Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who and what to play — when it comes to music or other things in my rotation — for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Each week, you’ll see a compilation of the pickups you need to make, a quick look at the schedule and lineup notes (who’s in and out of rotations).
Press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.
The Bucks, Grizzlies and Magic are the hottest teams, winning six straight games, respectively
Group play of the Emirates NBA Cup concludes on Tuesday
Isaiah Hartenstein averaged 15/14/4 with 1.5 stocks in his first week back. Yikes.
Nikola Jokić tied Magic Johnson for third all-time in triple-doubles. Jokić amassed 138 triple-doubles in 190 fewer games than Magic 👀
▶️ “Legendary” – Joey Bada$$ feat. J. Cole
Note: The Week 7 scoring period is two weeks. December 2-15.
Hopefully, you scooped Richards when he made my list last week, but here’s another reminder. Richards returned to the Hornets on Saturday, scoring 12 points (3-5 FG, 6-7 FT) with 6 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks in 25 minutes. Moussa Diabaté got the start but only played 22 minutes. Mark Williams is still not ready to return, so Richards is the player you’ll want to roster for fantasy purposes.
Add the rookie out of Baylor in all leagues. The Pelicans are approaching sell mode and he’s one of the few names on their roster who won’t be available. The big man has found his groove lately, averaging nearly a double-double with 9.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2 stocks in 27 minutes per game over his last 10 contests. As the starting center of a struggling team, he’ll continue getting run and production for fantasy managers needing rebounds and blocks.
▶️ “Grand Groove” – Tragedy Khadafi
Make sure to check your waiver pools for Bitadze. He hasn’t missed a beat since Wendell Carter Jr. returned to the lineup, continuing to start and averaging 10.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists with five stocks in his last three games. It makes no sense to switch up the lineup, knowing they’re 11-3 with Bitadze as their starting center. If that’s the case, fantasy managers will have a Jakob Poeltl-type player until Paolo Banchero returns. Add him in all leagues.
The Spurs starting small forward needs to be rostered in more leagues. He has the third-highest offensive rating on the Spurs, and his 3-point shooting and floor spacing keep him on the court. The Spurs play four games this week, and Champagnie is a decent streaming option for points, 3s and steals in 12-team leagues.
Klay Thompson has missed the last four games with a foot injury and Grimes has been lights out in his absence. He’s riding a streak of three straight games with at least 21 points and four triples and is shooting over 53% from the field over that span. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving were also in and out of the lineup, but he’s seeing minutes in the high 20s and is taking advantage of the additional minutes. Wait on picking him up because the Mavs don’t play until Tuesday. However, this week’s opponents are the Grizzlies, Wizards and Raptors — all good fantasy matchups for part one of the two-week scoring period.
The Hornets will be without LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann for at least two weeks, leaving the door open for Micić to get busy at point guard. In 21 starts last year, he averaged nearly 12 points, 2 boards and 6 assists with a 3. That’s at least 23 fantasy points per game for points leagues and Micić won’t hurt your efficiency numbers in 9-cat leagues. He’s a solid streamer, knowing he’ll see 30 minutes a night over the next two weeks.
De’Andre Hunter, Rui Hachimura, Zaccharie Risacher, Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, Trendon Watford, TJ McConnell and Nikeil Alexander-Walker.
The Week 7 scoring period in Yahoo is two weeks — December 2-15
Daily schedule: Monday (4), Tuesday (11), Wednesday (6), Thursday (8), Friday (7), Saturday (7) and Sunday (12).
Best streaming days: Monday (4 games) and Wednesday (6 games)
Teams who play on Monday and Wednesday:
Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Lakers, Nets and Timberwolves
Four games: 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Pacers, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, Warriors and Wizards
Three games: Blazers, Clippers, Jazz, Mavericks, Nets, Knicks, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets and Thunder
Back-to-backs:
Tuesday/Wednesday: 76ers, Bucks, Clippers Magic, Pacers and Pistons
Thursday/Friday: Bulls, Kings, Spurs and Warriors,
Friday/Saturday: Celtics
Saturday/Sunday: Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Heat, Hornets, Nuggets, Pelicans, Suns and Wizards
Notable Week 7 injuries
Hornets G LaMelo Ball (calf) to be re-evaluated in at least two weeks
Hornets G Tre Mann (back) to be re-evaluated in at least two weeks
Nets G/C Ben Simmons (knee) is day-to-day
Mavs C Dereck Lively (knee) is day-to-day
Latest injury reporting for all NBA teams
NBA Injury Report – Monday, December 2
▶️ “Just a Moment” – Nas (feat. Quan)
The play: I already mentioned Quentin Grimes being an add, but the same can be said for Spencer Dinwiddie (20%) should Kyrie Irving (shoulder) miss any time heading into Week 7. Dinwiddie scored over 20 points with at least five assists in three of his last four contests.
The play: Aaron Gordon returned on Sunday and while Peyton Watson played well in 29 minutes, his run as a streamer is likely a wrap. Gordon played just 24 minutes against the Clippers, six minutes less than his seasonal average, so while he’ll likely need a brief ramp-up period, it won’t be long til Gordon rejoins the starting lineup with a normal workload.
The play: Zach Edey (ankle) should be back early this week, so his return likely dampens Brandon Clarke’s streaming appeal. Marcus Smart (28%), however, has been a boost off the bench for Memphis. Over his last three contests, he has scored over 11 points, had five assists and snatched a steal.
The play: CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray are back, but Brandon Boston Jr. can be streamed as long as Brandon Ingram (calf) is out. It’s worth mentioning that Klutch Sports is now representing Ingram. Zion Williamson also parted ways with his agent at CAA and is rumored to be joining WME. Don’t be surprised if we see a trade coming in the future.
▶️ “Leather So Soft” – Lil Wayne (feat. Birdman)
Philadelphia 76ers
The play: There’s been no update on Joel Embiid (knee) and Andre Drummond sprained his ankle over the weekend which means Guerschon Yabusele (13%) will get a bump in playing time in a four game week.
