I hope you all had a nice All-Star break because things are about to go down. Roto leagues have fewer than 30 games to move up in the standings. Identify which categories can be most impacted by savvy play, then configure lineups accordingly. For head-to-head leagues, it’s time to be ruthless. Maximize games played each week. The next six weeks will be both challenging and fun thanks to team shenanigans. Remain vigilant in the upcoming “Silly Season.” I will try my best to help guide you to glory the rest of the way.
For information on NBA team schedules, Hashtag Basketball is a great resource. It’s difficult for me to talk about head-to-head schedules because every league has different playoff dates.
If you’ve read my work in the past, you know I’m a “Yo, Joe, minutes are half the battle” kind of guy when it comes to individual player value. You can’t score fantasy goodies from the bench. Zooming out, I’m a pace and defense guy for fantasy environments. If a team plays slow and is good on defense, it usually makes it harder for players to rack up fantasy goodies. It is not the end-all, be-all, but it provides a nice baseline. Over the past 15 games, here are the best and worst fantasy matchups.
Best fantasy basketball matchups
Worst fantasy basketball matchups
Shoutout to the Hornets! I know hornets are not technically bees, but Wu Tang’s “Triumph” hits the spot here, for sure.
Sacramento Jesters
There has been nothing kingly on the Sacramento hardcourt this season, as the Kings currently have the worst record in the NBA at 12-44. Domantas Sabonis played 11 of the first 14 games, then missed 27 games, returned for eight, missed another four and is now out for the rest of the season due to knee surgery. Zach LaVine requires finger surgery and is done for the season as well. But we kind of knew Sabonis and LaVine likely wouldn’t play much down the stretch. The most heart-wrenching news we received recently was that Dylan Cardwell will be out at least four weeks due to an ankle injury. Cardwell had been an excellent source of rebounds and defensive stats.
The loss of Sabonis and Cardwell means Maxime Raynaud should handle all the minutes he can at center. Like Costco toilet paper hoarders, we’ve been well-prepared for this scenario. Precious Achiuwa should see an uptick in playing time backing up Raynaud. The minutes and production have been all over the map for Achiuwa this season, and he’s also a bit undersized at 6-foot-8, but he’s a solid 243 pounds and athletic with the ability to contribute a little something in every statistical category.
Keegan Murray is returning on Thursday after missing 20 games with an ankle injury. Murray will likely play some to get into a rhythm, but I’m not expecting heavy minutes down the stretch, as there’s no motivation to risk the former fourth-overall pick to another injury.
The most interesting player for Sacramento is Daeqwon Plowden. Over the past three games, he started one and averaged 33.3 minutes, 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.3 treys. Two of those games were blowouts, but during the lone start, Plowden contributed 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, a steal and two treys. Some sites list him at 6-foot-4, while others have him at 6-foot-6. Interestingly, while he’s played 60% at small forward, Cleaning the Glass has him playing power forward 24% of the time, with the rest of his minutes coming at shooting guard. The usage rate is low, and the shooting efficiency is poor, but if he’s playing over 30 minutes on a nightly basis, then he’s someone to consider.
Injuries schminjuries
Peyton Watson suffered a hamstring injury almost two weeks ago. At the time, reports indicated he would be re-evaluated in four weeks. I imagine the Nuggets will slow-play it with Watson since they are currently enduring the Aaron Gordon experience, who missed 19 games due to a hamstring injury, returned for 10 games and has now been out for the past nine games. Watson and Gordan are the Nuggets’ primary wing defenders, and the team’s defense suffers with them out. The news hasn’t been all bad in Denver, as Christian Braun returned five games ago, while Cameron Johnson came back three games ago after missing 23 games.
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams missed 10 games due to a hamstring injury. He returned for two games and averaged 25.5 points in only 22 minutes per contest. Then he suffered another hamstring injury. The Thunder’s ultimate goal is the playoffs, so I think OKC takes a conservative approach with Williams. When he returns, his minutes will likely be mired in the low-20s, and he won’t be fully ramped up until around April. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell both out with abdominal injuries, Jared McCain is most interesting to me, as he has the best mix of on-ball and shooting skills in the backcourt. In his most recent game, McCain didn’t start, but he garnered the highest usage rate (26.9%).
Orlando’s Franz Wagner has been dealing with ankle issues for much of the season, causing him to miss 25 games. After playing in the two games before the All-Star break, Wagner is now out indefinitely due to another ankle issue. Wagner was only playing around 20 minutes a night, and the Magic have essentially been playing without him since the beginning of December, so there won’t be a massive disruption to the rotation. Tristan Da Silva may pick up a few minutes, but nothing too significant.
