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By Jim Stechschulte, TalentedMrRoto.com

Take a weekly tour of NBA.com's three fantasy games

Take a chance on Salim Stoudamire and hope he's hot that night! (Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images)

With April now upon us and the NBA regular season and the accompanying fantasy season starting to wind down, I am overcome with several emotions. First, the disappointment at the elimination of one of my head-to-head teams as the regular season came to an end, finishing a mere three games out of the last playoff spot (oh, who knows what might have been if Emeka Okafor had not been felled with a calf injury). Second, the pleasant feeling of my other head-to-head team making its playoff appearance (while this has been sewn up for a few weeks now), but knowing that a likely match-up with the league’s juggernaut (21-1 regular season record) would happen if I should be fortunate to advance past the first round. The other emotion is desperation as my rotisserie league team scraps to try to get into a top-three spot (while first place is likely out of reach, two points is all that separates me from second place).

We’ll put aside the league I’m (sniff, sniff) eliminated from and focus on what can be done in the waning days of this season.

Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner

If your team is still rocking in head-to-head playoffs or fighting for your rotisserie title, I extend a hearty “congratulations” to you. Games are short and many leagues count the last ten days as one week. Take note of this because instead of looking for three- and four-game players, you need to look for five- and six-game players. You’ve been warned.

NBA teams do not have the same goals as you. They are looking to sew up playoff position or, once it is sewn up, (play sinister music here) rest their stars for the playoffs. For example, let’s take a look at the team that has its playoff position almost completely established: the Dallas Mavericks.

As things stand prior to Tuesday’s games, Dallas has a six-game lead over Phoenix for the top seed in the Western Conference with nine games remaining in their schedule. Six of those games come during that last “mega-week” that will decide fantasy championships while the other three are in the current week. Dallas’ three games in the current week are at Sacramento, at Denver, and vs. Portland. It would be reasonable to think that the Mavericks could win all three of those games and enter the “mega-week” needing to win only one game to sew up the home court advantage in the postseason. Given that the first two of those games are against the Clippers and Timberwolves, well, you see where I’m going.

As a result, the Mavericks could look to rest their stars for a game or two down the stretch. Dirk Nowitzki could have his minutes cut or be rested, especially since he sprained his ankle against Phoenix on Sunday. Jason Terry, who has not missed a game all year and averages more than 35 minutes a contest, is likely to get some additional rest. Some players who are not normally logging big minutes, especially younger players, could get extra playing time. Devin Harris could be leaned on more and may be worth a spot start in the final week. With extra minutes, Harris could average 15 points, six assists, and two steals per game, possibly meriting a spot in your lineup, especially if you are in a daily league. Since every game matters at this late stage, be sure to watch the NBA standings as well as the box scores to see if there is an edge to be gained, especially with so many players on the waiver wire who could suddenly have extra value.

More from Across The Board March 28: The Specialists March 21: Looking Ahead March 14: Stretch Run Across The Board Archives

Salary Cap Challenge

There are a lot of guys with price tags under $2.0M who are providing solid return on their owners’ investments. Some of them have heavy schedules the last couple weeks, which could pay off for you.

Jason Hart has nine games left on the season, including eight starting on Saturday. Hart costs $0.50M and has averaged 28.3 fantasy points in the last 15 days… and 37.7 fantasy points per game in the last week. You think he might be worth a spot on your roster with the Clippers fighting for a playoff spot and the possibility of Sam Cassell being shut down for the season. In case you don’t believe Hart will continue to get major minutes because he was picked up on the waiver wire by Los Angeles a little while ago, you should know that he is averaging 40 minutes in his last four contests. It may be hard to believe, but this guy, who was packed in mothballs on the Kings’ bench for a long time this year, may help you win your league.

Seattle has nine games left in their season, five of them coming in the next eight days, including today. Earl Watson and his $3.14M salary could help you out, as he has averaged 32.3 fantasy points in his last four games with a minimum of 30 in any of those games. Grab him for this week then drop him for the final week when his schedule eases up.

The Celtics have nine games left to see what their young players can do, and Rajon Rondo is a nice bargain play. Rondo has averaged 28.6 fantasy points in his last four games, which is a very nice return on his $1.31M price tag. The Celtics also have six games in the final nine days, so you should consider Rondo’s teammate, Kendrick Perkins. Perkins has racked up 34.3 fantasy points per game in his last three contests, so his $2.22M price tag is pretty appealing as well.

Pick One Challenge

Youth will also be served in this game and, for once, I am not just talking about the rookies getting their numbers doubled. The “old men” who whipped up on the rookies during All-Star Weekend should be getting some extra playing time down the stretch and could be very good plays in this format where options are seriously limited. Yes, those graybeards would be the sophomores.

One of those sophomores is Hakim Warrick, who has been reinstated to Memphis’ starting lineup for the last dozen games. He has responded with 23.5 fantasy points per game in this format, not to mention being electric his last three, posting 31.7 per game in that span. That pales in comparison to the recent numbers hung up by his fellow Grizzly, rookie Tarence Kinsey, who has been very effective with Mike Miller out due to injury. Kinsey, who has posted 20 points or more in five of his last six, is averaging 24.8 fantasy points in that time, which gets doubled to 49.6 fantasy points.

Coming off the bench has suited Linas Kleiza fairly well for the Nuggets of late. He has averaged 17.6 fantasy points in his last ten games in this format. While that probably does not blow you away, he has posted individual games of 36, 27, and 20 fantasy points in that time. Kleiza is a pretty decent boom or bust option this late in the season.

Salim Stoudamire is another boom or bust prospect at this time. In his last seven contests, the second-year Hawk has been explosive, averaging 19 fantasy points in this format. Like Kleiza, Stoudamire can explode for big numbers, as he has rang up games of 39 and 25 fantasy points recently. Be aware that most of Stoudamire’s production comes from scoring, specifically three-pointers. Therefore, if you plug him in, you will be pinning your hopes on him catching fire that night.

Jim Stechschulte is a fantasy expert for TalentedMrRoto.com, which features free advice, news, stats and analysis for all fantasy sports. It was nominated for four FSTA awards, including best site. Contact him at jims@TalentedMrRoto.com.

The views expressed by TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.

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