Well it all comes down to today now. After keeping those lineups going and faithfully watching that waiver wire if you are still in the battle for the top of your league or your H2H championship than today could be the determining factor for all the hard work you’ve done for the last four months.

We have a pretty full slate of games today so you should be able to field a full roster of players for today’s action. Just make sure you are monitoring your players status updates throughout the day to find out if any of your stars are sitting cause there will be a lot of them who are.

If you’re looking for some fill-ins here are some of the guys I like to end this season on a high note:

Zach Randolph – PF, Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies are one of the teams who still have something to play for as they are in line to try and steal home court advantage from the Clippers for the first round of the playoffs, which could be a big deal. The Girzzlies big man has been inconsistent lately, sitting out  two games ago and not performing well in his last game Monday. But after a couple of days off and in a big spot I think Randolph is primed for a big game. He has thrived in big game situations these last couple years and I think he comes through again tonight against a beaten down Magic frontcourt. Read the rest of this entry »

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The power forward position is another deep spot for keeper league players. There are a lot of aging guys on their way out, but there are also a lot of really good young guys ready to take their place, and in some cases already have taken their place.

Kevin Love heads this group of promising keeper players who run pretty deep:

1. Kevin Love – Minnesota Timberwolves
2. DeMarcus Cousins – Sacramento Kings
3. Blake Griffin – Los Angeles Lakers
4. Pau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers
5. LaMarcus Aldridge – Portland Trail Blazers
6. Greg Monroe – Detroit Pistons
7. Paul Millsap – Utah Jazz
8. Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks
9. Josh Smith – Atlanta Hawks
10. Serge Ibaka – Oklahoma City Thunder Read the rest of this entry »

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Two more days left to win that championship of yours. Thursday is a full day and it’s going to be a big one for making that final step, but there are enough games to try and make a difference today too.

Playoff teams are getting locked in and seeds are being determined which means we’re going to see a lot of stars resting on the bench and lot of unpredictable fantasy value being seen. Here are some of the guys I like as streaming options today for daily league players:

C.J. Watson – PG, Chicago Bulls: With the Miami Heat losing last night to the Celtics the Bulls have locked up the number one spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls will be walking the fine line between playing it safe and keeping Derrick Rose healthy by resting him and taking a risk and trying to get Rose in playoff shape. My guess is Rose gets some rest and at the most plays only a handful of minutes to stay fresh. Watson has done well filling in for Rose this season when called on and he should see plenty of time against the Pacers second unit as they also don’t have much to play for. Watson could be a sneaky play for assists and points tonight. Read the rest of this entry »

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Small forward holds the two top players in fantasy basketball. It also holds some good young talent like Nicolas Batum and Ersal Ilyasova. Add to it some other up and comers and you have an interesting mix of guys for keeper leagues.

Here is my top 25 breakdown:

1. Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder
2. LeBron James – Miami Heat
3. Carmelo Anthony – New York Knicks
4. Rudy Gay – Memphis Grizzlies
5. Danny Granger – Indiana Pacers
6. Nicolas Batum – Portland Trail Blazers
7. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
8. Andre Iguodala – Philadelphia 76ers
9. Paul George – Indiana Pacers
10. Ersan Ilyasova – Milwaukee Bucks Read the rest of this entry »

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We only have a handful of games again on the schedule today, but once again you need to be maximizing your rosters. With only five games its time to dig deep to find some guys to add to inflate your stats for either those last few roto points or your head to head categories that are still up in the air.

Here are some sleeper pickups to consider based on recent play and matchups.

Jason Smith – PF, New Orleans Hornets: Jason Smith has been fantasy relevant for much longer than people realize. Since the all-star break Smith is averaging 12.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and a block per game. In the last two games Smith has five blocks. Tonight the lowly Hornets take on the tanking Golden State Warriors and their epicly soft inside players. Smith should have a field day with Golden State’s bigs of Jeremy Tyler and Mikki Moore. I think a double-double and a couple of blocks could well be in store tonight. Read the rest of this entry »

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The shooting guard position does not have the same flare or depth as the point guard position. But it is still an intriguing position. There are some young players on the rise and a void to fill at the top of the rankings just waiting for the next wave of guys to step up.

