Fantasy Basketball Weekly Planner: NBA Week 8

Only half the league has four game weeks as we head into the final days of November, but there are some intriguing fantasy weeks ahead for a handful of teams, even if they aren’t playing a full weeks worth of games.

The Best of the Best

Brooklyn Nets

It’s the return of Linsanity to the Brooklyn Nets this week, which is going to dramatically shake up the Nets’ fantasy value. Jeremy Lin will likely be eased back into action off the bench, or with restricted minutes, but it’s worth noting because his return might mark the end of fantasy relevance to Sean Kilpatrick and Isaiah Whitehead. According to NBA Wowy, Kilpatrick had a usage rate of 27.1% with Lin off the court, compared to just 18.3% with Lin on the court.

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets have a nice fantasy schedule ahead of them as they close out a road trip this week. Even with all four games on the road, three of their opponents rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating, while the Hawks, the only team not in that category, plays at the league’s fifth fastest pace and has allowed 111.2 points per game this month. Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum should have extra value this week, while guys like Marvin Williams and Cody Zeller get a bump as well. Charlotte is also averaging close to 106 points per game on the road this season.

Houston Rockets

Your eyes should light up this week if you are stacked with Rockets on your yearlong fantasy hoops teams. They get two of their games against the Wolves and Nets who rank 29th and 28th respectfully in points allowed per 100 possessions. Their other two games are at home against the Kings and Pelicans, who are allowing their opponents to post a 51% field goal percentage (eFG%) this season. The over/under for James Harden triple doubles might be 2 ½ this week and I’m taking the over.

Los Angeles Clippers

Let’s start giving credit where credit is due. The Los Angeles Clippers are an elite team and championship contender. They are in a bit of a rough patch right now losing five of their last eight, but after only two games last week the Clippers have a nice fantasy week ahead of them. They start it against the league’s worst defensive team, the Trail Blazers, followed by a short three-game East Coast trip against the Magic, Heat and Wizards. The Magic’s defense looks like it’s falling apart again after looking great lately, while the Heat are still banged up and are still without one of their best defenders. LA’s big three should all be started this week and with Austin Rivers in concussion protocol, Jamal Crawford gets a nice boost until Rivers returns.

Los Angeles Lakers

It’s the start of a seven-game rodeo road trip for the Lakers as they have four games on the slate in Week 8. It’s Disney On Ice in Staples Center after Monday night, but the Lakers might be skating their way to big time fantasy value too. After a visit to the Kings, the Lakers head east to play the Nets, 76ers and Cavaliers. With the team getting healthier though, it consolidates some of their fantasy value, making guys like Jordan Clarkson borderline droppable with their backcourt healthier. Lou Williams’ historic scoring streak might continue though.

Miami Heat

Miami is slowly getting healthier but guys like Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters remain out. That means most of the fantasy value lies in Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic, but the role players for this team are still holds this wee. Wayne Ellington, Josh Richardson and Tyler Johnson should all three be valuable fantasy contributors this week. The Heat have all four of their games at home and outside of the Clippers, the other three should have some fantast goodness.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans also have a stellar four-game week ahead of them. Outside of closing it out against the Spurs in San Antonio, the Pelicans get the Warriors to start the week, followed by Indiana and Houston. Those three teams all rank in the top 11 in pace this season, so at the very least their first three games should be higher scoring. Anthony Davis is riding a four-game double-double streak and is probably good for another two or three of those this week.

Portland Trail Blazers

Portland’s week is the tail of two halves. They start it against the Clippers and Thunder, two teams allowing fewer than 104 points per 100 possessions. However, after that the defense lightens up some, and the pace quickens against the Nuggets and Warriors. Plus, if Al Farouq Aminu misses a lot of time, Ed Davis could be a nice waiver wire addition for this week. Davis got 34 minutes when Aminu was out over the weekend and is averaging 7.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per 36 minutes this season.

Other Four Game Weeks

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas still does not have a timetable for Dirk Nowitzki’s return and with a record of 5-18 they should probably keep it that way. However, for the likes of Harrison Barnes, Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews it creates a lot more fantasy upside. Other than a game against the Nuggets to start the week, Dallas has two tough games against the Pistons and Jazz before a battle with the Kings to close the week. Start your big three Mavs this week regardless.

