Week 8 in fantasy basketball is upon us, and Hashtag Basketball has managers covered with everything they need to know for their head-to-head matchups. Let us jump right into it.

Weekly lock leagues

Tips for the week: Eight teams have four games this week, and two organizations have just two games. The remaining 20 squads play three times. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers play twice making it difficult to start them. Kyrie Irving, Joel  Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and Ben Simmons probably find their way into your starting grid, but the rest are likely better replaced with four game players.

Here is a look at four games men who are worth putting into your starting lineup.

Top 10 additions playing four games: (All percentages are based on Yahoo leagues and 50 percent or less rostered was the line for available on the waiver wire)

1. Cedi Osman- Cleveland Cavaliers (31%)- Osman is the 167th ranked player on the season while shooting just 36.7 percent. Osman is playing 31.9 minutes per game and the production should only turn up as the season progresses.
2. Jordan Clarkson- Cleveland Cavaliers (43%)- Clarkson is averaging 16.0 points per game, but is not helping a ton in other categories. He still ranks inside the top-140 on the year, so playing four games makes him a worthy pickup.
3. Noah Vonleh- New York Knicks (43%)- Vonleh is averaging 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 block per game in 25 minutes on the year, but the Knick rotations can change rapidly from night-to-night.
4. Fred VanVleet- Toronto Raptors (46%)- Assists streamers (4.4 per game) with the potential to add more.
5. Rodney Hood- Cleveland Cavaliers (26%)- Hood is an addition for points (13.2 per game), but he also makes minimal contributions elsewhere.
6. Bryn Forbes (21%)- Points streamer (12.5 per game) with strong percentages.
7. Mason Plumlee- Denver Nuggets (10%)- Plumlee is only playing 17.0 minutes per game, but he is averaging 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in that time.
8. Stanley Johnson- Detroit Pistons (8%)- Johnson is strictly a steals streamer, but he averaged 1.4 per game last season.
9. Kevin Knox- New York Knicks (21%)- Knox played 37 minutes in the Knicks last game, but there is no guarantee for minutes. Knox’s per-36 numbers would make him worth rostering, but in 20 minutes it would be a mistake.
10. Allen Crabbe- Brooklyn Nets (40%)- 3-pointers made streamer who is hitting 2.0 per game.

Daily roster changes

First, a word on the schedule itself: Wednesday and Friday once again have double-digit games eliminating them for the streaming look this week. Saturday is on the borderline, with nine games.

Here’s the look at back-to-backs and pseudo ones where managers can pick up one player and use them for multiple games.

Note: The New York Knicks have the best schedule this week. They have four games with three on the lightest schedule days and the remaining one on Saturday.

Back-to-backs

Monday-Tuesday

No teams scheduled.

Tuesday-Thursday pseudo

Phoenix Suns

Josh Jackson (20%)- Steals addition.

Ellie Okobo (18%)- Okobo is averaging 30.5 minutes over the Suns last two games. Okobo should be a source of steals, points, and assists in that playing time.

Mikal Bridges (7%)- Deeper league steals streamer.

Portland Trail Blazers

Al-Farouq Aminu (36%)- Rebounds and steals streamer.

Zach Collins (15%)- Deeper league blocks target.

Evan Turner (10%)- Rebounds and assists addition.

Utah Jazz

Jae Crowder (47%)- Points and rebounds streamer.

Kyle Korver (10%)- 3-pointers made add.

Thursday-Saturday pseudo

Boston Celtics

Marcus Smart (19%)- Steals streamer.

Terry Rozier (44%)- Rozier’s percentage rostered is far too high. His best category is rebounds with 3.9 per game. Cut bait in standard leagues.

Houston Rockets

P.J. Tucker (35%)- Rebounds, steals, and 3-pointers made target.

James Ennis (8%)- 3-pointers made and steals add.

New York Knicks

The Knicks and Coach Fizdale are still attempting to figure out their nightly rotation. That means things could change quickly so keep an eye on their rotations as the games get closer.

Noah Vonleh (43%)- Vonleh is a rebounds and blocks streamer.

Kevin Knox (21%)- Need minutes, but could produce strong rebounds and points given the playing time.

Allonzo Trier (21%)- Points streamer, but it is unlikely to last.

Mitchell Robinson (19%)- Blocks add even when playing limited minutes.

Damyean Dotson (7%)- Points and rebounds streamer for a guard.

Portland Trail Blazers

Listed under Tuesday-Thursday pseudo.

Saturday-Sunday

New York Knicks

Listed under Thursday-Saturday pseudo.

Looking ahead to Week 9

It is important to win your matchup this week, but winning two in a row sounds better. A fantastic way to gain an advantage is using a pickup in Week 8 that helps managers in Week 9. That gets a bit hairy because Monday of Week 9 has 11 games, so here is a look at men playing on Sunday and Tuesday of Week 9.

Sunday-Tuesday pseudo

San Antonio Spurs

Bryn Forbes (21%)- Points streamer with strong percentages.

Derrick White (16%)- White has a lot of fantasy potential, but the minutes are inconsistent.

Toronto Raptors

Fred VanVleet (46%)- Assists addition.

Final thoughts

That concludes look at the schedule for this week.  Be sure to check out the Watching the Boxes Podcast for all your fantasy basketball needs throughout the week, including trade targets, waiver wire adds, and a look at the men playing unexpectedly.