This is it. This is the week you have been waiting for all season. The final fantasy week for the majority of leagues has begun and I hope you are fighting for the championship. I’m rooting for you owners, the ones who adapted when DeMarcus Cousins went down, streamed like madmen and secured a playoff spot. For you that were ready to give up when your star-studded backcourt of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry got injured and you lost your matchup to a 3pt-punt team due to triples, but still scratched and clawed your way to the finals. One more week of hustle and the trophy is yours.
I swear this introduction sounded more epic in my head, mainly because my brain automatically applied background music to it.
See, epic music makes everything better, even my writing…
Moving on, let’s take the usual look at last week’s suggestions and how they performed. Cameron Payne has been good but not spectacular and is averaging 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assist and 10 points in his last four games, but with both Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine not expected to make a quick return, is worth owning in my book. On the contrary, Kelly Olynyk has been on fire this week averaging 15.5/2.0/6.0/6.3/1.8/0.0/1.3 on a scorching hot 55% from the field. He has been a difference maker and can decide some matchups with his out-of-position assists and steals. Marcus Morris had some injury trouble but, in the 2 games he played, scored 30 and 20 points with 8 total triples, so if he is good to go tonight make sure he is in your lineup. Finally, Elfrid Payton was the most dropped player this week who didn’t suffer an injury, as he hit rock bottom against Boston and failed to score in just 15 minutes.
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Buy
Mario Hezonja: Orlando has three games remaining this week and both Evan Fournier and Jonathon Simmons are out. Furthermore, the matchups couldn’t be better as they are facing Brooklyn, Chicago, and Atlanta. These reasons make Hezonja a great streaming option and, despite his recent struggles from the field, I think that when the playing time is there his across the board contribution can prove quite valuable. (15% owned at Yahoo)
Fred VanVleet: Quietly, VanVleet has earned the backup PG spot in Toronto and has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, while averaging 3 triples. The Raptors will try and manage Kyle Lowry’s workload in the final weeks of the regular season so, if you need another playmaker in your team, give him a long look. (16% owned at Yahoo)
Honorable mention: Isaiah Taylor has proved a valuable contributor when Dennis Schroeder is out and that will be the case for today’s game against the Timberwolves. He is not worth starting when Dennis is active but, in the two games without him, Taylor has scored 26 and 18 points. If you have the add to spare, you can consider streaming him as there is a good possibility Schroeder misses more games. (2% owned at Yahoo)
Sell
Nikola Mirotic: He has been in a brutal shooting slump during the last two weeks and the minutes have suffered as a result. If this week is the last in your league, I think it is hard to trust him and his spot will be more useful if used for streaming.
Nemanja Bjelica: Jimmy Butler is nearing a return and Bjelica has shown signs of fatigue after averaging 38 minutes in March, scoring in double digits only twice in his last 6. He can still be a contributor in the rebounding category but, with many teams going small, he is a risky start for the rest of the way.
As always, let me know in the comments your thoughts and your suggestions about players I have not included and of course all your fantasy related questions!
