Welcome to Week 21 of the Fantasy Basketball season. Seemingly, the biggest part of the NBA Fantasy Playoffs is avoiding injuries. For many managers, your prized ship is already taking on water. As of writing this, nearly 25 percent of the top 20 players are currently sitting out. That does not even account for Ja Morant or players like Zion or Karl-Anthony Towns.
With the exception of luck, the only way to replace production from a top 20 player is a targeted and efficient streaming strategy. Not only do you need to expand quality games played, but also bolster your star’s peripheral stat categories like steals and blocks (Dennis Smith Jr. or Matisse Thybulle anyone?). As injuries pile up, players get new opportunities and a surge in usage. Be nimble and identify these players ahead of time, and you might find you can stack quality production to rival your star on the bench. As always, be mindful of the schedule. Let’s take a look at this week’s.
NBA Schedule Preview
This Week’s Schedule:
- Monday (3/13): 7 games
- Tuesday (3/14): 8 games
- Wednesday (3/15): 7 games
- Thursday (3/16): 5 games
- Friday (3/17): 8 games
- Saturday (3/18): 8 games
- Sunday (3/19): 8 games
Teams with 4 games this week:
BOS, MIA, ORL, PHO, LAL, MEM, SAS, TOR, DEN, MIL, GSW, DET, IN, SAC, HOU
Teams with 3 games this week:
NOR, ATL, DAL, LAC, BKN, PHI, CHI, WAS, CLE, IND, POR, OKC
Teams with 2 games this week:
NYK, UTA, CHA
Fantasy Basketball Streamers
This week is consistently short across the board which can be valuable for streaming. The low night is Thursday with five games, and the high nights on Tuesday, and Friday-Sunday. Check your schedule and try to stack games early in the week.
The players below are both 12 team and deeper streaming options. As always, check your league settings and be efficient with your streaming selections. Adding a few quality games this week can advance you the next round!
SACRAMENTO KINGS (MON/WED/THURS/SAT)
- Malik Monk (SG): Monk is inconsistent but can do a lot of damage in short minutes. He can score, hit threes, and provide a moderate amount of assists as well. Given his schedule, he is worth a look this week.
- Trey Lyles (PF): Lyles has carved himself a nice role off the bench as a dependable and efficient forward. He doesn’t do much, but he does it all. Some points, threes, rebounds, and great efficiency.
DETROIT PISTONS (MON/TUES/THURS/SUN)
- Isiah Livers (SF/PF): Livers is an interesting streamer as his real-life game never quite translated to fantasy lines. This is changing now as he gets more usage and playing time. He has returned top-100 production in the last week and should continue to add value as long as Bogdonavich remains sidelined.
- Alec Burks (SG): Currently nursing an injury, Burks is mending and should be available this week. Burks is a dependable scorer for the Pistons but also contributes threes, and assists. If he is healthy, he makes for a solid pick up.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS (MON/TUES/THURS/SUN)
- Grayson Allen (SG): Allen is a threes streamer, but has additional upside if Giannis continues to sit out.