It’s playoff time! Congrats on making it after a long road. Now, let’s bring home a fantasy basketball championship and get some help from the waiver wire to do it.
For a lot of leagues, the playoffs are already underway, and for everyone else, the postseason tips off this week. Surviving and advancing from here on out is a completely different game. The current landscape of the NBA has made fantasy hoops a grind over the last month, with injuries, rest days, and shifting rotations forcing managers to stay on their toes almost daily.
Getting through this round is going to come down to smart waiver wire work and, if we’re being honest, a little luck. This is not the time to play it safe with your roster. If you’ve got moves available, use them aggressively. Streaming the right players and squeezing out a few extra games can easily swing a matchup.
Week 21 NBA Schedule
Week 21 kicks off the fantasy basketball playoffs, and the NBA schedule is packed. Every team in the league is playing at least three games, with two teams logging five-game weeks. Friday and Sunday are the lighter slates with just six games on Friday and five on Sunday, which creates some natural streaming opportunities if you plan your pickups right.
When it comes to streaming, the teams worth circling this week are the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards. Washington especially jumps off the page with a five-game schedule, though fantasy managers know by now that trusting the Wizards can be a roller coaster. Their rotations have been inconsistent all season and roles change quickly, so there’s real upside but also some risk baked in.
A couple of schedule notes are worth keeping in mind as you map out the week. The Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz don’t play their first games until Wednesday, which makes them less appealing for early-week pickups. On the other end of the spectrum, the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are teams you’ll want to be cautious with late in the week. Both clubs only play three games, and their schedules wrap up early. Chicago finishes its week on Thursday, while Detroit is done by Friday, which limits their usefulness for weekend matchups.
Meanwhile, the Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs open the week with back-to-backs, giving their players an immediate streaming boost if you need quick production.
Deep League Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire
Tristan Vukcevic — C, Wizards
The Washington Wizards big man is coming off a season-high 22-point performance and could be in line for a bigger role right away with Alex Sarr already ruled out for Monday. With Washington playing five games this week, Vukcevic suddenly becomes a very interesting add for managers hunting for frontcourt production. If he’s still sitting on your waiver wire, run, don’t walk.
Josh Minott — F, Nets
The Brooklyn Nets have been hit hard by injuries, and Minott has stepped into a larger role as a result. He’s logged more than 20 minutes in each of his last three games and flashed some real upside recently. Before dropping 14 points in his latest outing, he erupted for a monster line against the Atlanta Hawks that included 24 points and six defensive “stocks” — three steals and three blocks. Brooklyn only has three games this week, but when a player is seeing that kind of run, the opportunity alone makes him worth monitoring.
Cody Williams — F, Jazz
Cody Williams has been one of the quiet beneficiaries of Utah’s youth movement down the stretch. Williams has been playing close to 40 minutes a night lately while posting some of his best numbers of the season. The efficiency can be shaky, but the counting stats have been solid. Over his last four games he’s hovered around 14 points, four rebounds, and five assists per night.
Kris Dunn — G, Clippers
Dunn continues to carve out a role in the Los Angeles Clippers backcourt even while sharing minutes alongside Darius Garland. With Kawhi Leonard listed as doubtful for Monday, Dunn could see a bump in usage to start the week. He’s never going to carry a scoring load, but Dunn is still a reliable source of assists and steals while maintaining solid percentages. For points-league managers looking for steady production, he’s a perfectly reasonable add.
Nick Richards — C, Bulls
Isaiah Joe — G, Thunder
Kobe Brown — F, Pacers
Brown is more of a speculative pickup, but he’s worth keeping on the radar. The Indiana Pacers have nothing left to play for in the standings and could use the final stretch of the season to evaluate younger pieces. Brown has already seen more than 24 minutes in each of his last two games and chipped in with modest scoring and rebounding numbers. If that workload sticks, he and even teammates like Jalen Slawson could see expanded roles as the Pacers look toward the future.
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites in the fantasy sports industry, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. We are the most customizable, easy-to-use, and feature-rich platform in the industry, offering the greatest fantasy experience for your dynasty, keeper, redraft, and best ball leagues. Fantasy sports doesn’t sleep, and neither does Fantrax, with seasons running 365 days a year. Take your fantasy leagues to the next level now at Fantrax.com!
