NBA Seasonal Playbook Pro Week 18

 

We here at Fantasy Alarm hope you had an excellent All Star Break, but with the trade deadline and the fantasy playoffs approaching, it’s time to buckle down!

 

It’s another abbreviated week, but in most cases, leagues should be continuing matchups they started last week. Either way, there are some important news and notes to go over for Week 18 of fantasy hoops and some fine upcoming matchups for some of these teams.

 

Three-Game Weeks

 

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans shocked the NBA over the weekend in their trade for DeMarcus Cousins. They paid virtually nothing to get him and even though he only has one year left on his contract after this season, the Pelicans are almost a lock to grab that eighth seed in the West. They are also one of only four teams with three games this week and they are all primed matchups against the Rockets, Mavericks and Thunder. Even though there is a back to back over the weekend, getting to see Cousins and Anthony Davis together three times this week is going to be fun for hoops heads and fantasy players alike.

 

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets are continuing a road trip they began before the break and with three games this week they might be crucial to your team’s fantasy success if you own some Hornets. Charlotte opens against the Pistons, which is not an easy matchup, but things even out afterwards against the Kings and Clippers. Charlotte really limped into the All Star Break losing 11 of 12 games and if that does not stop it’s going to be harder to extract fantasy value from the Hornets outside of Kemba Walker of course.

 

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers started to turn things around in the final four games before the break, but they are another team that could really throw a loop in the league at the trade deadline. We could see them as buyers or sellers, it’s tough to tell. However, Chris Paul says he wants to re-sign with the Clippers, so that is a pretty big achievement for this franchise. Their schedule in Week 18 isn’t bad, but they do have some very tough games. For fantasy purposes, their game against the Warriors on Thursday should be excellent, but they follow that with one at home against the Spurs and then against the Hornets. Since the week is short, the Clippers and their big fantasy assets should be rostered in all formats though.

 

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets were trying to fight for the eighth seed in the West, but after watching the Pelicans acquire Cousins, they may rethink that as we approach the trade deadline on Thursday. Other than a game against the Grizzlies to close the week, the Nuggets should still hold a lot of fantasy power early in the week with games against the Kings and Nets, probably now the two worst teams in the league. Denver has been great at scoring fantasy points for their owners and that will surely continue at least in their first two games of the week. Anything they can give you against the Grizzlies is simply a bonus.

 

Notable Two-Game Weeks

 

Golden State Warriors

It’s pretty tough to find a week where the Warriors won’t have optimal fantasy value and this week is almost no exception. Despite only having two games, the Dubs face off against the Nets and Clippers in what should be two easy wins. Both games are at home where the Warriors are averaging 121.8 points per game and have an offensive efficiency of 117.9. That should obviously help their fantasy production, but it also might lead to a couple of blowouts, which would temper any big time fantasy output. Still, it’s a nice two-game week for the Dubs.

 

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are on the road twice this week, but they are both prime fantasy matchups against the Pacers and Nuggets. Denver’s new frontline might give the Grizzlies some problems, but both teams also have poor defenses. The Nuggets right now rank as the league’s worst defensive team, allowing 113.4 points per 100 possessions. It should be a red-letter week for the Memphis as we head into the trade deadline.

 

Brooklyn Nets

You have to give the Nets at least some credit this season. They play teams tough even though they have nothing to play for and they can’t tank because Boston still owns their draft pick. Regardless, Kenny Atkinson has this team playing hard almost every night and that should continue to turn into fantasy value. They will almost certainly make some trades before the deadline and that will open up more minutes for their younger players. Against the Warriors and Nuggets this week, that should lead to Brooklyn being one of the better teams to target in Week 18.

 

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a tough home stretch of the season. While both of their games this week are at home, after Week 18, 15 of their final 24 games are on the road. However, Week 18 should be kind to the Cavs as they play the Knicks and Bulls, two very winnable games that could have a ton of fantasy value. Against just those two teams this season, the Cavs are averaging over 110 points per game and they will surely want to get a win against a Bulls team that have lost both of their prior matchups to.

