It’s going to be a tricky week for those in weekly-lock formats. Only 12 teams have four games this week and even less than that have optimal four game weeks.
It’s the 15th week of the NBA fantasy regular season, so check out which teams have the best outlooks coming up as we approach playoff time in yearlong fantasy hoops.
The Best of the Best
Sacramento Kings
If you own DeMarcus Cousins, go ahead and pat yourself on the back right now. With Rudy Gay out for the rest of the season, Cousins is going to have a huge second half unless the Kings fall out of playoff contention. Here in Week 15, Cousins and the Kings have bone of the best fantasy outlooks of any team this week. They open against the Sixers and Rockets on the road before coming home to play the Suns and Warriors. That’s three huge pace-up games and one against the Sixers. The only problem for the Kings is they have two sets of back to backs this week.
Detroit Pistons
When I looked at the Pistons’ schedule this week, all I could hear in my head was “DETROIT BASKETBALL!” Outside of the Kings, the Pistons’ outlook this week for their fantasy owners is great. Detroit opens at Boston, before going home to play the Pelicans and Wolves this week, followed by a trip to Indiana to play the Pacers. Those four teams have an average defensive rating of 108.7 points allowed per 100 possessions, so the Pistons offense has several chances at cracking 100 points this week.
Memphis Grizzlies
There are only two things working against the Grizzlies this week. They are on the road for all four of their games and they also have a Friday-Saturday back to back. Other than that it’s green lights all around for the Grizzlies this week. They play three teams to start the week that play in the top eight in the league in pace, followed by a game against the Wolves, who are allowing over 110 points per 100 possessions this season. Memphis is giving up a lot more points on the road compare to when they play on Beale Street, but that should only push them for more offense this week, with more fantasy goodness for all of you.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have lost 16 of their last 17 heading into Week 15, but the good thing about fantasy hoops is it doesn’t matter most of the time if you own guys from bad teams. The Nets don’t have any back to backs this week, which is good news for Brook Lopez owners and they also have three home games against the Knicks, Pacers and Raptors, three teams that could be a lot better on defense. Although they don’t have a ton of good assets, there will be good streaming options this week with the Nets.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics have four home games this week and no back to backs, which has them easily among the best teams to target in fantasy. With Avery Bradley looking like he’ll miss at least some or most of this week, there is also waiver value with the C’s. Jaylen Brown has played well in two starts lately, while Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas’ value both go up when Bradley is out. With Al Horford and Bradley off the court this season, Thomas owns a 38.5% usage rate.
Orlando Magic
With only one back to back and four pace-up games, the Magic look like a team to target this week. If they could get back Evan Fournier it would be even better, but for now, the healthy Magic fantasy players should all have good weeks. The guy to target for Orlando this week is easily Elfrid Payton. In his last nine games, Payton is averaging 17.4 points and 7.6 assists.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors round out our best teams to target for yearlong fantasy here in Week 15. They just got back DeMar DeRozan and it couldn’t come soon enough. The Raptors have lost six of their last seven games, but they should be able to turn things around this week. They have no back to backs and despite three road games, they should easily be favorites in two of them. That should lead to some higher implied totals, big offensive games and hopefully for Toronto some W’s.
