We have at last entered the season of the fantasy basketball playoffs. If your team didn’t make it, it’s because fantasy basketball is at its core unpredictable and fluky and it in no way means you don’t know what you’re doing; on the other hand, if your team is in the fantasy basketball playoffs, it’s because fantasy basketball is a knowable and quantifiable science that you have completely mastered because you’re an ingenious expert at this, not mention beautiful.
The most important wisdom I can impart on anyone who’s in the fantasy basketball playoffs for the first time is that now is when you need to be able to make very, very hard cuts if necessary. If you find yourself in a situation where your IL slots are full and a really good player is day-to-day or out for a few games, this is when you have to be willing to cut someone even if they’ve been awesome for you all season long. Availability is everything in the fantasy basketball playoffs. This is the time of the year when random nobodies can suddenly become incredibly valuable, and if it requires dumping someone who you’d ordinarily never cut to acquire said nobody, you need to at least consider doing it. Your objective isn’t to retain the best-looking roster on paper, it’s to have a roster that can win the matchups that are immediately in front of you, and if that means dropping people who’ve been dependable contributors for you all season long, so be it.
Notes from the fantasy weekend:
Justin Edwards put up 21 points and 2 steals on Sunday, a game after putting up 19 points, 3 steals and 2 blocks. With Tyrese Maxey out for the next few weeks and Paul George suspended, Edwards is primed to be a heavy contributor for the Sixers for the next couple weeks and looks like an awesome player to pick up for the stretch run.
That advice goes double for Quentin Grimes, who notched 31 points in 40 minutes against the Blazers. With Maxey sidelined, Grimes is now an indispensable, must-own player, and on the off chance he’s still available in your fantasy league, you should go all-in to get him immediately.
And speaking of players who you should run not walk to add if you can, Isaiah Collier produced 21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists against the Kings. With Keyonte George possibly out for the season, Collier – who had a 22-assist game earlier in the season – has a clear runway to be a fantasy monster the rest of the way.
Not to be outdone, Cody Williams had 34 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists against the Kings on Sunday. Williams has played a whopping 36 minutes in each of the last six games for the Jazz and is now firmly on the radar as someone to add despite being rostered in hardly any leagues at all.
Andre Drummond had his best game in forever for the Sixers, producing 6 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in 35 minutes off the bench. With Joel Embiid indefinitely sidelined (and by the way, I feel vindicated for repeatedly advocating selling high on him throughout the season specifically because of the possibility of him being undependable during the fantasy basketball playoffs, but I digress), there are lots of minutes to go around for the likes of Drummond, Adem Bona, Dominick Barlow and Trendon Watford. The problem is that none of them are remotely dependable (that didn’t used to be the case with Drummond, but he’s had a brutal season), and as tempting as it is to stream any of them while Embiid is out, you’re probably better off just ignoring this situation entirely.
Cameron Payne scored 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench. He had a fairly miraculous game a few nights ago where he went 8-8 from three, but he’s not an attractive add unless you need double-digit scoring and nothing else.
P.J. Washington picked a great time to have one of his best stat lines of the season, putting up 20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals, 3 threes and a block against the Cavs. Washington’s numbers have been somewhat erratic all season, but he should be a worthwhile contributor on average so long as he’s locked into the Mavs starting lineup.
Keon Ellis produced 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in his second consecutive start for the Cavs on Sunday. He can be a useful streamer if you need help in the steals department, otherwise there are bound to be better options out there on the waiver wire.
Ausar Thompson returned from his ankle injury and collected 4 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound. He should be much better in his next game.
Ivica Zubac had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists in his third game with the Pacers. His numbers with his new team are barely adequate, and while you don’t need to drop him, it’s also not impossible there could be someone better on the waiver wire if you’re in a shallow league.
Myles Turner put up 13 points, 4 rebounds and a block in 30 minutes against the Pacers. This was only the second time this month he’s scored in double-digits, and given that he isn’t even averaging a block per game during that time, he is very much in the category of someone you should consider dropping, as wild as that is to say given how much of a fantasy stud he’s been for years.
Danny Wolf had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a start on Saturday. The talent is definitely there, but his lack of consistency makes him a risky add in spite of this performance.
Trae Young put up 11 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds against the Celtics. He’s doing just enough in limited playing time to still be worth rostering, but his numbers aren’t remotely up to snuff compared to what he was doing in Atlanta in previous years, alas.
Tristan da Silva had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists in 31 minutes on Saturday. So long as both Anthony Black and Franz Wagner are out for Orlando, da Silva is a strong player to add.
Derrick Jones Jr. put up a dud in his last game, scoring only 2 points in 31 minutes on Saturday. He’s been very consistent otherwise though and is definitely worth a look if you need help in the steals and blocks categories.
