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Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week 22!  In this post, I identify widely-available players who can help you win your head-to-head matchup.  We’re almost at the point when we have to start thinking about life after fantasy hoops.  Having just lost in the finals of my Yahoo league (congrats, Kris!), I’m just four days away from defeating Bball Oracle (according to my vision board) and no longer needing to obsessively check injury reports ahead of each night’s action.  From Monday, I will be doing this solely for your benefit.  That is, for the benefit of anyone crazy enough to play fantasy basketball into April.  After that, I have to tend to all the things I’ve neglected in my life for six months.

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Regarding last week’s suggestions, it was one of the best weeks as both Austin Reaves and Josh Green provided excellent performances, with Reaves scoring a career high 35 points in his last game and Green filling in admirably for Luka Doncic. Patrick Beverley was also pretty solid and the absence of Alex Caruso should keep him relevant for standard leagues for the upcoming week as well.

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Regarding last week’s suggestions, Tyus Jones has predictably been excellent and with the return of Ja Morant nowhere in sight, he can continue to be a game-changer in fantasy playoffs. Tari Eason has also been good if you exclude a disappointing start for Alperen Sengun and will still have good value for the rest of the season, while Kris Dunn has certainly been useful but with Utah playing only on Saturday he can be safely dropped to increase your team’s played games. Finally in the “Sell” front, my bold suggestion to drop John Collins seems to be paying off, as he has not produced to standard league levels since Quin Snyder took over in Atlanta.

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Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week 20!  In this post, I identify widely-available players who can help you win your head-to-head matchup.  Hopefully, you were able to add Mr. (W)Right last week and benefit from a top-25 run of games.  There are a number of other players whose names I constantly promote as streamers who can still be found on waiver wires – Donte DiVincenzo, Killian Hayes, Dennis Smith Jr., Kyle Anderson, Daniel Gafford.  They’re not perfect (Exhibits A and B: Gafford’s terrible Wednesday night and Hayes’ missed games), but their ceilings are high in categories that you might need.  I recommend looking their way first before reading down the rest of this list.

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Regarding last week’s suggestions, Dennis Smith Jr. had a good week and should maintain respectable value for the remainder of the season and the same can be said for Matisse Thybulle, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Finally, Xavier Tillman was another successful suggestion and his value was further enhanced due to the injury to Brandon Clarke, who will remain out for the whole season. As long as he and Steven Adams remain sidelined, Tillman should be a good streamer for standard leagues.

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The Bulls lose and refuse to play Patrick Williams and Coby White in an effort to make the play in.  Noble goal, but I was hoping to see more minutes go to these guys.  Nikola Vucevic ruined a 4 three-pointer evening with 6 turnovers.  Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan both disappointed with less than 20 points.  The Bulls really aren’t interesting, but keep an eye on them if they tank and go to young guys at the end of the season.  Keep in mind though that Williams and White aren’t actually very good.

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Welcome to your midweek guidance for Week 23!  My goal is to help you win your league championship by finding widely available streaming candidates for your specific categorical needs.  As the title suggests, we are firmly in fantasy no man’s land as it relates to erratic player availability, as teams in both conferences pack it in to avoid injuries and bolster their chances of receiving a top draft pick.  While it pales in comparison to the 250 players who faced quarantine between December and January, one can be forgiven for saying that the luck side of the luck:skill ratio increases as the season winds down.

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Regarding last week’s suggestions, the inclusion of Tyus Jones stands out as he had a tremendous week and tilted many fantasy matchups with his assists alone, so hopefully you capitalized. The same can be said for Kris Dunn and his steals, as he had 7 in four games, rewarding fantasy owners who trusted him. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Jaxson Hayes, who was underwhelming and has an awful schedule, so he is a clear drop. Bones Hyland was mediocre at best. What can I say, you win some, you lose some, but Jones and Dunn were big wins indeed.

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Trae Young is the clear choice for Friday’s fantasy star of the night after scoring 33 points and dishing out 15 assists in a 121-110 win over the Warriors. Young had one of his best games of the season at the perfect time for fantasy managers. He should continue to carry the Hawks offensively as they push for the best possible seed in the play-in tournament. Danilo Gallinari added 25 points before exiting with an elbow injury in the fourth quarter. It did not appear to be too serious but the Hawks would be very thin if he were to miss any time. 

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In this fantasy corner, besides the usual fantasy recommendations, we are all about weird and interesting stats. Some of them mean a lot for team and player performances and some of them mean absolutely nothing (remember the infamous number 2 Bane game). The stat that caught my eye this week has to do with the stumbling Lakers and the effect LeBron has on this team. Since the All-Star Break the Lakers are 0-9 when LeBron does not score 50 points or more, which you can certainly say is a bad look for his supporting cast. Of course it is common knowledge that he had a huge say on how this team is constructed and that stat alone does not describe how many points he gives up on the other end, which are truthfully a lot. Just take a lot at the following clip that summarizes the Lakers season and to an extent their superstars both on the offensive and the defensive side.

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The Indiana Pacers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 129-98. In a rarity for this version of the Pacers, they were the more veteran team. Oshae Brissett spearheaded the Pacers’ attack, as he tallied 24 points (8-10 FG, 2-3 3PT), nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal. His day also included a highlight reveal reverse dunk in transition which came off a behind-the-back pass from Lance Stephenson. Have I mentioned that the Pacers are fun now!? Justin Anderson added 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. Jalen Smith notched 17 points, five rebounds, and one block in just 17 minutes of play. I’m not sure if Smith will ever become the player the Suns hoped they were getting when he was drafted with the 10th pick in 2020, but he has at least grown into an intriguing prospect. He was 2-of-3 from behind the arc and also whipped out a Dirk-esque step-back off the dribble in the midrange. Terry Taylor (17) and Duane Washington Jr. (13) both had solid games as well. The Pacers led wire to wire and the lack of competitiveness of the game is reflected in the lower minute totals for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield. Haliburton finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Hield tallied nine points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Finally, Lance Stephenson scored just two points, but grabbed six rebounds, dished out 11 assists, and swiped three steals.

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