NBA Seasonal Playbook Pro Week 20

 

Welcome to Week 20 of fantasy hoops! Some of you are either starting, or one week away from the start of your fantasy hoops playoffs, so for those locking up playoff spots or starting theirs this week, congratulations!

Week 20 is stacked with games. All but seven teams have four or more games this week and with volume not the problem, it’s time to find the best teams to target and stream for Week 20!

 

Best Of The Best

Portland Trail Blazers

It doesn’t get much better than being a Blazers owner this week. On top of having five games (which does hurt some with two back to backs and two sets of three games in four nights) the Blazers’ matchups this week are amazing. Assuming you get all five games from your core fantasy assets on Portland, they are in for a huge week against the Wolves, Thunder, Sixers, Wizards and Suns. Also, if you recently picked up Jusuf Nurkic, you are even happier with several fantastic outings over last week and some potentially better ones to come in Week 20. 

Denver Nuggets

It doesn’t get much better than playing the Kings twice in a week, but with home games against the Wizards and Celtics the Nuggets have it pretty good this week. Still fighting for the playoffs in the West, you can expect the Nuggets to keep their foot firmly on the gas pedal. Their offense is clicking and that is a huge bonus in fantasy heading into the playoffs. Denver is averaging 111.2 points per game since February 1st and they have hit 120 points or more five times during that stretch. 

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs are riding a seven-game winning streak heading into Week 20 and with a four good fantasy matchups ahead, the only thing we have to worry about is Gregg Popovich. The Spurs do have a back to back on Wednesday-Thursday against the Kings and Thunder and Pop may choose to sit out some guys on that front half game against the Kings because they will probably win that game regardless. It sucks for fantasy, so just beware of it. However, these days Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge almost always play regardless and it’s probably too early for that anyway with the Spurs still in arms length of the #1 overall seed. I expect four games from your core Spurs this week, making them a fine target for yearlong fantasy. 

Milwaukee Bucks

This week’s schedule is very pretty for the Bucks. If you are a Giannis Antetokounmpo owner and your playoff start this week, you should be very happy. Milwaukee squares off against Philadelphia, New York, Indiana and Minnesota this week and after two straight victories against quality opponents, the Bucks may be hitting their stride finally. It might not help them make the playoffs, but at only 1.5 games out of the 8th seed, expect a lot of energy and fantasy goodness from Milwaukee this week.  

Golden State Warriors

Warriors’ basketball is set for another week among the best teams in fantasy to target and while streaming them may not be a great option, the Warriors still have plenty of great games this week for their owners. The only real blemish on their week is a trip to San Antonio on the second night of a back to back, but that game is very important for the #1 overall seed this season, so I don’t expect anyone to be rested regardless of what happens to the Warriors on Friday. I expect four games from the Dubs this week. 

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are one of the few teams with four games and no back to backs this week. After resting Avery Bradley and Al Horford on Sunday, hopefully those two are ready to play Monday to start an important week for Boston. The Celtics play the Clippers, Warriors and Nuggets on the road to start their week, followed by a home game against the Bulls on Sunday. All four of those games will have streaming potential, especially if Bradley and Horford are more banged up than just getting the first half of a back to back off. 

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have been playing faster than any team in the NBA since the All Star Break. Without Joel Embiid, the Sixers have had no choice but to speed things up and that has been amazing for fantasy. Dario Saric and Robert Covington have turned into must-start guys and this week is no different. Philly opens against the Bucks before heading out on a Western Conference road trip against the Blazers and both LA teams on Saturday and Sunday. 

Phoenix Suns

Other than a trip to Dallas on the front half of a back to back this week, the Suns should have plenty of fantasy value left in their young legs. Alan Williams might end up as the fantasy pickup of the season with the way he is playing and this week he and the Suns have three home games this week and two of them are against the Lakers and Blazers. It should be a nice week in the desert.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks also have three home games this week and all three of them hold great potential in fantasy against the Warriors, Nets and Raptors. They end their week on somewhat of a dull note in Memphis against the Grizzlies, but it is still enough to keep them in the best of the best category. At the very least the Hawks have been much more consistent at home on offense, so the three home games is their saving grace this week.  

