Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Week 18

Westbrook keeps the top spot and the Thunder are starting to show that they can contend in the west and Westbrook and his multi-category dominant production are a big reason why.

The 1A option in Golden State has put his earlier injuries behind him and he hasn't been hindered since returning and he'll get plent of points off of shooting many three's and he'll help w/ assists.

INJ: Irving is suffering from a strained Knee and there's a chance he might miss a game this week and especially w/ the All-Star break coming up, it wouldn't be too shocking to see him deactivated.

Lillard, as the Balzers top scoring option will be able to put up the points as always and what will also benefit him is that his forwards are starting to get more active in the offense and that will boost dimes.

Paul has been able to stay healthy, but his Hamstring will be a cause for concern down the stretch and he'll continue to be the Rockets second scoring option and his assists will go up once Clint Capela returns.

Conley is now far and away the top scoring option and his usage will go up even more now that both Gasol and JaMychal Green are off the team. Expect him to take the majority of shots.

Even w/ Caris LeVert back in the mix Russell has earned his rightful place as the Nets top scoring option and as LeVert shakes the rust, more assists and less defensive attention will be on Russell.

DSJ could very well be the Knicks top scoring option for the rest of the season as it seems both he and DeAndre Jordan have a good "Lob City" thing going and that benefits Smith by adding more dimes.

Bledsoe continues to play excellent defense on the perimeter and owners can expect him to continue to help w/ boards, dimes and steals. His scoring may drop a bit w/ the arrival of Nikola Mirotic.

Murray should see more usage w/ Gary Harris back on the shelf for a bit. Expect this shoot-first PG to focus more on scoring this week. He'll still help a little w/ assists, but it's the scoring that rewards owners.

The Hawks second scoring option has more pieces to work w/ and that should help his assist-numbers grow over the next few months. He takes a lot of shots and even w/ Kent Bazemore back, he'll produce.

Satoransky has been good at keeping the pace fast for the Wizards offense and even though he's not as good of a scorer as John Wall, he'll still drive to the rim successfully and help w/ dimes and steals.

Dunn will be helpful on both sides of the ball and his scoring may drop w/ Otto Porter Jr. in town, but expect him to still score close to 10 points per game and help w/ assists and steals.

INJ: Teague returned to the Timberwolves lineup on Friday and he's been practicing in full and should be active for both games. The Timberwolves may still limit his minutes a bit just to be safe.

Schroder has been a bit inconsistent over the last couple of months, but he is a good compliment to Westbrook when on the court w/ him and he'll continue to lead the scoring charge for the OKC second unit.

Jackson will remain the third scoring option for the Pistons and he could end up seeing more shots down the stretch w/ Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock both off the team. He'll provide help w/ dimes too.

Holiday will continue to be the second scoring option, but the Pelicans may look to limit Anthony Davis as the season continues and when Davis is out, Holiday's usage will go up and play at both guard spots.

LaVine will not only see a lot of shots, but he'll see a lot of time w/ the ball and his scoring shouldn't be impacted much w/ Porter on the team. The Bulls will continue to feed him plenty.

Thompson remains the third scoring option for the Warriors and even if DeMarcus Cousins becomes more active in the Warriors offense, Thompson's shot volume will still be safe.

Middleton's shot totals may be impacted as the season continues, but not as much as Bledsoe or Malcolm Brogdon and he'll still get a slot of plays at the arc and he'll also help w/ assists.

McCollum remains the second scoring option for the Blazers and he'll often set the opening screen and head right to the elbow and wait until Lillard draws the double and he'll take spot-up jumpers.

Williams usage will go up w/ the departure of Tobias Harris and even if he continues coming in off the bench, he'll be plenty productive and help w/ points, dimes and steals consistently.

Dotson moves up because of the Knicks full slate and w/ Tim Hardaway Jr, Wesley Matthews and Courtney Lee off the team, he'll continue getting starts and shots. He'll take a lot of three's.

Brogdon's production is about to be threatened once Nikola Mirotic is fully healthy. If Brogdon is shifted to the bench, that could actually benefit him because he'll lead the second unit in scoring.

Wiggins will still see plenty of shots as the Timberwolves second scorer even if both Rose and Teague are fully healthy. He'll grab long boards and take shots from mid and long-range.

THJ will continue to be the Mavericks second scoring option behind Luka Doncic and he'll get fed plenty at the arc and often just shift around the arc. The Mavs may not have him drive as much.

Lamb continues to not only be a helpful sharp-shooter from long-range, but he'll also step inside the arc and grab rebounds. Lamb will also be instrumental in slowing down drives from the opposition.

Redick will see a small hit in shots because of the arrival of Harris, but he'll still be utilized the same way Klay Thompson is utilized in Golden State except he'll also help w/ assists and feed the cutter.

Booker would be much higher in the rankings as the Suns top scoring option, but, he drew the short slate thus being further down the list. He'll get to operate more from SG w/ Tyler Johnson on the team.

