Ah, March. What a month it is. Spring training. March Madness. Cherry blossoms. And the fantasy basketball playoffs.
For as long as I've been a sports fan, it's always been one of my favorite times of the year, and you know what can make it even better? Taking home the fantasy championship.
As longtime fantasy owners know, winning your league doesn't happen by accident. It requires months of attention, and by the end of the season few teams look the same as they did back in November and December.
Players get injured.
Rotations change.
Trades happen.
Hot and cold streaks occur.
And finally, it all comes down to the critical home stretch, where every roster spot matters and every decision can make the difference between a championship season or an early playoff exit.
Here are some of the main situations and storylines around the NBA that carry serious fantasy implications heading into the important final weeks of the fantasy basketball season. Be sure to track all of these closely in the days and weeks ahead:
1. Memphis' rash of injuries: The Grizzlies are already without Marc Gasol (foot), but the news keeps getting worse, as Zach Randolph (knee) and Mike Conley (foot) have both missed the past two games. Chris Andersen (shoulder) and Matt Barnes (hamstring) have also been out lately, though Barnes returned to action on Wednesday against Boston. On top of all that, the team fears that fill-in starting point guard Mario Chalmers suffered a right foot injury against the Celtics on Wednesday night. It's a mess in Memphis, but as long as Randolph is out it means more opportunity for JaMychal Green and Barnes to play big minutes up front. Tony Allen, Lance Stephenson and Vince Carter are all suddenly very important veteran pieces who become big contributors for the weeks ahead, as is newcomer P.J. Hairston. And at point guard, D-League star Briante Weber has signed a 10-day contract and could be thrust into big minutes until Conley is able to return to the lineup.
2. Brandon Knight's return: Out since Jan. 19 with a groin injury, Knight is set to return to the Suns after seven weeks on the shelf. He has taken a slow approach to getting back on the court, and with the Suns (17-47) well out of the playoff hunt, there is really no reason for Knight even to be out there. He is expected to come off the bench, and it's worth seeing how many minutes he plays, but his presence will likely take some shots away from rising rookie shooting guard Devin Booker and also mean fewer opportunities for Ronnie Price and Archie Goodwin at point guard.
3. Denver's centers: Nikola Jokic looked like an emerging fantasy star in early February, then saw his minutes slip into the teens through the middle of the month as Jusuf Nurkic worked his way back into the rotation from offseason knee surgery. Ever since the Nuggets decided to shut down Nurkic until he was closer to 100 percent in the last week of February, though, Jokic has played at least 20 minutes in six of the past eight games. He is averaging 15.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1 steal and 1.3 blocks in March, and as long as Nurkic is out of the lineup, it's a great time to have Jokic in yours.
4. The status of Jimmy Butler's knee: Chicago's talented shooting guard has been a workhorse in recent years, averaging more than 37 minutes per game in each of the past three seasons. But the injury to his left knee has limited him to only two games since Feb. 1, and he recently consulted with Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on the injury. He played in one game last week, but swelling and soreness in the knee kept him out of Monday's game, and if Butler continues to miss games, it not only makes E'Twaun Moore a better fantasy option but it also increases the value of Derrick Rose (31.7 usage rate without Butler this season) and Pau Gasol, who has recorded two triple-doubles in the past five games without Butler in the lineup.
5. Jrue Holiday's value with Eric Gordon out: Holiday settled into the role of super sub very nicely in New Orleans, but the season-ending finger injury to Gordon means Holiday now has to start alongside Norris Cole for a Pelicans team that already lost Tyreke Evans (knee surgery) for the season as well. As you can imagine, this almost surely puts Holiday in a position where he'll have to play more; the Pelicans are down to Toney Douglas as their primary backup at both guard spots, and Holiday has averaged 37 minutes in his first two games since Gordon was re-injured. The other storyline here is Holiday's durability. Part of the reason he made sense as a super sub was his history of shin/leg problems, and a bigger workload is somewhat concerning in that regard.
6. Jahlil Okafor's status: Philadelphia's rookie big man has missed the past five games with an injured right knee/shin, and he underwent a CT scan on Tuesday that hopefully sheds more light on a timetable for his return. Obviously this is something to track carefully because there's always the chance the perpetually rebuilding 76ers look to shut him down for the remainder of the season. But coach Brett Brown told The Intelligencer on Wednesday, "that decision hasn't been discussed." Without Okafor, the team's leading scorer this season Jerami Grant (17.5 PPG) has been starting alongside Nerlens Noel and Robert Covington in the 76ers' young frontcourt.
7. Alex Len's rise: The firing of coach Jeff Hornacek, however fair or unfair it might have been, has completely changed the production of the Suns' third-year big man. Len has shown flashes before but failed to put up big numbers on a consistent basis, so it's worth watching to see whether he can continue to thrive under interim coach Earl Watson. The fifth overall pick in 2013 has starred alongside Tyson Chandler and served as the team's main power forward as of late, and he has averaged 18.4 points and 12.1 rebounds over the past nine games. Incredibly, he also has six consecutive double-doubles.
8. Milwaukee's point guard situation: Now that Michael Carter-Williams has been ruled out for the season for hip surgery, adding to Greivis Vasquez's ankle surgery that has kept him out since late November, everything is different in the Bucks' backcourt. The team has a number of players who can handle the ball, from O.J. Mayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo to Khris Middleton and Jerryd Bayless, but the only natural point guard of the bunch is Tyler Ennis. On Wednesday, Mayo missed the game with illness, and that forced Bayless to start and play 40 minutes alongside Middleton, who also played 40 minutes. Ennis played 26 minutes off the bench. It's a situation that could very well continue to evolve with coach Jason Kidd seemingly willing to try anything, but for now it appears Mayo will start when healthy, Bayless will come off the bench and Antetokounmpo will be used as a point forward more frequently than before.
Editor's note: This story was published prior to the news broke that O.J. Mayo will be out the rest of the season.
9. Nikola Vucevic's injury: We've seen with Knight how serious a groin injury can be, and that's what Vucevic is dealing with right now. He is expected to miss his third straight game this week and could very well miss a few more. As long as Vucevic is out of the lineup, it means more rebound opportunities for bouncy second-year forward Aaron Gordon and extended minutes for veteran Jason Smith as a fill-in starter.
10. Kevin Martin's impact on the Spurs: The veteran sharpshooter was bought out by Minnesota, and he's expected to make his debut with San Antonio any day now. He could very well be rusty, having not played since Feb. 24, but you know Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will find a way to use him and put him in spots on the court where he can succeed. Depending on how many minutes Martin plays, his arrival could affect players like Danny Green, Manu Ginobili and Kyle Anderson. My hunch is Martin could make more of a difference on this team than many believe.
Track all of these situations closely and be as proactive as you can be because one great decision can be the springboard to the title.