Starting a Fantasy Basketball league now? Here's everything you need to know

The NFL regular season is winding down, and whether you're competing for a fantasy football championship or still wallowing over getting bounced early from the playoffs, there is still time to sign up for a fantasy basketball league with Yahoo!

If you're new to fantasy basketball or just looking to add to your portfolio mid-season, here's a quick rundown of what you need to know if you're preparing to draft a fantasy basketball team 10 weeks into the NBA season.

Dates to know:

• Trade deadline: Thursday, March 2, 2023

• The regular season ends on Sunday, March 5, 2023

• Playoffs run from Week 20 (March 6, 2023) through Week 22 (March 26, 2023)

All dates provided are Yahoo default settings.

The number of games played by each team during the fantasy playoffs:

• 11 games - ATL, BKN, GSW, HOU, MEM, MIL, OKC, PHI, SAC, WAS

• 10 games - BOS, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, IND, LAL, MIA, NOP, ORL, POR, SAS, TOR

• 9 games - CHI, DET, MIN, NYK, PHX, UTA

• 8 games - LAC

In Week 23 (the fantasy championship), the Nuggets, Heat and Pistons only play two games each.

Players to avoid relative to their ADP in H2H formats

Anthony Davis - PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers

Current per-game rank: 1

Current ADP: 17.1

Davis has been the top fantasy performer over the past month, but unfortunately for fantasy managers, he carries far too much risk to be drafted at his current ADP of 17. Davis sustained an injury to his right foot against the Denver Nuggets on December 16 and did not return for the second half of that game. Since then, there have been numerous reports that Davis could miss at least a month with the injury, but NBA Insider Shams Charania shared that the Lakers' star could be out for longer:

The Lakers brass needs more transparency around Davis' injury. Still, I would feel uncomfortable drafting him in the second round with his future looking so murky. If more clarity arises, he may be worth trading for, assuming he makes it back in time for the fantasy playoffs.

Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks

Current per-game rank: 83

Current ADP: 3.3

I know this is a tough pill to swallow, considering Giannis is one of the world's best players, but his struggles from the free-throw line, lack of threes and high turnover rate devalue him in head-to-head formats. In my latest rest-of-season rankings (ROS), I have Giannis ranked 49th in per-game value. As a guy who has him in a H2H league, save yourself the trouble of building a roster around a player who can lose three categories for you in a given week.

I'm not saying don't draft Giannis — he's averaging a career-best 31 points per game, 11 rebounds and over five assists. But he's not a top-five pick despite his dominant numbers.

Kawhi Leonard - SF/PF, Los Angeles Clippers

Current per-game rank: 151

Current ADP: 25.4

He is quite literally the most frustrating player in fantasy basketball, so do yourself a favor and pass over Leonard in the first four rounds of fantasy. It might be tempting to select Leonard because he's been getting more playing time and has looked good recently (he finished 65th in per-game value last week), but there's no telling when he'll be load-managed.

Plus, the Clippers have five more back-to-back sets this season, so it's safe to assume he won't be playing in at least one or both of those games, depending on the opponent. He needs to be more reliable, and with only 10 weeks of the fantasy regular season left, availability is one of the most important factors when building a team mid-season.

Cade Cunningham - PG/SG, Detroit Pistons

Current per-game rank: 114

Current ADP: 31.5

Surprisingly, Cade Cunningham is still being drafted, even though he is out for the remainder of the regular season. Don't be that guy — remove him from your draft board.

Players to target relative to their ADP in H2H formats

Jaren Jackson Jr. - PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies

Current per-game rank: 14

Current ADP: 104.8

JJJ missed the first 14 games of the season recovering from a meniscus injury, but he's picked up where he left off last season. He's averaging 16.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 threes, 1.0 steals and 3.2 blocks in just over 25 minutes per contest this season. JJJ has already had five games of five-plus blocks and scored at least 20 points in half of his games played thus far. It's no surprise he's 14th in per-game value since returning, and he's been 11th over the past month.

He is supremely undervalued right now, and I'd go as high as a third-round pick for JJJ, for his upside defensively and his ability to stretch the floor as a big man.

Robert Williams - C, Boston Celtics

Current per-game rank: 96

Current ADP: 89.6

TimeLord is working his way back into playing shape, but the early signs are positive.

Like Jackson Jr., Williams makes his bones on the defensive end for fantasy managers. He's played in two games for the Celtics, playing 17 minutes in each of those games, registering at least two stocks and five rebounds in each. Williams finished last season 13th in per-game value, so even though his ramp-up may be on the conservative side, he can impact the game in limited minutes. The way Boston is playing, there's no need to play TimeLord over 20 minutes a night initially, but he should get up to at least 25 minutes by mid-to-late January; then, fantasy managers will really be salivating at his stat lines.

He's great for FG percentage, stocks, rebounds and is a very capable passer low-key, so make sure you grab him earlier than his seventh-round draft price.

Final thoughts

The NBA trade market has been eerily quiet since kicking off on December 15. But that doesn't mean it'll stay that way. It's hard to speculate potential moves, but fantasy managers can start preparing based on what's being rumored around NBA circles. The NBA trade deadline ends on Thursday, February 9, 2023, but here are a few teams and players I'm tracking in case a potential trade were to go down.

Indiana Pacers

• Myles Turner and Buddy Hield have been on the trading block for a while, so if they were to be traded, I'd be buying shares of Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson. Mathurin and Nembhard are players worth rostering in 12-team leagues right now.

Utah Jazz

• Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley and Kelly Olynyk are proven veterans who could bolster a playoff-contending team. Players like Malik Beasley, Collin Sexton, Walker Kessler and Jarred Vanderbilt would be worth keeping an eye on if those vets are moved before the deadline.

Orlando Magic

• Mo Bamba, Cole Anthony, Gary Harris, RJ Hampton and Terrance Ross are on favorable deals and could net some late-round picks for the rebuilding Magic. While their core is pretty well established, Bol Bol and Markelle Fultz could shine if the others depart.

Chicago Bulls

• It's too early to tell if Chicago will press the reset button, but they have no shortage of All-Star caliber talent to help a championship-contending team. If LaVine, Vucevic or DeRozan were traded, Pat Williams, Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso are names to keep an eye on.

Happy holidays to all, and I wish you much success in your fantasy basketball drafts!