Welcome to the 2020-21 Fantasy Basketball Week 10 Weekly Planner!
The NBA season is kicking up as of late. It seems to be all the rage nowadays. The NFL is gone, MLB remains a touch irrelevant, and the NHL is struggling with Covid.
But that's not to say the NBA isn't struggling with Covid either. Because just this week alone there have been over 8 games canceled due to league health and safety protocols.
The cancellations have left fantasy managers scrambling. They are looking to the waivers, bench pieces, articles, podcasts, and many other outlets for forms of advice. I received four DM's this week alone of desperate fantasy managers trying to figure out what to do about their teams.
Solving the situations is what we do in this article here. I help breakdown the schedule, teams to target, and much more. Now let's dive into the article and discuss which teams have the toughest matchups and which have the most favorable matchup.
To go along with that I'll also be providing you with weekly streams and sits at several positions. If you're feeling really lucky, perhaps you can try your hand at some betting. You can also use this bonus code to get some extra deposit money.
2020-21 Fantasy Basketball Week 10 Weekly Planner
Dominate your Fantasy Basketball league with customized team advice using the Fantasy Pros MyPlaybook.
Schedule Run Down: February 22nd - February 28th
Road Back-to-Backs
- Wizards (Mon @ LAL, Tue @ LAC)
- Blazers (Mon @ PHX, Tue @ DEN)
- Celtics (Tue @ DAL, Wed @ ATL)
- Warriors (Tue @ NYK, Wed @ IND)
- Pistons (Tue @ ORL, Wed @ NO)
- Timberwolves (Tue @ MIL, Wed @ CHI)
- Kings (Thu @ NYK, Fri @ DET)
- Clippers (Thu @ MEM, Fri @ MEM)
- Jazz (Fri @ MIA, Sat @ ORL)
- Pacers (Fri @ BOS, Sat @ NYK)
Home/Away Back-to-Backs
- Raptors (Tue vs PHI, Wed @ MIA)
- Hawks (Tue @ CLE, Wed vs BOS)
- Pelicans (Wed vs DET, Thu @ MIL)
- Wizards (Sat vs MIN, Sun @ BOS)
- Knicks (Sat vs IND, Sun @ DET)
- Timberwolves (Sat @ WAS, Sun vs PHX)
Five Game Slates
Wizards
Four Game Slates
Jazz, Raptors, Kings, Suns, Thunder, Knicks, Timberwolves, Heat, Grizzlies, Lakers, Clippers, Pacers, Rockets, Warriors, Pistons, Mavericks, Bulls, Hornets, Celtics, Hawks
Three Game Slates
Spurs, Blazers, 76ers, Magic, Pelicans, Bucks, Nuggets, Cavaliers, Nets
Pickup of the Week
T.J. McConnell, PG, Indiana Pacers (40.8% owned ESPN)
One of the hottest names in the fantasy basketball landscape is McConnell. His box score filling is making it enticing for fantasy owners to get their hands on him. Since he acquired a bigger role due to some slumps and injuries on the squad, he has seen 29+ minutes per game.
TJ Mcconnell has been unreal this season.
1st in bench Assists (6.8)
1st in bench Steals (1.8)
11th best Assist/Turnover ratio in the NBA(Per 36: Tied with harden for 1st in Assists) pic.twitter.com/tFjDvJFng6
— AKRiley (@AKRileyy5) February 14, 2021
Massive minutes and has even been promoted to a starter over former starter Jeremy Lamb. Over the past week alone that has skyrocketed his fantasy value. Take a look.
- 34.0 Minutes
- 10.3 Points
- 2.7 Rebounds
- 7.0 Assists
- 2.3 Steals
- 1.7 Blocks
- 1.7 Turnovers
His insanely high assist to turnover ratio, paired with his top-level defense is making it difficult for the Pacers to take him off the court. He hasn't scored less than 23 fantasy points in nearly over two weeks. His high-level play makes him a must-add for me this week.
Sit of the week
Khris Middleton, SF/SF, Milwaukee Bucks
In the midst of a slump, Middleton is killing fantasy owners. Since February 10th, Middleton has only scored 20 points in real life just twice in that span. The veteran slasher has also only scored 30+ fantasy points in three of seven games.
He is stuffing the stat sheet recording an average of 6 rebounds and 3.2 assists. But the scoring is down from his average of 20.1 points per game but it's at 16.6 for this week.
(17-13) Milwaukee Bucks 98
(11-18) Oklahoma City Thunder 85Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 29 pts, 19 reb y 8 ast
Khris Middleton (MIL) 20 pts y 8 reb
Luguentz Dort (OKC) 17 pts pic.twitter.com/s2TbfcPxbE— 5x5 Basket (@5x5_basket) February 20, 2021
With the Bucks playing only three games this week it makes a lot of sense to sit Middleton in the middle of his slump. With more than 2/3 of the league playing four or more games, it's the perfect time to stream of the waiver wire.
Team to Target
New York Knicks
This week the Knicks lucked out, they play three of four of their games at home. Playing four games in a week gives them an edge over nine teams that play only three, so right there along they have a major advantage. To make things even better about their games is who they play against and what the teams they play against are coming off of. Take a look at the schedule.
- Tuesday vs GSW
- Thursday vs SAC
- Saturday vs IND
- Sunday @ DET
On the surface, there's not a tough matchup on paper. You could make the case the Pacers are the best defensive team on the list as they are manned down by Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon, two players making a case for the all-defensive first team.
Breaking down there about first and foremost you can see the Warriors play the Knicks on the first night of a road back-to-back. The Kings also play the Knicks on the first night of a back-to-back, then travel to Detroit the next morning.
Last, but certainly not least, the Pacers play the Knicks on the last leg of their back-to-back after they play the Celtics on Friday. The advantage goes to the Knicks as they will be facing against teams in either look ahead spots or tired legs.
The New York Knicks are currently the No. 6 Seed in the Eastern Conference. ?? pic.twitter.com/wL0pNjq1CG
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 16, 2021
New York Knicks Players To Target
I'm really targeting guys like Derrick Rose and Elfrid Payton, the schedule makes up nicely for PGs during the next four-game stretch for the Knicks. The Kings allow the 6th most fantasy points to PGs while the Pistons rank 12th. Two super matchups for the guard pair. The Pacers and Warriors are middle of the road against PGs but aren't a scary matchup by any means.
The one guy that I'm targeting even more than those two guards is Nerlens Noel, the center for the Knicks. The schedule for centers breaks down even more nicely than it does for PGs. Each one of the teams that the Knicks play ranks terribly against the position. The Kings are the worse as they rank bottom 4 against the position.
Nerlens Noel is a FORCE in the paint pic.twitter.com/s1LjUdtBpd
— Preston Cucuzza (@PrestonCucuzza) February 16, 2021
With the Warriors to be without James Wiseman and Draymond Green being day to day the Warriors are thin at the position. Noel makes a lot of sense as a big-time stream with an easy schedule and no real competition with Mitchell Robinson being out for a few weeks.
Teams to Avoid
Portland TrailBlazers
Being one of only nine teams to play three games this week puts them at a huge disadvantage. But the schedule is the main reason I'm fading them this week. Let's take a peek.
- Monday @ PHX
- Tuesday @ DEN
- Friday @ LAL
The schedule is tough, three games, all on the road. Each one is extremely tough defensively. The Suns alone rank as one of the highest teams in defensive metrics in the league. The smothering defense of guys like Jae Crowder and Chris Paul makes it incredibly difficult to play them.
Great defense from the Suns here, watch the activity and awareness on these switches. Crowder pulls over to give nail help as Harden drives. Booker closes out, Paul/Crowder switch as Brown cuts. Multiple efforts. pic.twitter.com/WLpVVgwdW1
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) February 17, 2021
The effort and resistance they show on the defensive side of the ball are incredibly frustrating for opposing teams. But that's just one game, the Blazers still have to square up against the Nuggets who are also incredibly frustrating. They are in a much different way. The Blazers center, Enes Kanter is going to have fits against Nikola Jokic one of the league's best big men and defensive player of the year candidate.
Kanter will likely get worn down in several of these matchups making him a sit this week for me. I'd also be looking to sit any Blazers outside of Damian Lillard this week. Your bench guys like Rodney Hood don't offer much fantasy value even as a streamer.
Week 10 Biggest Movers
Saddiq Bey, SF/PF, Detroit Pistons
With Blake Griffin out due to a potential trade and a rash of injuries to Miles Plumlee and other forwards, Bey has moved up to a starter. Since the injuries and sitting, Bey has averaged some fantastic numbers. Let's take a look.
- 34.0 Minutes
- 14.0 Points
- 4.7 Rebounds
- 3.3 Assists
- 1.3 Steals
He's exerting effort on both ends of the court, especially on the offensive side of the ball. His play has been so fantastic that he was named the NBA's player of the week just last week.
Saddiq Bey scored a career-high 30 points off the bench in the Pistons win over the Celtics.
Bey became the first rookie in NBA history to make at least 7 3-pt FG in a game without a miss. pic.twitter.com/GsDMyyR8GM
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 13, 2021
As a starter and a rookie, Bey's stock is rising rather quickly. He makes the list as this week's riser.
Injuries to Monitor
And finally, the worst part of the 2020-21 Fantasy Basketball Week 10 Weekly Planner, some injuries we need to monitor:
- Paul George (foot) day-to-day
- Christian Wood (knee) out a week
- James Wiseman (wrist) day-to-day
- Kevon Looney (ankle) out two weeks
- John Wall (back) day-to-day, won't play back-to-backs
- Lauri Markkanen (shoulder) day-to-day
- Marcus Smart (calf tear) out a week
- Aaron Gordon (left ankle sprain) out four-to-six weeks
- OG Anunoby (calf) day-to-day
- Larry Nance (wrist) out 6 weeks
- Goran Dragic (ankle) day-to-day
- Wendell Carter Jr (calf) out four weeks
- Jae Crowder (foot) day-to-day
- George Hill (knee) out a few weeks
- Patrick Beverly (knee) day-to-day
- Jarrett Culver (ankle) out 7-14 days
- Dennis Schroder (covid-19) out indefinitely
- Jrue Holiday (covid-19) out indefinitely
- D'Angelo Russell (leg) out multiple weeks
- De'Andre Hunter">De'Andre Hunter (knee) out 7-10 weeks
- Evan Fournier (knee) day-to-day
- Mitchell Robinson (hand) out indefinitely
- DeAnthony Melton (shoulder) day-to-day
- Otto Porter Jr (shoulder) out indefinitely
- Marvin Bagley (calf) day-to-day
- Cole Anthony (shoulder) multiple weeks
- Anthony Davis (Achillies) out multiple weeks
- Andre Drummond (trade request) out indefinitely
- Blake Griffin (trade request) out indefinitely
- Kyle Lowry (multiple injuries) day-to-day
- Richuan Holmes (knee) day-to-day
- Harrison Barnes (foot) day-to-day
- Steven Adams (ankle) day-to-day
- Lauri Markkanen (shoulder) out indefinitely
Visit the F6P Fantasy Basketball Page for more advice during the 2020-21 season.
