We’re getting down to the end of the regular season in the NBA, which is very hard to believe. Players will continue to sit to rest until the end of the season, which makes the playoffs in standard leagues, and DFS leagues, very interesting.

4 Games: BOS, BKN, CHA, DET, GS, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, PHI, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, CHI, DAL, DEN, MEM, MIN, NO, NY, OKC, ORL, PHX, WSH
2 Games: CLE

On-Fire

DeMarre Carroll is one of those players on the Hawks that seems to be in the lineup because of defense and the hustle he brings to the starting lineup. The former Mizzou and Vanderbilt basketball player has been playing great basketball over the last two weeks, making him an interesting option down the stretch. The guys that are the most intriguing in fantasy basketball are the guys that do it all. Russell Westbrook scores, assists, rebounds and steals the ball. He does it all. DeMarre Carol has been one of those guys, to some extent, over this time frame. He will chip in on the stat sheet in just about every category, and especially in DFS leagues where free throw shooting won’t hurt you, he’s going to be even more of an intriguing choice.

Brook Lopez has been doing it all for the Nets as of late. Which isn’t saying TOO much considering the Nets options, but it’s good news for Lopez owners going in to their fantasy championship rounds. Lopez will cost you $7,800 in DraftKings daily leagues, but he has been putting up numbers consistent with the guys ahead of him. What you won’t get with Lopez is that explosion of 60 points or more in a DFS league, which is the reason his cost isn’t higher. Depending on the approach you take in your DFS leagues, Lopez is a nice, consistent option at center.

Ice Cold

Since moving to the Miami Heat, Goran Dragic has underperformed as the team’s starting guard. Especially with Chris Bosh being out for the rest of the season, Dwayne Wade seems to be questionable for every game going forward for the rest of his career, and then the rest of the team going through some kind of injury. Chris Anderson, Hassan Whiteside, Mario Chalmers, etc. have all missed time recently with injuries, and Dragic hasn’t appeared to have picked up much of the slack. To be fair, Dragic has gone through some injuries of his own, but in his last outing against the Pistons on March 30th he had 21 fantasy points – 10 points, two rebounds, five assists (according to DraftKings statistics) while playing 35 minutes. Especially with the way that Heat players having been dropping lately, I wouldn’t advise inserting Dragic into your DFS lineup anytime soon.

Stream Options

Marcus Morris has been playing like his twin brother, Markeiff, as of late and is worth a look.

Ersan Ilyasova

Jordan Clarkson

Evan Turner

Zaza Pachulia

Zach LaVine has been filling in nicely while Ricky Rubio has been nursing his injury.

Dennis Schroder will likely see more action for the Hawks down the stretch while they allow Jeff Teague to get some more time off to nurse his injury before the playoffs.

Injury Report:

Jeff Teague has missed some time recently and doesn’t appear to be 100% because of an ankle injury. Keep an eye on him daily in both standard and DFS leagues to see if he’s in the lineup. Even if he is, you might want to stay away.

Draymond Green has been dealing with a lower leg injury. Keep an eye on his status as he will likely get back in the lineup once he is feeling better, as Steve Kerr has said that he doesn’t seem to be jumping on the bandwagon of sitting players out of games to rest them for the playoffs.

Serge Ibaka will likely miss the remainger of the season with knee surgery. They said initially 3-4 weeks, however, there doesn’t appear to be a sign of his return.

Kyle Lowry continues to sit with a back injury. The Raptors have listed him as out “indefinitely” with this injury as they likely will try to get their star point guard some rest going into the playoffs.

Derrick Favors seems to be day-to-day with a back injury. He has now missed the past two games and should be considered questionable going forward until he gets back in the lineup consistently.

Blake Griffin said that he had some swelling appear in that elbow that he sat out with, but it doesn’t appear that it is anything serious at the moment. With the trade deadline over in standard leagues, Griffin owners (like myself) must be holding their breath as they will likely need their star PF to be healthy and ready to go for the stretch run.

Greg Monroe has not played since March 14th with his knee injury and will likely continue to sit. No word on his status as it seems to be a question mark.