Jeff Andriesse takes a look at some potential fantasy basketball pickups on teams with four games in the upcoming week in the latest edition of TeamBuilding Exercises.

Well, hoops heads, we are almost home. In many leagues, the playoffs start this week, and any little edge counts. If you are fortunate enough to still be playing, you are probably freaking out about your lineup. As it should be. The best "edge" is the will to win. While your buddies fret about their baseball drafts, you clandestinely comb your free agent list. While there might not be too many clear-cut superstars out there to grab, there are plenty of players to consider and categories to home in on.

There is such a thing as overthinking. It happened to me this past week. I got so excited about Delonte West's (PG/SG, CLE) matchups that I took out Chauncey Billups (PG, DEN) for him in my weekly rotisserie league. West had games at the Clippers, at Phoenix, at Sacramento, and home against New York. Haflway through the Suns game, he was removed due to back trouble, having scored eight total points in two games. Billups started his three-game week with two virtuoso performances of course.

While I will always recommend considering a player's matchups when putting in a lineup, do as I say not as I do with your superstars. Play them, and when possible surround them with whatever you can find on the waiver wire.

There are so many different league rules and formats out there, but in general those in daily leagues should plan ahead to maximize their games played. In weekly head-to-head leagues, you have even tougher decisions to make.

Leon Powe is picking up the slack for the injured Kevin Garnett in Boston, just in time for a four-game week for the Celtics.  Photo Credit: Icon SMI

BOSTON
Leon Powe (SF/PF, BOS) - Owned in 13 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Last week I defiantly claimed I wouldn't pick up Powe, but then Glen Davis (PF/C, BOS) turned an ankle and Kevin Garnett's (PF, BOS) return got pushed back. Then Powe had back-to-back games where he averaged 26.5 points and 12 rebounds. The secret's out, and if the news is bad for Garnett and Davis next week it will be fantastic for Powe and his owners.

CHARLOTTE
Vladimir Radmanovic (SF/PF, CHA) - Owned in 12 percent of Yahoo! leagues
It is rarely pretty looking at a Radmanovic box score, but I'll just say this: he has nailed a three-pointer in every game he's played as a Bobcat, while seeing around 20-25 minutes per game. A stretch, but at this juncture every little bit counts.

CLEVELAND
Sasha Pavlovic (SG/SF, CLE) - Owned in 1 percent of Yahoo! leagues
The injury to West gives Pavlovic some life. Sasha had 16 points in 28 minutes in the game West went down. While it behooves you to check the news on West regularly up until the time you set your lineup, Pavlovic can certainly be a nice source of threes if it looks like West is going to miss any time. Probably a one-or-two-game fix only.

DETROIT
Antonio McDyess (PF/C, DET) - Owned in 57 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Jason Maxiell (PF/C, DET) - Owned in 15 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Rush out to grab McDyess if he is somehow on your waiver wire as he's been obscenely productive lately. Maxiell has value too if Rasheed Wallace (PF/C, DET) decides he doesn't feel like coming back from his calf injury this week. Again, check the news and move accordingly.

GOLDEN STATE
Monta Ellis (PG/SG, GSW) - Owned in 63 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Anthony Randolph (SF/PF, GSW) - Owned in 5 percent of Yahoo! leagues
At 62 percent ownership, it's a long-shot that Ellis is still out there. But it appears many have written him off prematurely. Ellis should probably shut it down since his ankle has been bothering him, but leave it to Don Nelson and the Warriors to roll him out there for 30-plus minutes in meaningless games going forward. That's right: I'm predicting Nelson's inanity before it happens. Randolph is a different story. He's back to coming off the bench but had a pretty productive stretch recently. He can rebound and block shots adequately, and if 'adequately' is the best you can do in a deep league you may have to consider him.

HOUSTON
None, unless you foresee some Von Wafer (PG/SG, HOU) magic happening but we're skeptical because Von has seen his minutes decrease sharply this month.

LA CLIPPERS
What a team we have here. Are the Clippers actually healthy for the first time all year? Pretty much, but that could change at any second. While there is no one worthy of playing besides their regulars, most of the veterans on this team could shut it down by the time you finish blinking. Keep an eye on DeAndre Jordan (C, LAC), Fred Jones (SG/SF, LAC) and Mike Taylor (PG, LAC) down the road.

MEMPHIS
Not much to recommend here, although it is a crime that Mike Conley (PG/SG, MEM) is still available in 43 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

MINNESOTA
Craig Smith (PF/C, MIN) - Owned in 4 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Smith can offer a good field goal percentage and the occasional rebound, but not much else. He fell out of favor for a while but has scored in double figures in three of his last four games through Friday.

