The NBA All-Star game is in the books. Players are rested, motivated, and ready to jostle for their playoff lives. This is good timing for fantasy General Managers as they fight for their playoff lives. In fantasy basketball there are many different playoff formats. There are one week match ups that provide a great oppurtunity for a hot team to upset a better team on paper. There are two-week matchups that allow more talented teams to place their weight on lesser opponents over nearly 100 games. This year we have even seen many play-in tournaments, where the 5-8 seeds play a one week matchup for their playoff position. Regardless of your format, the playoffs are officially here and its the General Manager’s job to create opportunities to identify your categorical strengths and stack your schedule to maximize the quantity of stats and sharpen the percentages. That work begins here with fantasy basketball schedule preview. Check the fantasy schedule below and then identify which streamers below could add value to your week’s bottom line.
Fantasy Basketball Schedule Preview
This Week’s Schedule:
- Monday (2/20): 0 Games
- Tuesday (2/21): 0 Games
- Wednesday (2/22): 0 Games
- Thursday (2/23): 9 Games
- Friday (2/24): 8 Games
- Saturday (2/25): 7 Games
- Sunday (2/26): 9 Games
Teams with 3 games this week:
GSW, SAC, CLE, OKC, TOR, DEN
Teams with 2 games this week:
DAL, UTA, POR, ORL, IN, HOU, BKN, MIA, PHO, DET, LAC, WAS, BOS, LAL, CHA, SAS, NOR, PHI, IND, CHI, NYK, MEM, MIL, ATL
Fantasy Basketball Streamers
The back end of the All-Star break is empty until Thursday when the games pick back up. Like the front-end, streaming will not add enough games to make much of a difference, but you can still find players to contribute quality games. The players below should be available in most 12- and 14-team leagues.
Josh Richardson – NOR – SG
Newly acquired Richardson is making himself at home in New Orleans. Off the bench, but with big minutes, Richardson offers a robust fantasy game. He can score, hit threes, rebound, get assists, and contribute heavily in steals. Richardson is a perfect streamer for 14-team leagues and is additionally valuable in 12-team leagues.
Matisse Thybulle – POR – SG
Newly traded to the Portland Trailblazers, Thybulle is in position to play a much bigger role than he did with the 76ers. In this larger role, one thing is a given, and that’s elite defense. Expect big steal and block numbers from the athletic guard. At times, Thybulle can provide threes and rebounds as well. Just don’t expect him to do it routinely.
Isaiah Joe – OKC – SG
Isaiah Joe is an elite three-point shooter, averaging 3.5 over the last 2 weeks. In conjunction, he can also put up points in a hurry, which is necessary for his 20-minute role. As a deep league guy, Joe can swing threes any given week. Give him a look.
Isaiah Hartenstein – NYK – C
Hartenstein will not blow you away, but he won’t hurt you either. Simple big man stats – efficient field goal percentage, rebounds, and blocks.
Patrick Williams – CHI – PF
The potential is tantalizing, but the consistency is not. Williams has the potential to contribute across the board. His points and threes are especially useful from the forward position. Williams also grabs a few rebounds and adds value defensively. Williams is worth a flier to see if he goes on a run post-All-Star break but don’t be afraid to cut him loose after a dud game.