DeRozan also drew the short slate this week and even though he'll be the prioritized scorer in his one game, he will organically be limited. If Rudy Gay has to sit, he'll see even more usage.

Wade will see more usage w/ Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington off the team and he'll take a lot of mid-range jumpers, but don't discredit his driving ability. He's still able to get to the rim and he'll grab boards.

Bazemore is back and he's playing full minutes and he'll rotate between multiple positions on the court. The Hawks third scoring option will help w/ scoring and steals. Expect full usage down the stretch.

Clarkson will continue rotating to both guard spots and Alec Burks being off the team will benefit Clarkson. Clarkson will help w/ scoring and in other areas inconsistently. The minutes will be there for him.

INJ: LeVert should be active, but his workload may be light for another few games as the Nets are likely to restrict his minutes just to make sure he stays healthy and doesn't re-injyre his Foot.

Giannis remains the top option w/ two games this week and even though the Bucks added Mirotic, it shouldn't impact his stats because he's the prioritized player and the offense will always run through him.

George is the second scoring option, but w/ the Thunder being as top-heavy as they are, he'll still get plenty of shots and help w/ boards and steals as one of the NBA's best defenders.

Durant is the other half of the Warriors 1A contingent when it comes to prioritized scorers and he'll continue being a dominant multi-category producer and help on both sides of the ball.

Leonard should not have to sit out any games this week w/ it being a shorter slate, but, you never know w/ the Raptors. Marc Gasol being on the team shouldn't impact the Raptors top-scoring option.

Butler will see a bit of a hit when it comes to his shots moving forward because of the arrival of Tobias Harris. Harris has a long-range game and he'll have to share w/ Butler at the arc. Butler will grab steals.

Gallinari, now healthy, is in the running to be the Clippers top scoring option and surprisingly his main competition will be Lou Williams. Gallinari will have to attack the paint more like Tobias Harris did.

Knox moves up not only these rankings, but he also moves up on the shot chart for the Knicks and he should be their second shooting option and third scoring option moving forward behind DeAndre Jordan.

Richardson also benefits from the Heat trading some of their guards. Goran Dragic is STILL injured and Richardson will see a good amount of time running the point and he'll help w/ scoring, assists and steals.

Ariza will see heavy minutes down the stretch as word around D.C. is that the Wizards want to keep him on the team next season. Expect him to help w/ points and steals and he won't get his minutes limited.

Porter will be the Bulls third scoring option, a role he's used to from his days w/ the Wizards and he'll give the Bulls more help on defense. Expect Porter to play deep into games for the rest of the way.

Winslow will see a lot of playing time because he can play multiple positions on the floor. He can even run the point at times and that will help him w/ assists. Winslow will produce points and grab boards.

Bogdanovic will continue to benefit from Victor Oladipo being out for the rest of the season. He'll see more shots from the arc and be used as the main bailout option for the Pacers.

Ross surprisingly was not dealt at the trade deadline, but, Jonathon Simmons was and that will benefit Ross down the stretch. Expect Ross to get more minutes and shots down the stretch.

Barton will see more usage as Gary Harris can't shake the injuries. Barton will play multiple positions for the Nuggets on a nightly basis and he can even be the facilitator when needed.

Even w/ LeVert back in the mix, Spencer Dinwiddie being out still benefits Harris and we should expect Harris to continue seeing a full workload and his hustle will keep him in the rotation for the rest of the way.

Holiday should be more productive between the trades the Grizzlies made AND Kyle Anderson being hurt. Expect Holiday to get more shots and minutes and he'll also provide rebounding help.

Hayward continues to be inconsistent from the field when it comes to his scoring. He's not the same guy as he was in Utah and he's lost minutes because of his lack of serious impact, but he's still involved.

Griffin remains the Pistons top scoring option and he'll continue to get featured a ton as the season continues. His usage will only go up w/ other forwards traded and he'll pull down boards.

Collins will continue being the prioritized player on offense despite the amount of shots Young takes in a game. Expect Collins to be very helpful on the glass and to produce boards and blocks.

Randle will certainly see more usage down the stretch as Anthony Davis will get limited a bit and Nikola Mirotic is off the team. Randle will see more playing time and he'll help w/ inside scoring and boards.

It will certainly be interesting to see how much Harris scoring will drop now that he's w/ more skilled offensive pieces in Philly than he was in Los Angeles. His rebounding and minutes should remain high.

Markkanen won't see a hit in production w/ Porter on the team. In fact, w/ Jabari Parker off the team, Markkanen will likely be featured even more in the Bulls offense moving forward. He'll grab a lot of boards.

Vonleh has the full slate and he moves up in the rankings and he's been the Knicks main defender all season and even w/ DeAndre Jordan on the team, he'll get plenty of looks inside and he'll grab boards.

Gordon will continue being the Magic's second scoring option and he'll be taking more shots from the arc w/ Simmons off the team. Gordon has good leaping ability and will remain productive on the glass.

It's hard for Green to score but it's not hard for him to control the paint on defense and grab a lot of boards, and help a ton w/ assists feeding the inside cutter. He'll also block shots.

