Congratulations!  You survived the opening week of the NBA season.  Hopefully, you won your week and are riding high into week two.  If you did not win, week 2 is here and presenting a chance to rebound. 

Today, I will look ahead at the week 2 schedule for both weekly and daily changes head-to-head leagues in an attempt to allow you to maximize your games and win your matchup.  Remember to use our NBA schedule grid to check team's schedules every week.  

Weekly lock leagues

Pro Tip: Games matter in head-to-head fantasy basketball.  For the simplest example say you have a player who scores 15 points a game and a player who scores 12.  Well, of course, you want 15, but if 15 only plays three games that is 45 points for the week.  If 12 point scorer has four games, then you score 48 points for the week.  Every NBA team plays 3 or 4 games in the upcoming week.  Below are the top pickups which are less than 40% owned in ESPN leagues playing four games this week.

Note: I am not benching any studs that have three games, only bench players at the end of your starting line-up.  Last three active spots in a standard league is a safe rule.

Top 10 potential pickups playing four games:  (All ownership percentages based on ESPN leagues)

1. Taurean Prince- Atlanta Hawks (13.5%)
2. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson- Brooklyn Nets (31.8%)
3. Dewayne Dedmon- Atlanta Hawks (9.7%)
4. Dejounte Murray- San Antonio Spurs (36.9%)
5. Trevor Booker- Brooklyn Nets (38.2%)
6. Ryan Anderson- Houston Rockets (33.8%)
7. P.J. Tucker- Houston Rockets (9.1%)
8. Jeremy Lamb- Charlotte Hornets (5.6%)
9. Caris LeVert- Brooklyn Nets (6.2%)
10. John Collins- Atlanta Hawks (5.9%)

** J.J. Barea is an excellent pickup if Dennis Smith Jr. misses the week.  Smith Jr. is questionable for Monday’s game, so it is a definite gamble in a weekly league.

Daily roster changes

These leagues allow for more streaming, but usually, limit the number of adds each week.  The goal here is to use back-to-back sets to maximize the streaming potential. 

First, a word on the schedule itself: Wednesday features ten games so you may not be able to fit someone into your active line-up so be sure to check that out.  Monday and Saturday both feature eight games, so two other potential days your roster is full.

Back-to-backs

Monday-Tuesday

No teams

Tuesday-Wednesday

Brooklyn Nets

Trevor Booker (38.2%)- Booker has started off the season with unsustainably hot shooting but should be a source of points and rebounds in this back-to-back set

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (31.8%)- worried about his minutes so far, but RHJ is good source of steals even in limited action

Allen Crabbe (13.3%)- Also only playing about 27 minutes a night, but Crabbe should be a decent stream for points and 3-pointers

Cleveland Cavaliers

Tristian Thompson (59.2%)- Averaging 7.7 rebounds in 23.3 minutes in his three games this season and it is sustainable.  If you need rebounds, this is your stream

Indiana Pacers

Bojan Bogdanovic/Lance Stephenson- both low owned, but they are splitting the minutes making either player tough to recommend for fantasy.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Taj Gibson (12.3)- playing about 27 minutes a game as the starting four should mean Taj is good for seven rebounds and a block per game

Jamal Crawford (14.8%)- only playing 21.5 minutes per game, but Crawford is going to shoot when on the court.  A secondary points and 3’s option behind Allen Crabbe

Utah Jazz

Joe Ingles (27.3%)- Embarrassing ownership for Ingles in ESPN leagues, pick him up, people.  He is not just a stream, but a player that should be owned.  Ingles could easily be a top 100 player (and he’s playing 31 minutes a game).  If nothing else, he will be a fantastic source of steals.

Donovan Mitchell (6.8%)- If Rodney Hood is out, Mitchell will be asked to start, and he can make offense happen despite his poor shooting start.

Wednesday-Thursday

Dallas Mavericks

Yogi Ferrell (3.5%)- Playing 34.3 minutes a night so far and producing.  I am not sure the long-term value is fantastic, but anybody playing 34 minutes is worth a stream.

J.J. Barea (4.9%)-  Could be juicy if Dennis Smith Jr. sits out, but Barea should provide a handful of assists and points even if the rookie returns.

Memphis Grizzlies

Tyreke Evans- He will most likely sit out one of these two games just an FYI. 

Thursday-Friday

Atlanta Hawks

Taurean Prince (13.5%)- Prince should pile on the defensive stats while scoring in double figures despite playing minutes in the high 20’s so far.

Dewayne Dedmon (9.7%)- Dedmon is criminally under-owned as he should be safe for seven rebounds and a block per game in 25 minutes a night.

John Collins (5.9%)- Collins has the look of a per minute production stud, but now all he needs is more than 21 minutes to showcase his talents.

Friday-Saturday

Houston Rockets

Ryan Anderson (33.8%)- If you need 3’s from a big man then Anderson should produce for you, but he will provide few other statistics.

P.J. Tucker (9.1%)- Tucker should provide 3’s and steals in bunches in this Rockets system, so take a shot if you are lacking in those areas.

Los Angeles Lakers

Larry Nance Jr. (18.7%)- Despite starting, Nance is not playing huge minutes.  He should provide defensive stats with safe percentages though for streaming purposes.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Look for better options elsewhere

Saturday-Sunday

Cleveland Cavaliers

I mentioned the Cavaliers earlier in the article, but monitor the health and rotations situations over the week to see if anything changes.

Detroit Pistons

Ish Smith (5.2%)- Assists are challenging to come by, but Smith should average around four per game in his current role.

Stanley Johnson (2.5%)- Johnson is playing 31 minutes a night, but he looks to be a field goal percentage killer.  Expect decent rebounds and steals, though.

Jon Leuer (2.5%)- Leuer is off to a slow start, but expect 5.5 rebounds and double-digit points per game with solid percentages in a 25 minute a night role moving forward.

Final thoughts

Good luck in week 2.  Be sure to check out the Watching the Boxes Podcast for all the fantasy basketball information you desire.  Thank you for reading.