Hello, Week 16 in fantasy basketball is here.  With it comes the month of February and for some that mark the second to last month of your league.  Remember to mind both the future and the week as we head into the home stretch.   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

Tips for the week: Playing four games becomes essential this week.  16 teams have the coveted four games.  Just the Chicago Bulls and the LA Clippers have two contests this week.  I would avoid any player on those squads if I could help it.

Note: 12 teams play three games this week, and your lineup should feature a name or two from this group.  Hopefully, the majority is four-game guys, but that does not always work out.

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. Al-Farouq Aminu- Portland Trail Blazers (17.1%)- Do not look now, but Aminu is playing over 30 minutes this season and producing 2.0 3-pointers made, 6.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.7 blocks, and almost ten points per game. The production appears to be on the increase from his season numbers as well making Aminu the top add of the week to both our surprise.
2. Kelly Olynyk- Miami Heat (28.3%)- An across the board contributor who should produce well this week.
3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist- Charlotte Hornets (7.5%)- Expect five rebounds, 11 points, a steal and nearly a block per game for the week from MKG.
4. Taurean Prince- Atlanta Hawks (25.6%)- The hate has gone too far on Prince. He produces nothing flashy, but an across the board stat line that is difficult to match, one that makes him a Top 100 player.
5. Tyler Johnson- Miami Heat (14.3%)- A man to pick up and hold the rest of the way. Johnson should provide over 14 points per game with close to a steal and over 0.5 blocks.  That plus a few assists and rebounds and close to two 3-pointers should do the trick in all leagues.
6. Marcus Morris- Boston Celtics (16.6%)- Over his last seven games, Morris is averaging 13.9 points, 1.6 3-pointers made, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.6 steals per game in 27 minutes a night. Marcus Smart’s injury should also help Morris have a fantastic week in your lineup.
7. Trey Lyles- Denver Nuggets (25.8%)- Expect 12 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 3-pointers, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks from Mister Lyles.
8. John Henson- Milwaukee Bucks (25.7%)- Blocks and rebound enough to be added and swing the week in your favor in 2 categories.
9. T.J. McConnell- Philadelphia 76ers (11.8%)- McConnell’s 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals are enough to stream and impact all three categories.
10. Jarrett Jack- New York Knicks (12.8%)- Jack could single handled win you assists by averaging 6.2 per game for the season that is 24 assists this week. In other words enough to likely swing that category.

Daily roster changes

First, a word on the schedule itself: There are no days with double-digit games in Week 16.  Tuesday, Friday and Saturday all have nine games, but often you can stream on those days.  I will keep the whole schedule for this week’s back-to-backs look. 

NOTE: The absolute best schedule this week goes to the Memphis Grizzlies who avoid playing on all three days with nine games

Back-to-backs

Monday- Tuesday

Denver Nuggets

Trey Lyles (25.8%)- A worthy pickup in all leagues until Paul Millsap returns.

Mason Plumlee (14.3%)- Plumlee is a stream for block and rebounds given his limited playing time.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Gorgui Dieng (19.3%)- Fantastic add for steals and blocks in a deeper league, but usually unavailable in those formats.

Jamal Crawford (5.8%)- A swing for the fences play in points and 3-pointers.  Crawford has three straight games with 19, 21, and 16 points.

Nemanja Bjelica (2.0%)- Played well with Butler out, but with his recent return, Bjelica becomes irrelevant in all but the deepest of leagues.

Tyus Jones (1.1%)- Monitor the status of Jeff Teague’s ankle injury, if he is out the stream Jones.  He is worthy for just steals if Teague plays.

Tuesday-Wednesday

Brooklyn Nets

Caris LeVert (24.7%)- Has been limited by a groin injury, so I would probably pass on adding him for this set.

Allen Crabbe (9.1%)- Continues to be a points and 3-pointers stream who adds in a handful of rebounds.

Joe Harris (4.3%)- 14 plus team leagues add for points and threes.

New York Knicks

Jarrett Jack (12.8%)- Jack is averaging 6.2 assists per game, and it does not look to let up in the near future.

Kyle O’Quinn (4.8%)- KOQ provides 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game or enough to stream for those three categories.

Frank Ntilikina (2.1%)- The rookie is averaging 1.0 steal per game, but with both Jack and Burke playing it is difficult to recommend Ntilikina.

Portland Trail Blazers

Al-Farouq Aminu (17.1%)- I said it all in the weekly portion of the article, so check there for more details.

Ed Davis (6.6%)- Davis is worthy rebounds stream that provides almost a block per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Tristan Thompson (17.1%)- Rebounds streamer.

Derrick Rose (12.9%)- Unfortunately just a 14 teams or more streamer for points.

