It is never too soon to start thinking about the playoffs in your fantasy basketball league on Fantrax. In fact, that is the goal your whole season should be geared towards. With that in mind, let’s look at the NBA calendar to take advantage of the uneven scheduling.
NBA Team Games During Fantasy Basketball Playoffs
| Team | Week 21 (13 Mar. - 19 Mar.) | Week 22 (20 Mar. - 26 Mar.) | Week 23 (27 Mar. - 2 Apr.) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Rockets | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Sacramento Kings | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Chicago Bulls | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| Golden State Warriors | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| Indiana Pacers | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| Phoenix Suns | 4 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Boston Celtics | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Denver Nuggets | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Orlando Magic | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Toronto Raptors | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| Utah Jazz | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Washington Wizards | 3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Miami Heat | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| New York Knicks | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
Long story short, the Rockets, Grizzlies, and Kings will play 12 games during the 3 weeks of fantasy playoffs, while some will play as few as 9 games. The full table is available at the bottom of the page.
The advantage of 12 games over 9 games is massive and potentially series-winning. That is not to say a whole roster should be drafted from the Rockets, Grizzlies, and Kings. However, all else being equal, it is preferable to have more games than your opponents during the fantasy playoffs than at any other time in the season.
The opposite is true too – having players from teams with only 9 games during the fantasy playoffs will lower your chances of winning your league.
Players to Draft
Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
ADP: 21.4
Player to take Morant over: Kyrie Irving
Putting aside Irving’s eccentricities, Morant and Irving project to produce very similar numbers. But with the scheduling advantage, Morant will play 25% more games in the fantasy playoffs. Add the risk of Kyrie not playing at all to it and it’s clear which player to draft.
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
ADP: 24
Player to take Sabonis over: Bam Adebayo
The Miami Heat is one of the teams unfortunate to play 9 games during the fantasy playoffs. To illustrate Sabonis’ advantage over a 9-game player, these are the numbers they’d need to produce to match him:
| 3PM | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabonis 2021-22 | 0.6 | 12.1 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 3.1 | 18.9 |
| Sabonis 2021-22 + 25% | 0.75 | 16.1 | 6.9 | 1.33 | 0.56 | 4.1 | 25.2 |
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
ADP: 42.5
Player to take Fox over: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
What are the chances Gilgeous-Alexander will be playing at the end of the season? He’s both injury-prone and when healthy the team might prefer him to rest for the sake of tanking for Victor Wembanyama.
Desmond Bane, Memphis Grizzlies
ADP: 52.4
Player to take Bane over: Terry Rozier
Can’t you just see Bane scoring his way to a fantasy championship? He had some of his best games towards the end of the last season. Meanwhile, Terry Rozier will need to play 25% better per game to match Bane.
Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
ADP: 61
Player to take Green over: Tyler Herro
Jalen Green is due for a sophomore bump and will have every opportunity in Houston to showcase it. In fact, he will have 12 opportunities against Tyler Herro’s 9 during the fantasy playoffs.
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
ADP: 61.9
Player to take Sengun over: Jakob Poeltl
Another player on the Rockets due for a sophomore bump is Alperen Sengun. It’s just great to be young and on the Rockets – what else is there to be said?
Jaren Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
ADP: 97.4
Jaren Jackson will miss the start of the season recovering from a foot injury. If all goes well, he should be playing by January and grittin’ and grindin’ by March. If healthy, he is obviously going to wildly outperform the ADP in the fantasy playoffs. The only question is whether you can afford to wait and pay the opportunity cost.
For more great analysis check out our full 2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit!