It's playoff time!
| Week 21: | March 16th – March 22th |
|---|---|
| Four Games: | NYK, ORL, SAC, ATL, BOS, DEN, DET, GSW, LAC, MEM, MIL, MIN, NOP, MIA, CLE, IND, CHA, BKN, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS, PHI, OKC, DAL |
| Three Games: | PHO, CHI, LAL, HOU |
For most fantasy leagues, Week 21 represents the start of the fantasy playoffs, and the playoffs are what playing fantasy basketball is all about: the chance to prove that you are the best fantasy player in your league.
Here are our Week 21 rankings to help you navigate your first-round matchup. The Rankings are based on each player's projected stats (which you can find here), as well as the number of games each player plays in Week 21. A few things to keep in mind:
- The table above shows the number of games each team plays in Week 21. Only four teams play three games, which makes it more difficult than usual to play players with only three games.
- RotoWire's recommended strategy (which we've discussed since the preseason) for head-to-head leagues is to focus on being as dominate as you can in the six positive counting categories (points, rebounds, three-pointers, assists, steals, and blocks), even if that means you aren't competitive in the other three categories (field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and turnovers).
This strategy is even more effective in the fantasy playoffs because all that matters now is advancing to the next round. As a result, these rankings take into account only the six positive counting categories. If you're using a different punting strategy, you can create custom rest-of-season rankings here.
Point Guard
My Two Cents:
Marcus Smart's production in the counting categories have been underrated all season, and with Isaiah Thomas's (back/elbow) health in question, Smart becomes close to a must-add this week. Over the last month, Smart has averaged 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.3 3PM, and 0.3 blocks.
Mo Williams has played great since arriving in Charlotte (21 points, 7.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 2.7 3PM), but with Kemba Walker working his way back into the rotation, I'd be nervous about the level of playing time Mo will get this week. I'd keep him out of your lineup in shallower leagues if possible.
Isaiah Canaan projects to make 11.4 three-pointers this week, the third-highest in our projections. (I wish I had an audio clip from our Fantasy Basketball Podcast of Kyle McKeown yelling "Canaan Ball!" to put here.) Canaan is owned in just 22% of ESPN leagues.
| Rank | Player | Games | Overall Rank | Overall Value | ESPN % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PG1 | Russell Westbrook | 4 | 1 | $67 | 100% |
| PG2 | Stephen Curry | 4 | 2 | $64 | 100% |
| PG3 | Chris Paul | 4 | 5 | $52 | 100% |
| PG4 | Damian Lillard | 4 | 7 | $44 | 100% |
| PG5 | John Wall | 4 | 9 | $42 | 100% |
| PG6 | Ricky Rubio | 4 | 10 | $40 | 79% |
| PG7 | Kyle Lowry | 4 | 11 | $39 | 98% |
| PG8 | Kyrie Irving | 4 | 14 | $35 | 100% |
| PG9 | Michael Carter-Williams | 4 | 28 | $30 | 84% |
| PG10 | Kemba Walker | 4 | 29 | $29 | 80% |
| PG11 | Mike Conley | 4 | 30 | $29 | 92% |
| PG12 | Jeff Teague | 4 | 34 | $26 | 91% |
