2024 NBA Fantasy Playoff Schedule March 18th to April 7th
By Justin PaulFebruary 17, 2024
2024 NBA Fantasy Playoff Schedule March 18th to April 7th
Well, we made it folks! Time for the all-star break! We are at the stage of the NBA season with about 65% complete and we only have about 35% to go! And it means the NBA fantasy playoffs are on the way soon! For standard yahoo public money leagues those playoffs are March 18th to April 7th and will be my focus here. It is widely played by many fantasy managers so hopefully this helps out managers win their league. This article can be used for trades you are considering or streaming pickups right now or in the future. Most leagues still have not reached the trade deadline. (March 7th, 2024 is the default setting) So there is still time to trade for the players you want/need with beneficial schedules. It's also important to quickly mention that the teams with the most games from Wednesday, February 14th to March 17th are Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers,Charlotte Hornets, LA Clippers, Washington Wizards, (all with 15) so players on these teams are more likely to "get you into the playoffs". More important if you are already struggling to make a playoff seed. Of course each week can bring its own unique set of benefits (quality games) or negatives that would also require a breakdown, but for this article, I'm putting a direct focus on standard playoff weeks.
Teams to focus on if you have March 18th to April 7th playoffs:
All of these NBA teams have 12 games each: Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, and Golden State Warriors. So you have your superstars like Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid (if healthy), Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox appear set to be leaders for fantasy managers. However not all of these 12 games are created equal. I will dive into that in this article. Atlanta Hawks have a nice schedule. As do Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans. It's not always about how many games, but the QUALITY of the games. If a game is played on a night where the NBA has only a few games scheduled it is a "quality game". If you keep reading though this you will find out Cleveland Cavaliers (and Los Angeles Lakers) might be a tad more risky championship week. Various other teams have some back-to-backs mixed in so you would expect more rest for top players and injured players. Players we have already seen miss time are the biggest rest candidates, but other injuries will undoubtedly pop up. The mid-level players might actually see increased usage and other streamers become useful/strong in those games too. It also helps to scroll ahead to these dates to see if you have "fringe" players sitting on the bench on high volume days and maybe you are better suited to trade them away or replace with quality streamer. Let’s break all of this down week by week.
For the week of March 18th:
You do not want Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks because they only have 2 games. Dallas though it is actually 2 quality games.
Minnesota Timberwolves have a back-to-back to start the week. This could be a perfect way to stash a lesser player to be used for that, but downgrade Mike Conley who may rest. You could also use a Minnesota player for the 2 games then stream the roster spot. (Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson, Alexander/Walker, Monte Morris)
Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic all have 3 quality games on TUES/THURS/SAT which then you can stream SUN. (Markelle Fultz, Cole Anthony, Jon Isaac, Goga Bitadze, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason (if he gets healthy), Reggie Jackson)
Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz all have 4 games from MON to SAT allowing you to stream on SUN. (Scoot Henderson, Kris Dunn, Keyonte George, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman, Taylor Hendricks, Harrison Barnes, Malik Monk)
Careful of the back-to-backs that Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz where extra rest might occur. (Any player who might be nursing an injury might get extra time off and tanking teams. You want players on teams that "need to win". I usually check the NBA standings page which can be found here: https://global.nba.com/standings/)
Something to mention regarding the back-to-backs is it often opens up a valuable streamer during one of those games so pay attention for that.
The very best 4 game teams without back-to-backs worries are Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers. Again please make sure you scroll ahead to those dates to view your roster to ensure they will actually be in your starting lineup. Brandin Podziemski is still available in numerous leagues. Some other streamers are: Ausar Thompson, Simone Fontecchio, Marcus Sasser, Isaiah Jackson (depending on the health of Jalen Smith), TJ McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Benedict Mathurin, Paul Reed (depending on the health of Embiid), Buddy Hield, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okorro. It's also very important what stats you need in your matchup. I could write a whole other article on ways to decipher that. There are also sites that do the projections for you. I do wonder if Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are strong for this week since there are no back-to-backs? I reckon they should be? It is the Heat though and they like to pull some resting stunts. Trade for many top players on these teams to gain advantage in this week.