 

Miami Heat

Miami is a nice storyline this season. It will be interesting to see whether or not they’ll be able to climb back into playoff contention, but this week gives them a chance to gain some ground against the Hawks and Pacers. Both teams are easily pace-up games for Miami and both should increase the amount of fantasy value you can extract from your Heat players this week. They should be one of the top 10 fantasy teas in regards to output and implied totals this week.

 

San Antonio Spurs

It doesn’t get much nicer than after having a week off for the All Star Break to come back and play a series against both Los Angeles teams. That’s what the Spurs have waiting for them after the break and they also get the luxury of having a day off in between games at Staples Center over the last half of this week. The Spurs are averaging nearly 111 points per game against the LA teams this season (mostly against the Lakers) but it should still be two solid games for the Spurs this week.

 

New York Knicks

The Knicks will open their week against the Cavaliers on Thursday in Cleveland, which could be a good game for fantasy, or a complete dud. That’s kind of been the story of New York’s season both in real life and in fantasy realms this season, but after some time off, as long as they don’t make any huge trades before the game, it should be a nice start for the Knicks. They follow that up against the Sixers, so New York should easily be in the top half of fantasy outputs for this abbreviated week.

 

Toronto Raptors

The acquisition of Serge Ibaka should really help the Raptors on both ends. While it might not be enough to beat the Cavs in a seven game series, it at least makes things in the East a little more interesting. If you’re an Ibaka owner, you have to expect a slight dip in production on the offensive end, but on defense Ibaka might see a slight uptick in production in rebounding and blocking shots. He and Jonas Valanciunas are a nice pairing in the paint for this team and against the Celtics and Blazers that should show almost immediately this week.

 

Oklahoma City Thunder

It’s go time for this Thunder squad in the standings, but for fantasy they have kind of turned into a one-man band. Russell Westbrook accounts for most of their offense and while a player like Steven Adams has really benefitted from some extra playing time lately, it’s hard to predict who is going to have big games for this team other than Westbrook. This week they have two very good games against the Lakers and Pelicans. Both of which are at home, so while it’s not a great week for the Thunder, it is certainly not a bad one either.

 

Philadelphia 76ers

The only issue keeping the Sixers as more of a middle of the pack fantasy team this week is their back to back on Friday/Saturday against the Wizards and Knicks. That means we might only get one game from Joel Embiid and considering he has not played in a game since the middle of January, it’s not out of the question to bench the Process in weekly lock formats this week. However, the Sixers should still hold good enough value this week to roster the other Sixers on your teams.

 

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are playing for ping pong balls right now and while their offense struggles at times, the trade of Ibaka has given this team some offensive clarity. Evan Fourier and Nikola Vucevic both benefit from Ibaka being gone and while it might hurt their defense some, the Magic are up against the Blazers and Hawks this week, two teams that they should easily be able to have good fantasy games against. Don’t sleep on Fournier and Vucevic this week if you own them.

 

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls still might blow it up at the trade deadline, but they would be pretty foolish to trade Jimmy Butler midseason. They waited until the offseason to trade Derrick Rose and they will do the same if they are convinced getting rid of Butler is in the best interest of the franchise long term. This week Chicago is up against the Suns and Cavaliers, two teams they should have high-implied totals and higher scores for their key fantasy players.

 

Sacramento Kings

If you’re a Kings fan, let me take a minute to apologize and lend our deepest sympathies on behalf of all of us at Fantasy Alarm. The trade of Cousins for table scraps and a king size Reese’s is embarrassing for everyone that follows hoops. That whole fan base should be livid after fighting to keep the team in town, building and new stadium and then see their franchise player shipped out for pennies on the dollar. They could have easily worked the phones this offseason and traded him for more and while they might have lost their draft pick because of it, they could have gained a better one from teams like Boston for instance. No one will blame you for burning your Kings gear after what happened this past weekend.

 

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons have a shot at the playoffs this season and they are going to need to win games like they have this week if they want to do it. They could also still be sellers at the trade deadline too with names like Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond coming up in rumors. So, while it’s a fluid situation right now in the Motor City, their games against the Hornets and Celtics this week could be good fantasy games for whomever is left on their roster after Thursday afternoon.

