Little Advantages in the Fantasy Basketball Schedule Can Pay Big Dividends
Published: Nov 20, 2014
One of the skills I feel is very important for every aspect of life is the ability to apply knowledge or skills from one aspect of life to another. That is one of the reasons I so often discuss dating or poker or my job search in my fantasy articles. There is always a lesson to be learned that can make us better fantasy players.
I try to do the opposite, as well. Playing fantasy basketball has taught me a lot about crunching numbers, negotiating with people and the importance of positive thinking following a slow start.
One of the things I have learned over the years in fantasy is you cannot keep doing the same thing week after week and expect the same results. Eventually the rest of the league will catch up to you. The first few weeks of the season I tried to use this column to identify the worst teams in the league and steer you in the direction of players who can take advantage of those teams. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, but it is a bit shortsighted. After all, there is more value to be had. This week I have tried to mix in some recommendations of players who have a favorable schedule in one particular area. After all, one player who faces a string of poor rebounding teams or teams who turn the ball over can be enough to swing a fantasy basketball season, especially in head-to-head leagues. The players below are my recommendations for the next week, from November 24 to December 1.
Aaron Brooks, Chicago Bulls (Road vs. Jazz, Road vs. Nuggets, Road vs. Celtics, Road vs. Nets) This is a bit dependent on Derrick Rose’s health, and I will have more on his status in my injury article Saturday. Brooks could be worth a pickup whether Rose plays or not, because this schedule is very good. All four opponents are among the bottom ten in the NBA in defensive efficiency. The Celtics and Nuggets are also tied for third in pace. Brooks and his teammates should get up a lot of quality shots this week.
DeMarre Carroll, Atlanta Hawks (Road vs. Wizards, Home vs. Raptors, Home vs. Pelicans, Home vs. Hornets) Carroll is ninth among small forwards in rebounds per game, and his Hawks have four consecutive games against teams in the bottom half of the league in rebound rate. It also does not hurt that three of those four games are at home.
Miles Plumlee, Phoenix Suns (Road vs. Raptors, Home vs. Nuggets, Road vs. Nuggets, Home vs. Magic) My feelings about the Nuggets are well documented, and the Raptors and Magic are just average fantasy matchups. Alex Len is a nice alternative if Plumlee is owned in your league. Both players provide rebounds and blocks.
Devin Harris, Dallas Mavericks (Home vs. Pacers, Home vs. Knicks, Road vs. Raptors, Road vs. 76ers) Dallas’s point guard situation will become even more muddied when Raymond Felton returns from his suspension against the Pacers, but Harris could be useful even with Felton back. The Pacers, Knicks and 76ers are all in the bottom half of the league in turnover ratio, and Harris leads the Mavericks with 1.3 steals per game.
Patrick Patterson, Toronto Raptors (Home vs. Phoenix, Road vs. Hawks, Home vs. Mavericks, Road vs. Lakers) Patterson may be worth a pickup anyway based upon the injury to James Johnson—more on that in Saturday’s injury article—but if you are on the fence, his upcoming schedule should put you over it. We know the Lakers do not play defense, but the Hawks are actually one of the worst teams in the league against opposing power forwards. How else do you explain Carlos Boozer’s 20 and 10 performance against them Tuesday?
As we go forward I will try to continue to identify favorable overall matchups as well as favorable schedules for one or two categories. As always your feedback is welcome. Please let me know in the comments below or on Twitter what you want to get out of the schedule article each week. Another thing I have learned over the years: give the people what they want. Maybe if I was better at it I would not be single.
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.