| PG13 | Deron Williams | 4 | 43 | $22 | 75% |
| PG14 | Isaiah Canaan | 4 | 44 | $21 | 22% |
| PG15 | Isaiah Thomas | 4 | 46 | $21 | 73% |
| PG16 | Rajon Rondo | 4 | 48 | $20 | 80% |
| PG17 | Marcus Smart | 4 | 49 | $20 | 7% |
| PG18 | George Hill | 4 | 53 | $19 | 55% |
| PG19 | Elfrid Payton | 4 | 55 | $19 | 36% |
| PG20 | Ty Lawson | 4 | 58 | $19 | 96% |
| PG21 | Reggie Jackson | 4 | 74 | $14 | 74% |
| PG22 | Goran Dragic | 4 | 78 | $12 | 92% |
| PG23 | Louis Williams | 4 | 87 | $10 | 44% |
| PG24 | Tony Parker | 4 | 89 | $9 | 83% |
| PG25 | Eric Bledsoe | 3 | 102 | $5 | 96% |
| PG26 | Mario Chalmers | 4 | 103 | $5 | 16% |
| PG27 | Trey Burke | 4 | 106 | $4 | 34% |
| PG28 | Dennis Schroder | 4 | 107 | $4 | 12% |
| PG29 | Ray McCallum | 4 | 109 | $3 | 5% |
| PG30 | Mo Williams | 4 | 115 | $3 | 66% |
| PG31 | Devin Harris | 4 | 118 | $2 | 3% |
| PG32 | Greivis Vasquez | 4 | 119 | $1 | 3% |
| PG33 | Brandon Knight | 3 | 126 | $1 | 81% |
| PG34 | Jarrett Jack | 4 | 132 | $1 | 30% |
| PG35 | D.J. Augustin | 4 | 138 | $1 | 16% |
| PG36 | Ish Smith | 4 | 152 | $1 | 3% |
| PG37 | Andre Miller | 4 | 153 | $1 | 1% |
| PG38 | Nick Calathes | 4 | 158 | $ - | 0% |
| PG39 | Aaron Brooks | 3 | 168 | $ - | 19% |
| PG40 | C.J. Watson | 4 | 172 | $ - | 2% |
| PG41 | Shaun Livingston | 4 | 173 | $ - | 5% |
| PG42 | Gary Neal | 4 | 177 | $ - | 3% |
| PG43 | Patrick Beverley | 3 | 178 | $ - | 19% |
Shooting Guard
My Two Cents:
The only shooting guard with three games this week that I'm willing to play is James Harden. There are simply too many other good options to consider playing anyone else on Chicago, Phoenix, or Los Angeles.
| Rank | Player | Games | Overall Rank | Overall Value | ESPN % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG1 | Klay Thompson | 4 | 12 | $39 | 99% |
| SG2 | Victor Oladipo | 4 | 15 | $35 | 85% |
| SG3 | Monta Ellis | 4 | 22 | $31 | 97% |
| SG4 | Gordon Hayward | 4 | 23 | $30 | 95% |
| SG5 | Dwyane Wade | 4 | 33 | $27 | 95% |
| SG6 | DeMar DeRozan | 4 | 47 | $20 | 94% |
| SG7 | Eric Gordon | 4 | 57 | $19 | 54% |
| SG8 | James Harden | 3 | 60 | $18 | 100% |
| SG9 | Kyle Korver | 4 | 61 | $18 | 79% |
| SG10 | Danny Green | 4 | 64 | $17 | 56% |
| SG11 | Bradley Beal | 4 | 66 | $16 | 72% |
| SG12 | Andrew Wiggins | 4 | 67 | $16 | 82% |
| SG13 | J.J. Redick | 4 | 68 | $16 | 60% |
| SG14 | J.R. Smith | 4 | 70 | $15 | 47% |
| SG15 | Kevin Martin | 4 | 73 | $15 | 75% |
| SG16 | Joe Johnson | 4 | 79 | $12 | 79% |
| SG17 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 4 | 81 | $12 | 10% |
| SG18 | Avery Bradley | 4 | 82 | $12 | 35% |
| SG19 | Tony Allen | 4 | 84 | $11 | 6% |
| SG20 | Jason Richardson | 4 | 85 | $11 | 2% |
| SG21 | Evan Turner | 4 | 90 | $9 | 18% |
| SG22 | Rodney Stuckey | 4 | 92 | $8 | 39% |
| SG23 | Alexey Shved | 4 | 93 | $8 | 13% |
| SG24 | Langston Galloway | 4 | 99 | $6 | 12% |
| SG25 | Iman Shumpert | 4 | 104 | $4 | 4% |
| SG26 | Dion Waiters | 4 | 108 | $4 | 7% |
| SG27 | Ben McLemore | 4 | 111 | $3 | 10% |
| SG28 | Will Barton | 4 | 117 | $2 | 7% |
| SG29 | Arron Afflalo | 4 | 120 | $1 | 48% |
| SG30 | Markel Brown | 4 | 122 | $1 | 0% |
| SG31 | Jodie Meeks | 4 | 127 | $1 | 4% |
| SG32 | Courtney Lee | 4 | 128 | $1 | 7% |