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are another team with two back to backs during Week 20. It will truly be a test for this upstart team, but luckily their opponents are all pretty poor. They play the Suns and Nuggets in their first back-to-back set, followed by the Kings and Blazers all on the road this week. Washington has played well on the road since the beginning of the New Year, so don’t be concerned with the actually schedule and focus on the softer opponents. Washington is not in a position to start coasting, so they will have their foot on the gas pedal throughout this week. 

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Notable Four-Game Weeks

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers were just out of reach of the best of the best category this week, but only for a trip to Memphis on the second half of a back to back. The rest of their schedule is just peachy this week against the Celtics, Wolves and Sixers. With a healthy roster the Clippers are bound to make run soon and if they do it’s going to be wonderful for fantasy owners. It’s harder to predict which one of their stars will shine on a nightly basis, but overall they are an excellent target for streaming this week.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are another one of those Eastern Conference teams still vying for the playoffs and their fantasy outlook this week is positive. They have a tough game against the defending champions on Thursday after playing against the Pacers the night before. However, besides this small nightmare in the middle of the week, their other two games against the Bulls and Knicks are good enough to label the Pistons as above average in fantasy this week. Look for strong weeks from your core 5-6 Pistons. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Speaking of those Cavaliers, the resting has already begun after Lebron James and Kyrie Irving got the night off Saturday after a game on Friday. Sure enough the NBA scheduling committee has another late season back to back for the Cavs this week, but with the Cavs only three games up on the Celtics to begin the week, it’s tough to see them being that aggressive with rest. However, they play the lowly Magic before heading to Houston the next night and that may be a game we go without one or both of the Cavs’ stars. They realize rest of more important than seeding, so expect this to be a trend going forward in Cleveland. 

Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets have dug themselves out of the hole they made for themselves before the break and now they sit only three games out of the eighth seed. They will be without Frank Kaminsky over the next few weeks so Cody Zeller should get all the run he can handle. With games against the Pacers, Heat, Magic and Pelicans, Charlotte has the ability to climb further into contention this week. Three of the four are at home too, where the Hornets score more and give up fewer points. 

Sacramento Kings

The Kings get two games against the Nuggets in Week 20, which should help offset their games against the Spurs and Wizards. Both of those teams are tougher to score on than the Nuggets, so while it’s tempting to throw out all your Kings in weekly lock formats, it might be better to use the guards more than the bigs, who will have a tougher time against the interior defenses of their opponents this week. 

Miami Heat

The Heat have cooled off some lately but they are still 5-4 in their last nine games and they sit 1.5 games out of the playoffs. They are by far the most talented of the teams looking to jump into one of those final playoff spots and this week their fantasy outlook is good. They open against the Cavaliers on the road, but it starts to get easier as the week goes on. They then play the Hornets and Raptors at home before going to Indiana on Sunday. They could easily win three of four this week if they are playing well, which means high-implied totals and fantasy goodness all around in South Beach!

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves are our final above average matchup this week and wit three of their four games at the Target Center, the Wolves’ stars look like fine values this week. Outside of their core four, their isn’t much streaming value, but for the studs it’s a nice schedule against the Blazers, Clippers and Warriors, followed by a road game against the Bucks. The Wolves are only 1-4 this season against their first three opponents of the week, so expect Tom Thibodeau to have his squad still playing hard. 

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Other Four-Game Weeks

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls’ week starts pretty rough on the road against the Pistons and Magic and without Dwyane Wade for at least Monday, one has to decide in weekly lock formats whether to bench the veteran. My play is yes, especially considering all the streaming options this week, but it’s a tougher call in deeper leagues still doing weekly lock. Overall though things get easier for the Bulls down the stretch of the week as they play the Rockets and Celtics, but neither one of those are easy games. Outside of Jimmy Butler, it might be wise to bench every other Bull with the Wade injury news. 

Orlando Magic 

Getting to start the week against the Knicks may get this team going. Overall they have played well against quality opponents in their last two games, so a win against New York could help make the Magic viable in fantasy circles this week. They play the Bulls on Wednesday, followed by a trip to Charlotte and a game at home against the Cavaliers. All four should get good value except the trip to Charlotte on the front half of a back to back. Assuming Nikola Vucevic’s injury doesn’t keep him out Monday, the Magic should have stronger but not great fantasy value this week. 

