NBA Seasonal Playbook Pro Week 13

It’s a huge Week 14 of NBA action with 20 teams owning a four game week. There are tons of great games to find fantasy value for your yearlong teams and there are also some great streaming options opening up to start the week.

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The Best of the Best

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are so hard to figure out, but they have one of the best fantasy week outlooks of any team in the league. Coming off a three-game winning streak, the Hornets finish off their home stand with games against the Wizards and Warriors, both pace-up opponents. They follow that off with a quick trip up to New York to play the Knicks and then they are back at home against the Kings. Other than the Warriors, their other three opponents are allowing at least 108.7 points per 100 possessions, so look for big weeks from your Hornets.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Lebron James and company should all be in for four games this week with no back to backs and one day of rest in between all four of their games. Not only does the schedule fall in their favor this week, their opponents are all either bad defensively or play at a faster pace. They start on the road against the Pelicans on Monday, followed by home games against the Kings, Nets and Thunder. The Cavaliers will be favored heavily in all three of those home games with likely implied totals of 110 or more.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers started the New Year on fire and it looked like they were starting to turn things around after an up and down start. Now they head into Week 14 after losing two straight games, but for your fantasy teams, the Pacers are winners regardless this week. Their four games this week are against teams averaging allowing 110 points per 100 possessions. Other than the Rockets, their other three opponents are all below .500, so hopefully the Pacers can get some big scores for your teams this week.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are usually good for some fantasy value no matter whom they play. However, this week should be extra juicy for the Rockets, despite all four of their games being on the road. They open in Milwaukee on Monday night, which should be a fun game for NBA fans and fantasy players alike. They follow that game with games in Boston, Philadelphia and Indiana, three teams that play no defense and/or play pretty fast. Coincidently, in three games against three of those teams (Indiana excluded) this season the rockets are averaging 111 points per game.

Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee is another team with a great week as they have another game against the Rockets to tip off Week 14. They follow that with what should be a fine fantasy game against the 76ers before heading on the road to Toronto. They close at home against Boston, making for great fantasy goodness. The Bucks have lost five straight heading into this week too, so hopefully we can get some extra effort from the Bucks fantasy studs.

San Antonio Spurs

The only thing keeping the Spurs from being more towards the top of this column is their Monday-Tuesday back to back. It makes it even worse that you have the first of that back to back against the Nets, but with injuries to Pau Gasol and at least for one game this week, Tony Parker, the Spurs could have some great waiver options. David Lee has been a monster with Gasol out and if he is still available for some reason in your league pick him up. Patty Mills should also get another game of extended run against the Nets, so stream him on Monday if you have the room.

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks open up with a game against the depleted Clippers at home on Monday before heading out on the road, but believe it or not, things might get easier as the week progresses. They play at Chicago which could be any number of difficulty levels depending on which Bulls team shows up, followed by games back at home against the Wizards and Knicks. Atlanta might have some of the higher implied totals of any team this week and I could easily see them favored in all four games. With their offense playing well it’s hard to argue against the Hawks having a big week.

Utah Jazz

It’s hard to argue against the Jazz as a team that might play spoiler in the playoffs in the West. They still have a lot to prove, including that they can stay healthy, but for fantasy purposes this team is full of value despite their slow pace and low scoring style. George Hill dropped 30 points the other night and he is going to get plenty of opportunity to do more of that in Week 14. The Jazz face off against the Thunder, Nuggets, Lakers and Grizzlies this week, so even with the tough Saturday night game against Memphis, your Jazz assets should be in for big weeks with three home games.

Miami Heat

Any time you get to start your week against the Warriors and Nets, it’s going to be a good week for your Heat fantasy players. Miami is still not 100 percent healthy too, which bumps up some of their guard’s playing time heading into what is now the second half for all teams. The end of their week is a back-to-back set against the Bulls and Pistons, but neither one of those opponents have been killers on the defensive end this season. Riding a three-game winning streak, the Heat should be in for some higher implied totals.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans are at home all week and after allowing 143 points to the Nets, they might want to remedy that with some wins this week in front of their home crowd. Anthony Davis is dealing with a ton of different injuries, but he is starting to realize that he has to be able to stay on the court to become a true super star in this league. I think he plays in all four games this week, starting at home against the defending champion, Cavaliers. They follow that up against the Thunder, Spurs and Wizards, so while the game against the Spurs won’t be a cakewalk fantasy-wise, the Pelicans are still worth an inclusion in the leading subsection for Week 14.

