Fantasy basketball expert Tom Lorenzo breaks down the week ahead and helps you fill out your roster with an emphasis on daily leagues.

Much to the dismay of my colleague Jonathan Huang I am going to start off this week by once again pointing out that this column’s sole purpose is to guide you through the week ahead as you fight to bring home the elusive fantasy basketball trophy. And just like last week we have a minor discrepancy in the schedule with the Utah Jazz slated to play five times, while the Bulls and Celtics only go twice. Around the rest of the Association we have 16 teams with four games on the docket and 11 teams who only play three times. For those of you in daily leagues, the strategy this week is simple. Whether you’re more comfortable quoting RotoExpert Tommy Landry or rewriting notable songs performed by Dinah Shore to fit into your fantasy basketball strategy, the key is to “stream a little stream.”   

Five-game teams: UTA
Four-game teams: CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NJN, NOH, NYK, ORL, PHI, SAC
Three-game teams: ATL, HOU, IND, LAC, MIN, OKC, PHO, POR, SAS, TOR, WAS
Two-game teams: BOS, CHI

Fantasy basketball expert Tom Lorenzo breaks down the week ahead and helps you fill out your roster with an emphasis on daily leagues.

For most fantasy basketball owners in H-2-H leagues, this week marks the start of the playoffs. Those of you in roto leagues, well, you’ve pretty much been playing “playoff” basketball for weeks now. All owners, no matter what kind of league you play in, need to remember to watch your matchups this week and pay attention to the schedule. I can’t stress that enough. There are two teams that play five times (CHI and PHO) this week, while on the low-end, there are two teams who play only twice – HOU and SAC. That right there would be the tiebreaker for me if I had to decide between starting Tyrus Thomas (SF/PF, CHI) and Spencer Hawes (PF/C, SAC) in a weekly league. Chicago could play Cleveland five times on the road this week and I still would rather start Thomas. Remember also that in the playoffs, you just need to win the week. It doesn't matter if you win 5-3 or 8-0. So focus on strengthening your team in five specific categories, and just win, baby. We'll talk about that more as we break down the week. 

Five-game teams: CHI, PHO
Four-game teams: ATL, BOS, DEN, DET, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIN, NYK, PHI, SAS, WAS
Three-game teams: CHA, CLE, DAL, GSW, IND, MEM, MIL, NJN, NOH, OKC, ORL, POR, TOR, UTA

Fantasy basketball expert Tom Lorenzo breaks down the week ahead and helps you fill out your roster with an emphasis on daily leagues.

The most important strategy for any fantasy owner to have down the stretch is making sure you know your player’s schedules. It’s a quite simple approach to winning, but the more games you get out of your guys the better off you are. Let that gem sink in. I only say this because it’s crucial that you make the right decisions. In fact, the schedule itself can make those tough decisions for you. Do you want four games this week of Rodney Stuckey (PG/SG, DET) and his 13 PTS, 4 REB, and 4 AST, or would you rather have Ramon Sessions (PG/SG, MIL) and his 12 PTS, 3 REB, and 5 AST for two games? I know, in most cases it’s not that simple, but understanding where you can gain a slight advantage each week is key. If you’re looking for a breakdown of the schedule and how to use it in you favor be sure to check out Tommy Landry’s blog post about working the schedule for your stretch run.  

If you’re a first time reader of Moving Without the Ball, I’ll fill you in on what you’ll get inside this column each week. What I do is break down the week into favorable and unfavorable daily matchups. It’s a dissection of the schedule for those of you looking to uncover information to help you round out your daily lineups.

Four-game teams: BOS, CHA, CLE, DET, GSW, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIN, NJN, NOH, OKC, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, WAS
Three-game teams: ATL, CHI, DAL, DEN, IND, LAL, MIA, NYK, ORL, TOR
Two-game teams: MIL, PHO, UTA

Fantasy basketball expert Tom Lorenzo breaks down the week ahead and helps you fill out your roster with an emphasis on daily leagues.

March is defined by one word -- madness. I can’t believe that we’re already approaching week two of the third month of 2009. And I don’t blame you if you’re having a hard time concentrating. I just spent three hours talking college hoops with the fellas who host the RotoRadio NCAA Hoops show. Then I got into a deep conversation with one of our baseball writers about how software programs like Diamond Draft have gone and replaced the fantasy baseball trade magazines as the easiest way to get caught up on baseball projections with basketball still in full swing. Thankfully there is nothing else to worry about these days. Nothing.

If you’re a first time reader of Moving Without the Ball, I’ll fill you in on what you’ll get inside this column each week. What I do is break down the week into favorable and unfavorable daily matchups. It’s a dissection of the schedule for those of you looking to uncover information to help you round out your daily lineups.

Four-game teams: ATL, CHI, CLE, DAL, DET, HOU, LAL, MIA, MIN, NOH, NYK, ORL, PHO, POR, UTA, WAS
Three-game teams: BOS, CHA, DEN, GSW, IND, LAC, MEM, MIL, NJN, OKC, PHI, SAC, SAS, TOR