2024 Fantasy Basketball Playoffs Schedule: Plan Now To Win Your League

NBA All-Star Weekend has come to a close, which means we're nearing the fantasy basketball playoffs.

Depending on your league's settings, playoffs could start as early as Week 19 (March 4) or as late as Week 22 (March 31). But in the majority of H2H leagues, playoffs begin in either Week 20 (March 11-March 17) or Week 21 (March 18-March 24) as many commissioners have decided to forego the late-season shenanigans created by teams that are either resting star players or tanking in the final week or two of the season.

Trade deadlines are very different from league to league, too, so while some of you may have already had your deadline pass, others may still have a week or two to make trades for players with favorable playoff schedules. Whether you are thinking about trades or just adding players off the waiver wire, planning ahead and knowing the schedule for your league's fantasy playoffs is incredibly important to give your team the best chance at competing for a league championship.

Fantasy Basketball Playoff Grid: Weeks 19-24

I wanted to show the final six weeks of the season together all in one chart here and highlight the outlier weeks.  The only five-game week comes in Week 19 for Brooklyn, so if you have a league that starts the playoffs super early (I am actually in one and I am glad I checked), then consider going after Mikal Bridges or Nicolas Claxton in a trade.

But there's more likely to be some streamer value with Brooklyn depending on who is healthy. Some guys like Lonnie Walker IV, Dennis Smith Jr., Day'Ron Sharpe, and Dorian Finney-Smith could be worth a stream.

Four other teams jump off the paper with what could be problematic schedules and that's the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, L.A. Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Each team has a dreaded two-game week in either Week 20 or 21. I'll discuss how to handle those situations here as I cover the two most common playoff configurations, but don't panic and try to trade Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, or Anthony Davis just yet!

Playoff Weeks 20-22

If your playoffs start in Week 20, then you're set to have your league semifinals in Week 21 and finals in Week 22. Let's take a look at the schedule for this playoff setup, the graph is courtesy of Hashtag Basketball.

The first takeaway here is that there are no 4-4-4 teams, so the most games you are going to get out of any one player is 11. The Lakers and T-Wolves both have that pesky two-game week right out of the gate, so locking up a first-round bye would be a priority for those with Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, or Karl-Anthony Towns.

Of the two teams, the Lakers have the worse setup as they have just three games in the second round of the playoffs while Minnesota has four. It might seem nice to have four games in the finals, but you have to get there first.

LeBron could be a guy to put on the trade block with only five games in the first two weeks, especially with the risk of him sitting out a game here and there. AD has been so good that it would take a massive offer for me to consider moving him, but it's worth a try -- especially if you are shopping him to a team that is near the top of the standings and in a better position to absorb that two-game week.

Memphis, Orlando, and Milwaukee all play nine games during this period (3-3-3), but at least you are getting three games each week.

Charlotte and Dallas have their two-game week during the semifinals (not ideal), but at least it's sandwiched between two four-game weeks and you still get 10 games overall. There's no reason to panic there.

Five teams have a nice 3-4-4 schedule (CLE, GSW, PHI, SAC, UTA) with both four-game weeks in the semifinals and finals. Utah is the only team of that group that is out of the playoff picture, and this playoff setup avoids the last two weeks of the season when the most resting and shutting down take place.

Playoffs Weeks 21-23

If your league doesn't start the playoffs until Week 21 (March 18), then you get to avoid two of those two-game weeks from the Lakers and Wolves while also getting a few sexy 12-game totals here as well. This format is nice because the finals still wrap up a week before the season is officially over as we know we tend to get some of the wackiest games in Week 24.

What is pretty crazy is that I am in at least one H2H league that uses each of the formats that I laid out in this article. And I'm in a few rotisserie leagues that go all the way to Week 24, too. That's why it's so important to take some time and study the playoff schedule before you get there -- don't just assume all of your leagues (even if they are on the same platform -- i.e. Yahoo, Fantrax, etc...) have the same playoff formats!

Once again, we have the two two-game weeks in the first round of the playoffs. If you know you are in a position for a bye, then I would do nothing. But if you know that you'll be in a dogfight to win in the opening round, then shopping Kyrie Irving or Miles Bridges makes sense. Don't sell low, but at least find out what someone else might be willing to offer in a trade. Both the Mavericks and Hornets go 4-4 in the final two rounds, so if you can survive the opening round, you're in great shape.

The teams with some of the worst schedules here are Memphis, Milwaukee, Orlando, Phoenix, and  Toronto -- who all start with three games in the first two rounds each before finishing with four games in the finals. 10 games over the three playoff weeks isn't terrible, but every game played matters in a big way, so 11 or 12 games is much more preferable.

Speaking of 12 games, the following teams have the best schedules (4-4-4) -- Cleveland, Golden State, Philadelphia, and Sacramento. If Joel Embiid is still out of the lineup down the stretch, guys like Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, and Paul Reed could be league-winners with that schedule.

I hope this information was helpful and good luck on your quest to win a fantasy basketball championship this season!

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