With the NBA regular season coming to an end, we shift our attention to the playoffs. With the NBA postseason, there is a whole new wave of playoff fantasy basketball leagues, best ball tournaments, and daily fantasy contests to participate in for those of us who just can’t get enough. As always, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and information, so that you can gain a competitive edge over the competition. So let’s take a look at a handful of players whose stock could be changing drastically as intensity rises due to the implications of playoff elimination.
Fantasy Basketball Stock Report
Stock on the Rise
Al Horford, PF/C, Boston Celtics
Always productive when given the minutes, 36-year-old Al Horford should see his minutes boosted now that the postseason has arrived. The veteran has been largely preserved over the course of the season in hopes of being a key contributor to another deep playoff run, and the time is now. With minutes expected to be in the 30s, and his intensity likely to be much higher, his stock should be quickly on the rise once these meaningful games begin. After nearly averaging a double-double last postseason with 12.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and more than enough contribution across the other main categories, Horford is a bargain at his current value. Don’t let his age deter you, the veteran can still get the job done.
Kawhi Leonard, SG/SF, Los Angeles Clippers
The time has come for Kawhi Leonard to show that he is still an MVP-caliber player. No more days off, no more games with limited minutes. Ty Lue has already shown that he will play Leonard for as many minutes as needed to win important games, as seen by the 84 minutes played in his last two contests, and every postseason game fortunately falls under the category of an important game. There will be very few players in the postseason who will put up the numbers that the two-time champion will produce, so he can be used in fantasy basketball contests with the utmost confidence the rest of the way.
Andrew Wiggins, SF/PF, Golden State Warriors
After missing the last third of the season due to personal reasons, Andrew Wiggins is finally ready to return to his team, just in time for the NBA playoffs. Wiggins has been ramping up his activity, and should be ready to play from the start of the postseason, even if he is on a slight minutes restriction for the first couple of games. With the Warriors projected to be the underdog in whatever series they find themselves in for the first round, they will need to be at their best if they hope to repeat as champs, and Andrew Wiggins playing heavy minutes is part of this team being at their best. After producing nearly 17 and 8 in Golden State’s playoff run last season, he has proven that he can, and should once again be able to step up for his team. With his value as low as it’s going to be due to his elongated absence, the time to buy Andrew Wiggins stock is now.
Stock on the Decline
Cedi Osman, SG/SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
Cedi Osman has had several games of great fantasy basketball relevance over the course of this season, especially with regard to his scoring and three-point production. With the Cavs likely turning to a tighter rotation that heavily features their starting five for the postseason however, Osman is unlikely to carry any fantasy value outside of the occasional three-point scoring outburst, and predicting when that game will happen is anyone’s best guess. As a result, any fantasy usefulness he carried throughout the season is all but gone as we head into the playoffs.