| SG33 | Manu Ginobili | 4 | 129 | $1 | 23% |
| SG34 | Terrence Ross | 4 | 130 | $1 | 13% |
| SG35 | Randy Foye | 4 | 131 | $1 | 1% |
| SG36 | Gerald Henderson | 4 | 133 | $1 | 20% |
| SG37 | Tim Hardaway | 4 | 135 | $1 | 7% |
| SG38 | Dante Exum | 4 | 147 | $1 | 1% |
| SG39 | Henry Walker | 4 | 148 | $1 | 1% |
| SG40 | Kent Bazemore | 4 | 149 | $1 | 0% |
| SG41 | O.J. Mayo | 4 | 156 | $1 | 6% |
| SG42 | Tyler Johnson | 4 | 159 | $ - | 1% |
| SG43 | Marco Belinelli | 4 | 170 | $ - | 1% |
| SG44 | Rodney Hood | 4 | 181 | $ - | 1% |
| SG45 | Evan Fournier | 4 | 186 | $ - | 4% |
| SG46 | P.J. Tucker | 3 | 190 | $ - | 24% |
| SG47 | Lance Stephenson | 4 | 192 | $ - | 24% |
| SG48 | Anthony Morrow | 4 | 193 | $ - | 2% |
| SG49 | Elijah Millsap | 4 | 199 | $ - | 0% |
| SG50 | Bojan Bogdanovic | 4 | 200 | $ - | 1% |
Small Forward
My Two Cents:
Jae Crowder has a great chance to accumulate 6+ three-pointers and steals this week. He also provides solid production in rebounds and blocks, which makes him a solid add this week.
Even if Josh Smith and Trevor Ariza are usually in your lineup, this might be a week to go with a different option due to their three-game schedule.
| Rank | Player | Games | Overall Rank | Overall Value | ESPN % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF1 | LeBron James | 4 | 4 | $55 | 100% |
| SF2 | Kawhi Leonard | 4 | 6 | $46 | 98% |
| SF3 | Draymond Green | 4 | 13 | $38 | 81% |
| SF4 | Rudy Gay | 4 | 24 | $30 | 99% |
| SF5 | Khris Middleton | 4 | 27 | $30 | 59% |
| SF6 | Nicolas Batum | 4 | 32 | $27 | 82% |
| SF7 | Tyreke Evans | 4 | 38 | $25 | 86% |
| SF8 | Chandler Parsons | 4 | 41 | $22 | 87% |
| SF9 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | 4 | 50 | $20 | 70% |
| SF10 | Jae Crowder | 4 | 59 | $18 | 7% |
| SF11 | Danilo Gallinari | 4 | 65 | $17 | 46% |
| SF12 | Luol Deng | 4 | 69 | $16 | 69% |
| SF13 | Thaddeus Young | 4 | 72 | $15 | 78% |
| SF14 | C.J. Miles | 4 | 77 | $13 | 6% |
| SF15 | Wilson Chandler | 4 | 80 | $12 | 51% |
| SF16 | DeMarre Carroll | 4 | 83 | $11 | 32% |
| SF17 | Matt Barnes | 4 | 88 | $10 | 7% |
| SF18 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | 4 | 91 | $8 | 33% |
| SF19 | Jeff Green | 4 | 95 | $8 | 69% |
| SF20 | Andre Iguodala | 4 | 96 | $7 | 14% |
| SF21 | Paul Pierce | 4 | 101 | $5 | 40% |
| SF22 | Luc Mbah a Moute | 4 | 112 | $3 | 7% |
| SF23 | Harrison Barnes | 4 | 123 | $1 | 21% |
| SF24 | Marvin Williams | 4 | 125 | $1 | 1% |
| SF25 | James Johnson | 4 | 146 | $1 | 5% |
| SF26 | Solomon Hill | 4 | 151 | $1 | 3% |
| SF27 | Trevor Ariza | 3 | 154 | $1 | 75% |
| SF28 | Caron Butler | 4 | 155 | $1 | 1% |
| SF29 | Otto Porter | 4 | 163 | $ - | 1% |
| SF30 | Omri Casspi | 4 | 167 | $ - | 1% |
| SF31 | Jerami Grant | 4 | 175 | $ - | 1% |
| SF32 | Jared Dudley | 4 | 176 | $ - | 1% |
| SF33 | Hollis Thompson | 4 | 179 | $ - | 1% |
| SF34 | Cleanthony Early | 4 | 180 | $ - | 0% |
| SF35 | Josh Smith | 3 | 188 | $ - | 76% |
Power Forward
My Two Cents:
There was some concern about whether Robert Covington would ever regain his pre-injury level of playing time in Philadelphia. Over the past three games, he's averaged 26.3 minutes, so feel free to deploy him as usual.
