Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that tells you who and what to play in fantasy basketball in the coming week – when it comes to deciding your lineup or music in my rotation.
Each week you’ll see a breakdown of the pickups you need to make, as well as a quick look at the schedule and lineup notes (who’s in rotation and who’s out).
Press play and browse through the latest fantasy basketball information.
🏀 Week 12 Summary
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A stupid season is underway, Walker Kessler (23) missed two games last week due to “break”.
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Brandon Miller (wrist) is out indefinitely
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Surprise – Trey Murphy III cracked the top 10 in the 9-cat leagues after averaging 26/12/3 with 4 3s and 2 sticks this week
🥇Top players for Week 12 (until Saturday)
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🎧 Who’s in my rotation: Avoid pickups under 50% of the list
Must Adds
Nick Richards – C, Phoenix Suns (40%)
Richard’s move to Phoenix was the first midseason move to impact fantasy basketball, and he’s officially a must-buy across all leagues. In his first game with the Suns, he posted a double-double off the bench, recording 21 points (7-8 FG, 7-9 FT) and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. He will be the starting player shortly, and with Jusuf Nurkić out of the rotation, Richards will be a great asset to fantasy managers who need FG percent, rebounds and blocks for the rest of the game.
Tari Eason – SF/PF, Houston Rockets (41%)
The per-minute fan is cooking again after a 13-game absence. In two games since returning to action, Eason is averaging 17 points, 6 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals in 23.5 minutes per game. Jabari Smith is out for a while, so he’ll play an important role in Houston’s frontcourt as long as he’s healthy. FWIW, he’s averaging 1.23 fantasy points per minute this year – which is the same as Trae Young.
Scoot Henderson – PG, Portland Trail Blazers (43%)
The schedule looks like money in Week 13, plus Henderson finished second-round last week. He was on fire all month, averaging 15 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 3s and 1.5 saves per game on 49/45/82 shooting splits. Scoot finally looks confident and will continue to rise in fantasy the more Portland loses ballgames.
Cason Wallace – PG/SG, Oklahoma City Thunder (25%)
Wallace is up 12% from last week, but he’s not in enough leagues. He has been a top-45 player for the past two weeks and ranked 65th in the 9-Cat last month. The Thunder have used him regularly since the turn of the year and he will be a great steals asset, but he has enough across the categories to be used in 10-12 team leagues.
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Best streams
Cole Anthony – PG, Orlando Magic (31%)
Anthony is on the roster in 90% of my leagues, so surprisingly he is under 35% on the roster in Yahoo leagues overall. The longer Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner are out, the more he will be the Magic’s second option on offense. The stream continues with the Magic taking on the Raptors, Blazers and Pistons this week.
Toumani Camara – SF/PF, Portland Trail Blazers (28%)
Camara was nearly a top-100 player in 9-cat leagues last month with Jerami Grant and Deni Avdija sidelined by injury. His contributions, particularly in the stock area, would be a good streamer, with the Blazers having the best schedule this week (more on that later).
Spencer Dinwiddie – PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks (23%)
The veteran substitute probably has a few weeks left until Luka DonÄŤić returns, so take advantage of that if you can. Despite the return of Kyrie Irving, Dinwiddie has been in the round of 16 in point and 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks. The Mavs play three games in four nights to start the week, so Dinwiddie is one of the better streaming options available. If he’s not available, go with Naji Marshall or Quentin Grimes.
Nikola Jović – PF/C, Miami Heat (34%)
Jović was Miami’s first player off the bench Friday night, playing 31 minutes despite the return of Jimmy Butler. He has performed well over the past two weeks, earning ninth-round picks in 9-cat leagues. With the Butler saga far from over, fantasy managers should remain patient and hold out with Jović, as he and Jaime Jaquez Jr. will likely benefit from any Butler move.
Guerschon Yabusele – PF/C, Philadelphia 76ers (18%)
The Sixers are falling fast, and the recent news that Joel Embiid will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days for swelling in his left knee (after missing several games with a foot injury) is worrisome for fantasy managers. This makes Yabusele a valuable free agent. Although Yabusele is averaging 10/6/2 in 28 minutes without Embiid on the court this season, he has increased those numbers to 13/7/3 in 35 minutes per game over his last six games. Add him as we don’t know when Embiid will play again.
Luke Kennard – SG, Memphis Grizzles (6%)
Taylor Jenkins gave Kennard a starting spot on Friday with Ja Morant (foot) sidelined. He responded by scoring 17 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3-3 FT), grabbing 3 boards and scoring 4 dimes in 26 minutes. He’s scored in double figures with at least two 3s in five of his last six games, so he has some streaming appeal in a four-game week.
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🗓️ Weekly game plan
Here’s how the week breaks down in terms of total NBA games played per day. Use this to find out when streaming options are cheapest:
day |
Games played |
Monday |
8 |
Tuesday |
5 |
Wednesday |
9 |
Thursday |
9 |
Friday |
3 |
Saturday |
14 |
Sunday |
1 |
Monday (W13) |
12 |
Prime streaming days: Tuesday, Friday and Sunday
Set your rosters early on Monday as MLK Day games begin at noon Eastern Time. Outside of Saturday, you should be able to stream for at least three days this week, with the best opportunities on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Remember that winning more games for the easier teams will allow you to make better use of your waiver moves.
🎯 Target teams:
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10 teams play four games: Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Hornets, Mavericks, Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Warriors. If you miss the players above, stream the likes of Robert Williams, Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, Scotty Pippen Jr., Derrick Jones Jr., Amir Coffey, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II and Al Horford.
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The teams play on all three days: Trailblazer
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The teams played on two of these days: 76s
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Teams of three Games on four evenings (Mon-Thurs): Celtics, Clippers, Hawks, Mavericks and Warriors.
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Teams with three games in four nights (Thurs-Sun): Trailblazer
❌ Teams to avoid: The Pacers and Spurs only have two games this week, both against each other in Paris. Outside of your elite options, cut your players from the lower ranks and resort to the waiver pool, as neither team plays until Thursday and their second match is Saturday on the tight 14-game schedule.
Consecutive sets:
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Monday-Tuesday: Knicks
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Tuesday – Wednesday: Nets
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Wednesday-Thursday: Bucks, Celtics, Clippers, Kings, Mavericks, Thunder and Warriors
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Thursday-Friday: Trail Blazers
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Friday-Saturday: 76ers, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Hornets and Pelicans
đźš‘ Injury news
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The Dallas Mavericks are “hopeful” Luka Dončić can return before the All-Star break.
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Sixers C Joel Embiid (knee) will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days
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Warriors F/C Draymond Green left Saturday’s contest with a calf injury and will undergo an MRI on Sunday.
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Magic F Franz Wagner (diagonal) has been upgraded to “Return to Competition Reconditioning”. Barring any setbacks, he should return within the next 14 days
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Thunder F/C Chet Holmgren (pelvis) will be re-evaluated in 3-5 weeks
Latest injury reports for all NBA teams
NBA Injury Report – January 20th
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🔄 Rotation Watchlist – Weekly Top 3
Falcons: Onyeka Okongwu is currently on a roll, averaging 18/16/3 with nearly two blocks per game in his last three games. Clint Capela plays 9 minutes less than Okongwu in this period. This is a fun situation where the idea is to sell high or hold the price in hopes that Capela gets traded (which he never does).
Wizard: Rookies Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington have been quietly playing along, and I would recommend keeping an eye on these two players as the down season approaches. The Wizards will likely have to sell some veteran assets and earn consistent minutes the rest of the way.
Pistons: According to Jake Fischer, the Pistons are expected to acquire “complementary players” at the trade deadline. With Jaden Ivey out, adding another ball handler would be useful, but any move could shake up veterans who are playing well (and were streamable options), like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley.