NBA Seasonal Playbook Pro Week 23

Welcome back to another big week of playoff fantasy hoops! Whether you are in your semi-finals or have made it all the way to the championship game, congrats! Now it’s winning time this week, so check out which teams have the biggest and best fantasy outlooks for Week 23!

 

Best Of The Best

Atlanta Hawks

Only the basketball gods know what is wrong with the Atlanta Hawks right now. The absence of Paul Millsap obviously hasn’t helped and with him still iffy this week, the losing could still continue. However, with all their injuries there is nice waiver and streaming potential for this club in Week 23. They play the Suns, Sixers, Bulls and Nets in probably the best fantasy schedule of any team. In shallower leagues there might be some league-winning waiver pickups from Atlanta this week.

Houston Rockets

If you are a James Harden owner looking at Week 23 as your championship week, you’re sitting very pretty right now. The Rockets still have a ton to play for in the final three weeks of the season, including what could be the deciding three weeks for the MVP race. Harden and the Rockets play the Warriors twice with the Blazers and Suns thrown in there as well. Even though the Warriors have been playing great defense, those games should be shootouts and the others will have Houston’s implied totals upwards of 115 probably. The one concern is the game against the Suns, which is on the road and their third in four nights. However, assuming the Rockets are still fighting for playoff positioning, I see them still playing their guys in that one too. 

Golden State Warriors

Speaking of the Warriors, we know they have two games against the Rockets this week, but they also play the Spurs and Wizards. Obviously the Spurs matchup isn’t the greatest, but Golden State is so good that it shouldn’t matter in their overall fantasy value this week. That game against the Spurs is on no rest though, so be weary of the potential for them to rest some of their players in what could be a Western Conference Finals preview. 

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis did not have a great week in fantasy or real life last week. Marc Gasol is hurt and they lost all three of their games. However, assuming Gasol isn’t seriously injured, the Grizzlies have a chance to make you a fantasy champion this week if you own or can pick up some of their guys. Their four game week against the Kings, Pacers, Mavericks and Lakers could all four be wins and that should be excellent for their streaming potential this week as well. Hopefully for Gasol owners he will be back either Monday or Wednesday. 

Miami Heat

Any week where you get to play the Knicks twice is a good week and worthy of being called the best of the best. Miami has lost three of their last four as well but something tells me they are about to turn things around with their Week 23 schedule. Miami does play in Detroit on Tuesday, but after their double-header with the Knicks they finish against the Nuggets in what could be a very soft defensive matchup. Load up on the boys from South Beach this week.

New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans looked amazing on Sunday without DeMarcus Cousins and while that is starting to become a trend, if Cousins misses more time, the rest of the Pelicans looks like they’ll have borderline elite level fantasy value this week. Obviously Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday get big bumps, but guys like Tim Frazier and even Dante Cunningham might be worth picking up as specialists this week. New Orleans faces Utah to start the week, but it gets better after that against Dallas, Sacramento and Chicago. Considering they are still fighting for the 8th seed, they should have good games regardless of opponent this week.  They also have no back to backs. 

Utah Jazz

Other than the injury concern to Gordon Hayward and a weekending matchup against the Spurs, there isn’t much to complain about with the Jazz this week. Utah faces New Orleans, Sacramento and Washington to begin Week 23 and while they have lost four of five, those four losses were on the road and Utah is back at home for two of their first three games this week.

Washington Wizards

Washington had an impressive win over the Cavaliers over the weekend and that may propel them into another good week here where the team’s fantasy owners need it the most if they are still alive. Washington has a back to back against the two LA teams on Tuesday-Wednesday and while they have a date with the Jazz this week too, they finish against the Warriors on Sunday which should be a great hammer game for your championship or semi-finals week. Say yes to the core Wizards this week and if Bojan Bogdanovic is still injured, Kelly Oubre could be a fine streaming option.

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors may still not have Kyle Lowry back but this team has willed their way to five straight wins and they have four home games and no back to backs in Week 23. If you are still alive and own DeMar DeRozan, your hopes should be high this week. Their opponents this week are the Magic, Hornets, Pacers and Sixers. They should be favored easily in all four games and that should lead to some extra fantasy goodness for the boys in the North.

Brooklyn Nets

Don’t look now but the Nets have won three of their last four games and are threatening to stay relevant in your fantasy playoffs this week with a good fantasy week ahead. They get to play the Sixers, Pistons, Magic and Hawks and all four of those teams have been struggling lately to different degrees. Brooklyn has nothing to play for other than pride, but that may be enough to gain some fantasy relevance in this final week. Don’t sleep on picking up some Nets this week if you can afford it.

Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte’s week ahead isn’t that glamorous, but this team is also trying to fight their way back into playoff contention and they have won four of their last five averaging 107.4 points per game during that stretch. That kind of fantasy production cannot be ignored in a win or go home week for fantasy owners. They play the Bucs, Raptors, Nuggets and Thunder and while the Raptors and Thunder are both solid defensive units, the Hornets should be able to take advantage of Milwaukee and Denver, which both come at home. 

Phoenix Suns

With all the guys that Phoenix has shut down, even a week where they shouldn’t have best of the best value -- they do. Phoenix plays the Hawks, Clippers, Blazers and Rockets in a week where some of their players might play 160 minutes in four games. Tyler Ulis and Devin Booker have been incredible fantasy assets over the last few weeks and a guy like Marquese Chriss might be an excellent waiver addition this week with the Suns’ schedule.

Detroit Pistons

Detroit has two games against the New York teams this week along with one against Miami and one against Milwaukee. For a team struggling like the Pistons, it’s not going to be an easy week, but they have a chance to go 3-1 potentially and that could mean a good fantasy week ahead as well. At the very least their games against New York and Brooklyn will be excellent ones to target, making them an above average team to target in Week 23. 

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Other Four-Game Weeks

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers could have very easily made it to the best of the best category this week if we were back in January. However, with two TNT games against the Spurs and Bulls to start the week, followed by a trip to Philadelphia the night after they play Chicago, I smell some rest coming for the Cavaliers on Friday. That is a home game, so it could work out in the end, especially if they are still in danger of losing the #1 seed in the East. However, the danger is real enough where it’s tough to trust your Cavs stars to get four games this week.

San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs start a very important four-game stretch of games this week with all four of them coming against playoff-bound teams. That may help their fantasy value in some aspects, but with three of them coming against top 10 defensive teams and the fourth against Lebron James and the Cavaliers, it’s hard to trust the Spurs to do anything special this week. However, there are no back-to-backs for San Antonio this week, which is obviously more useful to them as a team with some aging veterans.  

Philadelphia 76ers

Even when they start their week against the Nets, it’s a tougher road for the Sixers this week even with four games. However, they play a struggling Hawks team the next night, followed by games against the Cavs and Raptors. With the injury to Jahlil Okafor, the Sixers’ Shawn Long is an interesting pickup right now for those still alive. However, other than some Tuesday-Wednesday streaming options, the Sixers have less appeal as the week goes on.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks don’t have a ton of appeal this week outside of their top tier talents. They start their week with three games in four nights but considering they are still in the playoff hunt right now, I expect them to at least be solid targets this week. However, they do play three of the top 12 rated teams in defensive efficiency this season, so maybe temper your expectations just a little bit considering they also have a tough stretch of scheduling too. 

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are also dealing with a tough three games in four nights stretch to start their week, but they play some even tough opponents. They open at home against the Wolves on Tuesday, followed by road games against the Grizzlies, Raptors and Cavaliers. Those are three very tough places to play, so while the Pacers have some appeal this week as a Tuesday-Wednesday streaming option, it’s tough to expect big weeks from their core fantasy assets. 

Los Angeles Lakers 

The Lakers start their week with games against the Wizards and Wolves, but with how badly (or well depending on how you look at it) they are tanking, it’s hard to trust Luke Walton’s rotations right now. Other than the core guys like Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell and now Jordan Clarkson, don’t go looking for guys on the Lakers this week. Certain guys like Ivica Zubac may be good for a game’s worth of play, but there aren’t too many Lakers I would want to own all week in an important playoff week like this one.

New York Knicks

The Knicks have an god chance of grabbing at worst the fourth overall pick this season and with that prize in site they have basically almost shut down Carmelo Anthony and have lost five in a row and eight of their last nine. This week things don’t get much better. Anthony’s status is still up in the air and with two games against the Heat, and ones against the Pistons and Celtics, other than the Knicks younger players, they don’t have a ton of appeal this week.

Orlando Magic 

Orlando is in the midst of a nice tank job right now but they still could hold some moderate fantasy appeal this week with four games. They play the Raptors, Thunder, Celtics and Nets in a week that seemingly gets easier offensively as the week goes on. Play the Magic like that this week, looking to potentially stream them in their Friday-Saturday back to back against the Celtics and Nets. 

Dallas Mavericks

You will get four games out of the Mavs this week but two of them are against upper tier defensive teams and the final three are on the road. That may be the final nail in Dallas’ playoff coffin if they can’t come away with more than a 2-2 week this week. They are 3.5 games back of the Blazers for the 8th seed heading into Week 23 and with games against the Grizzlies, Thunder and Pelicans to start this week, it’s hard to make a case for the Mavs as top fantasy targets this week.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Out of all the teams with four games the Thunder may have one of the tougher schedules. Three of their four games come against teams that rank in the top 12 in defensive rating and the fourth is on the road against the Magic, who tend to play much better defensively at home. Other than their core three or four fantasy assets, I wouldn’t dive too deep into the Thunder as waiver options this week.

Sacramento Kings

Any time you have to start your four game week against the Jazz and Grizzlies, you’re going to have a bad time. Follow that with road games against the Wolves and Pelicans and you’re looking at a recipe for disaster. The main reason for that has been Sacramento’s liberal resting over the last part of the season to ensure their tank job post-Cousins is working. Other than Buddy Hield and maybe Willie Cauley-Stein later in the week, I would fade the hell out of the Kings in Week 23.

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Notable Three-Game Weeks

Portland Trail Blazers

No team has a better three-game week than the Blazers in Week 23. They play the Nuggets, Rockets and Suns with no back to backs. Those three teams all rank inside the top nine teams in pace this season, making the Blazers as prime options. Plus, they play on Tuesday and Thursday to start the week, which means your rosters should have plenty of room to add extra Blazers like Allen Crabbe and potentially Evan Turner as streaming options. 

Boston Celtics

With most teams owning four games this week, there are only six teams with less than that and one of them is the Celtics. However, for the most part some of the teams with three game weeks might better targets than those with four and the Celtics are one of those teams. With games against the Bucks, Magic and Knicks, the Celtics could be looking at about 110 points per game this week.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wolves also hold some nice value this week against three teams that rank 18th or worse in defensive rating this week. Even though the playoffs may be out of reach for the young Wolves, they could still play spoiler and knowing Tom Thibodeau, I suspect his guys continue playing hard until the end of the season. 

Los Angeles Clippers

If it weren’t for a back to back on Tuesday-Wednesday against the Wizards and Suns, the Clippers could be much higher on this list. However, along with those two and a game against the Lakers on Saturday, if you own one of the Clippers big three members, this three game week rivals other players’ four game weeks. 

Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are definitely in the minority this week with three games and not many you’ll want to target. They play Cleveland on Thursday, which should be a good game after they get nearly four days of rest in between games. However, Chicago then plays Atlanta and New Orleans, which could be good or very bad depending on which Bulls team shows up. It’s also tough to trust them with their final two days coming on consecutive days.

Denver Nuggets

After getting blasted by the Pelicans at home on Sunday, the Nuggets face a three-game week with games against the Blazers, Hornets and Heat. The matchup against Portland is a good one, but the latter two are on the road and at this point in the season, those long road trips are probably having adverse effects on this team’s fantasy value, despite them still being well within their abilities to make the playoffs.