Patty Mills, PG: 10.6 FPTS (4.5 pts, 2.0 reb, 1.1 ast)
Los Angeles Lakers at Milwaukee Bucks
7:30 p.m. Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee
BPI Projection: Bucks in the highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Lakers: Anthony Davis, (GTD - Achilles); Gabe Vincent, (OUT - Knee); LeBron James, (OUT - Ankle); Colin Castleton, (OUT - Wrist); Jarred Vanderbilt, (OUT - Foot); Christian Wood, (OUT - Knee); Jalen Hood-Schifino, (OUT - Back)
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, (GTD - Hamstring); Khris Middleton, (GTD - Ankle); MarJon Beauchamp, (GTD - Back); Patrick Beverley, (OUT - Wrist)
Lakers projections:
Anthony Davis, PF/C: 52.4 FPTS (25.5 pts, 14.6 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.3 blk)
D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG: 38.6 FPTS (18.3 pts, 4.3 reb, 6.8 ast, 2.4 3PM)
Austin Reaves, SG/SF: 35.9 FPTS (17.9 pts, 5.8 reb, 5.7 ast)
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF: 27.3 FPTS (16.7 pts, 5.4 reb, 1.4 ast)
Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG: 19.5 FPTS (9.5 pts, 2.7 reb, 3.2 ast)
Taurean Prince, SF: 12.8 FPTS (5.9 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.3 ast)
Max Christie, SG: 11.8 FPTS (5.5 pts, 2.8 reb, 1.0 ast)
Bucks projections:
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C: 49.8 FPTS (28.2 pts, 10.9 reb, 5.4 ast)
Damian Lillard, PG: 45.1 FPTS (24.9 pts, 4.6 reb, 7.1 ast, 2.9 3PM)
Khris Middleton, SF: 29.4 FPTS (14.0 pts, 4.5 reb, 4.4 ast)
Bobby Portis, PF/C: 24.8 FPTS (12.2 pts, 7.4 reb, 1.0 ast)
Brook Lopez, C: 21.5 FPTS (10.8 pts, 4.6 reb, 1.3 ast, 2.4 blk)
Malik Beasley, SG: 19.3 FPTS (8.6 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.2 ast, 2.2 3PM)
Jae Crowder, SF/PF: 12.6 FPTS (4.3 pts, 3.0 reb, 1.0 ast)
Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Pelicans
8 p.m. Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
BPI Projection: Pelicans in the 3rd highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Thunder: None reported
Pelicans: Dyson Daniels, (OUT - Knee); Brandon Ingram, (OUT - Knee)
Thunder projections:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG/SG: 52.1 FPTS (29.3 pts, 5.5 reb, 5.9 ast)
Jalen Williams, SG/SF/PF: 32.2 FPTS (17.3 pts, 3.5 reb, 3.9 ast)
Chet Holmgren, PF/C: 32.1 FPTS (15.0 pts, 8.0 reb, 2.4 ast, 2.0 blk)
Josh Giddey, PG/SG/PF: 22.4 FPTS (9.4 pts, 5.5 reb, 3.6 ast)
Luguentz Dort, SG/SF: 17.3 FPTS (7.3 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.4 ast)
Gordon Hayward, SF: 17.0 FPTS (7.6 pts, 2.6 reb, 2.9 ast)
Cason Wallace, PG/SG: 14.4 FPTS (6.3 pts, 2.3 reb, 1.1 ast)
Pelicans projections:
CJ McCollum, PG/SG: 43.7 FPTS (24.1 pts, 4.2 reb, 5.4 ast, 3.3 3PM)
Zion Williamson, PF: 41.7 FPTS (25.1 pts, 6.2 reb, 4.8 ast)
Trey Murphy III, SG/SF: 31.5 FPTS (15.3 pts, 4.8 reb, 1.8 ast, 3.6 3PM)
Herbert Jones, SF/PF: 29.8 FPTS (13.8 pts, 4.3 reb, 2.8 ast)
Jonas Valanciunas, C: 24.2 FPTS (11.0 pts, 7.5 reb, 1.6 ast)
Jose Alvarado, PG: 22.6 FPTS (11.4 pts, 2.9 reb, 2.6 ast)
Naji Marshall, SF: 18.8 FPTS (8.5 pts, 4.0 reb, 1.9 ast)
Dallas Mavericks at Sacramento Kings
10 p.m. Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
BPI Projection: Mavericks in the 2nd highest-scoring game of the slate.
Injury Report:
Mavericks: Brandon Williams, (OUT - Wrist); Josh Green, (OUT - Ankle)
Kings: Sasha Vezenkov, (GTD - Ankle); Trey Lyles, (OUT - Knee); Kevin Huerter, (OUT - Shoulder)
Mavericks projections:
Luka Doncic, PG: 56.7 FPTS (30.8 pts, 8.6 reb, 8.8 ast, 3.6 3PM)
Kyrie Irving, PG/SG: 43.3 FPTS (23.9 pts, 4.9 reb, 5.0 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Daniel Gafford, PF/C: 23.5 FPTS (10.8 pts, 7.5 reb, 1.4 ast, 1.5 blk)
P.J. Washington, PF: 22.7 FPTS (11.9 pts, 5.5 reb, 1.3 ast)
Dereck Lively II, C: 16.1 FPTS (7.3 pts, 4.4 reb, 1.0 ast)
Derrick Jones Jr., SF: 15.8 FPTS (8.1 pts, 3.0 reb, 1.0 ast)
Dante Exum, PG: 13.2 FPTS (5.8 pts, 2.0 reb, 2.3 ast)
Kings projections:
De'Aaron Fox, PG: 48.8 FPTS (27.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 5.8 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Domantas Sabonis, PF/C: 43.6 FPTS (19.7 pts, 11.9 reb, 6.9 ast)
Keegan Murray, SF/PF: 28.4 FPTS (14.1 pts, 5.6 reb, 1.4 ast, 2.4 3PM)
Malik Monk, SG/SF: 23.2 FPTS (11.4 pts, 2.7 reb, 4.0 ast, 1.9 3PM)
Keon Ellis, SG: 20.0 FPTS (10.1 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.3 ast)
Harrison Barnes, SF/PF: 18.6 FPTS (10.1 pts, 2.8 reb, 1.1 ast)
Mason Jones, SG: 10.9 FPTS (4.9 pts, 1.6 reb, 1.2 ast)