Welcome to the 2020-21 Fantasy Basketball Week 8 Weekly Planner!
Hidden in the shadow of the Super Bowl, stock market, and winter snow is fantasy basketball. The shadow has loomed large and formidable for the past few weeks. But as we ramp up and football comes to a close, we can expect fantasy basketball to heat up.
Now is the time of year that everyone comes out of the woodwork when the NFL season ends. Fantasy, dynasty, DFS, and gambling ramps up in a major way. It’s important you stay educated and read up to get ahead of your competition.
That’s where I come in to offer my expertise. Each week I help by breaking down the schedule, giving you waiver adds, who’s hot and who’s not, some teams to target and avoid, along with 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 8 Weekly Planner
Dominate your Fantasy Basketball league with customized team advice using the Fantasy Pros MyPlaybook.
Schedule Run Down: February 8th – February 14th
Road Back-to-Backs
- Rockets (Tue @ CHA, Wed @ NO)
- Raptors (Wed @ WAS, Thu @ BOS)
- Pacers (Wed @ BKN, Thu @ DET)
- Magic (Thu @ GS, Fri @ SAC)
Home/Away Back-to-Backs
- Nets (Tue @ DET, Wed vs IND)
- Pelicans ( Tue vs HOU, Wed @ CHI)
- Pistons (Thu vs IND, Fri @ BOS)
- Knicks (Fri @ WAS, Sat vs HOU)
Four Game Slates
Wizards, Raptors, Spurs, Blazers, Suns, Magic, Thunder, Pelicans, Timberwolves, Bucks, Grizzlies, Lakers, Rockets, Warriors, Pistons, Nuggets, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Hornets, Celtics
Three Game Slates
Jazz, Kings, 76ers, Knicks, Heat, Clippers, Pacers, Bulls, Nets, Hawks
Pickup of the Week
Jeremy Lamb, SG, Indiana Pacers (42.8% owned ESPN)
Over the past few weeks, there might be nobody hotter than the shooting guard out of Indiana. You even heard his name come up in last week’s article for players who were the pickups of the week. To see only a 12% increase in ownership from last Sunday to this Sunday is sad. It shows a lot of owners don’t care or aren’t paying attention.
That’s why you read and you listen! Lesson learned. Here’s your chance at redemption. The young guard since returning from injury has only dropped less than 20 fantasy points in just three of his 10 games so far. Note that one of the three came in his first game back from injury and the second just two games later.
I canβt believe how well Jeremy Lamb has played this season.
13.2 PPG
4.6 RPG
1.6 APG
1.0 SPG
0.8 BPGHeβs scored 30+ fantasy points in 6 of 10 contests this year.
28.3 avg on the year at sub 50% ownership…#NBAtwitter #Pacers
— Kyle Williams βͺ (@betonthegame) February 6, 2021
Take a look at the tweet I composed about Lamb. A note about the three games under 20 points is that in all three he played sub 21 minutes. The minute’s correlation is there for Lamb. With the veteran guard continuing to play in the starting unit and be a scoring threat he is a must-add in fantasy formats. Note the Pacers do only play three games in the upcoming week but Lamb presents as a great streamer still.
Sit of the week
John Wall, PG, Houston Rockets
I don’t like sitting studs but when injuries continue to mount up, you have to. This week Wall missed one game dealing with knee injuries and returned on Thursday from that absence. It took a whole two quarters for the veteran guard to again injure another part of his body.
During Thursday’s game, the veteran guard tweaked his back along the way, which now leaves his status in doubt for Saturday’s contest. Bad sign for a guy who was already not playing back-to-back games this season and dealing with nagging injuries.
John Wall (injury recovery) listed out for Wednesday. https://t.co/1iya2k8iXy
— FantasyLabs NBA (@FantasyLabsNBA) February 2, 2021
It’s uber important to note that Wall played a back to back to start the week. The Rockets travel to Charlotte and New Orleans on consecutive days. It’s more than likely that Wall misses at least one of those games and potentially another game for the four-game schedule they have upcoming.
With the injuries mounting and Wall only play sub 25 minutes in two of his last three games I’m a bit concerned about his fantasy production for the week. They have some tough matchups upcoming and the road trip begins so I’m banking on fading Wall this week in fantasy formats.
Team to Target
Boston Celtics
The Celtics are easily my favorite team to attack for the upcoming week. Boston has several key pieces hurt including Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Kemba Walker (not playing back to backs), Romeo Langford, and Payton Pritchard. The Celtics are primed to exploit in the free-agent market in your fantasy league. Guys like Pritchard perhaps if healthy along with Jeff Teague, and others are easily streamed for the week.