There are a lot of guys 10 – 20 range who could end up being top five on next year’s list and a lot of those same guys who might find themselves farther down the list. This isn’t an easy position to predict, but this is the way I am ranking shooting guards for keeper leagues:

1. Dwayne Wade – Miami Heat
2. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
3. Monta Ellis – Milwaukee Bucks
4. James Harden – Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Eric Gordon – New Orleans Hornets
6. Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks
7. Marcus Thornton – Sacramento Kings Read the rest of this entry »

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My goal this week is to help you through these next couple of days as you try and climb your way to the top of the ladder. Or at least climb your way into a money position in your league. If you play in a weekly league your fate is likely sealed at this point with your lineup not being changeable. However for those in daily leagues this is the time to tinker to your heart’s content.

Every day this week I will be using Around The League to try and help you maximize the most of this week with guys I would consider dropping and guys I would consider picking up as well as guys who should just be playing. At this point you should be streaming guys in and out as much as possible, without dropping your big names, in order to get the most from your team each day. Here is today’s breakdown:

News and Notes You Need to Know

• The San Antonio Spurs gave Tim Duncan the day off yesterday against the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers.  This means that tonight when they play the second half of their back-to-back games Duncan should be in the lineup and against Portland, a weak rebounding team, he should be in your lineup. Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker only played a little over 20 minutes so they may still play tonight, but keep an eye on this. Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s time to start thinking about next season as you finishing wrapping up this one. For those in keeper leagues that means it’s time to start thinking about who you’re going to keep and who you’re going to cut loose.

I will be giving my keeper rankings for all five positions on the court, but the first one is point guard and it’s a fascinating one. There are a whole lot of questions and whole lot of depth at this position. I couldn’t believe how low I was ranking some guys, but I couldn’t find a way to get them higher either, though I am sure some of you have your own ideas.

Here is the breakdown for the deepest and certainly most intriguing position in basketball for the future:

1. Chris Paul – Los Angeles Clippers
2. Deron Williams – New Jersey Nets
3. Russell Westbrook – Oklahoma City Thunder
4. Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
5. Kyrie Irving – Cleveland Cavaliers
6. John Wall – Washington Wizards
7. Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors Read the rest of this entry »

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We’ve got just a little over a week of fantasy basketball left and you don’t have anytime to waste to make moves. If you have a guy whose injured or losing playing time don’t waste time waiting on them. Check out these six guys who are available on a lot of waiver wires from standard leagues to deep leagues.

Marshon Brooks – SG/SF, New Jersey Nets: This guy was owned in all leagues early on this season, but since an injury and decline in numbers his ownership percentages have plummeted. Brooks value is back again now, and he’s ripe for the picking on a lot of waiver wires. Brooks is getting a lot of run right now averaging 35 minutes per game. Deron Williams is coming back tomorrow night which may cost Brooks a few minutes, but this guy is the team’s future at shooting guard.

In the last six games Brooks is averaging 16.8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.3 steals. Brooks has been missing from the three-point line, but he’s capable of hitting from there to add to everything else he’s doing right now. I think Brooks finishes this season strong and carries it over to a strong sophomore season next year. Read the rest of this entry »

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This is it gentlemen and ladies too, maybe. Championship week is upon us. Some of you may have started your championship week last Monday, but this is the big week for most in head-to-head and for those in roto leagues, hopefully its close enough to make this last set of games interesting. In most instances this last week of games will include next week through the end of the season on next Thursday.

There is zero room for error so think hard through your lineup choices this week, just don’t overthink it in the process. Take a look at your players upcoming schedules and also consider injuries and guys being shut down.

Here is a list of some of the guys I do and do not like this week.

Guys I Like This Week

Arron Afflalo – SG, Denver Nuggets: I wonder how many people are really aware of just how good Afflalo has been since the all-star break and how deserving he really is of must start status, every single week. So far in the month of April Afflalo is averaging 19.6 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 three-pointers. Afflalo has gone from a good defender, decent three-point shooter to the focal point of the Nuggets offense. On top of being on fire for two straight months now, Afflalo also has a nice set of six games coming up including Minnesota and Phoenix. It’s time to give this guy his dues. Read the rest of this entry »

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