As we head into the final scoring period of the season, you will notice a big shake-up in the weekly Top 130. Since we have only a week and a half remaining, games played will be a major factor in determining player values. Neil Tardy does a great job of breaking down the weekly schedules in the Fantasy Forecaster column, but for your convenience, I have listed the games remaining for each team here, as well.
The Top 130
Note: Brian McKitish's top 130 players are ranked for their fantasy value from this point forward in the 2012-13 NBA season. Previous rank is indicated in parentheses.
1. LeBron James, MIA (2)
2. Carmelo Anthony, NY (11)
3. Kevin Durant, OKC (1)
4. Chris Paul, LAC (3)
5. James Harden, HOU (4)
6. Stephen Curry, GS (5)
7. Deron Williams, BKN (12)
8. Ricky Rubio, MIN (13)
9. Russell Westbrook, OKC (6)
10. Paul George, IND (7)
11. Kyrie Irving, CLE (10)
12. Kobe Bryant, LAL (9)
13. Larry Sanders, MIL (20)
14. Brook Lopez, BKN (23)
15. Serge Ibaka, OKC (14)
16. Jrue Holiday, PHI (24)
17. Dirk Nowitzki, DAL (18)
18. Brandon Jennings, MIL (22)
19. John Wall, WSH (21)
20. Damian Lillard, POR (19)
21. Ersan Ilyasova, MIL (28)
22. J.R. Smith, NY (37)
23. Mike Conley, MEM (27)
24. Paul Pierce, BOS (15)
25. Marc Gasol, MEM (29)
26. LaMarcus Aldridge, POR (31)
27. David Lee, GS (32)
28. Monta Ellis, MIL (39)
29. Al Horford, ATL (16)
30. Josh Smith, ATL (17)
31. Blake Griffin, LAC (35)
32. Dwight Howard, LAL (36)
33. Roy Hibbert, IND (45)
34. Kemba Walker, CHA (38)
35. Jeff Teague, ATL (25)
36. Anthony Davis, NO (41)
37. Isaiah Thomas, SAC (44)
38. Klay Thompson, GS (43)
39. Al Jefferson, UTAH (34)
40. Tim Duncan, SA (33)
41. Chris Bosh, MIA (55)
42. Greivis Vasquez, NO (47)
43. Luol Deng, CHI (59)
44. Spencer Hawes, PHI (60)
45. Carlos Boozer, CHI (70)
46. Zach Randolph, MEM (46)
47. Rudy Gay, TOR (51)
48. Tyreke Evans, SAC (53)
49. Andre Iguodala, DEN (61)
50. Jeff Green, BOS (62)
51. Joakim Noah, CHI (58)
52. Nate Robinson, CHI (90)
53. DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (50)
54. Greg Monroe, DET (42)
55. Thaddeus Young, PHI (57)
56. Ryan Anderson, NO (48)
57. Tony Parker, SA (40)
58. Nikola Pekovic, MIN (79)
59. Goran Dragic, PHO (73)
60. Nikola Vucevic, ORL (56)
61. J.J. Hickson, POR (69)
62. Andrei Kirilenko, MIN (88)
63. Gerald Henderson, CHA (71)
64. Kenneth Faried, DEN (81)
65. Wesley Matthews, POR (54)
66. Jeremy Lin, HOU (74)
67. George Hill, IND (67)
68. Omer Asik, HOU (75)
69. Jamal Crawford, LAC (76)
70. Tristan Thompson, CLE (82)
71. David West, IND (78)
72. Kawhi Leonard, SA (85)
73. Tobias Harris, ORL (63)
74. Chandler Parsons, HOU (65)
75. Pau Gasol, LAL (83)
76. Joe Johnson, BKN (95)
77. Raymond Felton, NY (94)
78. Tyson Chandler, NY (96)
79. Jarrett Jack, GS (86)
80. Kevin Garnett, BOS (107)
81. Evan Turner, PHI (98)
82. Reggie Evans, BKN (104)
83. Paul Millsap, UTAH (77)
84. Kyle Lowry, TOR (80)
85. Daniel Green, SA (89)
86. Moe Harkless, ORL (68)
87. Andre Miller, DEN (126)
88. Jose Calderon, DET (64)
89. Steve Nash, LAL (72)
90. Corey Brewer, DEN (NR)
91. Emeka Okafor, WSH (100)
92. Mario Chalmers, MIA (114)
93. Dwyane Wade, MIA (8)
94. Nicolas Batum, POR (26)
95. Mo Williams, UTAH (84)
96. Wilson Chandler, DEN (122)
97. Jonas Valanciunas, TOR (102)
98. DeMar DeRozan, TOR (99)
99. Eric Gordon, NO (101)
100. Shawn Marion, DAL (103)
101. O.J. Mayo, DAL (91)
102. Andre Drummond, DET (92)
103. Jameer Nelson, ORL (52)
104. Kevin Martin, OKC (93)
105. Mike Miller, MIA (NR)
106. Gordon Hayward, UTAH (97)
107. Jerryd Bayless, MEM (109)
108. Andrew Bogut, GS (105)
109. Vince Carter, DAL (110)
110. Jimmy Butler, CHI (129)
111. Wesley Johnson, PHO (116)
112. Beno Udrih, ORL (130)
113. Josh McRoberts, CHA (125)
114. Derrick Williams, MIN (113)
115. Brandan Wright, DAL (128)
116. Damien Wilkins, PHI (NR)
117. Luis Scola, PHO (115)
118. Dorell Wright, PHI (111)
119. Brandon Bass, BOS (119)
120. Trevor Ariza, WSH (124)
121. Kirk Hinrich, CHI (NR)
122. Derrick Favors, UTAH (112)
123. J.J. Redick, MIL (NR)
124. C.J. Miles, CLE (118)
125. Brandon Knight, DET (127)
126. Jason Terry, BOS (120)
127. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, CHA (NR)
128. Chase Budinger, MIN (NR)
129. Tiago Splitter, SA (NR)
130. Alonzo Gee, CLE (NR)
Games remaining by team
4: Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz
5: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
6: Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers
Games played won't be the only factor playing into the major shifts in the Top 130 this week. Injuries to big-name players such as Joakim Noah, Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson have opened the door for multiple fringe players to make a big impact over the final scoring period. Let's take a look at some of the teams with the most intriguing storylines for the last week of the season.
Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade has sat out six of his past eight games to nurse some minor injuries, and fantasy owners shouldn't be surprised if head coach Erik Spoelstra plays it safe as the Heat prepare for their playoff run. LeBron James and Chris Bosh also run the risk of missing a game or two down the stretch, but with six games remaining, fantasy owners should be more than willing to roll with both James and Bosh in the final frame.
Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers will offer some sneaky value for fantasy owners looking to make a final push. Miller has averaged 13.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.4 3-pointers over his past five contests, while Chalmers has posted 10.4 points, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.0 3-pointers over his past seven games. Those in deeper formats might also want to take a look at Norris Cole, who has posted 12.0 points, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.4 3-pointers over his past five.
Denver Nuggets: With Ty Lawson's status up in the air and Danilo Gallinari out for the season, the Nuggets are limping to the finish line. They will rely on Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala and Kenneth Faried to carry them the rest of the way, with some help from the likes of Corey Brewer, Wilson Chandler and perhaps even Evan Fournier. Brewer is probably the best late-season add of the bunch with 16.2 points, 1.4 steals and 1.2 3-pointers over his past five games. Chandler is another solid option with 14.0 points, 4.8 boards and 1.4 3-pointers, while Fournier has posted a solid 14.3 points, 2.0 steals and 1.3 3-pointers over the same span. With five games remaining, and the injuries mounting, the Nuggets are a nice place to look for value at the end of the season.
Chicago Bulls: Much like the Nuggets, the Bulls have a roster filled with injury concerns. Already locked into the playoffs, Chicago is currently battling injuries to Derrick Rose (knee), Richard Hamilton (back), Joakim Noah (foot), Marco Belinelli (abdomen), Taj Gibson (knee) and even Luol Deng (hip). Noah finally returned to action on Sunday night after missing eight games with his plantar fasciitis injury, posting an effective 13-point, 7-rebound, 1-block effort in 21 minutes. He's definitely worth adding if someone in your league dropped him, but keep in mind that the Bulls may limit his minutes in an effort to keep him on the court in the playoffs.
There will still be plenty of minutes for the Bulls' "healthy" players: Kirk Hinrich, Nate Robinson, Jimmy Butler and Carlos Boozer. Unfortunately of that group only Hinrich and Butler might be available in your league. Butler has been a nice surprise with 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 0.8 3-pointers over his past five games, while Hinrich has returned modest value with 8.8 points, 5.2 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 3-pointers during the same span. Both players should return great value for the final frame.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs may be out of the playoff race in the East, but that doesn't mean that they can't offer some value for fantasy owners down the stretch with six games on the docket. They also play only one back-to-back set in the final frame, so we should be seeing plenty of Kyrie Irving unless he re-aggravates his shoulder injury. Tristan Thompson has had a few bouts with inconsistency in recent action, but bounced back strong with a 29-point, 17-rebound effort on Friday against the Boston Celtics and followed that up with a 15-point, 16-rebound gem on Sunday against the Orlando Magic. He'll be a strong play in the coming week.
The Cavs don't offer much in terms of waiver-wire additions, but both C.J. Miles and Alonzo Gee could offer some value. Miles has been struggling in his return from an ankle injury, but averaged 12.0 points, 1.0 steals and 2.1 3-pointers in the month of March. Gee, meanwhile, has posted 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.0 3-pointers over his past five games.