Golden State Warriors

The Warriors have a tough start to the week on the road against the Heat and Hornets, but after that things get a lot easier as they play the banged up Clippers and the defense-less Blazers. The good news for fantasy owners is three of Golden State’s games are on the road this season. Their defense has not traveled well this year and they tend to have much lower margin of victories. That means more fourth quarter playing time for your core Warriors players and more big nights as we get further into the week. Be careful this week though, because their game against LA is on the front half of a back to back, so we might see them rest some guys if they have a big lead.

Washington Wizards

Speaking of those Wizards, they continue to play well. They got beat by a tip-in from one Morris twin to another on Saturday, but they have still won seven of their last nine games and have parlayed their impressive December into an impressive start to January. Plus, they get a chance to continue things this week against the Hornets, Celtics, Hawks and Pelicans. Only one of the games are at home, which is on the second night of a back to back, but with an offense averaging nearly 110 points per game over their last nine, I expect more big scores from Washington in Week 14.

 

Notable Four Game Weeks

Boston Celtics

The Celtics will look to get back on track this week with four very good games to extract fantasy value from your Boston yearlong assets. Obviously Isaiah Thomas is having a career season in Boston, but while their opponents are not too tough this week, they are one of only a handful of teams with two back-to-back sets in Week 14. They start with a Tuesday-Wednesday one in Washington and then at home against Houston. They follow that up on Friday-Saturday with a game in Milwaukee, followed by a home game against Detroit. That’s a lot of frequent flier miles for Boston this week, which is really their only downside.

Chicago Bulls

A loan back to back against the Magic and Hawks is really the only thing keeping the Bulls from being bumped up some. However, you never quite know what you’re going to get from the Bulls’ offense on any given night, so maybe the back to back is the least of our concerns. What is concerning is against better teams the Bulls usually play well, but they tend to have some breakdowns against bad teams for whatever reason. They do have the Sixers on the schedule this week too, so who knows what is in store for this team. 

New York Knicks

Basketball in the city of New York is pretty hard to watch right now. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to get better from here, but considering how close to rock bottom the Knicks are right now, it’s hard to have any sense of security owning some of these guys in fantasy. Carmelo Anthony’s name is being thrown around in trade rumors and if this team starts tanking, it might be time to start thinking about selling off your Knicks assets now while you still can. Considering they are 19-26 heading into Week 14, but only three games out of a playoff spot, they are still a hold for at least this week as they play against the Jazz, Pelicans, Mavericks and Cavaliers. The problem is they might lose all four of those games.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers also get to start their week against the depleted Clippers, but their matchup is followed by their own back to back against the Bucks in Milwaukee. They follow that up with games against the Rockets and Bulls to close out the week, so besides the obvious absence of Joel Embiid for one of those games, the Sixers outlook this week isn’t bad. Sneakily they have climbed to the 10th best defensive efficiency in the league, allowing 106.8 points per 100 possessions. Their opponents also own just a 50.1 effective field goal percentage, which is currently seventh best in the NBA.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have four games this week but they are all four on the road with a back to back thrown in for good measure. With Rudy Gay out for the season, the only consistent fantasy option for Sacramento is DeMarcus Cousins. With the Kings coming in losers of 10 of 12 games, it’s time to sell on Cousins before he gets checked out, traded, or suspended due to too many technical fouls. Owning Cousins in another lost season is going to be frustrating unless he gets traded, which still seems unlikely. Waiver options will come of all this, so don’t ignore the Kings, especially when they do have a few soft games on their schedule this week.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have one of the tougher four game weeks ahead of them as they open against the Spurs and Heat at home. They follow that up with a Friday-Saturday back to back set against the Cavaliers and Wolves, so while their finale this week against Minnesota might bring some fantasy value, I could see the Nets falling flat in their first three games. The bigger problem in fantasy is that Brooklyn has very few consistent fantasy options to speak of. In a week like this one, that is going to be more evident. 