Notable Four Game Weeks
Denver Nuggets
Denver is another team with four games, but two back to backs and some tough matchups to sprinkle on top of their Week 15. They play the Lakes to open their week but then they have to face the Grizzlies the very next night. Then they play Milwaukee at home on Friday, followed by a trip to San Antonio on Saturday. Nikola Jokic could also be back this week but is too risky to start in weekly lock formats. At least they get their easier games on the front half of their back to backs to give daily lock formats some ability to bench their Nuggets on Wednesday and Saturday if they can.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau is starting to turn things around in Minnesota. They have won seven of their last 10 games and they are just 3.5 games out of the eighth spot in the West. However, with a back to back late in the week and four games against some pretty tough defenses, the Wolves’ fantasy outlook is much better in quantity this week than quality. They play the Magic, Cavaliers, Pistons and Grizzlies this week, so outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, no one is safe for them this week.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder open up their week with a tough back to back set against the Spurs on the road and then at home against the Bulls. It gets harder before it gets easier too with a game against the Grizzlies before finishing their week against the Blazers. For those in shallower daily lock formats, you can’t bench Russell Westbrook no matter what, but other than Westbrook, Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo, you could end up benching most of your other Thunder players on Tuesday and Friday this week.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers need Joel Embiid to be competitive in the win column this season, but their prized big man is questionable for Monday after sitting out Sunday. With another back-to-back in line for the Sixers on Wednesday and Thursday of Week 15, benching Embiid in weekly lock formats is probably the toughest decision anyone has to make this week. Luckily the Sixers play the first game of the week, so we should know more about how many games we potentially get from Embiid before your rosters lock for Week 15.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns week kind of comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. They have to play both Memphis and the Clippers to start the week, before finishing it against the Kings and Bucks. The problem is they also have a back to back this week where they go from Sacramento to Milwaukee in consecutive nights to close their week. They’ll likely be cursing the scheduling committee after that one and it hurts their appeal later in the week against their easiest two opponents as well.
Notable Three Game Weeks
Los Angeles Clippers
Although the Clippers have been going through a ton of injuries lately, they are in for one of the better three-game weeks of any team. They do have a back-to-back, but it’s against the Suns and Warriors. Even if they get blown out in that game against the Warriors, they follow that up with one in Boston on Super Bowl Sunday. With all the trade chatter surrounding them it’s hard to know when a late afternoon trade will upend all this, but for now operate as normal and roster up your Clippers this week.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs have a dream three-game week with no back to backs and games against the Mavericks, Wolves and Knicks. These three teams all rank in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating, while the Wolves and Knicks are both allowing over 110 points per 100 possessions. Plus, with Kevin Love out for Monday and maybe more, there is value to be had on waivers with Cleveland, especially if Richard Jefferson starts on Monday.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have lost two straight including an improbable one against the Mavericks at home. However, with only three games and no back to backs this week, it’s time to trust your Spurs. Kawhi Leonard is back and healthy and the Spurs play three home games against the Thunder, Sixers and Nuggets. San Antonio has been very successful this season playing against teams with bad defenses that also play fast, so with all three at home, I doubt the Spurs have an implied total under 110 points this week.
Miami Heat
The Heat are also enjoying a three game week with all of them from South Beach. They are up against the Nets, Hawks and Sixers this week, so with two of those seemingly easy wins, the Heat are going to be able to put up numbers this week. Tyler Johnson sat out all of last week but he looks close, if not ready to return on Monday, which should add even more scoring power to an already tasty weekly matchup. Miami has also won seven in a row coming into this week, averaging 106.7 points per game.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards are the hottest team in the Association this week. They are 20-9 in their last 29 games and they are coming into Week 15 winners of eight of their last nine. They too have three home games this week with no back to backs and they are all against sub-.500 teams. Can you say sky-high implied totals? The Wizards sure can. Start all of your Wizards assets this week without hesitation.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas is another team starting to climb out of the basement. They beat the Spurs on Sunday and they have now won six of their last nine games. It all starts and ends with Dirk Nowitzki, but the Mavs are getting great production out of Seth Curry and Harrison Barnes as well. With Wesley Matthews healthier, this team has some guys you can turn to. If Curry is on the waiver wire in your league still, I’d pick hi up until JJ Barea and/or Deron Williams come back. He is averaging 16.7 points and 50% shooting from three-point land over his last seven games.
