Now that the All-Star break is in the rearview mirror, the trade deadline is the next significant date for most fantasy leagues. In chof360! public leagues, Thursday, March 6, is the default trade deadline, meaning Week 17 will be the final full week of games before that date. And some significant availability issues will impact how managers craft their rosters in preparation for the fantasy playoffs. San Antonio lost Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the season, and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid has looked like a shell of himself coming out of the All-Star break. Let's look at the Week 17 schedule breakdown.
Week 17 Games Played
4 Games: BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, DEN, DET, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIN, NOR, OKC, PHO, POR, SAS, TOR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, CLE, DAL, GSW, HOU, MEM, MIL, NYK, ORL, PHI, SAC, WAS
Week 17 Storylines
- Spurs continue to march on without Victor Wembanyama.
San Antonio has played two games since it was announced that Wembanyama would miss the remainder of the season with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Bismack Biyombo, who recently agreed to a second 10-day contract, was the replacement in the starting lineup, but the production (unsurprisingly) wasn't anything to write home about. Jeremy Sochan, who's rostered in 44 percent of chof360! leagues, appears to be the most valuable option for managers to target, while Charles Bassey (12 percent rostered) and Sandro Mamukelashvili (three percent) have also been picked up in some spots.
The Spurs will play four games during Week 17, with two back-to-backs. And the competition won't be easy, either. After Tuesday's game in New Orleans, the Spurs play against Houston (Wednesday), Memphis (Saturday), and Oklahoma City (Sunday). That Saturday/Sunday back-to-back makes San Antonio a team worth watching for managers needing production to win their weekly matchups.
- The Hawks are the only team whose Week 17 schedule concludes on Friday.
Twenty-nine of the league's 30 teams, except Atlanta, will play on Saturday or Sunday during Week 17. Not only do the Hawks end their week with a home game against the Thunder on Friday, but they only play three games during Week 17. The schedule begins with a Monday/Wednesday home-and-home against the Heat. While this won't hurt Trae Young or Dyson Daniels much, Caris LeVert (27 percent) and Georges Niang (eight percent) may offer limited streaming value due to the schedule. Also, the Hawks' three games are on three of the busiest days of Week 17.
- Thursday is the closest to a "streaming day" that fantasy managers will have.
Thursday is the only day that will have fewer than six games on the slate for Week 17. Five contests are on the docket, including Charlotte at Dallas and the Timberwolves visiting the Lakers. The latter game is interesting because it's the first of a back-to-back for both teams; will Luka Doncic play against the Timberwolves and Clippers? Another team with back-to-back concerns that will be active on Thursday is New Orleans, which will play two games in as many nights against the Suns in Phoenix. Zion Williamson is a safe bet to sit out one of those contests; fantasy managers who have him rostered will hope he plays on Thursday before sitting out Friday's rematch.
- What will the Rockets' starting lineup look like during Week 17?
Jabari Smith Jr. returned from a fractured hand on February 22 and moved back into the starting lineup the following night against the Jazz, replacing Tari Eason (who was inactive). However, Fred VanVleet remains out due to a sprained ankle he suffered during a February 1 loss to the Nets. Amen Thompson has flourished as a starter, first filling in for Smith and then taking over the primary playmaking responsibilities after VanVleet went down. FVV partially participated in the Rockets' first practice after the All-Star break but reported some soreness in his ankle, so he was ruled out for games against the Timberwolves and Jazz.
Udoka said Friday that they may be able to put VanVleet through another practice head of their Tuesday/Wednesday home back-to-back against the Bucks and Spurs. If so, they'll see how he feels before deciding on his availability for those games. Houston's offensive efficiency has decreased since VanVleet's injury, but Thompson's fantasy value has increased. Does he remain in the starting lineup once the Rockets are whole? Or will Smith or Dillon Brooks be asked to come off the bench? We may get an answer during Week 17.
- Are we getting close to "decision time" in Philadelphia?
The 76ers' February 22 loss to the Nets was their seventh straight, dropping them to a season-worst 16 games below .500. If the result wasn't concerning enough, Joel Embiid did not play at all during the fourth quarter. He appeared to be laboring throughout his 31 minutes on the court, and Guerschon Yabusele (who played the entire fourth quarter) offered mobility that the former league MVP lacked. The 76ers are trending in the wrong direction, and there's the Super Bowl Sunday report that Embiid may need another surgery and an extended rehabilitation period to get his left knee back to full strength. The 76ers play three games without a back-to-back during Week 17, beginning with the Bulls on Monday night. Fantasy managers may not get an answer to the Embiid question immediately, but that's one of the significant subplots to be mindful of as the trade deadline and fantasy playoffs approach in most leagues.
Light Game Days
Thursday: 5 Games
GSW vs. ORL
DEN vs. MIL
CHA vs. DAL
NOR vs. PHO
MIN vs. LAL
Week 17 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 16)-Monday: ATL, DET, IND, LAC, MIN, OKC, WAS
Monday-Tuesday: CHA
Tuesday-Wednesday: BOS, HOU, SAS, TOR
Wednesday-Thursday: None
Thursday-Friday: DEN, LAL, MIN, NOR, PHO
Friday-Saturday: BKN, DET, MEM
Saturday-Sunday: SAS
Sunday-Monday (Week 18): OKC, POR, UTA