Orlando Magic

Bismack Biyombo (33.9%)- Should be owned in all leagues with Nikola Vucevic out for his blocks and rebound contributions alone.

Jonathon Simmons (23.4%)- 13.6 points per game on the season for Simmons.

Wednesday-Thursday

Memphis Grizzlies

Dillon Brooks (4.6%)- The rash of injuries on Memphis has allowed Brooks to shine.  Evans should return for this back-to-back, so proceed with caution on Brooks.

Mario Chalmers (2.0%)- With Conley out for the season, Chalmers will be a worth stream for his steals the rest of the way.

Jarell Martin (0.9%)- Starting with JaMychal Green out and producing enough points, rebound, blocks, and steals to be streamed in any league.

Thursday-Friday

Milwaukee Bucks

John Henson (25.7%)- Blocks and rebound target in any league format.

Thon Maker (1.0%)- 0.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in 18.0 minutes make Maker interesting to add in deeper leagues.

Matthew Dellavedova (0.5%)- Assists target in leagues with 14 teams or more.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Raymond Felton (1.4%)- 16 team league or more stream for assists and rebounds from a point guard.

Jerami Grant (1.0%)- Grant’s 0.9 blocks per game make him attractive in larger leagues.

Toronto Raptors

Delon Wright (4.9%)- Wright’s 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in only 21.5 minutes makes him a worthy stream.

C.J. Miles (3.0%)- 3-pointers made target at 2.4 per game.

Jakob Poeltl (2.5%)- Stream Poeltl for his 1.2 blocks per game in only 17.6 minutes.

Fred VanVleet (1.1%)- Deeper league target for steals with the potential to blossom into more with increased playing time.

OG Anunoby (0.7%)- 14 team league or more add for steals.

Friday-Saturday

Indiana Pacers

Bojan Bogdanovic (20.3%)- Points and 3-pointers add.

Lance Stephenson (8.8%)- 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on the season make Stephenson an add for teams needing both categories.

Cory Joseph (2.4%)- 14 plus team league add for rebounds, assists, and steals.

Miami Heat

Kelly Olynyk (28.3%)- Olynyk provides a unique combination of points, threes, rebounds, assists, and steals for any league format.

Wayne Ellington (18.5%)- 3.1 3-pointers with 11.5 points make Ellington a top add for needy teams.

Tyler Johnson (14.3%)- Returned from an ankle injury on Jan. 27 and should provide well in points, threes, steal, and blocks going forward.

Justise Winslow (4.3%)- 14 teams plus add for rebounds and assists.

Bam Adebayo (2.6%)- Adebayo has a Mason Plumlee skillset with a better shooting stroke, but in only 20 minutes save him for the deeper leagues.

Philadelphia 76ers

T.J. McConnell (11.8%)- A worthy stream for assists, rebounds, and steals in any league.

Golden State Warriors

Zaza Pachulia (1.8%)- If you need assists from a center in a deeper league than add Pachulia.

David West (1.7%)- West’s 1.1 blocks per game make him attractive.

New Orleans Pelicans

E’Twaun Moore (15.8%)- Moore should see an increased offensive role with Boogie Cousins out for the season, and he is already averaging 12.8 points, 1.7 3-pointers, and 1.0 steal per game.

Darius Miller (6.3%)- 3-pointers made add especially in deeper leagues.

Sacramento Kings

De’Aaron Fox (36.4%) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (31.0%)- Should be owned in all leagues the rest of the season.

Buddy Hield (29.8%)- Points and 3-pointers made target who is averaging almost a steal per game.

Utah Jazz

Joe Ingles (29.1%)- Should be owned in all leagues.

Saturday-Sunday

No teams scheduled

Looking ahead to Week 17

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

Sunday-Monday of Week 17

Charlotte Hornets

Marvin Williams (18.9%)- Williams has been playing well lately.  He provides an across the board line that helps a touch in every category.

Frank Kaminsky (11.5%)- Kaminsky is a problematic add in a standard league because he does not provide the rebounds or defensive stats to cut it.  If you need ten points and 1.5 3-pointers from a big man, Kaminsky is your man.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (7.5%)- MKG is slowly coming on and should provide enough in the defensive categories to matter in any league.  Be aware he doesn’t shoot 3’s, though.

Portland Trail Blazers

Listed under Tuesday-Wednesday

Final thoughts

Hopefully, everything stays the course as we approach the finish line.  If you have any questions, you can Tweet me @wattsy4444, or our main account @hashbasketball and we will answer all your basketball related inquiries.  Be sure to check out the Watching the Boxes Podcast for all the fantasy basketball information you need in audio form.