Houston Rockets
Houston is yet another team with a strong three home game week, but they are dealing with a back to back on Thursday and Friday against the Hawks and Bulls. While these matchups could be better, especially on no rest, it should in no way keep them from continuing to put up tons of points. For fantasy purposes, the Rockets are one of the best teams in the league. They play at a pace of 99.1 possessions per 48 minutes and with that they are scoring 108.8 points per 100 possessions this season. With a game against the Kings to start it off, lock in the Rockets to your rosters.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have a back to back this week against the Nets on the road and then back at home against the Pistons on Friday-Saturday, but other than that it’s a nice week ahead for Indiana. They are coming off two straight overtime wins heading into this week, but luckily for them they have two days off before opening their week on Wednesday. If their offense behind Paul George and Jeff Teague can carry over their play over the last three games, the Pacers are also in for a productive week.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers play the Nuggets at home in the final game before their Grammy road trip this season starts in the middle of the week. For Week 15, they have games against the Wizards and Celtics on back-to-back nights on Thursday and Friday before not playing on either weekend day. None of these matchups are scary and I fact all three of them have some appeal for fantasy purposes. However, the Lakers’ offense has been horrible since last week, so there isn’t a lot of room for optimism despite the cushy schedule.
New York Knicks
The Knicks are another three-game team this week that has to deal with a tough back to back set. However, if they can win the front half against the Wizards, the back half gets a lot easier against the Nets. They also play Cleveland on Saturday in one of the bigger nights of basketball on the day before the Super Bowl. While it’s not great, it could be a lot worse for the Knicks in fantasy hoops this week. Start em’ if you got em’.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks open up on the road against the Jazz, which is never a great game. However, things get easier for them as the week goes on against the Nuggets and Suns. Even though those last two games are in consecutive nights, the Bucks have been playing pretty horrible lately, losing eight of their last nine. If they want to stay in the playoff race, they are going to need to give Utah a game and win both games of their back-to-back set.
The Rest
Golden State Warriors
It’s not a horrible week by any means for the Warriors, but if certain games they have no control over play out he way they should, the Warriors could be doing a lot of sitting on the bench in the fourth quarter this week. They open against the Hornets, who will be coming into Oracle Arena off a game the night before in Portland and then the Warriors travel to LA to play the Clippers, who will also be coming in on a back to back after playing in Phoenix the night before. Along with a game against the hapless Kings, don’t expect 12 quarters of basketball from your Warriors studs this week, even if Stephen Curry is not feeling better.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers’ three-game week is not bad either but it isn’t good. They play three teams that are either slow-paced or pretty good on defense and they also have two of their three games on the road. The Blazers are 5-17 in their last 22 road games and even with no back to backs this week, don’t play anyone other than your top Blazers assets this week.
Atlanta Hawks
Coming off a four overtime affair against the Knicks on Sunday, he Hawks get some time off before opening Week 15 on the road in Miami. While that’s no easy or tough game, they do have a tough game the next night in Houston, before finishing their week against the Magic at home. While it’s not the opportune week, it’s not one you have to avoid your Hawks either. With Thabo Sefolosha out, there are also some nice pickups to be had if Tim Hardaway Jr. or Kent Bazemore are on waivers in your league.
Charlotte Hornets
The only reason the Hornets aren’t in the notable three game week section is their back-to-back set against the Blazers and Warriors on the road. Those are two of the toughest places to play in the league, especially when you have to play the Warriors on no rest. The Hornets will have a good outlook against the Blazers, but their game against Golden State might be over before it begins. With a finale against Utah, it isn’t a bad idea to bench your Hornets other than Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum this week.
New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans couldn’t hang with the Wizards on Sunday but they have a few chances to get a few back in the win column this week. They are on the road all week and they have aback to back as well, but their opponents aren’t horrible in Toronto, Detroit and Washington. They could easily win or lose all three games, so with the inconsistency, other than Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, sit your other Pelicans this week in weekly formats.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz drew the short, (or long for them) end of the stick for fantasy owners this week with only two games. They play the Bucks and Hornets to close out this home stand, so while the matchups aren’t tough by any means, if you can I would avoid your Jazz players in weekly locks if possible. For owners of Rudy Gobert, George Hill and Gordon Hayward that may be tough to do, but it’s absolutely necessary for your other Jazz players.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are starting their West Coast road trip this week but they only have two games to warm up to it a bit. They play the Thunder on Wednesday before traveling to Houston to play the Rockets on Friday. Those are two pace-up games for the Bulls, so one has to decide if a four-game option is better than a juicy two-gamer for your weekly lock leagues. It better be a good player if you’re thinking about benching a Dwyane Wade, but Jimmy Butler is almost un-benchable.