The returns
Evan Mobley missed the past seven games due to a calf injury, but he’s off the injury report for Thursday’s contest. Jarrett Allen has massively benefited from the arrival of James Harden. I’m thinking a similar outcome could be bestowed upon Mobley as well. The question is whether Sam Merrill or Jaylon Tyson will get booted. The consensus is that Tyson remains in the starting lineup, but I think there’s a chance Merrill stays in the starting lineup with Tyson coming off the bench. Both Merrill and Tyson shoot 47% from downtown, but Merrill averages three more attempts per game. Also, Tyson has more on-ball juice than Merrill, and the former’s skill set may be better suited to lead the second unit.
Scoot Henderson returned five games ago and played in four, averaging 20 minutes a night. Despite the limited playing time, the production has been chef’s kiss — 14.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.8 treys while shooting 51% from the field, 36% from downtown and 82% from the line. (Small sample size alert!) I’m not buying the shooting and don’t think he will see much more than 20 minutes a night, especially with Jrue Holiday playing well and Portland in the thick of the Play-In race, but the assists should be there. That said, he’s a scoop if available in case he maintains his recent level of play; a Holiday injury is also well within the range of outcomes.
Jakob Poeltl missed 24 games due to a back issue, but played 20 minutes in the game before the break. It’s too bad Collin Murray-Boyles didn’t play in that one due to a thumb injury, so we could have seen how he would fit into the rotation. I think the days of CMB playing over 30 minutes are long gone with Poeltl back. Poeltl will likely see minutes in the low-20s while Sandro Mamukelashvili and CMB play in the high-teens to low-20s.
Dejounte Murray has not played yet this year due to an Achilles injury, but he could make his season debut soon.
James Borrego on Dejounte Murray:”I expect in the next week he’ll be back on the court playing NBA games.”
— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) February 19, 2026
I wouldn’t expect much from Murray, as he will likely be limited to around 20 minutes or fewer a night, and the explosiveness he often relies on probably won’t be there. James Borrego had been utilizing a big lineup, relegating Jeremiah Fears to a reserve role, but Fears played 30 minutes in each of the past two contests. With Murray back in the mix, Fears will likely be mired in the low-20s now.
Son’s brain dump
Since Ivica Zubac was traded, Brook Lopez started all five games and averaged 30.2 minutes with 1.0 steals, 1.6 blocks and 1.6 treys. Yanic Konan Niederhäuser has been ahead of newly acquired Isaiah Jackson and averaged 14.2 minutes.
Payton Pritchard was moved to a reserve role five games ago. Since then, he’s had 1 more minute, 5 additional points, and over an assist more per game. The shooting efficiency is way up, while the usage rate has gone from 20.9% to 25.2%. Yippee! Baylor Scheierman started four of those contests and averaged 24.6 minutes, 8.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 treys.
It’s been three games since the Celtics acquired Nikola Vucevic, and the upgraded Luka Garza role has manifested. Neemias Queta is still starting, and the two are essentially splitting the center minutes down the middle.
Myron Gardner is someone to keep an eye on. He was just converted to a standard contract and has started four games for the Heat, averaging 11.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.8 treys. He’s been playing due to injuries, but he’s streamable when the opportunity presents itself.
Rob Dillingham averaged 24.7 minutes in the three games since arriving in Chicago. Josh Giddey and Tre Jones have been out, though, and both are expected back. Chicago is only 2.5 games behind Atlanta for the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference, so I highly doubt Dillingham gets “Silly Season” run. If Chicago falls out of the race, then Dillingham becomes intriguing.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo out, Bobby Portis had been starting. Over the past four games, though, Jericho Sims started three and averaged 28.8 minutes alongside Myles Turner. Sims contributed 8.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks.
With Paul George serving a 25-game suspension, Trendon Watford has averaged 24 minutes. Watford can provide some points, rebounds and assists. Back in November, he posted a triple-double with 20 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists in 37 minutes.
When Joel Embiid sits, Andre Drummond usually gets the start with Adem Bona backing him up. When Embiid plays, it’s Bona who backs up Embiid, with Drummond often a DNP.
Julian Strawther has started the past three games for Denver due to the Watson and Gordon injuries. He’s averaged 29 minutes, 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.3 treys.