 

Houston Rockets

Houston wasted little time acquiring Lou Williams for a late first round pick and the rotting carcass of Corey Brewer. If this is a sign of things to come for Lakers fans under Magic Johnson, it might continue to be tough for the Lakers to rebuild. However, for the Rockets it was a steal to get Williams for a late first rounder. He will slide right into a bench-scoring role next to the three-point champ, Eric Gordon and this Rockets team now looks like they could challenge the Warriors with their extra firepower. They should get a chance to try out their new guard this week against the Pelicans and Wolves.

 

The Rest

 

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks would be higher in this column this week if it weren’t for a rough game to start their week against the Jazz. They finish against the Suns, which is probably the biggest gap in potential fantasy value of any team on a two-game week. The Jazz stifle teams of their fantasy goodness, while the Suns bring it out of even the worst teams. Expect something similar for the Bucks in Week 18.

 

Dallas Mavericks

With the trade of Cousins to the Pelicans, the Mavs might be better off packing it in this season. There is nothing to gain from getting the eighth seed if you’re the Mavs and you’re using Dirk Nowitzki’s final years as a crutch that will ultimately set this franchise back even further by not getting the best draft picks they can. It’s great for Nowitzki, but for the franchise’s long-term health, it might be better if they start to think about next season.

 

Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers seem like they’ll be playing for ping-pong balls down the stretch of the season, which isn’t great for fantasy owners of Damian Lillard or C.J. McCollum. These guys could get rested more down the stretch and the young guys could see more run as the Blazers prepare for next season. This week their fantasy outlook against the Magic and Raptors on the road isn’t great, so other than those two it might be wise to bench your other Blazers. However, I am very interested to see how much playing time and production Jusuf Nurkic gets now as a member of the Blazers. He is a nice pickup if still available.

 

Boston Celtics

The Celtics could still make a splash at the deadline, but for now their weekly matchups aren’t great. They are on the road twice this week against the Raptors and Pistons, two teams that are either tough, or just got tougher on defense. The C’s defense has been below average this season and that will continue this week, so you could consider benching your Celtics this week not named Isaiah Thomas or Al Horford.

 

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are another team in a tough spot and trading Paul George is not out of the question for this team. However, they would have to be offered a huge package for their star player, so right now I expect the Pacers to hold pat or be buyers at the deadline. Their Week 18 outlook isn’t great though against the Grizzlies and Heat, so it might be wise to sit down your Pacers not named George or Jeff Teague.

 

Washington Wizards

It’s the tail of two games for the Wizards this week. They open in Philadelphia, but then they play the Jazz at home on Sunday. That first game should be fine for fantasy goodness, but the second is going to be a big test for one of the hotter teams in the league. Therefore, Washington is not a great team to target for streaming after Friday of Week 18.

 

 

 Los Angeles Lakers

When are teams going to learn that former players don’t make good GM’s? Magic Johnson isn’t the GM of the Lakers, but he just made a bad trade of Lou Williams, so don’t get excited Laker fans. This is the man that once labeled Michael Carter-Williams as the next Jason Kidd. The Lakers also have a rough schedule this week with two games against the Thunder and Spurs, so with little fantasy value to be had right now anyway, bench your Lakers if you have better options this week. 

 

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves are on a back to back this week with a game against the Mavs on Friday, followed by a trip to Houston on Saturday. That’s a long travel time for a young team coming off the All Star Break, so outside of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the other Wolves are questionable this week. There is also the possibility they make a trade too, so double check the Wolves’ players statuses before tipoff on Friday.

 

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are another team that could be selling some guys at the deadline, so be careful with them and make sure and track all the deadline deals on Thursday afternoon to make sure you don’t roster someone who just got traded. Overall it’s not a great two-game stretch for the Suns anyway, so other than Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, your other Suns can be left on the bench or waivers.

 

Utah Jazz

The Jazz could be looking to add some pieces at the deadline too, but don’t expect them to change their core to make something happen. Therefore, even though both of their games are on the road this week against the Wizards and Bucks, the Jazz should still be safe. They lost three of four heading into the break too, so look for them to try and get back on track this week.

 

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks still seem to be deciding whether they will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but their fantasy week ahead isn’t very good regardless of what they do at the trade deadline. They play the Heat and Magic on consecutive nights and while the game against the Magic isn’t bad, it’s not great either that they will be coming off no rest. Prepare accordingly for that.