Indiana Pacers

If there was an award given out to the most underperforming team, the Pacers might be in line for that trophy. With a stacked roster of offensive talent the Pacers are 12-12, they rank 21st in offensive rating and they are allowing 108.1 points per 100 possessions. Their schedule is not in their favor this week either. They have games against the Pistons, Hornets and Heat, three teams that rank in the top half of the league in defensive rating. Unless their names are Paul George or Myles Turner, it might be wise sitting them some this week. Jeff Teague has struggled in December so far with a 45.1 eFG%, so sitting him in some of these tougher matchups is not out of the question if you have better options.

Memphis Grizzlies

If you drafted Marc Gasol this season you are probably doing your version of the happy dance. Gasol is crushing the opposition right now and has picked up his play while Mike Conley has been out. Gasol has a 26.9% usage rate this season and that spikes to 28.1 when Conley is off the floor. Gasol was also named Western Conference player of the week with averages of 27.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Memphis has a solid week ahead of them too. They get two games against the Cavaliers before facing the Kings and Jazz to end their week.

Orlando Magic

Orlando was creeping up the defensive ladder over the past few weeks, but then Week 7 happened. Orlando allowed 115.8 points per game in their four games last week and if that continues it means they are going to be playing catch up a lot this week. Other than a home game against the Nets, the Magic’s other three games are against teams white a combined record of 45-26. All four games are up in pace though, so at least they have that going for them.

Sacramento Kings

Trade rumors and winds keep circling around the Kings, but for now their roster is in tact. They also start their week with two juicy games against the Lakers and Rockets, but their week ends with a dud against the Grizzlies and Mavericks, two of the three slowest paced teams in the NBA. DeMarcus Cousins is safe in all four games, but for the latter two, the rest of your Kings might deserve a benching.

Toronto Raptors

Is Toronto an elite team? The answer right now is a strong maybe. They have won eight of their last nine games and they are the only team outside of Golden State averaging north of 116 points per 100 possessions. Plus, 44 percent of their offense comes from two players, so if you have DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry you love life right now. Their fantasy week isn’t bad either. They have four games against the Sixers, Hawks, Magic and Bucks, who have a combined record of 39-56, so more wins may be on the horizon.

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are the saddest team in the NBA. They are however, great for fantasy, because their starters are all averaging 31.9 minutes per game or higher. This might work against them later in the season, but here in early December it’s going to help your fantasy teams. However, this week is rough. Three of their games are against teams that rank fifth or better in defensive rating and all four of their games are against teams with an allowed eFG% of 49.5% or lower. Still though, minutes equals money, so start your Wizards and stomach the potentially poor results for some of them this week.

Notable Three-Game Weeks

New York Knicks

Among the half of the league that only has three or fewer games this week, the Knicks have by far the best schedule. They also got Derrick Rose back on Sunday. With Rose on the court this season, the Knicks average 9.1 points more per 100 possessions and their defense improves some as well. He is the catalyst for this offense and despite being kind of the third option, when he plays well the Knicks play well. With games against the Suns, Warriors and Nuggets, the Knicks’ fantasy options are in for a huge week.

Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia is also set up for a nice fantasy week despite only having three games. They begin a nice and long home stand this week with games against the Raptors, Lakers and Nets. These three teams average allowing nearly 110 points per game. Plus, there are no back to backs, so Joel Embiid should be good for all three games this week. Also, if Sergio Rodriguez and Jerryd Bayless continue to sit, T.J. McConnell could be a nice addition off waivers in Week 8.

Golden State Warriors

After a five game week in Week 7, the Warriors are playing three contests this week and all three of them make for nice fantasy matchups. After a battle with the Pelicans, the Dubs return to Oracle Arena for games against the Knicks and Blazers. The latter two teams rank in the bottom five in defensive rating. So, considering the latter two are also at home and the Warriors are averaging close to 124 points per game at home, all systems go in Golden State this week. 

Denver Nuggets

Out of their three games the Nuggets’ last two contests are against the Blazers and Knicks, two teams that defense comes as more of a suggestion that an actual necessity. However, they start their week on the road in Dallas, which limits their fantasy upside. Wilson Chandler is banged up with the same hip that caused him to miss all of last season, so that adds value to Kenneth Faried, who should see minutes in the mid 20s while Chandler is out.

