Fantasy Basketball Week 21 Schedule Primer: It's Playoff Time!

For those competing in Yahoo! default leagues, Week 21 marks the start of the playoffs. And there won't be a lack of action, as all 30 teams are scheduled to play at least three games, with two playing five. Friday and Sunday are the light game days, with six scheduled on Friday and five on Sunday. Below is a look at the Week 21 schedule and some of its key storylines.

Week 21 Games Played

5 Games: PHX, WAS

4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, DEN, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIN, NOR, ORL, POR, SAS

3 Games: CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DET, IND, MIA, MIL, NYK, OKC, PHI, SAC, TOR, UTA

Week 21 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 20)-Monday: DAL, GSW, POR

Monday-Tuesday: ORL, PHX, SAS, WAS

Tuesday-Wednesday: DEN, IND, MIN, OKC

Wednesday-Thursday: CHI, LAC, LAL, NOR, UTA

Thursday-Friday: DET

Friday-Saturday: ATL, GSW, HOU, MEM

Saturday-Sunday: PHX, WAS

Sunday-Monday (Week 22): BKN, POR, TOR

Week 21 Storylines of Note

- The Suns and Wizards are the teams to target for streaming options.

Phoenix and Washington play five games during Week 21, with two back-to-backs within the week (no wraparounds). That makes some of the low-rostered players on these teams more attractive in leagues without a games-played cap. While Grayson Allen has been a question mark for back-to-backs, that has not been the case for Collin Gillespie or Royce O'Neale. Oso Ighodaro has a higher ceiling filling in for Mark Williams at center, but he has not been a lock to play starters' minutes.

As for the Wizards, their handling of playing time and availability has been a bit tricky since the All-Star break, but there's still value to be found. Tristan Vukčević may have added value in spots where Alex Sarr does not. Bilal Coulibaly played well to finish Week 20, but he's another player whose availability for back-to-backs has not been guaranteed. Justin Champagnie, Tre Johnson and Will Riley have silly season standout potential, but we'll see how much they'll play in Week 21.

- The Bulls and Pistons are the teams to avoid at the end of Week 21.

Not only do Chicago and Detroit have three-game weeks, but their Week 21 schedules are brutal. The Bulls play their final game of the week on Thursday, while the Pistons will be done on Friday. And those games are part of back-to-backs. Chicago's back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday could be problematic for multiple players, including Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith, although the former played both games of Chicago's most recent back-to-back.

As for the Pistons' back-to-back on Thursday and Friday, Isaiah Stewart's recent calf strain is worth watching. The clear priority will be to ensure that everyone is healthy for the postseason, so key contributors like Stewart, Ausar Thompson and Cade Cunningham could be in line for a day off at the end of Week 21. And both teams miss out on the light game day in Week 21, which falls on Sunday.

- Like Phoenix and Washington, the Trail Blazers have two back-to-backs to navigate.

Portland's two back-to-backs are wraparounds, and both involve the Brooklyn Nets. For their first back-to-back, which begins in Philadelphia on the final day of Week 20, the Trail Blazers visit the Nets the following night. And Portland hosts Brooklyn in the second game of its final back-to-back of the week, which is preceded by a game in Denver on March 22. Could those two Nets games be ones in which Deni Avdija sits? Or will his availability not be an issue? To a lesser extent, Robert Williams III will also be affected by the schedule, but he's rostered in 11 percent of Yahoo! leagues because of the availability question mark.

- The Raptors and Jazz don't play their first games of Week 21 until Wednesday.

Toronto and Utah's low-rostered players will be more valuable to fantasy managers at the end of Week 21 than at the beginning, since neither team will play its first game until Wednesday. Collin Murray-Boyles has been out with a thumb injury, freeing up a few more minutes for Sandro Mamukelashvili. However, unlike earlier this season, when the Raptors were either without Jakob Poeltl or the incumbent's playing time was limited, Mamu's opportunities have not been as plentiful. Regarding the Jazz, players like Kyle Filipowski, Brice Sensabaugh, and Isaiah Collier will be worth adding at the start of the week. Fantasy managers can afford to hold off on the others.

- How much value will fantasy managers get from the Warriors during Week 21?

The back-to-back on Friday and Saturday to end Week 21 may be problematic for the Warriors, who ended Week 20 incredibly shorthanded due to injuries. Stephen Curry (knee) remains out, but the most recent report has him being re-evaluated during Week 21. Add in the likes of Draymond Green, Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņǵis and De'Anthony Melton, whose availabilities have not been guaranteed, and fantasy managers may have to rely on players like Gui Santos and Pat Spencer to end the week.