The fantasy basketball playoffs usually cause a lot of stress for owners. Many tough decisions have to be made regarding star players that are injured and have unknown timetables. With the fantasy playoffs right around the corner, you don’t want to make the wrong decision with a specific player. Working the waiver wire will make the difference between winning your league and losing it.
Fantasy Basketball Playoffs Decisions
Add Shake Milton/Drop Ben Simmons
It’s never easy to drop Ben Simmons, but that is the decision owners are dealing with right now. Simmons suffered a back injury on February 22nd and is set to be re-evaluated this Tuesday (March 10th). The best course of action is to wait until then to see what kind of timetable he has but the expectation is he will miss a few more weeks to recover for the regular playoffs. Hence, Simmons owners should be looking for a replacement. Shake Milton has scored 19 plus points in four of the six games Simmons has missed and is the big winner here. Even when Joel Embiid (left shoulder) and Josh Richardson (concussion) return, Milton looks like he could be a difference-maker down the stretch.
Add Naz Reid and Juan Hernangomez/Drop Karl-Anthony Towns
Another surprisingly hard decision is whether or not to drop Karl-Anthony Towns. He is currently out indefinitely with a wrist injury and it’s looking less likely he’ll be back this year. The big winners here are Juan Hernangomez and Naz Reid, who are the current starters at power forward and center. Over his last nine games, Reid is averaging 11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 25 minutes per game. While his shooting is hot and cold, Reid should still continue getting big minutes and is worth owning in most leagues. Hernangomez has also heated up, averaging 13.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in 30.4 minutes over his last five games. Both guys should continue to feast with KAT sidelined.
Add Norman Powell/Drop Fred VanVleet
Fred VanVleet has had a great season as the starting shooting guard this year for the Toronto Raptors but has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury. Norman Powell has stepped up over the last four games. He has played at least 36 minutes in all four games and has scored at least 22 points in each game. Powell recently dropped a career-high 37 points last Thursday against the Golden State Warriors and is poised for a big finish. Powell will eventually cool off, but it appears that he will have a big role even when VanVleet gets back.
Add Aron Baynes/Drop Deandre Ayton
Aron Baynes started last Friday’s (March 6th) game against the Portland Trailblazers and had 36 points and 16 rebounds. Deandre Ayton is currently day to day with an ankle injury but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him miss multiple games. Hence Ayton owners should be looking to pick up Baynes as a handcuff. The only downside is that next week the Phoenix Suns only play two games. However, Baynes has proven that he is a double-double threat anytime he starts in place of Ayton. He should be picked up if you need a big man.
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