Week 24 in fantasy basketball is here, and that means only three weeks left in the regular season.  That means playoffs in head-to-head leagues.  Good luck this week and hopefully a championship is coming your way shortly.  Please 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: Week 24 brings a bit of an odd schedule.  17 teams play four games, and the Toronto Raptors play just twice.  I would avoid all Raptors if possible but consider both DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.  The balance of games per day is a bit strange, but more on that later.

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. JaMychal Green- Memphis Grizzlies (39.9%)- Made Green the top option to troll myself. He is still not a fantastic fantasy option, but he is rebounding and scoring too much to go unowned at this point.
2. Al-Farouq Aminu- Portland Trail Blazers (36.0%)- Aminu is on a tear in his last six games and has been worth owning all season. Consider that enough for him to be part of my lineup this week.
3. John Henson- Milwaukee Bucks (25.7%)- Still blocking and rebounding enough to make him a must own.
4. Denzel Valentine- Chicago Bulls (28.3%)- Valentine an across the board fantasy contributor even in 27 minutes per game.
5. Andrew Harrison- Memphis Grizzlies (5.5%)- The Griz likely starting point guard should produce well in points and assists.
6. Cameron Payne- Chicago Bulls (10.7%)- Kris Dunn’s status is huge here, but I am banking on Payne starting and being productive. 
7. Nerlens Noel- Dallas Mavericks (8.4%)- Noel is playing great in limited minutes and should produce well in rebounds, steals, and blocks.
8. Quinn Cook- Golden State Warriors (29.8%)- Given his recent production, Cook should be much higher, but the return of Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson likely puts a significant damper on his parade. KD is close to returning.
9. JJ Barea- Dallas Mavericks (25.5%)- Add him for the assists, but the upside is there in points, threes, and rebounds.
10. Reggie Bullock- Detroit Pistons (19.1%)- Bullock is getting over 32 minutes a night in March and should be a dependable source of points, threes, and steals.

Daily roster changes

First, a word on the schedule itself: Sunday can be eliminated as a streaming day immediately as it houses 13 games.  The breakdown from there looks odd on paper.  Monday, Thursday, and Saturday feature five games.  Tuesday and Wednesday have eight games, and Friday has nine.  So the other six days are balanced and should be ripe for streaming.

NOTE: Every single team that has four games this week plays on Sunday, so the best schedule of the week goes to the Detroit Pistons.  They play on every day with only five games plus Sunday.

Back-to-backs

Monday- Tuesday

Denver Nuggets

Wilson Chandler (37.4%)- It is difficult predicting Chandler’s line from night to night, but he plays significant minutes and has owned a fantasy relevant game for years.  Chandler is getting a more significant offensive workload with Gary Harris out as well.

Mason Plumlee (4.7%)- Blocks streamer.

Tuesday-Wednesday

Cleveland Cavaliers

George Hill (22.6%)- Hill is a steals streamer on the Cavs with upside in points.  Currently, on an unsustainable run of blocked shots, but do not count on any.

Dallas Mavericks

J.J. Barea (25.5%)- Barea is perhaps the best assists streamer on the wire plus he helps in 3-pointers and rebounds for a guard.

Yogi Ferrell (9.1%)- Ferrell plays a load of minutes, and that means he is a safe dozen points with likely a steal and some small contributions in other categories.

Nerlens Noel (8.4%)- Minutes are limited, but he is fantastic per minute producer especially in rebounds, blocks, and steals.

LA Clippers

Montrezl Harrell (17.9%)- Continues to score well in limited minutes.

Portland Trail Blazers

Al-Farouq Aminu (36.0%)- Aminu is the across the board contributor that can take your team from an L to a W in a hurry.

Maurice Harkless (5.4%)- The upside in blocks and steals is tantalizing, but the minutes are uninspiring. 

Wednesday-Thursday

No teams scheduled.

Thursday-Friday

Chicago Bulls

Denzel Valentine (28.3%)- Valentine is a healthy contributor in 3-pointers, points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

Cameron Payne (10.7%)- As long as Kris Dunn is out, Payne should be used with assists and steals as his standout categories.

Cristiano Felicio (5.8%)- A double-double (rebounds and points) threat down the stretch.

Milwaukee Bucks

John Henson (25.7%)- Henson is a blocks and rebounds addition worth your while.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Corey Brewer (19.9%)- Stealing the ball and Thunder fan’s hearts is what Brewer has been doing lately.

Jerami Grant (2.4%)- Deeper league blocks stream.

Friday-Saturday

No teams scheduled.

Looking ahead to Week 25

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.  No teams play a Sunday and Monday back-to-back because Monday is an off day for everyone.  To compound the issue both Sunday and Tuesday feature 13 games meaning you are unlikely to stream on either day.  So a tip for next week is to avoid the Timberwolves, Kings, and Thunder.  The Warriors have next week’s top schedule but lack great streaming options given the uncertainty of their rotation.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, the championship is almost within your grasp.  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 podcast form.