Last Updated on March 13, 2026 5:56 pm by Keston Paul | Published: March 13, 2026

For some of you, this will be the prep for your final and for others, it should be your prep for a semifinal. The more audacious among you might only now be prepping for the start of your fantasy playoffs, and to you, I wish the best of luck. My goal is to help every single one of you, of course.

The positive is that we don’t have any two-game teams, but two teams stand out with five games. Keep reading as we explore the ins and outs of Week 22 of the 2025-26 NBA season: March 16 to March 22.

Follow our Daily Cheat Sheets, since that will have more day-to-day intel for specific slates each day.

Injuries to Watch

This is for March 16 to March 22.

Timelines Getting Close

By Early Next Week:

John Collins (neck) could return in the early portion of the week.

By Late Next Week:

Peyton Watson (left hamstring strain) is expected back sometime during the week, but he may be a little limited and there is a question of “how” he gets as many touches to rekindle his prior 12-team stretch.

Since Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hopes that Moses Moody (right wrist sprain) will return during their upcoming six-game road trip, his latest return date should be March 23, but it could be earlier.

Dylan Cardwell (left ankle sprain) was a full participant in practice on Friday, March 13. That seems like a signal that a return is close.

Impending Evaluations

By Early Next Week:

Joel Embiid (right oblique strain) is expected to be evaluated on Friday, March 13, but I don’t think he’s close.

Keegan Murray (left ankle sprain) is due for an evaluation before the upcoming week begins, so we could get an update any day now. Look out for that and have him on your watch-list just in case the news is positive, if he is on your waiver wire.

Lauri Markkanen (hip impingement) is due an evaluation any day now, but I do not expect us to see him again this season.

By Late Next Week:

Stephen Curry (right knee) should be evaluated around next Saturday or Sunday, but the chatter of the Warriors suggests that they will be careful and patient, so he is not guaranteed to return soon after that update.

Anthony Davis (left hand) is expected to be evaluated around mid-to-late next week, but I am not counting on anything positive.

Other Injury Notes

Unclear timelines I believe are close: Jarrett Allen (right knee), Ausar Thompson (right ankle), Norman Powell (groin), Nikola Jovic (back), Jalen Williams (right hamstring strain), Branden Carlson (back).

Max Strus (left foot surgery) was assigned to the G League on Wednesday, so his season debut is close, but I am doubtful that he will be useful for fantasy. He may negatively impact the players we actually want, however.

Unclear timelines that I don’t believe are close: Anfernee Simons (left wrist), Jaden Ivey (left knee), Jae’Sean Tate (right MCL sprain), Santi Aldama (right knee injury management), Bryce McGowens (right foot small toe fracture), Franz Wagner (left ankle), Anthony Black (abdomen).

Dillon Brooks was ruled out for 4-6 weeks after his injury on February 21 with a left hand fracture and recently shed his cast. He might be on the earlier end of that, so maybe we get a return in the March 23 to March 29 week. He still likely isn’t worth stashing.

Schedule Breakdown

Weekly Info

Games played:

TWO teams play FIVE games: PHO, WAS
14 teams play FOUR games: LAC, MIN, DEN, POR, GSW, MEM, HOU, BKN, NOR, SAS, ORL, BOS, ATL, LAL
14 teams play THREE games: DET, PHI, CLE, NYK, OKC, MIL, DAL, TOR, CHA, CHI, UTA, SAC, IND, MIA

Back-to-Backs (B2Bs) This Week:

THREE teams have TWO B2Bs: PHO, WAS, GSW
17 teams have ONE B2B: LAC, MIN, DEN, POR, MEM, HOU, NOR, SAS, ORL, ATL, LAL, DET, OKC, DAL, CHI, UTA, IND
10 teams have NO B2Bs: BKN, BOS, PHI, CLE, NYK, MIL, TOR, CHA, SAC, MIA

Start/Sit Decisions for Weekly Lineup Leagues:

If you play in a league with Daily Lineup Changes, this does not apply to you, so you can move along to the next section.

The Suns and Wizards have an “advantage” with five games. I think you can start Oso Ighodaro, Royce O’Neale and Will Riley over the typical “around top-100 guys” as they should beat those players via totals. Many other players are liable to sit at least one of the two back-to-backs, if not both and I think the obvious starters are the Suns’ core guys even if they sit one leg of one of the back-to-backs. Grayson Allen should likely have a maximum of three games, but that is still fine.

For the four-game Warriors, the two back-to-backs are actually a Sunday-Monday from Week 21 into Week 22 and then a Friday-Saturday. That means we should have an idea of whether or not players like Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton (who was intending to play both legs of the recent back-to-back but didn’t) would be at risk of a two-game week or a three-game week based on their potential to play on Monday.

There are six three-game teams with one back-to-back:
Pistons: Thursday-Friday
Thunder: Tuesday-Wednesday
Mavs: Sunday-Monday
Bulls: Wednesday-Thursday
Jazz: Wednesday-Thursday
Pacers: Tuesday-Wednesday

Now, are there players at risk of having a two-game week on these teams?
Daniel Gafford and Klay Thompson should sit one leg for sure, so you should have an idea ahead of time. Everyone else on the Mavs (including Khris Middleton since he’s been there) plays some back-to-backs, so you’ll have to see the injury report. They do a Thursday-Friday back-to-back before the Sunday-Monday one, which could induce more management.

Players like Cade Cunningham, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Ajay Mitchell, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis would go in the 50-50 chance-of-sitting column for me as they don’t sit every back-to-back, but “could get a night off.” Obviously, you have to start the high-end guys anyway and I’m fine putting some trust in Mitchell too.

Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Ivica Zubac, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein (if healthy), Jalen Smith and Patrick Williams will almost definitely only be playing a maximum of two games, I think. Siakam may frankly play none. These names may be difficult to trust in weekly settings unless you don’t have a useful alternative.

Daily Info

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• About the Author
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Keston Paul

Keston majored in Biology and minored in Literatures in English at the University of the West Indies (U.W.I.), St. Augustine. Hailing from Trinidad & Tobago, Kes grew up loving cricket, then football (soccer, not NFL) & never missed a Barça game in the 2010s. Later on, he grew obsessed with basketball/fantasy basketball & unfortunately claims to be a Sixers fan for some reason.

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