The number of injuries and players resting is off the charts right now and the first thing you should do before hitting your waiver wire or setting fantasy lineups is to check the up-to-the-minute RotoWire Injury Report. Heading into Week 22, it's a vast wasteland and the number of big names questionable for their teams' next game is massive. I'll address some of them here, but the easiest way to monitor them is by clicking the above link.
Let's dive into the biggest storylines to monitor around the league as the fantasy basketball postseason heats up.
Warning: Two-Game Weeks
The Nuggets, Pistons and Heat only play two games this week, meaning fantasy managers are going to have some tough decisions to make. Generally speaking, I'd roll Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler out there this week, but the rest of these guys can probably be benched for hot free agents. Fifteen teams play four times this week so you should be able to make some moves and maximize your team's games played if you want to.
Ja Morant won't play on Monday
Although Morant is officially back with his squad, he won't play against Dallas on Monday. That means Tyus Jones will get another full workload against the defense-less Mavs after another big weekend. Jones had a monster 20-10-10 triple-double on Friday and then had 13 points and 14 assists on Saturday.
As for Morant, I would not be surprised to see him play on Wednesday against the Rockets, who
The number of injuries and players resting is off the charts right now and the first thing you should do before hitting your waiver wire or setting fantasy lineups is to check the up-to-the-minute RotoWire Injury Report. Heading into Week 22, it's a vast wasteland and the number of big names questionable for their teams' next game is massive. I'll address some of them here, but the easiest way to monitor them is by clicking the above link.
Let's dive into the biggest storylines to monitor around the league as the fantasy basketball postseason heats up.
Warning: Two-Game Weeks
The Nuggets, Pistons and Heat only play two games this week, meaning fantasy managers are going to have some tough decisions to make. Generally speaking, I'd roll Nikola Jokic and Jimmy Butler out there this week, but the rest of these guys can probably be benched for hot free agents. Fifteen teams play four times this week so you should be able to make some moves and maximize your team's games played if you want to.
Ja Morant won't play on Monday
Although Morant is officially back with his squad, he won't play against Dallas on Monday. That means Tyus Jones will get another full workload against the defense-less Mavs after another big weekend. Jones had a monster 20-10-10 triple-double on Friday and then had 13 points and 14 assists on Saturday.
As for Morant, I would not be surprised to see him play on Wednesday against the Rockets, who they'll get again on Friday. If you've held on to Morant for this long, you may as well keep him and hope he is a go on Wednesday. He still has a shot to play three games this week and then four in each of the final two scoring periods.
LeBron James will be back this season, but that's all we know
ESPN's Dave McMenamin tweeted on Sunday that Lakers' coach Darvin Ham thinks LeBron will be "coming back at some point (this season)" from his right foot tendon injury. That doesn't tell us much but it's at least an update on LeBron. If you're still hanging onto him and still alive in your playoffs it's probably safe to drop him. At this point it sounds like the Lakers simply want to have him ready for the playoffs. The Lakers only play three times in each of the next two weeks but Jarred Vanderbilt, Troy Brown and Austin Reaves should be busy in most of them.
Scottie Barnes suffers left wrist injury on Sunday
Barnes left Sunday's game with a left injury and while X-rays were negative, his status for the upcoming three-game week is in doubt. The fact X-rays were necessary is concerning to me. If he misses time both Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., who would likely move into the starting lineup, will get a boost.
Anthony Edwards loses walking boot, nearing a return
Edwards went down in a heap on Friday after spraining his right ankle. He was seen in a walking boot after the game and didn't play on Saturday. However, he's listed as questionable for Monday against the Knicks and has shed the walking boot, per Shams Charania. The Wolves play three times this week and while it might take a miracle for Edwards to play in all three of them, it at least sounds like a possibility. There's no automatic add from Minnesota if Edwards is out, but Taurean Prince should at least get decent minutes despite fizzling in a rare start on Saturday.
Robert Williams (hamstring) could play Tuesday
The Timelord may be available for Tuesday's game against the Jazz, according to coach Joe Mazzulla. He's missed eighth straight games with the injury and will likely be rusty upon his return but there is at least a chance he can play in Boston's three games this week.
Jeremy Sochan is too risky to use right now due to right knee injury
Sochan was removed just eight minutes into Friday's game and didn't play on Sunday. He's missed a lot of games recently and the Spurs may not want to push him down the stretch. On the other hand, Devin Vassell has been going nuts and had 25 points, five rebounds and five assists on Friday. He then exploded on Sunday for 29 points, three steals and five triples in a win over the Hawks on Sunday. Make sure he's not sitting on your waiver wire as the Spurs embark on a four-game week.
And while you're at it, make sure center Zach Collins isn't available, either. Collins had a big weekend with 24 points, eight rebounds and a block on Friday and backed it up with 19 points, eight boards, three steals and two blocks on Sunday. He's also hit five three-pointers in those two games and should automatically be rostered everywhere at this point. Charles Bassey is done for the season which should mean Collins is the man the rest of the way.
The Pistons have too many big men (for fantasy purposes)
James Wiseman went off for 22 points and 13 rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting on Sunday and Jalen Duren left that game after suffering a head injury and wasn't able to return. Add in the fact the Pistons also have Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley, and things are going to be crowded up front next season.
