Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, we pose a question to a rotating panel of ESPN fantasy basketball experts to gauge their thoughts on a hot topic. Today's contributors are ESPN reporter Kieran Darcy and ESPN Fantasy's Joe Kaiser and Kyle Soppe.
It appears that Kevin Durant will return from his knee injury on Saturday, and it sounds like Kyle Lowry could return from his wrist surgery at some point this week. If they do get back on the hardwood, would you recommend immediately putting them into your active lineups or would you be better off streaming a lesser-known player who has been hot lately?
Kieran Darcy: I would probably pass on using Durant. Coach Steve Kerr said Durant will be under a minutes restriction when he returns, and the Warriors have a 3.5-game lead on the Spurs with five games to play in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference. There's no need to push KD that hard.
The Raptors are in a tighter race -- currently third in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Wizards. But Lowry will probably ease his way back too, if he returns during the regular season, given that Toronto is comfortably in the playoffs.
I'd go with a lesser-known player who has been hot -- like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, for example. The rookie guard on the injury-ravaged 76ers scored a career-high 23 points against Toronto on Sunday and 19 points against Cleveland in the game before that.
Kyle Soppe: Much like Week 17 of the NFL season, this is why extending your fantasy season until the very end of the regular season is difficult. How you treat both of these situations will obviously depend on reports between now and the actual return date, but I will not be overextending for either Durant or Lowry with my season on the line. Are both players great? Of course, but that's part of the problem.
The Warriors are essentially locked into the top seed in the West, while the Raptors are unsure if they want to win or lose down the stretch, given the lack of clarity of the East's top seed and, therefore, Toronto's potential second-round matchup.
That said, both of these teams want to see their respective star player gain confidence, so I'm not benching either for free agents. Assuming Durant returns Saturday, he will be ranked ahead of the likes of Nikola Mirotic but behind Khris Middleton (based on minutes and matchup).
The Toronto situation is tough, as they've beaten each of their next three opponents over the last 2.5 weeks, but I do think they find a role for Lowry. Friday against the Heat isn't a great matchup, and I'd put him in the Ish Smith (volume!) tier should he return for that game. If he returns Sunday, I would still start Dennis Schroder over him, but in this matchup, I'd play him over Smith.
It's a weird dynamic, but both of these All-Stars are matchup plays with a nice floor, but a ceiling that is no longer ... the roof (yeah, you get a little NCAA humor with your NBA advice, deal with it).
Joe Kaiser: I'd roll with Durant and/or Lowry ahead of most streaming options at this point, because the reality is that even 50 percent of the production of a Durant or Lowry will often exceed what someone off the waiver wire does. There's another part of this too. Both Durant and Lowry and versatile talents who impact the game and the box score in many ways, which sets them apart from most streamers.
Rather than stream someone like Portland's Allen Crabbe -- a scorer and 3-point shooter with a limited fantasy upside -- into your lineup, the better bet is to go with Durant or Lowry. Even if they play only 20 minutes, they will impact the game in more ways than just scoring and shooting the 3, and will help you come out ahead of where you'd be with a normal streaming option.