As Jim Mora and Allen Iverson once discussed, we're talking about practice and playoffs at this stage of the fantasy basketball campaign. For players, our form of practice is found in researching the best ways to amplify our team's production with the fantasy playoffs looming. Make sure to know your league's specific playoff formatting. Standard league details can be found here.
One way we can improve our position heading into the playoffs is to maximize games played in weekly formats. We are entering Week 19 of the fantasy season, which for standard ESPN leagues means it's the final frame of the regular season. Even if your roster is better than mine in terms of talent, I can gain an advantage if I can grind out for our five more games played in a given week
The weekly grid below offers a helpful one-stop for games played by each NBA team over the final weeks of the season.
ESPN's #DailyTipOff:
1) Use ESPN's Weekly NBA Schedule Grid to help with your tough roster decisions this week. pic.twitter.com/Napluuy2nJ- Joe Kaiser (@JoeKaiserSports) February 29, 2016
Streaming players off the waiver wire from teams with busy schedules down the stretch is an invaluable way to gain an edge over the competition. The Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets both play five games in Week 23, for example, which is the penultimate week before the multi-week championship stretch. Shares of rising and widely available assets like Bojan Bogdanovic, Markel Brown and Donald Sloan on Brooklyn could prove valuable for those final weeks.
Just like in fantasy football, titles are won in basketball with the help of both waiver warriors and established superstars. Just ask David Johnson's owners. With contenders prone to rest their studs and tankers feeding minutes to young players, working the wire is pivotal in these win-or-go-home playoff scenarios. Check out our player pickups section below for some widely available players we should pursue. Almost all leagues are past the trade deadline, so netting help from the waiver wire and gaming the schedule as best as we can are two ways we can really influence outcomes over these unique final weeks of the season.
Matchup ratings are based upon a scale from 1 (poor matchup) to 10 (excellent matchup), and are calculated using a formula that evaluates the team's year-to-date and past 10 games' statistics, their opponents' numbers in those categories, and their performance in home/road games depending on where the game is to be played. The column to the left lists the team's total number of games scheduled as well as home games, and lists the overall rating from 1-10 for that team's weekly schedule.
Ratings roundup
While the Warriors don't need any help from the schedule, they are at home for all four games this week and host a series of favorable matchups. On the ugly side of the schedule spectrum, the Pacers have a lean three-game week against two stout defensive teams in the Spurs and Hawks.
Loading up on the Bucks in daily fantasy has proved profitable of late, while season-long leaguers can enjoy a stellar week of home games and ideal matchups, save for the Miami Heat's strong defensive and rebounding metrics.
If you're in the playoffs already in your league, I'd make the focus on maximizing games played in the subsequent weeks, as you can get a step on your league mates who are streaming for Week 19.
Generous on the glass
Finding double-double upside on the waiver wire isn't nearly as difficult when we use recent rebounding rates to sift through the crowd. Dating back to Feb. 6, these are the 10 most generous teams on the glass.
If we look at just the past three weeks, we find the Grizzlies are 29th in rebounding percentage. With Marc Gasol sidelined, Memphis is now an attractive fantasy matchup given the lack of rebounding and rim protection. We need to change our perception when the data shifts and avoid sticking with reputation as a determinant.
Soft setups
Defensive rating is a simple -- but helpful -- advanced metric that reveals the amount of points per 100 possessions a team allows to opponents. Below we find the 10 weakest defensive ratings in the league over the past month.
It's not surprising to see the 76ers and Lakers prove so poor on defense, but it's not just bottom-feeders who have been weak over the past month.
We often think of contenders as capable defensive teams, but the Thunder have been extremely generous to opponents over the past month. The same is proving true of the Raptors, who have engaged in shootouts despite having the league's slowest pace over the past month. It's really just another lesson in looking past reputation and letting recent data drive more accurate matchup narratives. Leveraging the NBA's rich statistical index can prove truly helpful when seeking differentiating information for our rosters. It also helps to toggle dates and conditions (as in road/home and division splits, etc.) to sift through the numbers.
Player Pickups: Identifying values in both ESPN leagues
For this early small sample of the season, we discuss an undervalued asset available in at least 40 percent of ESPN leagues at each position.
Point guard: Since joining the Jazz just before the deadline, Shelvin Mack (owned in 9.5 percent of ESPN leagues) has played at least 24 minutes in eight straight games. Minutes are basically the coin of the realm in fantasy hoops, as you have to be on the court to earn stats (as crazy as that seems). Mack isn't a high-ceiling player in the sense he won't produce many massive box scores, but steady minutes can lead to helpful assist and steal production in deeper leagues. ... Stashing Mack's teammate Alec Burks (12.9) could also prove prudent, as he could assume a ball-dominant role once he returns from a lengthy absence. ... As we head down the stretch, don't be surprised to see Patty Mills (9.2) earn some starts with the team looking to rest Tony Parker and their veteran starters as the postseason approaches. ... If you need assists and steals, Ronnie Price (5.8) is the right price, as in he's free in almost every fantasy league.
Shooting guard: The Nuggets' Gary Harris (29.8) has topped 40 minutes in three of the past four games. With Danilo Gallinari's season all but over, Harris should continue to play heavy minutes. ... We mentioned the Nets' Brown (2.5) and Bogdanovic (23.1) as key factors down the stretch given Brooklyn's busy finishing schedule. New coach Tony Brown is letting the young guys play through mistakes, something Lionel Hollins didn't allow.
Small forward: The Sixers' Robert Covington (59.3) was 10th in made 3-pointers last season, but has been generally abysmal from the field this season. This has driven his ownership down, but now a window for a revival is open with the team battling injuries in the frontcourt. If he's allowed the same shooting freedom the young Nets are being afforded, Covington could be a difference-maker from beyond the arc down the stretch. ... The Suns' P.J. Tucker (21.9) is earning heavy minutes on a decimated depth chart at the wing. Tucker won't wow you with scoring prowess, but he can build balanced box scores, given such strong exposure.
Power forward: The Suns' Mirza Teletovic (48.7) has been the team's steadiest scoring option over the past few weeks. With steady minutes under Earl Watson, this stretch forward is a helpful late-season acquisition to consider. ... Taj Gibson (32.1) is like the Patrick Beverley of point guards in that his upside is limited, but the floor for stable minutes and production merits more interest.
Center: Alex Len (55.8) needs to be owned in any competitive fantasy format, as he's been feasting to the tune of 19 points and nearly 12 boards over the past seven games for the Suns.