Siakam will still see a lot of minutes, but, the amount of plays he gets called for him will likely be impacted w/ Marc Gasol on the team. The good news is Gasol will shoot from the arc opening up the paint.

Ibaka will see a hit when it comes to play-calling as well. Ibaka just needs to continue making an impact in the lane. He's been a lot more successful in grabbing boards and blocks this year.

Tatum will be featured plenty in the Celtics offense and Irving has to sit for games this week, Tatum becomes the top scoring option and he'll take shots from the arc and attack the paint.

Nance will continue to see heavy minutes w/ Tristan Thompson hurt. Even w/ Kevin Love back in the mix, Love may not see a lot of minutes for the next couple of games and Nance's minutes are safe.

Portis will see a lot of playing time and it doesn't matter if he starts or comes off the bench. Portis doesn't need a lot of minutes to score and grab boards and Jeff Green being banged up could add more PT.

Aldridge would be much higher on this list if he didn't have the short slate this week and he's been very helpful producing from both the Spurs PF and C spots this season. Gay being hurt could help his PT.

Young will continue to see more plays that Oladipo left behind and he'll attack the rim and grab boards off of missed shots. Young is a good perimeter defender and that will keep him solidly in the rotation.

Parker will see plenty of playing time, especially if Green needs to sit this week. Parker is a volume a producer and even though it's unlikely that he's in the Wizards future plans, he'll still be part of the rotation.

Aminu will see a bit of a hit when it comes to plays because of Rodney Hood being on the team and Jake Layman has been more productive. The Blazers slasher will still get to the rim and help grab boards.

INJ: Love finally returned to action, but, he was very limited and he should be active this week, but don't be surprised if the Cavs limit him for the two games leading into the All-Star break.

Davis is still the most productive center despite reports coming out that to preserve his health and trade value in the off-season, the Pelicans may hold him out of back to backs and limit his minutes.

Embiid shouldn't see his usage go down w/ the addition of Harris. He's a very dynamic big man who will score from both under the basket and from long-range. He'll pull down a lot of boards and block shots.

Towns remains the Timberwolves top scoring option and even w/ their guards getting healthy, it won't impact Towns usage and he'll see plenty of shots and help grab a high volume of boards.

Vucevic is playing for a contract and he'll be as motivated as ever to continue scoring a lot of points from short and long-range and he'll grab a ton of boards and continue being the Magic's top option.

Jordan moves up because of the full slate and even though he's limited offensively, he'll still grab a ton of boards and block a lot of shots. Due to the Knicks lack of weapons, he'll hit double figures in scoring.

Drummond will continue to help clean up the garbage under the rim and score off of put backs. It's very hard to box Drummond out of the paint because of his big frame and he'll grab plenty of boards.

Gasol should see a full workload this week as he's had a few practices to get familiar w/ the Raptors offense. His scoring will likely drop because he is now the third option as opposed to be the 2nd option in MEM.

Nurkic remains the Blazers third scoring and most dynamic big man. He has excellent post moves and is constantly able to get to the basket. He'll provide a ton of help on the glass and his minutes will remain high.

Whiteside doesn’t need a lot of minutes to produce and the Heat were unable to acquire a big man to threaten Whiteside's minutes. Ryan Anderson? No way! Expect Whiteside to produce points, boards and blocks.

Adams continues to be a gritty center and he technically serves as the Thunder's third scoring option w/ the starters and he'll see a lot of minutes and help a ton w/ points and boards in each games.

Robinson will see more minutes down the stretch as the Knicks want to give him as many reps as possible prior to next season. He leads rookies in blocks per game and he'll score inside. He has a full slate this week.

Gobert would be much higher in the rankings this week, but, he has the short slate. He'll provide help w/ inside scoring, rebounding and blocking shots. He doesn't see competition for playing time.

Sabonis can produce a lot in 25 minutes and his shooting range helps him spread the floor, but, he's become more of an inside player and he has good moves to the basket and draws a lot of contact.

Turner will take a good amount of mid-range jumpers and he's been more aggressive in the lane lately. He'll have games in which he stays at the arc a bit more and that will hurt his rebounding numbers.

Horford hasn't been as much of a scorer this year because the Celtics have plenty of outside shooters. He sets up on the block a bit more this season and he'll still be helpful w/ boards and blocks.

Cousins will continue adding more playing time down the stretch as the Warriors want to keep him healthy for the playoffs. Cousins will dominate in the post and hit three's and help a ton on the glass.

Tobias Harris and Marcin Gortat being off the team will help Harrell's cause and even w/ JaMychal Green and Ivica Zubac on the team, Harrell will still be very productive. He doesn't have to start to produce.

Allen is an inside specific center who will continue to help out a ton on defense. He'll block a good amount of shots, grab a lot of boards and score off of put backs and he doesn't need a ton of minutes to produce.

Dedmon's role is very confusing, but as long as he's on the team, he'll continue to get minutes. Dedmon helps spreads the floor because of his ability to hit long-range jumpers and it allows Collins to control the paint.