NEW JERSEY
Bobby Simmons (SG/SF, NJN) - Owned in 17 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Sean Williams (PF/C, NJN) - Owned in 2 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Simmons for cheap 3s (he has 13 in his last five games through Friday despite coming off the bench); Williams (yes, Williams) for blocks. He's back playing 10-15 minutes off the bench, and in a four-game week that could mean 5-10 blocks for your team.

NEW ORLEANS
With Peja Stojakovic (SF, NOR) back in the lineup after dealing with back spasms, Julian Wright (SF/PF, NOR) unfortunately loses his starting spot and whatever fantasy value he had for a fleeting moment.

OKLAHOMA CITY
Kevin Durant (SG/SF, OKC) is due back any day now, killing the decent short-term value of Earl Watson (PG, OKC) and Kyle Weaver (PG/SG/SF, OKC). Fantasy owners should continue to run Nenad Krstic (PF/C, OKC) out there without pause. He is still owned in just 25 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

PHILADELPHIA
It's hard to recommend any longshots on the Sixers right now, but I'll say this: hopefully you held on to Sam Dalembert (C, PHI). He's playing his best ball of the season right now. With 79 percent ownership, he is unlikely to be sitting on waiver wires.

PORTLAND
Steve Blake (PG, POR) - Owned in 37 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Blake's ownership has dipped to 37 percent, just in time for fantasy vultures to pick him back up. His minutes per game are back up in the 30s lately, and he has hit at least two three-pointers in every game in March. If you could use a point guard who can hit it from deep and rarely misses a free throw, give Blake a go.

SAN ANTONIO
Michael Finley (SG/SF, SAS) - Owned in 17 percent of Yahoo! leagues
He's come alive over the past month, and continues to be a marginal fantasy play while Manu Ginobili (SG, SAS) remains out. His 11 3s in his last four games are sweet. Just don't expect much from Finley in any categories but points or threes.

SACRAMENTO
Bobby Jackson (PG, SAC) - Owned in 6 percent of Yahoo! leagues
The return of Beno Udrih (PG, SAC) remains up in the air, and Jackson may have earned some more playing time with his fill-in play. Since taking over for Udrih on Feb. 25, Jackson has averaged 12.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals.

WASHINGTON
It's worth keeping an eye on the Caron Butler (SF, WAS) hamstring injury, as well as the point guard situation here. I sense Javaris Crittenton (PG/SG, WAS) is ready to take the reins from Mike James (PG, WAS). If Butler were to shut it down (his hamstring problem re-emerged Friday night), Nick Young (SG/SF, WAS) would get an immediate bump in value.

POTENTIAL PICKUPS - THREE-GAME WEEKS
In deep leagues, you could do worse than Ronald Murray (SG, ATL). Murray (Yahoo! ownership: 11%) has hit double-figures in 10 of his last 12 games, and should keep getting some good minutes with Marvin Williams (SF/PF, ATL) sidelined indefinitely... Renaldo Balkman (SF/PF, DEN) has had three straight double-figure rebounding games through Friday. If and when Kenyon Martin (PF, DEN) returns, Balkman (Yahoo! ownership: 2%) is useless, but Martin's injuries tend to linger... It makes sense for the Pacers to give Roy Hibbert (C, IND) as many minutes as he can handle over the last month (Yahoo! ownership: 3%)... Trevor Ariza (SF, LAL) has started the last two games for the Lakers, averaging 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals. I'm a fan of Ariza (Yahoo! ownership: 31%) when the minutes are there... You never know with Daequan Cook (PG/SG, MIA), but if you desire three-pointers he is capable of blowing up on any given night (Yahoo! ownership: 15%)... That Larry Hughes (PG/SG/SF, NYK) is still available in 52 percent of Yahoo! leagues says volumes about how many fantasy owners have just given up on the season... Mickael Pietrus (SG/SF, ORL) tallied 21 points, 11 boards, six assists, two steals and two blocks on Friday vs. Washington. While he was only filling in for the day-to-day Hedo Turkoglu (SG/SF, ORL), Pietrus (Yahoo! ownership: 30%) may have earned more playing time with that game. The Magic will need his defense in the playoffs so they might as well start incorporating him as a full-time player.

Finally, watch out for Milwaukee, Phoenix and Utah players. Those teams have just two games in the upcoming period. Good luck, everyone.

If you need help with some last-minute lineup tweaking to down the stretch of the season, send Jeff an email at jeff@rotoexperts.com. And be sure to check out the RotoExperts Basketball Blog for hoops news throughout the week and the RotoRadio Hoops Edition on BlogTalkRadio Monday nights at 8 p.m. EST for all your fantasy basketball needs.

Note: All statistics referenced are through games of Friday, Mar. 13.

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