3/3 from 3 π€― pic.twitter.com/vd4PC7hzgt
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 6, 2021
The schedule sets up very nicely if you choose to stream some of these guys. The Celtics play four games this week for starters, so just there alone you already have a leg up on other streamers. Secondly, the opponents are very weak for the Celtics. They square off against the following:
- Tuesday – @ Utah
- Thursday – VS Toronto
- Friday – VS Detroit
- Sunday – @ Washington
They play arguably two of the bottom four teams in the entire league in general and on defense in the Pistons and the Wizards. Both games should be a track meet. Daniel Theis is one of my main targets for the Celtics this week as the schedule for centers is filled with cupcake matchups.
Daniel Theis protects the paint with the strong denial!@celtics 46@warriors 47
πΊ: TNT pic.twitter.com/R1lyRyIMtK
— NBA (@NBA) February 3, 2021
Both Utah and Washington rank in the bottom seven teams in the league in terms of fantasy points versus the center. The Raptors rank slightly better but are still rated as a bottom third team in the league versus the position. Detroit is ranked as the second-toughest but who is really scared of Miles Plumlee? Nobody.
Guys like Theis and Pritchard are fantastic streams this week. A weak schedule, four games, an injury-filled roster, and no long road trips are massive advantages for you to stream these guys in potential matchups.
Team to Avoid
Chicago Bulls
The fade of the week is the Bulls. One of only 10 teams to play three games this week, the Bulls are an obvious choice for fading. Their schedule is a difficult one for every position other than SG. Look at the three teams the Bulls are up against this week:
- Monday – VS Washington
- Wednesday – VS New Orleans
- Friday – VS Los Angeles Clippers
The first game against the Wizards isn’t a bad one. They are one of the worst teams in the league on the defensive side of the ball. As bad as they are on defense they do present a decently tough matchup for the forward and center position which spells trouble for Lauri Markkanen and Thaddeus Young. I’m not overly worried about this matchup, it’s the other two that are concerning.
The Clippers are a nightmare on the defensive side of the ball. With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George being All-NBA defensive players. They also have Serge Ibaka and Patrick Beverly who are pests on defense as well. The Clippers are a nightmare for forwards and centers as well, making this another negative matchup for Young and Markkanen. Zach Lavine may also draw defense from Kawhi Leonard in this matchup.
All π on the BALL for Kawhi Leonard on defense! #NBABreakdown
π: @Raptors vs. @Bucks
β°: 8pm/et
πΊ: @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/lXecYUNS4D— NBA (@NBA) January 31, 2019
The Pelicans defense with Steven Adams and Zion Williamson is stifling as well. With a pure defense lineup with Lonzo Ball, Adams, Zion, Eric Bledsoe, and Brandon Ingram they will be tough for a young Bulls team.
With the Bulls getting healthier the rotation is starting to become thin. Guys like Markkanen are getting squeezed for minutes by Thaddeus Young along with guys like Patrick Williams affecting Otto Porter Jr. The fantasy situation on the team is bleak outside of Zach Lavine. I’m fading the Bulls this week with a three-game slate, log-jammed team, and terrible matchups.
Week 8 Biggest Movers
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF, Atlanta Hawks
Trending upward in a big way is Huerter. With tons of Hawks players including Trae Young,Β Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, and Onyeka Okungwu all hurt the Hawks have been forced to play Huerter. The young guard has seen his minutes increase over the past week from 31.3 on the season to 37.3.
Kevin Huerter this week: π
π₯15.6 points
π₯48% FG
π₯50% 3PT
π₯3.4 rebounds
π₯4.6 assists
π₯37 minutesCam Reddish this week: π
π©6.6 points
π©30% FG
π©0% 3PT
π©2.0 rebounds
π©2.3 assists
π©27 minutes#NBATwitter— AB (@aburnshoops) February 6, 2021
With big minutes comes big production as you can see. In his minute’s increase, Huerter has seen a near four-point per game increase. Since the minutes increase, all the stats are popping off. With injuries mounting I’m monitoring Huerter in fantasy leagues as a potential pickup.
Injuries to Monitor
- Kevin Durant (league protocols) day-to-day
- Paul George (foot) day-to-day
- Trae Young (calf) day-to-day
- Kyrie Irving (finger) day-to-day
- Jaylen Brown (knee) day-to-day
- Karl-Anthony Towns (COVID-19) day-to-day
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) day-to-day
- Christian Wood (knee) out a week
- James Wiseman (wrist) out a week
- Kevon Looney (ankle) out two weeks
- Mike Conley (hamstring) day-to-day
- 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) day-to-day
- Goran Dragic (ankle) day-to-day
- Wendell Carter Jr (calf) out four weeks
- Jae Crowder (foot) day-to-day
- Lou Dort (knee) day-to-day
- George Hill (knee) out a few weeks
- Patrick Beverly (knee) day-to-day
- Lonnie Walker (illness) day-to-day
- Eric Paschall (knee) day-to-day
- Jarrett Culver (ankle) out 7-14 days
- Brandon Clarke (calf) day-to-day
- Seth Curry (illness) day-to-day
Visit the F6P Fantasy Basketball Page for more advice during the 2020-21 season.