The fact the Pistons have just two games this week is going to make it tough to roster Wiseman but he's at least worth a look. And when it comes time to draft your fantasy teams this fall, it's easy to see the Pistons playing three different centers big minutes. Wiseman has been fun of late but I'm going to be a little leery of drafting a center from Detroit next season given all the mouths they have to feed.
Jalen Green scores 40 on Sunday
Green scored 40 points on 11-of-22 shooting and hit 14-of-14 free throws in Sunday's loss to the Pelicans. That was his fourth 40-point game of the season and while there are plenty of holes in his fantasy game, he should be one of the league's better scorers for the foreseeable future. Kevin Porter Jr. is back and had 25 points, five rebounds and four assists on Sunday and should be grabbed everywhere as the Rockets play four times in each of the next two weeks.
Devin Booker and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander light each other up on Sunday
Booker hit 18-of-28 shots and three three-pointers for 46 points on Sunday, while SGA hit 12-of-24 shots and 16-of-19 free throws for a 40-burger of his own. If you had these guys playing for a fantasy or DFS team on Sunday you probably felt like you were watching a slot machine pay out a jackpot. This was Booker's second 40-point effort in the last six games.
Meanwhile, SGA has scored at least 29 points in seven straight games and had at least 33 in six of them. This was SGA's sixth 40-point game of the season and the Thunder got the win. They're now the No. 8 seed in the West and are just a half-game behind No. 7 Golden State and 1.0 games back of No. 6 Dallas. And that should mean SGA continues to play.
Luka Doncic may return on Monday
Luka hasn't played since March 8 but went through a full practice on Thursday before being ruled out for Friday's game. We're guessing the Mavs just wanted to give him a few extra days to make sure he was good to go and my guess is he'll be out there tonight. Reggie Bullock would move back to the bench and Luka may have some extra motivation after Dillon Brooks made some pointed comments directed at Luka and Kyrie Irving back on March 11.
"It goes to show that sometimes they ain't ready to come back to a physical game," Brooks said after the duo sat out against Memphis. "I hope Luka gets back for the next game so I can guard him. I didn't get a chance to guard him the first game and he had a great game. So I wanna see where I'm at." Be careful what you wish for, Dillon.
Jonathan Kuminga leads Warriors with 24 on Saturday
Kuminga came off the bench on Saturday and led the Warriors with 24 points, eight rebounds, a steal, a block and four three-pointers in 30 minutes of a loss to Memphis. That was odd because it would have made more sense for Kuminga to go off on Friday when Draymond Green was suspended for a loss to the Hawks, but he had just 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting in that one. The Warriors play four times this week and Kuminga is worth a look in most formats, although he'll likely be inconsistent.
Aaron Nesmith scores 25 for Pacers
Nesmith started and hit 9-of-16 shots and four three-pointers for 25 points and six rebounds in Saturday's loss to the Sixers. The Pacers play four times in each of the next two weeks and Nesmith has scored 25, 22 and 15 points in each of his last three games. Andrew Nembhard is also hot for the Pacers, scoring between 14 and 24 points in each of his last five games.
Just keep in mind that Tyrese Haliburton has been out with a sprained right ankle and could potentially return on Wednesday, which would hurt both players. Nembhard would take the biggest hit so rolling the dice on Nesmith might make the most sense. But both players should be solid fantasy options on Monday against the Hornets with Haliburton expected to be in street clothes again.
Mike Conley scores 28, fills up box score on Friday
Conley somehow went off for a season-high 28 points, five rebounds, six assists, three steals and a season-high eight three-pointers on 9-of-14 shooting against the Bulls on Friday. That was just his fourth game of at least 20 points of the season although three of those have come in March. Just keep in mind that he only scored seven points on Wednesday prior to the 28-point explosion and then backed that up with a 12-point yawner on Saturday. I don't trust him, but he has the potential to have a big game or two in his upcoming three-game week.
DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine go off on the Wolves
DeRozan hit 15-of-25 shots and 17-of-18 free throws for a season-high 49 points on Friday while LaVine came through with 39 points on 15-of-25 shooting in their win over the Bulls. There's not a big fantasy takeaway here other than that it's nice to know these guys are capable of both going off on the same night. They joined Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as the only Bulls' duo to score 39 or more points in the same game, which is, as they say, rarefied air.
The Real Playoffs
As of Sunday night, here are some thoughts on the real playoffs and seedings:
In the East, the Bucks, Sixers, Celtics, Cavaliers, Knicks and Nets are currently the top six teams and would avoid a play-in situation if the season ended today. The No. 7 Heat are just 1.0 games back of the Nets, while the Hawks, Raptors and Bulls round out the play-in teams, along with the Heat.
The No. 11 Pacers and No. 12 Wizards are 1.5 games behind the Bulls, meaning they're currently on the outside looking in. The Magic, Hornets and Pistons appear to be lottery bound and aren't going to make the playoffs.
In the West, the Nuggets, Kings, Grizzlies, Suns, Clippers and Mavericks hold the first six spots as of Sunday night. The No. 7 Warriors are just a half-game back of Dallas, No. 8 OKC is 1.0 games back, and the Timberwolves and Lakers are 1.5 games behind Dallas, rounding out the current play-in teams.
The No. 11 Jazz are knocking on the door, as are the No. 12 Pelicans, who are just a half-game back. The Spurs and Rockets have already been eliminated, while the Blazers would have to go on a serious winning streak to sneak into the play-in. They're currently 3.5 games behind the Lakers for the final play-in spot.