If you are lacking three-pointers and steals, Ersan Ilyasova projects to get five three-pointers and three steals this week. I would have to be a little desperate to trust him, but his unusual-for-his-position production makes him interesting this week.
| Rank | Player | Games | Overall Rank | Overall Value | ESPN % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PF1 | Anthony Davis | 4 | 3 | $56 | 100% |
| PF2 | Paul Millsap | 4 | 17 | $34 | 97% |
| PF3 | LaMarcus Aldridge | 4 | 19 | $33 | 100% |
| PF4 | Blake Griffin | 4 | 26 | $30 | 98% |
| PF5 | Greg Monroe | 4 | 35 | $26 | 89% |
| PF6 | Serge Ibaka | 4 | 36 | $26 | 99% |
| PF7 | Kevin Love | 4 | 37 | $26 | 100% |
| PF8 | Tim Duncan | 4 | 39 | $25 | 94% |
| PF9 | Derrick Favors | 4 | 40 | $25 | 91% |
| PF10 | Tobias Harris | 4 | 45 | $21 | 80% |
| PF11 | Robert Covington | 4 | 54 | $19 | 35% |
| PF12 | Zach Randolph | 4 | 62 | $18 | 94% |
| PF13 | Dirk Nowitzki | 4 | 75 | $14 | 97% |
| PF14 | Kenneth Faried | 4 | 76 | $13 | 83% |
| PF15 | Ersan Ilyasova | 4 | 94 | $8 | 9% |
| PF16 | David West | 4 | 97 | $7 | 66% |
| PF17 | Andrea Bargnani | 4 | 100 | $5 | 29% |
| PF18 | Patrick Patterson | 4 | 110 | $3 | 5% |
| PF19 | Brandon Bass | 4 | 121 | $1 | 15% |
| PF20 | Nene Hilario | 4 | 124 | $1 | 20% |
| PF21 | Pau Gasol | 3 | 136 | $1 | 97% |
| PF22 | Luis Scola | 4 | 140 | $1 | 4% |
| PF23 | Amir Johnson | 4 | 142 | $1 | 15% |
| PF24 | Joe Ingles | 4 | 144 | $1 | 0% |
| PF25 | Tiago Splitter | 4 | 145 | $1 | 1% |
| PF26 | Markieff Morris | 3 | 162 | $ - | 72% |
| PF27 | Terrence Jones | 3 | 164 | $ - | 62% |
| PF28 | Tristan Thompson | 4 | 166 | $ - | 20% |
| PF29 | Amar'e Stoudemire | 4 | 171 | $ - | 13% |
| PF30 | Trevor Booker | 4 | 174 | $ - | 1% |
| PF31 | Adreian Payne | 4 | 182 | $ - | 1% |
| PF32 | Louis Amundson | 4 | 183 | $ - | 1% |
| PF33 | John Henson | 4 | 185 | $ - | 6% |
| PF34 | Thomas Robinson | 4 | 189 | $ - | 2% |
| PF35 | Boris Diaw | 4 | 194 | $ - | 3% |
| PF36 | Channing Frye | 4 | 195 | $ - | 4% |
| PF37 | Jason Thompson | 4 | 196 | $ - | 1% |
| PF38 | Anthony Tolliver | 4 | 197 | $ - | 0% |
Center
My Two Cents:
It's hard for me to believe that Rudy Gobert is unowned in 39% of ESPN leagues, but if that's true for your league, please, for the love of everything that is holy, go pick him up. He should get you 45+ rebounds and 12+ blocks this week, which is absurd.