For the week of March 25:
This would be the week to target these players in trades if you are certain or likely to have a first-round bye.
Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans are so very special, because both play 3 quality games on TUES/THURS/SAT on the week of March 25th. For this week you absolutely don't want teams who play the high volume MON/WED/FRI/SUN games because they will be riding on your bench anyway and it's best to get maximum games instead of zeros on the bench. It’s enormous how many teams play those days!!! Having two or three players on your roster from Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans will be "week winners". Some streamers that could be useful here are Bobby Portis, Patrick Beverley, Pat Connaughton, Malik Beasley, Herbert Jones, Jose Alvarado, Larry Nance Jr, Trey Murphy. There might be more streamers depending on injuries too. Trade for the top or mid-players. Kris Middleton a great buy low right now. Also with the various negativity circling around Dame Lilliard he is absolutely a buy low. (Which is mind boggling, since he is the 24th ranked player!)
Atlanta Hawks are special here with 3 games from MON/THURS and 4 games MON/SAT (then you can stream SUN to get the “must-win” for the week). Players I would be looking into for streaming are Okongwu, Bruno Fernando, DeAndre Hunter, possibly Kobe Bufkin. Buy low on Clint Capela. Trade for the top or mid-level players. If you could gain a mid level player to use for those 3 games then stream 2 more games FRI/SUN.
Teams with back-to-backs to be aware of are Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Lively, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, others at risk to rest) These players might look like they have a quality game, but then suddenly they get rested and miss it! So be aware of that!
For the week of April 7th:
Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks with 2 quality games on TUES/THURS, plus 4 games for the week.
Denver Nuggets have 3 quality games TUES/THURS/SAT.
Philadelphia 76ers have 3 quality games on TUES/THURS/SAT plus they play SUN.
Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies have 4 games from MON to SAT allowing you to stream Sunday Apr 7th.
Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers both have TWO sets of back-to-backs... This could mean more rest games for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland. Some big names at risk. What seems like an appealing schedule might turn into a "trap" upon further analysis! They might only play 2 games this week! Of course this also depends if they are playing meaningful "must win" games.
Other teams with one set of back-to-backs are Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons. Target streamers on these teams to take advantage of 2 games for 1 add.
Brooklyn Nets have TWO back-to-backs here with one on SUN/MON and another end of the week SAT/SUN so Ben Simmons might only play in 2 games this week which would open the door to either Dennis Smith Jr or Dennis Schroeder.
Generally, it’s best to win the most important week where you are in danger of elimination. It is better to at least lock up 2nd or 3rd place than worry about championship week. For this reason, the previous week(s) are actually more important, but be aware of some benefits and concerns.
Overall there are various positives and negatives all over. For your trade considerations, I would say that if you have "two similar players" the tiebreaker goes to the one with the better schedule. One of the hardest aspects of this is trying to predict what sorts of rest we will see on back-to-backs and also where teams will be at in the standings if they "need to win games" or not. Injuries will be important to adapt to as well. And by adapt, what I mean is adding replacements who can step up to do fairly well, sometimes enormously well. (Many years I have won championships with "a bunch of waiver wire warriors") All of this may open up some streamer options too... (It is advisable to have at least one spot on your roster as your "streaming spot" to get 5 games or sometimes 6 even 7 games from that single roster spot) Remember to be targeting some of these back-to-backs to use only one add to get two games from a streamer who can be quite useful. This is how you can gain 7 games from a single "streaming spot". It's also very important to consider what week you will be entering playoffs and if you are likely to have a first-round bye. I think the best plan is to have an overall strong schedule, but also (maybe more important) is to plan ahead for the particular week that you are most likely to be facing elimination. Plan it out folks. “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail”. -Benjamin Franklin. Hope this helps! Save and bookmark for future or when you are considering a trade. Enjoy the many all-star break festivities!
