Fantasy Basketball is all about outsmarting your opponents, and much of that is done through grabbing the unfound star in free agency. Here’s our best way to do that in Week 23, the start of league championships.
Note: All OWN%’s come from ESPN Fantasy Leagues.
Point Guard:
ATL- Dennis Schroder (16.6%)
As the season winds down, Coach Budenholzer may elect to rest Jeff Teague more often, especially considering his recent ankle injury. Schroder has started these last 2 games, averaging 14.5 points, 11.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds.
PHI- Ish Smith (16.0%)
Smith has put up similar numbers to Schroder, averaging 14.5 points, 8.0 assists, and 3.5 boards over his last two games. He has a favorable schedule next week, facing the Lakers, Wizards, Hornets, and Knicks, Translation: grab that Ish.
MIN- Zach LaVine (12.2%)
Minnesota traded for a future owner at the deadline, and now they’re just throwing in the towel. Coach Flip Saunders has been overly cautious with Ricky Rubio’s ankle, allowing Zach LaVine to clock in a ridiculous 40.6 minutes per his last five games, where he’s averaged 17.4 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and shot a 50 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Shooting Guard:
CHA- Gerald Henderson (18.8%)
There’s nobody I like at the 2 this week, but if you’re in need, Henderson’s always a safe bet.
Small Forward:
LAC- Matt Barnes (7.9%)
Defying all odds at age 35, Barnes is in full postseason mode, averaging 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in his previous three contests.
IND- C.J. Miles (7.7%)
There are two C.J.’s on this team. One is clutch, the other is Watson. Miles has averaged nearly 24 points a game (4.0 3PM) over his last three games, shooting 55 percent from deep.
Power Forward:
PHO- Marcus Morris (13.3%)
Brandon Knight is slowly starting to make his way back into the rotation from injury, which could cut into Morris’s scoring, but his recent hot streak should keep rolling through the end of the season.
SAS- Boris Diaw (3.2%)
Don’t even ask, because I can’t explain his recent success either. But he’s averaged 14.6 points and 4.0 boards per game in his last five games, with those numbers on the rise as Tim Duncan’s seat on the bench warms for playoff basketball.
Center:
MIL- Zaza Pachulia (19.2%)
Scoring is often hard to find at the 5, especially when not looking to compromise rebounding. Zaza has scored in double figures in every game since March 11th, accruing 5 double-doubles in that span.
SAS- Tiago Splitter (5.6%)
As a part of San Antonio’s youth, look for Splitter to play out most of the remainder of the regular season, as he looks to make up for the sporadic absences of guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan.
