I hope everyone is having a successful fantasy playoff campaign. Before I get to the pickups for this week, I have to share a terrible beat from Sunday night.

Just to set the scene, I was in a tight 5-4 matchup (nine-category league) with free-throw percentage as the only cat that could swing either way. The rest of the eight categories were completely decided.

Nursing a razor-thin lead, I had Jrue Holiday in action against the Hawks, with Richaun Holmes and Tyrese Haliburton slated to play at 10 p.m. My opponent had three players on the Bucks.

In a perfect world, the Bucks-Hawks game would end with me still leading. That way I could bench Holmes and Haliburton and claim the 5-4 win.

I was nervously keeping tabs on the Bucks-Hawks game, hoping for nothing eventful to happen. If you're leading, all you want is the status quo.

Everything was going to plan until 2:15 left in the fourth quarter. That's when Holiday drew a shooting foul, and disaster struck:

Jrue Holiday misses free throw 1 of 2

Jrue Holiday misses free throw 2 of 2

Let me remind you that Holiday is an 81 per cent free-throw shooter this season. 

Had he even split the pair I'd have held on to my slim lead. Nope! Two bricks! The category swung against me and the blood rushed out of my face.

Now losing, I had to chase free throws and make tough choices. Do I play Haliburton and Holmes? Just one of them? Keep in mind these are decisions that had to be made within a few minutes.

I opted to play both, as I trusted Holmes enough (78.5 per cent free-throw shooter) and I was worried about Haliburton not getting to the line (he averages one attempt per game) 

Already tired, I really didn't want to have to sit through the Kings-Warriors game, but had no choice. 

Things started well – Holmes went 2-for-2 in the first quarter and I took a slight lead. By lead, I mean fractions of a percentage. The second and third quarter went by without a hitch.

Halfway through the fourth I was feeling decent about my odds. Haliburton got fouled, and went 2-for-2. The situation was positive, but precarious.

One miss could still sink me, so I was hoping for no more attempts. Naturally, that didn’t happen. Holmes got fouled with four minutes left in the game, and I knew it was trouble:

Richaun Holmes misses free throw 1 of 2

That's all she wrote. Holmes would miss a couple more before the game ended, but that miss sunk me beyond salvation. Despite shooting 82.3 per cent on the week, I lost the category and the matchup 5-4.

The kicker in all of this is the matchup was against my brother! Luckily, he is a gentleman and took no great pleasure in my gut-wrenching defeat. That still didn't stop me from tossing and turning before getting to sleep around 1 a.m. 

The morale of  the story in all of this: The fantasy gods giveth and taketh, so enjoy the wins when you can, because the losses can be excruciating. 

Now that I've taken enough of your time, here are five players who I feel can help you in your crusade for fantasy glory.

PG: PJ Dozier, Nuggets (10.4 per cent)

Denver is in short supply of quality guard play. Jamal Murray (knee) is out for the season, while Will Barton and Monte' Morris are both on the shelf with hamstring strains. Dozier is seizing the opportunity and has stepped over the past week: 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.0 blocks on 46.5 per cent shooting. He has a four-game week (including tonight) and his upside warrants a pickup. 

PF, C: Isaiah Roby, Thunder (7.3 per cent) 

Moses Brown has turned into a pumpkin and Tony Bradley isn't getting much burn either. Roby is the benefactor here, producing well in his last two games: 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks on 50 per cent shooting in 30 minutes. The Thunder are armed with a five-game schedule this week (including tonight) so even if his numbers dip slightly, the volume will be there.

SF, PF: Dorian Finney-Smith, Mavericks (23.4 per cent)

Finney-Smith is still available in a good number of leagues, and this is a fantastic week to have him. Dallas plays five times (including tonight), and it wouldn't be surprising to see Luka Doncic rest with such a heavy schedule, while Kristaps Porzingis is nursing an ankle injury. DFS has been stellar over the past two weeks, putting up 13.7 points, 3.0 triples, 5.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals on 56 per cent from the field. This kind of production, combined with the portion size he'll see this week, means he should be grabbed if available.

PG: Jalen Brunson, Mavericks (20.2 per cent)

Another player who will see a lot of time this week is Brunson. Steady but not spectacular, he's averaging 13.0 points, 4.3 assist, 4.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals in his last four games. If Doncic sits, Brunson will certainly see a bump in minutes and usage.

C: Khem Birch, Raptors (11.6 per cent)

The Raptors have a five-game week starting tonight, but trying to make sense of who is in and out of their lineup on a nightly basis has become an exercise in futility. With that said, Birch seems to be a rock-solid bet to play every night as he tries to showcase himself for a contract next year. Since joining Toronto, Birch has been dependable: 8.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 0.7 steals on 55.6 per cent shooting, while averaging less than a turnover per game. Every good team needs a glue guy, and Birch is just that.