Indiana Pacers

Indiana got a much-needed win on Sunday against the Hawks thanks to the heroics of Glenn Robinson III. Now they head into an important week against the Hornets, Pistons, Bucks and Heat. All four of these teams are looking just up at the Pacers who currently sit in the 6th seed, as they rank between 8th and 12th right now. They are all also within five games of the Pacers in the standings, so with their backs against the wall, we could get a strong week from Indiana. They are at the very least in play despite playing four hungry teams. 

New York Knicks

The Knicks are really simple this week. Other than their big three, bench your other Knicks. They have games against the Magic, Bucks, Pistons and Nets. The Detroit and Brooklyn games are on consecutive nights and there is always a chance they rest some of their guys against Brooklyn, but the first three games are good enough to warrant starting the big name guys. However, be aware of that Brooklyn game that could look like a winner only to become a landmine if Jeff Hornacek rests some of his stars. 

Houston Rockets

It’s hard to bench any of your Rockets this week but it is one of the tougher calls in fantasy this week. Houston starts out their week against the Spurs and Jazz, followed by a trip to Chicago and a home game against the Cavaliers. They have been beating quality opponents so there is warrant to starting them as usual and just looking for a potential bad game or two. They are coming off blowing out two Western playoff teams so I say keep it rolling, Rockets. 

Brooklyn Nets

If you’re a Brook Lopez owner, playing Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard and Nerlens Noel to start the week is never good and for the rest of the Nets it might be best to keep them on standby this week. Despite having four games, the Nets play three teams that either rank in the top five in defensive efficiency or the bottom five in pace. In shallower leagues and weekly lock leagues, if you have better options they might be worth going with. 

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The Rest

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks only have three games this week, but with some teas potentially resting key players on backs to backs, the Mavs players may be more in play this week than some teams with four games. They play the Lakers, Nets and Suns and while the latter two games are on consecutive nights, the Mavs are fighting to make the playoffs still and I expect them to be good for all three games. They are probably one of the only three-game team I’d recommend this week. 

Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are the other three-game team that I might recommend. Obviously you’re not benching Marc Gasol or Mike Conley, but the other guys are worth thinking about. Zach Randolph for instance could be a bench candidate in shallower leagues with tougher matchups against the Clippers and Hawks. However, they start against the Nets and all of their games are at home, so there is deeper league streaming appeal.

Los Angeles Lakers 

Other than D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle it’s hard to trust any other Lakers this week. They have strong matchups against the Suns and Sixers, but a trip to Dallas hurts their appeal enough to where I’m staying away from everyone except their brightest young stars. 

Utah Jazz

The Jazz were among the best teams to target in Week 19 but as it often happens they are a team to potentially avoid other than their top fantasy assets. George Hill and Rudy Gobert are going nowhere, but benching a guy like Derrick Favors is the question this week. Its tough considering he is starting to become that fantasy asset everyone drafted him to be, but they play the Pelicans’ frontcourt to start the week, followed by trips to Oklahoma City and Houston. In deeper leagues I’d play him, but in shallower leagues Favors doesn’t make the cut this week. 

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are on the road all week against the Pelicans, Hawks and Heat and besides DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka, I’d lay off the other Raptors. If you were lucky enough to pick up Cory joseph you are probably still riding him, but just be aware that the Raptors’ three opponents this week allow an average of just 106.6 points per 100 possessions and they all three rank in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. 

Philadelphia 76ers

One bonus about the 76ers recently is they have started to speed up. They have a pace of more than 105 possessions per 48 minutes since the All Star Break and without Joel Embiid, guys like Dario Saric and Robert Covington are playing really well. However, other than those two guys, I’d stay away from the other Sixers this week with the possible exception of picking up Richaun Holmes to stream while Jahlil Okafor is out. 

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans are pretty easy to scout for fantasy hoops this week. Other than their big three names, fade them all. If you own any other Pelicans other than their big three and other than in some 20-team league that rosters D-League players, you probably aren’t doing too well in fantasy right now. Stick to Boogie, Brow and Jrue Holiday. 

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder are another team that is really simple in fantasy right now. Start Russell Westbrook and bench everyone else this week against the Blazers, Spurs and Jazz. If you need either Steven Adams or Enes Kanter go for it, but in weekly locks all I need is Brodie this week.