Another week, another dollar. We’re getting dangerously close to fantasy basketball playoffs so these are the last opportunities to get our proverbial ducks in order. As always, you’re likely to be rewarded for keeping an eye on the day-to-day of the NBA action. In case, you can’t do that, scroll below for a preview of this week’s action including waiver wire pickup suggestions.
Fantasy Basketball Schedule Overview
- Monday (3/3): 7 games
- Tuesday (3/4): 9 games
- Wednesday (3/5): 8 games
- Thursday (3/6): 6 games
- Friday (3/7): 8 games
- Saturday (3/8): 8 games
- Sunday (3/9): 8 games
Teams with 4 games:
ATL, CHA, CLE, DAL, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NOP, OKC, PHI, POR, SAC, UTA
Teams with 3 games:
BKN, BOS, CHI, DEN, IND, LAL, NYK, ORL, PHX, SAS, TOR, WAS
Teams with 2 back to backs:
MIA, MIL, OKC, PHI, POR, UTA
Teams with 1 back to back:
ATL, BOS, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIN, NOP, NYK, PHX, SAC, SAS, TOR
Teams with 0 back to backs:
BKN, CHI, IND, LAL, ORL, WAS
Most Favorable Schedules
Utah Jazz – DET @WAS @TOR @PHI
The Jazz have the best schedule this week as far as fantasy production is concerned. That is the good news. The bad news is that they’re tanking hard, so any player is at risk of getting rested or injury-managed. Assuming everyone, more or less, plays, there are a few end-of-fantasy-roster types to take a look at here. Isaiah Collier averages over 9 assists and a steal per game since the All-Star break. Well, maybe that’s about it – I can’t recommend Kyle Filipowski or Brice Sensabaugh now, can I? Maybe in deeper leagues.
Los Angeles Clippers – @PHX DET NYK SAC
I’m as surprised as you are to find out there’s a second team in Los Angeles. In any case, they have quite a soft schedule this week. Kris Dunn has become a must-start averaging 3.2 steals per game since the break. Ben Simmons is quite solid when playing, with 5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Bogdan Bogdanovic has quite yet got going in LA but if you think a resurgence is coming, this is as good a week as any to pick him up.
Cleveland Cavaliers – @CHI MIA @CHA @MIL
Outside of the Big Four, Ty Jerome is seriously lighting it up – 17 points, 2.4 threes, 2 steals with 51.3% from the field and 88% from the line since the break. In fact, with the #1 seed nailed down for Cavs, we can expect players like Jerome and De’Andre Hunter to play an increased role while the team gets ready for the playoffs.
Washington Wizards – @MIA UTA @TOR
Sure, the Wizards have only three games this week, but all are against teams that rank among the top 10 easiest matchups for fantasy stat production. As the current leader of the tankathon, the Wizards have all kinds of random guys getting heavy minutes. Richaun Holmes is shooting 86.5% from the field over the last seven games. Kyshawn George is doing fine, I guess, putting up balanced stat lines – 4.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.8 threes, 1.4 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game in the last 5. Alex Sarr has missed a lot of games recently but is expected to be playing now so this might as well be a good time for the #1 pick in the draft to show what he’s got.
Usage Watch
David Roddy had the biggest increase in Usage % in the last week going from 15.7% for the season to 40% last week. He has been since, however, waived by the 76ers. Among players who could be picked up from the fantasy waivers, Stephon Castle had a Usage % of over 30 last week. Bilal Coulibaly moved from 17.6 to 23.3 and Draymond Green went from 15.5 to 20.9.
That concludes this week’s Usage Watch.
