March is a crucial time in fantasy basketball. Like NBA teams, you may want to add a player or two to help solidify your playoff position.
Whether you need to adjust your roster due to a player struggling or injuries, the following advice will help you reach your goal of winning your fantasy league or at least help you get a share of the prize money.
3 Fantasy Basketball Players To Target In March
Depending on the type of fantasy league you are playing in, you may be looking for players who will help you in different areas. So, for example, if you need to replace someone like Joel Embiid, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Trae Young, as they are expected to be out until at least April 1, you could look at their teammates for a replacement.
Another strategy you could use is to look at struggling teams and grab a youngster who will get more minutes down the stretch than they did earlier in the season. Cam Whitmore, Jake LaRavia, Ausar Thompson, Jabari Walker, and GG Jackson fit the mode here.
You could also look at players who recently moved to new teams and, as a result, will have a different role than their previous or get more minutes due to injuries. Tre Mann, Lamar Stevens, Kyle Lowry, PJ Washington, and Dalano Banton are such players.
Consider Duop Reath, Santi Aldama, and Simone Fontecchio for some international flavor. Reath should be very familiar to New Zealand casino and review sites as he is an Australian national team member.
Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Kyle Anderson figure to get more playing time and see an uptick in production due to Towns’ injury. Bruno Fernando may be a short-term answer for you, as he will likely continue to see extra playing time. Onyeka Okongkwu is likely out with a toe injury until at least March 18.
Similarly, Duncan Robinson is a possible option, with Tyler Herro dealing with right foot tendinitis and Josh Richardson out for the remainder of the campaign. Having a career season, Robinson will help in scoring, 3-point shooting, and shooting percentages across the board.
However, three players stand out as top targets the most.
3 Must Target Free Agents
Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Vince Williams is the least available of the trio listed in the major fantasy leagues, but he should still be widely available. Williams has seen action in 51 contests this season after making 15 appearances a season ago, including 32 starts.
Williams is a combo guard who is generally eligible to play all three backcourt spots in fantasy leagues. The 23-year-old is a nine-category player, with scoring being his biggest weakness, though he is not an elite distributor.
Williams has consistently seen over 30 minutes and an uptick in usage percentage since the calendar turned to 2024. These trends will likely continue as the Grizzlies have several players who are not expected to return until at least the end of the month.
Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart are slated to be out until at least March 27. Meanwhile, Derrick Rose and Ziaire Williams’ will be out until at least April 3.
Williams has performed well in March though he has missed the last three games with a knee injury.
Since Jan. 1, Williams has produced 31.9 fantasy points a game and three double-doubles while posting a usage percentage of 17%. He has averaged 14.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.9 treys, and 1.3 steals while compiling a shooting slash line of .478/.411/.798 during this stretch.
Kelly Olynyk, Toronto Raptors
The Raptors acquired Kelly Olynyk at the trade deadline. The 6-11 big man, capable of playing both frontcourt positions, didn’t have a major role with the Raptors until this week with injuries to Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl. He is rostered in less than 60% of NBA leagues.
Olynyk has stuffed the stat sheet in these two starts, recording 31.2 fantasy points per game. Passing, rebounding, and defense are the 32-year-old’s biggest assets. While he is a capable scorer who can space the floor, he is not a great shooter or 3-point marksman, though he is a career 36.9% shooter from beyond the arc.
Olynyk totaled 44.2 fantasy points last night against Detroit, finishing the game with 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. He has averaged 36.2 fantasy points in his five starts for the Raptors and has scored in double figures in nine of his 14 appearances, and produced one double-double.
Overall, Olynyk compiled 14.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.9 steals in March. He also produced an effective shooting percentage of 60.4% and a true shooting percentage of 64.8%, with a 20% usage rate in March.
Olynyk should remain in the starting lineup for most of the season, if not the rest of the way. Poeltl is not expected to return until April, and Barnes will not play for the rest of the season.
Paul Reed, Philadelphia 76ers
Paul Reed, available in more than half of all fantasy leagues, has gotten extended minutes since Embiid suffered a knee injury on Jan.30. The 24-year-old will likely continue to see around 25 minutes a game until at least the first part of April.
Reed is an elite rebounder with shot-blocking ability. While Reed is limited offensively, he is efficient around the rim. However, despite being an excellent free-throw shooter, he doesn’t get to the charity stripe very often.
BBall Paul has been fantastic the last four games. The 6-9 forward has scored in double figures in four straight contests and has two double-doubles.
Reed has produced the fourth most fantasy points in March, at 32.8 a game. During this seven-game stretch, Reed has averaged 12.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.9 blocks while shooting .594/.600/.667.
