All-Star weekend is always a welcome break for players, teams and fantasy GMs alike. The players show up to party and commiserate with their peers in the host city for a weekend. Teams enjoy a break from the daily grind and fantasy GMs get an opportunity to plan out their ROS moves while their guys get a week’s worth of rest heading into fantasy’s final stretch.

All-Star weekend also represents the wonkiest week of the fantasy schedule. In total, managers are scheduled for eight games instead of seven. The eight games are split before and after the weekend. Whether you consider it week 19 or the second half of week 18, only four days remain in the week post-All-Star break. Most teams only offer two games, two offer one and a handful offer three.

Another fun feature post-All-Star break is the fact that new faces will be in new places. James Harden and Ben Simmons (remember them?) will eventually suit up in their new threads, eliciting hope and excitement among their new fans. Domantas Sabonis will continue ingratiating himself with his new teammates out in Sacramento. Tyrese Haliburton, shipped away in the Sabonis deal, is carving out a home in Indiana and could finally have some reinforcements returning in Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon post-break.

The most important thing for fantasy GMs to remember post-ASB, though, is that the fantasy playoffs are near. Some GMs start theirs next week while others start a little later. The commonality is that they’re no longer a distant thought, but an inevitable, fast-approaching reality we must be prepped for. GMs safely in the fantasy playoffs can start to make adds based on future needs instead of on immediate must-win situations. Less fortunate managers must act with a mercenary’s mindset: survive by any means necessary.

Some leagues have seen their trade deadline come and go. For managers in these leagues, the waiver wire is essential in team building and survival. While the waiver wire is important all season long, it becomes a life-or-death fantasy scenario when there are no deals to be made. “The early bird gets the worm” rings truer in fantasy basketball during the fantasy playoffs than in other fantasy games. Three-to-four optimized adds can separate the champs from the chumps. Maximize games and opportunities to get that crucial advantage against your competition and ensure you’re the last manager standing.

Schedule Breakdown

One Game: Magic, Bucks

Two Games: Hawks, Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Cavs, Mavs, Warriors, Rockets, Pacers, Clippers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Wolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Thunder, Sixers, Blazers, Kings, Spurs, Raptors, Jazz, Wizards

Three Games: Celtics, Nuggets, Pistons, Suns

Back-to-Backs

Thursday/Friday: Wolves, Thunder, Suns

Friday/Saturday: Heat, Spurs, Raptors, Wizards

Saturday/Sunday: Celtics, Nuggets, Pistons

Schedule Maximizers

The Celtics offer three games post-All-Star break and none of the three fall on Friday’s nine-game slate, the heaviest night after the break. The Nuggets and Pistons also avoid the heavy Friday night while playing three games of their own to close out week 18. Of the three, only the Pistons face two stiff tests over the weekend against the Cavs and Celtics. Teams playing on Thursday and Saturday, the two lightest nights of the weekend, are the Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Bulls, Cavs, Nuggets, Pistons, Grizzlies and Kings. Avoid the one-game teams in the Bucks and Magic and you should be alright.

Best Schedule: Nuggets (@ Kings, vs. Kings, @ Blazers)

The Nuggets’ three games come against the Kings and Blazers on low-volume nights. What else could a manager ask for? The Kings are giving up an average of 119.4 points per game over their last five outings against the Wolves, Bulls, Wizards and Nets despite none of those games entering OT. Managers looking to stream Nuggets might consider Jeff Green in shallower leagues and Bones Hyland in deeper formats.

Worst Schedule: Magic (vs. Rockets)

The Magic and Bucks each play just one game to close out week 18. While they only suit up once, the Bucks play outside of Friday’s nine-game slate whereas the Magic don’t. On the flip side, the Magic do play a terrible team in the Rockets compared to the Bucks’ opponent, the Nets. Neither team offers anybody too valuable for streaming, though Chuma Okeke of the Magic is worth an add if toiling in your league’s waiver wire.

Game of the Week: Grizzlies @ Wolves, Thursday, February 24^th, 8:00 pm ET

Two young, upstart teams seeking to solidify a playoff berth out west collide in their first game post-All-Star break. The Ja Morant led Grizzlies visit the seventh-seeded Wolves who are looking to get out of the play-in tournament. Minnesota sits 2.5 games behind the Nuggets for the highly coveted sixth seed while the Grizzlies, sitting comfortably at No. 3, are within 1.5 games of the second-seeded Warriors. Both teams could increase their odds of survival in the postseason if they can gain some ground in the standings, and a win coming out of the ASB would help each team’s cause.