Toronto Raptors

Right when we all thought the Raptors were elite they go and lose three games in a row with two of them coming against teams that are well below .500. They rested DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry separately in two of those games, but for a team that claims to be the only thing standing in Cleveland’s way this postseason, they need to step it up. That could start this week, but it may not start at the beginning. Toronto has to play San Antonio and Memphis on back-to-back nights starting on Tuesday, followed by home games against the Bucks and Magic. The saying “the night is always darkest before the dawn,” refers to the Raptors schedule this week.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Of all the teams with four games this week the Thunder might have the toughest schedule. Three of their four games are on the road and outside of a home game against the Mavericks, their other three games are against the Jazz, Pelicans and Cavaliers. OKC is also coming off getting blown out twice, so this is not the time for more tough games for them. If they can get Steven Adams back soon, that should help them stay in games, obviously helping the Thunder players you may own.

 

Notable Three Game Weeks

Denver Nuggets

Other than their opening game against the Jazz at home the Nuggets get a nice home and home against the Suns this week. Both those games should be huge fantasy games for both teams and with the way the Nuggets have been playing defense, it’s hard to not see both teams getting well into the 100s. If you can stomach their matchup against the Jazz on Tuesday, their latter week rewards should be good enough to start in weekly lock formats this week.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers may be without Chris Paul for the next six to eight weeks, but Blake Griffin is almost ready to return and it can’t come soon enough for LA. They do have a stellar fantasy week ahead of them despite having only three games. They play the Warriors to finish the week, which might get out of hand, but they open the week with a Monday-Tuesday back to back against the Hawks and Sixers. Although it’s going to be rough in the win column for a while, if you were able to scoop up or hold some of their other guards, you’re in for a nice few months until Paul is back.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Other than the Clippers, the Wolves have a fine three-game week ahead of them. They get to play the Suns, Pacers and Nets in the same week, which should not only all be wins, they should also have some nice implied totals. Karl-Anthony Towns has been playing out of his mind lately and the Minnesota fans get two home games from him this week.

Orlando Magic

After a home game against the Bulls to start the week, the Magic get a nice layoff before not playing again until Friday in Boston. While that sucks for your fantasy teams and any Magic players you may own, it should help them get their legs ready for Boston and then Toronto on Sunday. With the injuries in their backcourt, there are also some nice pickups like C.J. Watson who could hold value while Jodie Meeks and D.J. Augustin are out.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns also have a fine three-game week with their home and home against the Nuggets, precluded by a game at home against the Wolves. The Suns are also coming into this week with a two-game winning streak, which for them is accomplishing something. If they continue playing well their fantasy stock as a team will keep rising, especially with games against a couple of soft defenses this week.

Portland Trail Blazers

Other than a game against the Grizzlies, this week should be a good one for the Blazers despite only three games. They are opening a long home stand this week with games against the Lakers, Warriors and Grizzlies. The first and third game will surely be full of fantasy goodness, but you should find a way off your fringe Blazers for that Memphis game.

 

The Rest

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis has to start their week against the Raptors in Toronto, which is never an easy game. Then they have a back-to-back set on the road in Portland, followed by a game in Utah the next night. The game against the Blazers should be fine, but the other two are making me think it’s time to sit your Grizzlies not named Mike Conley or Marc Gasol this week.

Dallas Mavericks

I trashed Dallas earlier in the season and they are starting to play better. I’m not taking credit by any means, but they have won four of six. Now they get to open against the Knicks, followed by road games against the Thunder and Spurs. While they could win their first two games, it’s going to be hard for them to find much fantasy value this week, especially with a back to back on their first two games.

Detroit Pistons

Detroit fantasy owners have gotten shafted by the scheduling committee, because after a two-game week in Week 13, the Pistons only have two games this week. I’m sure they are thrilled for the rest in real life, but for fantasy purposes it helps no one. Bench your Pistons this week in weekly lock formats outside of Andre Drummond and maybe Reggie Jackson.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are also dealing with just two games this week and wouldn’t you know it that their only two games are in a back-to-back set against the Blazers and Jazz. It doesn’t get much worse than facing the Jazz on no rest, so even with the juicy matchup against the Blazers, bench your Lakers this week in favor of more games from other players.