Andrew Bogut's per-minute numbers have been off the chart this season (12.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per 36 minutes), so I have no problem using him this week as a stream option in daily moves leagues; however, I would be nervous to put him in a weekly league. The risk of injury or rest far outweighs the potential reward.
| Rank | Player | Games | Overall Rank | Overall Value | ESPN % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | DeMarcus Cousins | 4 | 8 | $42 | 100% |
| C2 | Rudy Gobert | 4 | 16 | $35 | 61% |
| C3 | DeAndre Jordan | 4 | 18 | $33 | 97% |
| C4 | Andre Drummond | 4 | 20 | $32 | 98% |
| C5 | Hassan Whiteside | 4 | 21 | $31 | 79% |
| C6 | Nerlens Noel | 4 | 25 | $30 | 66% |
| C7 | Marc Gasol | 4 | 31 | $29 | 99% |
| C8 | Nikola Vucevic | 4 | 42 | $22 | 96% |
| C9 | Al Jefferson | 4 | 51 | $20 | 97% |
| C10 | Brook Lopez | 4 | 52 | $19 | 82% |
| C11 | Al Horford | 4 | 56 | $19 | 96% |
| C12 | Gorgui Dieng | 4 | 63 | $18 | 46% |
| C13 | Marcin Gortat | 4 | 71 | $15 | 82% |
| C14 | Tyson Chandler | 4 | 86 | $10 | 79% |
| C15 | Andrew Bogut | 4 | 98 | $6 | 27% |
| C16 | Kelly Olynyk | 4 | 105 | $4 | 10% |
| C17 | Roy Hibbert | 4 | 113 | $3 | 55% |
| C18 | Robin Lopez | 4 | 114 | $3 | 37% |
| C19 | Jonas Valanciunas | 4 | 116 | $2 | 71% |
| C20 | Zaza Pachulia | 4 | 134 | $1 | 3% |
| C21 | Omer Asik | 4 | 137 | $1 | 26% |
| C22 | Enes Kanter | 4 | 139 | $1 | 57% |
| C23 | Dewayne Dedmon | 4 | 141 | $1 | 1% |
| C24 | Timofey Mozgov | 4 | 143 | $1 | 36% |
| C25 | Cole Aldrich | 4 | 150 | $1 | 3% |
| C26 | Spencer Hawes | 4 | 157 | $ - | 3% |
| C27 | Tyler Zeller | 4 | 160 | $ - | 8% |
| C28 | Nikola Pekovic | 4 | 161 | $ - | 43% |
| C29 | Joakim Noah | 3 | 165 | $ - | 91% |
| C30 | Jusuf Nurkic | 3 | 169 | $ - | 6% |
| C31 | Chris Kaman | 4 | 184 | $ - | 3% |
| C32 | Ian Mahinmi | 4 | 187 | $ - | 1% |
| C33 | Bismack Biyombo | 4 | 191 | $ - | 1% |
| C34 | Steven Adams | 4 | 198 | $ - | 3% |
More Rankings (Just for Fun Section)
Because basketball is fun and rankings are also fun, I ranked my four favorite GIFs from last week to share with you all:
4. Apparently Danilo Gallinari is nicknamed the "Rooster", which makes me like him at least 30% more than I did before. Here is the Rooster going coast to coast:
3. DeAndre Jordan's 1st career three-pointer. What's the over/under for his career, 2.5?
2. Doc Rivers' pregame routine, apparently:
1. Kyle Lowry hip checks Hassan Whiteside:
Also the Top-4 Blocks of the Week
4. RUDY! Extra points for running the floor and finishing on the other end.
3. Jerami Grant from the weak side!
2. The Manimal doesn't like layups, and this is what he's doing about it:
https://vine.co/v/O9PnKYJMipM
1. After this play, Tyler Zeller is going to need a hug:
https://vine.co/v/O9UVhtl563a