RADIO
Well, it turns out no amount of churning and burning could have saved one of my teams in the playoffs last week as I had players like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jaren Jackson all missed time. It was a shame, too, because some of our waiver heroes did a damn good job of filling in - I'm looking at you Simone Fontecchio, Vasilije Micic, and Cameron Payne!
Week 20 brings even more playoff excitement as many leagues kick off their postseason this week. And if your league's playoffs don't begin until next week, then you have some time this week to start planning and developing a strategy - it's never too soon to start preparing!
Working the wire is an incredibly important skill and being one step ahead of your fellow league managers means always planning and keeping tabs on players who are starting to play better or earn more minutes. Every week, I will do my best to help you plan out your week and give you my top recommendations to add from waivers in both standard (10-12 team leagues) and deeper formats (more than 12 teams).
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Week 20 Schedule Breakdown
| TEAM | GAMES | MON | TUES | WED | THURS | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| Atlanta Hawks | 3 | @POR | @UTA | @LAC | ||||
| Boston Celtics | 4 | @POR | @UTA | PHO | @WAS | |||
| Brooklyn Nets | 3 | @ORL | @IND | @SA | ||||
| Charlotte Hornets | 4 | @DET | @MEM | PHO | @PHI | |||
| Chicago Bulls | 4 | DAL | @IND | LAC | WAS | |||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 | PHO | @NO | @HOU | ||||
| Dallas Mavericks | 4 | @CHI | GS | @OKC | DEN | |||
| Denver Nuggets | 4 | TOR | @MIA | @SA | @DAL | |||
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | CHA | TOR | MIA | MIA | |||
| Golden State Warriors | 3 | @SA | @DAL | @LAL | ||||
| Houston Rockets | 3 | @SA | WAS | CLE | ||||
| Indiana Pacers | 3 | @OKC | CHI | BKN | ||||
| Los Angeles Clippers | 4 | MIN | @CHI | @NO | ATL | |||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 2 | @SAC | GS | |||||
| Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | WAS | CHA | OKC | ||||
| Miami Heat | 3 | DEN | @DET | @DET | ||||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | @SAC | PHI | PHO | ||||
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | @LAC | @UTA | |||||
| New Orleans Pelicans | 3 | CLE | LAC | POR | ||||
| New York Knicks | 3 | PHI | @POR | @SAC | ||||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 3 | IND | DAL | @MEM | ||||
| Orlando Magic | 3 | BKN | @TOR | TOR | ||||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | @NY | @MIL | CHA | ||||
| Phoenix Suns | 4 | @CLE | @BOS | @CHA | @MIL | |||
| Portland Trail Blazers | 4 | BOS | ATL | NY | @NO | |||
| Sacramento Kings | 3 | MIL | LAL | NY | ||||
| San Antonio Spurs | 4 | GS | HOU | DEN | BKN | |||
| Toronto Raptors | 4 | @DEN | @DET | ORL | @ORL | |||
| Utah Jazz | 3 | BOS | ATL | MIN | ||||
| Washington Wizards | 4 | @MEM | @HOU | @CHI | BOS |
Notes:
Both the Lakers and T-Wolves have only two games this week (LeBron better suit up for both of them, damn it!)
Monday-Tuesday B2B = BOS, SAS
Tuesday-Wednesday B2B = IND, MEM, SAC
Wednesday-Thursday B2B = CHI, DAL, POR
Thursday-Friday B2B = LAC, PHX
Friday-Saturday B2B = CHA, NOR, UTA
Saturday-Sunday B2B = BKN, WAS
Standard League Adds For Week 20
The percentage of owned numbers in parentheses are from Yahoo!
Dalano Banton - PG/SG (31%)
Banton has been one of the most added players in leagues over the last week, and for good reason. Since entering the rotation five games ago, he's posted 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.0 steals/blocks. Scoot Henderson is back for Portland, but Banton has played well enough to stay in the rotation and has shown he can post some decent counting stats with minutes. With four games this week, Portland is going to be a solid source of value for those working the wire.
Simone Fontecchio - SF (26%)
The Italian marksman has moved to the bench for Detroit, but has still been uber-productive in a super-sub role and, if anything, is probably better suited for a bench-scorer/gunner role. He went for 20+ points in two of his last three games and has drilled 17 threes over his six contests.
Malaki Branham - PG/SG/SF (21%)
Branham has taken advantage of extra minutes and shots being available with Wembanyama sitting out the last two games, however, he was already playing well before that and trending up. He's now scored 20+ points in three straight and should continue to be in the rotation for 20-25 minutes going forward even when Wemby is healthy. The Spurs have a four-game week and a nice back-to-back tonight and tomorrow to kick things off.
Jake LaRavia - SF/PF (17%)
The latest Memphis youngster to deliver major value is LaRavia, who is seeing solid playing time whether he's starting or coming off the bench. The swingman can do a little of everything and is a solid source of points, threes, and rebounds with a few defensive stats mixed in there. I have been predicting a Jaren Jackson shutdown at some point, and when (or if) it comes, we are going to see huge minutes and opportunities for LaRavia, Lamar Stevens, and this next guy...
GG Jackson II - SF/PF (16%)
Just when you had cut Jackson or given up hope for his chances at silly season heroism - he goes out and scores 30 points (nearly half of them in garbage time) last night to go with six boards and three assists. He's well worth an add this week until we see who Memphis is going to run out there and let's face it - the Grizzlies might be in more of these scenarios the rest of the way where they trail by 20+ points and just let their young guys play.
Deep League Adds For Week 20
Georges Niang - PF (15%)
I love watching Niang play, it's like rooting for the least athletic player on the court. But the dude can still get buckets and is deadly from downtown. He has a huge opportunity right now for minutes with Evan Mobley out and Dean Wade banged up, too. He is a great pickup if you need points, threes, and boards.
Davis Bertans - PF/C (11%)
Speaking of guys who don't look like they belong out there, Bertans is another great example of what being a great shooter can do for your career. He's lasted longer in this league than most due to his incredible three-point marksmanship and he's finally getting some solid minutes for a rebuilding Charlotte team. Since entering the rotation, he's knocked down three or more long balls in six of seven games.
Gradey Dick - SG (9%)
Toronto is in total tank mode right now and going with a full youth movement the rest of the way. That has led to Dick getting his first two starts of the season over the weekend. He didn't do much with the increased minutes yet, but he should get going sooner or later. It's tough to find a player under 10% who could be a starter the rest of the way, he's worth a look even if his stats have been underwhelming of late.
Jock Landale - C (8%)
If you missed it last night, Houston starting center Alperen Sengun went down and had to be carted off the floor. If Sengun is going to miss extended time, then Landale is a solid add as he should be counted on to pick up at least some of Sengun's minutes. He has a nice fantasy game and has always been a solid per-minute contributor.
That's it for this week; good luck in your leagues (especially if the playoffs start for you this week), and thanks for reading!
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