Hello, the Week 10 Fantasy Basketball Schedule Primer is back and ready to get you prepared for the last week before the Christmas Day slate.  Those December 25 games are the point where the casual NBA fan joins us for the first time, but in fantasy, it represents a dividing line.  You should have an idea of what your time needs and now is the time to make some moves to solidify your roster before you fall too far behind.  It is a fantastic time to position yourself to take home the championship.

Do not forget to check out the fantastic Advanced Schedule Grid on Hashtag Basketball.  Without further ado, let us jump right into it.

Weekly lock leagues

Tip of the week:  16 teams play four games this week, so your lineup should feature mostly four game players.  Two squads (Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons) play just two games.  The only player I would set it and forget it with is LeBron James.  Even players like Kevin Love and Andre Drummond become questionable choices this week with so many teams playing double the games. Make sure you are maximizing your games and playing time this week.

Note: 12 teams play three games this week, so expect a few of those players in your lineup.  It is always difficult to bench a top 50 option with three games, but be sure to check your waiver wire.

Top 10 potential pickups playing four games:  (All ownership percentages based on ESPN leagues and under 40 percent owned was the cut-off for available on the waiver wire)

1. Taurean Prince- Atlanta Hawks (32.1%)
2. Joe Ingles- Utah Jazz (39.2%)
3. Marcus Smart- Boston Celtics (39.3%)- Smart may hurt your FG%, but 1.2 steals and 0.5 blocks per game with over five assists is worth owning in any league
4. Milos Teodosic- LA Clippers (16.5%)- Points, assists, rebounds, and 3-pointers made from a PG. Unfortunately, almost no defensive stats
5. Rodney Hood- Utah Jazz (31.1%)- points and threes alone making him worth owning
6. John Collins- Atlanta Hawks (32.5%)
7. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- Charlotte Hornets (12.1%)- In December, MKG is averaging 12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.4 blocks while shooting 54.7% from the field.
8. Josh Richardson- Miami Heat (11.3%)
9. Justin Holiday- Chicago Bulls (39.7%)- points and threes streamer with over one steal per game.
10. Wesley Matthews- Dallas Mavericks (36.1%)- Similar to Holiday, but a slight downgrade in points and threes, but more assists

***IF Austin Rivers is cleared to play on Monday, he would be the third-ranked player in my top-ten

Daily roster changes

Head-to-head leagues with daily roster changes are the mecca for streaming players.  Most leagues create an additions limit for the matchup to keep the streaming from getting too wild.  That makes the goal to maximize the pickup's usefulness by using back-to-back sets or just any schedule advantage.

First, a word on the schedule itself: Three days have double-digit games this week.  Saturday has 13 games, and Wednesday features 12 eliminating those two days from streaming entirely.  Monday, also, features ten games which creates another borderline day.  No teams play on Sunday, so it is an odd schedule this week.

NOTE: Quality games are spread out again this week, but the Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers both play on Tuesday and Thursday the two lightest schedule days.  If I am making only one add this week, I would shoot for one of their players.

I will eliminate Wednesday and Saturday from the schedule this week and take a look at the back-to-back (and pseudo back-to-back) games this week. Enjoy!

Back-to-backs

Monday-Tuesday

Philadelphia 76ers

T.J. McConnell (5.3%)- Consistent producer in rebounds, assists, and steals.

Richaun Holmes (3.7%)- Embiid and Trevor Booker are out Monday, and Holmes has played well in the last five games.

Amir Johnson (0.5%)- Defensive stats add in a deeper league.

Tuesday-Thursday pseudo

Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyle Korver (13.5%)- 3-pointers made streamer (2.6 per game).

Jeff Green (10.7%)- double-digit points with 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, not flashy.

J.R. Smith (10.1%)- Almost two 3-pointers with a steal.

Jose Calderon (2.8%)- deeper league steals add with potential for two rebounds and a few assists.

Philadelphia 76ers

Listed under Monday-Tuesday.

Thursday-Friday

New York Knicks

Courtney Lee (39.2%)- Lee will finish as a top 100 player, so please own him.

Frank Ntilikina (4.5%)- Steals streamer right now, but slowly earning more minutes and working his way into a starting point guard in the NBA.

Jarrett Jack (4.9%)- Consistent assists and rebounds for a PG even in just 26 minutes per game.

Kyle O’Quinn (4.5%)- 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 block per game in 16.3 minutes a night.

Michael Beasley (2.9%)- Scored 13, 15, and 30 points in his last three games. It won’t last, but Beasley can score.

Looking ahead to Week 11

Perhaps, you have an extra pickup heading into Friday’s games and would like to take advantage of both that and the beginning of next week.  Here is the place for you:

Friday-Monday of Week 11

Houston Rockets

Ryan Anderson (31.8%)- 2.6 3-pointers made, 5.4 rebounds, and 11.3 points.  Not bad if you need help in those areas.

P.J. Tucker (3.6%)- 1.2 steals with 1.3 threes and 5.9 rebounds per game.

New York Knicks

Listed under Thursday-Friday.

Washington Wizards

Markieff Morris (30.8%)- Slow start for Morris, but has the potential for a solid across the board line.  Monitor his minutes, but even in 26 per game, he is worth owning.

Kelly Oubre Jr. (21.1%)- 1.4 3-pointers made, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 0.5 blocks per game this season.  Not bad for the youngster plus double-digit points.

Golden State Warriors

Andre Iguodala (10.5%)- Assists and rebound stream for an SF.

Jordan Bell (2.5%)- blocks and rebounds stream in a deeper league.

David West (1.3%)- Blocks and steals stream in a deeper league.

Los Angeles Lakers

Larry Nance Jr. (20.6%)- 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Andre Roberson (1.7%)- rebounds, steals, and blocks stream.

Jerami Grant (1.7%)- Deeper league blocks add.

Final thoughts

I missed last week’s Schedule Primer with an illness, and I want to thank everyone for their support.  I heard from many of you looking for it, and I greatly appreciate it.  Please check back with us next week for another edition.  Be sure to check out the Watching the Boxes Podcast for all the fantasy basketball information you desire in a podcast.