Quick Adds

Chuma Okeke, PF, Orlando Magic

Okeke was a sought commodity in fantasy circles late last season for a brief stretch as a 3-&-D type. This season, he has returned 10^th-round value in 9-cat rankings, but over the last two months Okeke has been a mid-round guy at No. 54 over that stretch. Okeke’s averaging over 2.5 defensive numbers and about two 3-pointers in his last 24 games. His minutes have risen from 24 on the season to nearly 27 over the past week. Mo Bamba’s minutes and play have dropped as Okeke’s have gone up. If this trend continues, you don’t want to be the GM who missed out on Chuma once the fantasy playoffs begin.

Carmelo Anthony, PF, Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis will be out for at least the next four weeks with a mid-foot sprain before receiving a re-evaluation. Melo, sidelined with a right hamstring strain, has been the guy in place of AD when he has been on the floor and Davis hasn’t. Anthony was questionable for the team’s contest before the All-Star break but was ultimately scratched. With an additional week of rest, Melo should be much closer to returning. On the season, Melo is No. 100 in 9-cat rankings and No. 90 over the past two months in 25 minutes a night. He’s a trustworthy source of points, 3s, about 1.5 defensive stats and a handful of boards when playing around half the game. If his minutes increase, his value and numbers will, too.

Cameron Payne, PG, Phoenix Suns

News of Chris Paul’s avulsion fracture on his right thumb that’ll sideline him for 6-to-8 weeks means two things. First, it means Paul’s a drop. Second, Payne is an add. Payne is the clear backup to Paul, having earned that position over the course of last season, last postseason and this season. He has missed the team’s last month of games with a sprained right wrist and may be sidelined just past the team’s return from the All-Star break. When he gets back in the full swing of things, Payne will be the starting point guard until CP3’s return.

Maxi Kleber, PF/C, Dallas Mavericks

On the season, Kleber’s putting up late-round value for 12-team, 9-cat formats. Over the past two months, the German’s posting borderline top-100 value in 9-cat rankings. Over the past two weeks in five contests, he’s up to No. 80 and even higher than that at No. 55 over his last three with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined. Now that KP has been dealt to the Wizards, Kleber’s role is secure ROS. He’s not a high-upside play, but he is consistent enough to warrant a roster spot across most formats based on his productivity in the rebounds, blocks and 3s categories.

Injury Report

John Collins should be considered day-to-day with his strained right foot.

Marcus Smart missed the team’s contest on Wednesday before the All-Star break with a sprained right ankle. Head coach Ime Udoka made it known that the Celtics don’t think the injury’s anything serious and we should see Smart shortly after the break.

Ben Simmons is out indefinitely after being dealt to the Nets. They are hoping to get Simmons in a couple of practice sessions before establishing a timetable for his return. Kevin Durant is nearing a return from his sprained left MCL as he’s approaching that initial 4-to-6-week timeline.

Gordon Hayward is out indefinitely with a sprained left ankle.

Zach LaVine (left knee soreness) underwent a few different treatments heading into All-Star weekend that he believes should get him “through the end of the season,” before trying to get to 100% in the offseason. Alex Caruso (right wrist surgery recovery) is expected to begin shooting and dribbling with his surgically repaired wrist shortly after the All-Star break. Lonzo Ball (torn left meniscus) remains without a timetable for a return at this point.

Draymond Green (left calf tightness, back) will be re-evaluated post All-Star break.

Myles Turner (left foot stress reaction) is expected to return shortly after the All-Star break, according to head coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle also noted that Malcolm Brogdon would hopefully make his return after the break from his right Achilles soreness after making some good progress prior to the league’s one-week sabbatical.

Paul George (right elbow) will undergo an MRI on February 24^th that’ll essentially determine his eligibility for the rest of the season. Kawhi Leonard (right ACL) remains sidelined with very little hope of returning for a regular season run. Norman Powell has no timetable for a return from a broken bone in his left foot.

Anthony Davis will be re-evaluated in four weeks after suffering a mid-foot sprain.

According to head coach Tom Thibodeau, RJ Barrett (left ankle sprain) is expected to return for the team’s first game post-All-Star break on Friday against the Heat.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be re-evaluated post-All-Star break with a sprained right ankle.

James Harden should make his return from left hamstring tightness shortly after All-Star weekend.

Chris Paul suffered a right thumb avulsion fracture in the Suns’ final contest before the All-Star break and will miss at least 6-to-8 weeks before being re-evaluated. He is a drop at this point.

Damian Lillard is approaching the 6-to-8-week re-evaluation timeline after undergoing abdominal surgery on January 13^th.

Fred VanVleet (right knee soreness) should be good to go once the team’s back from All-Star weekend.

Kristaps Porzingis (right knee bone bruise) is no guarantee to play in the team’s game on Friday post-All-Star break, but head coach Wes Unseld is hopeful the Latvian will suit up.