Week 18 — the last for some — is finally here!
In case you missed it, I developed a Fantasy Basketball Playoff Primer that went up last week, which you should use as a reference as one of the 20 players focused could be on your team or a rival team that you'll see this week, or if you're so (un)fortunate, in the playoffs.
In our Action Network fantasy league, this is our last week of the regular season, with the playoffs beginning in Week 19, because we're adults who don't want to bother playing games into shutdown season.
However, in this iteration of the NBA, it may be unavoidable.
Some leagues will have another week or two of regular season fantasy hoops, but you're all here for the same thing… hopefully.
Here's your Week 18 forecast.
Fantasy Team of the Week: Minnesota Timberwolves
I'll be honest, I don't really like a lot of the schedules at all, but we have more of a standard week for the first time since earlier this month.
Everyone plays three or four times over the next seven days, and the Timberwolves are at the crib for the entire week with one mostly favorable match-up after another.
Here's the schedule:
- Tuesday: Home vs. San Antonio Spurs
- Wednesday: Home vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- Friday: Home vs. Sacramento Kings
- Sunday: Home vs. Los Angeles Clippers
The Timberwolves are tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 1 seed and are absolutely playing for a playoff-long homecourt advantage.
This is a week where you'd project them to go at least 3-1 — they'll likely be favored in all four contests, health permitting — and their opposition plays hard, which is ideal for fantasy because you'd rather get minutes from the main characters instead of early garbage time.
Unsittables: Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert
Consistent Starters: Mike Conley
Streamable: Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniels
Deep League Streamers: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Fantasy Anti-Team of the Week: Phoenix Suns
This schedule is booty cheeks.
The Suns will be a popular stream later in the week with three games in four nights, but we don't see them at all until Thursday — the only team in the NBA who has Monday through Wednesday.
The schedule:
- Thursday: Home vs. Houston Rockets
- Saturday: Home vs. Houston Rockets
- Sunday: Home vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Suns, as I've complained about earlier this season, don't provide a ton of viable fantasy options, and one or two of their top guys often questionable to play on a game-to-game basis. Right now, Bradley Beal has the hot potato, though they're hoping he returns Thursday after the half All-Star break amount of days off they'll have until then.
Unsittable When Healthy: Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal
Likely Starters: Jusuf Nurkic
Streamable: Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon, Royce O'Neale
INJURY PIVOT
G Trae Young
Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young is out with a hand injury, the team announced and is set to be re-evaluated in four weeks, potentially putting him out for the rest of fantasy. Dejounte Murray becomes a major fantasy post-season swing piece, as does Jalen Johnson.
Waiver Wire Pivots: Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, Jeremy Sochan, Jalen Suggs, Amen Thompson, Keyonte George
INJURY RETURNS (Maybe?)
G Bradley Beal
Phoenix Suns
This is more like injury watch. Bradley Beal has missed the Suns' last four games with a left hamstring injury but the opportunity to return could present itself soon, though the ailment is tricky by nature. Beal's next opportunity to play won't come until Thursday, but the three extra days off could help him.
Stock Down Watch: Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen (slightly, if anything)
G Terry Rozier
Miami Heat
Rozier, who sprained his knee against the Boston Celtics before the All-Star break, was expected to be upgraded to questionable prior to Monday's game against the Sacramento Kings of the Sun Sentinal. But unfortunately, the Heat will have to wait a little longer with Rozier officially out for another game. Monday, the Heat will additionally be without Jimmy Butler (suspension) and Tyler Herro (knee).
Stock Down Watch: Jaime Jaquez Jr., Caleb Martin, Tyler Herro (slightly)
RISERS
C/F Marvin Bagley II
Washington Wizards
I've written about him recently, including in last week's Fantasy Basketball Primer. Now that we have more sample size, it's full speed ahead on adding Bagley for this home stretch, or at the very least, a few streams while you get healthy — though he could be a fairly dangerous drop if you're not careful.
Following a near double-double against the Cavs last night, he's averaging about 12-11-2 with some generous rounding in his last five outings, all starts at center for the Wizards, while shooting 48 percent from the field.
F Herb Jones
New Orleans Pelicans
Herb Jones is (maybe) back!
The swingman we've been waiting for. I dropped Jones and picked him back up in one league, and I'm very excited for what could become of his next few weeks. Now now, it's only a slight blimp, but Jones is up to about 14-4-3 in his last 13 games with rounding, and this is the key: Two stocks per contest. Jones is averaging 2.6 steals per game over his last seven, and is playing 34.5 minutes per contest. He logged 38 on Sunday even with an active Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, though CJ McCollum was out.
FALLERS
G Dennis Schroder
Brooklyn Nets
Feel free to drop — he hasn't gotten it going in Brooklyn.
Schroder is averaging just 8.2 points, 4.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds while shooting 31/33/40 in five games with the Nets since being traded from Toronto. He hasn't gotten adjusted in his off the bench role, and frankly, there's hardly a Net you feel good about rostering in fantasy at this point.
G Russell Westbrook
Los Angeles Clippers
It's important to note his struggles as the fantasy playoffs loom, and as you'll have to make difficult decisions on a night to night basis.
Now, the durability helps, especially if you're not in a categories league. But if you are, that's where it really hurts because he's not close to a top-100 player and is playing like a drop candidate or an upside streamer at best, as opposed to a hold.
He may still be worth rostering in a points league, but watch closely, and if you're in an injury bind needing to drop someone for a returning player, you'll be pushed to at least think about it in some cases.
Westbrook has more appeal if the Clippers are down one of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George or James Harden, though that wasn't the case Sunday. Russ has recorded just 10-4-3 over his last 13, a stretch that goes back close to a month. He's shooting 40/19/64 in that stretch. A surge may come, but he hasn't consistently delivered since the turn of the calendar.
Ultimately, I'd probably drop — but I never would've added him to begin with because the experience just isn't for me.