Milwaukee Bucks

If you drafted Giannis Antetokounmpo anywhere after outside of the top 10 in your drafts this season you got a steal. He’s 22 years old, putting up career numbers across the board and he is still getting better. Plus, he gets two games against the Bulls this week, who he has yet to face this season, but in four games in 2015-16 he averaged 23.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.3 steals on 56.1% from the floor. All the Greek Freak this week.

Chicago Bulls

Chicago may be one of only a few teams that can threaten the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. Along with their two games against the Bucks they get to reunite with Tom Thibodeau for the first time this season as Thibs will coach his first game in the United Center since being fired by the Bulls. Anything but a standing ovation is not enough from the Windy City, who has a really good team that is creeping up the defensive rankings. Chicago is allowing 104.7 points per 100 possessions, ranking them 9th best among all teams.

Detroit Pistons

Speaking of strong defense, the Pistons spent time over the weekend on the top spot in defensive rating and now they rank second behind only the Grizzlies. Their defense has produced a strong team and with Reggie Jackson getting ramped back up it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing peak Pistons. After an embarrassing loss to the Sixers over the weekend, the Pistons get a chance to get back on track against the Mavericks, Wizards and Pacers.

Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s another nice week to be a Russell Westbrook owner. Even with only three games and one of them against the Jazz, the Thunder’s other two games this week are against Portland and Phoenix. Westbrook has yet to face off against Portland, but with the Blazers allowing a league-worst 112.4 points per 100 possessions, it’s bound to be a bloodbath. However, he has had the pleasure of facing Phoenix once this season and he only produced a triple-double with 51 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Cha-ching.

The Rest

San Antonio Spurs

The one thing keeping the Spurs from being in the notable three-game week section is their back to back. There aren’t too many back to backs among the teams with three games, but as we know Gregg Popovich loves resting guys on the front or back half of a back to back. They play Boston at home on Wednesday followed by a game in Phoenix the next night. Their next game is at home against New Orleans, so the Spurs could easily keep some guys at home while the team travels to Phoenix for the one-game road trip. This makes San Antonio very tough to trust past Wednesday this week.

Atlanta Hawks

Paul Millsap being back for the Hawks makes a world of difference. Even though he will almost surely not get any MVP consideration, the Hawks average 4.8 points more per 100 possessions with Millsap on the court and give up 13.8 points more when he is on the bench or out. Atlanta has won their last two games and will look to continue that with games against the Magic, Raptors and Hornets.

Boston Celtics

With Isaiah Thomas on the shelf for an unknown amount of time it’s hard to tell what you’re going to get from the Celtics this week. Al Horford and Jae Crowder stand to be busy, but outside that it’s a crapshoot. Marcus Smart is worth owning while Thomas is out, but their schedule this week is pretty tough. They open against the Spurs on the road and then they face the Hornets and Heat. Those three teams rank in the top half of the league defensively and outside of the Hornets they play at methodical paces. Leave them benched if they’re not named Horford or Crowder until Thomas is back.

Utah Jazz

Utah got some good news recently that Derrick Favors made it through parts of practice on Sunday. With a banged up roster, they really need him and George Hill back as soon as possible. However, until that happens, this is Gordon Hayward’s team and he is a top-20 option in fantasy leagues with all of Utah’s injuries. With the other four Jazz starters off the court, Hayward has an insane 35.3% usage rate according to NBA Wowy. However, with games against Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis, they have one of the toughest weeks of any team.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are great to target players on the opposing team, but Phoenix themselves are limited when it comes to consistent fantasy options. Devin Booker is shooting 31.9% from deep and has a poor 46.9 eFG%. Eric Bledsoe has been incredible in December averaging 23.6 points per game and scoring 27 points or more in three of his five games this month. However, after that it gets dicey. They have a game against the Knicks this week, but after that their fantasy week gets dicey against the Spurs and Thunder.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland’s week is not a great one. Even with a game to close the week against the Lakers, they have a home and home against the Grizzlies, who just beat the Warriors. Memphis is slowly getting healthier, but the one thing they do is slow you down and play hard and physical defense. Memphis leads the league in defensive rating and they play at a pace of only 93.3 possessions per game. Lebron James is matchup proof, but Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving face a tough battle in those two games.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves are the only team with two games this week, making it tough if you own one of their young scorers. At the very least they get them against two pace-up teams in Chicago and Houston. However, if you still play in a weekly lock league, it is logical to think about benching your Wolves not named Karl-Anthony Towns.