Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who and what to play — music-wise or other things in my rotation — for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Each week, you’ll see a compilation of must-have picks, a quick look at the schedule, and lineup notes (who’s in and out of the rotation).
Press play to mix in the latest fantasy basketball information.
🏀 Wrap for the 6th week
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The Bucks, Grizzlies and Magic are the hottest teams to win six games in a row
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Emirates NBA Cup group stage play concludes on Tuesday
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Isaiah Hartenstein averaged 15/14/4 with 1.5 actions in Week 1 back. Phew.
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Nikola Jokić tied with Magic Johnson for third place in triple-double history. Jokić collected 138 triple-doubles in 190 fewer games than the Magic 👀
▶️ “Legendary” – Joey Bada$$ feat. J. Cole
🏆 The best performers
🎧 Who’s in my rotation: Pickups with rejection
Note: The 7th week scoring period is two weeks. 2.-15.12.
Nick Richards – C, Charlotte Hornets (36% in lineup)
Hopefully you found Richards when he was making 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 started but only played 22 minutes. Mark Williams is still not ready to return, so Richards is a player you’ll want to include for fantasy purposes.
Yves Missi – C, New Orleans Pelicans (31% ranked)
Add Baylor freshman in all leagues. The Pelicans are heading into trade mode, and he’s one of the few names on their roster that won’t be available. The big man has found his groove lately and is averaging a near double-double with 9.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2 steals in 27 minutes per game over the last 10 games. As the starting center for a struggling team, he will continue to drive and produce for fantasy managers in need of rebounds and blocks.
▶️ “Grand Groove” – the tragedy of Khadafi
Goga Bitadze – C, Orlando Magic (29% ranked)
Make sure you check your exemption funds for Bitadze. Since the return of Wendell Carter Jr. he was never missing from the lineup, he continued to start and in the last three games he averaged 10.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in five games. It makes no sense to change the lineup knowing they are 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.
▶️ “YSIV” – Logic
Julian Champagnie – SF/PF, San Antonio Spurs (23% in lineup)
The Spurs starting small forward must be on the roster in multiple 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 option to stream points, 3s and steals in 12-team leagues.
Quentin Grimes – SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks (14% of lineup)
Klay Thompson has missed the last four games with a foot injury, and Grimes has been out of commission in his absence. He’s on a three-game hitting streak with at least 21 points and four 3-pointers, shooting over 53% from the field in that span. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving have also been in and out of the lineup, but he’s seeing minutes in the high 20s and taking advantage of the extra minutes. Wait to pick him up as the Mavs don’t play until Tuesday. However, this week’s opponents are the Grizzlies, Wizards and Raptors — all good fantasy matchups for the first part of the two-week scoring period.
Vasilije Micić – PG/SG, Charlotte Hornets (12% on roster)
The Hornets will be without LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann for at least two weeks, leaving the door open for Micić to get a job at point guard. In 21 starts last year, he averaged nearly 12 points, 2 boards and 6 assists with 3. That’s at least 23 fantastic points per game for point leagues, and Micić won’t blow your efficiency numbers in 9-cat leagues. He’s a solid streamer knowing he’ll see 30 minutes a night for the next two weeks.
More streams for Week 7, Part 1:
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De’Andre Hunter, Rui Hachimura, Zaccharie Risacher, Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, Trendon Watford, TJ McConnell and Nikeil Alexander-Walker.
🗓️ The most important of the schedule
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Yahoo’s Week 7 points period is two weeks – December 2-15
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Daily schedule: Monday (4), Tuesday (11), Wednesday (6), Thursday (8), Friday (7), Saturday (7) and Sunday (12).
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Best days to stream: Monday (4 matches) and Wednesday (6 matches)
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Teams playing on Monday and Wednesday:
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Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Lakers, Nets and Timberwolves
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Four games: 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Pacers, Pelicány, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, Warriors and Wizards
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Three games: Blazers, Clippers, Jazz, Mavericks, Nets, Knicks, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets and Thunder
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One after the other:
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Tuesday/Wednesday: 76ers, Bucks, Clippers Magic, Pacers and Pistons
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Thursday/Friday: Bulls, kings, spurs and warriors,
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Friday/Saturday: Celts
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Saturday/Sunday: Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Heats, Hornets, Nuggets, Pelicans, Suns and Wizards
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🚑 News about injuries
Notable injuries in Week 7
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Hornets G LaMelo Ball (calf) to be reevaluated in at least two weeks
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Hornets G Tre Mann (back) needs to be reevaluated in at least two weeks
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Nets G/C Ben Simmons (knee) is day-to-day
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Mavs C Dereck Lively (knee) is day-to-day
The latest injury news for all NBA teams
NBA Injury Report – Monday, December 2nd
▶️ “Just a Moment” – Nas (feat. Quan)
🔁 Rotation notes
Dallas Mavericks
game: I already mentioned Quentin Grimes as an addition, but the same can be said for Spencer Dinwiddie (20%) should Kyrie Irving (shoulder) miss any time in Week 7. the last four competitions.
Denver Nuggets
The game: Aaron Gordon returned on Sunday, and while Peyton Watson played well in 29 minutes, his run as a streamer is likely wrapped up. Gordon played just 24 minutes against the Clippers, six minutes less than his season average, so while he’ll likely need a short warm-up period, it won’t be long before Gordon returns to the starting lineup with a normal workload.
Memphis Grizzlies
The game: Zach Edey (ankle) should be back earlier this week, so his return will likely dampen the appeal of Brandon Clark’s streaming. However, Marcus Smart (28%) was a force off the bench for Memphis. Over the past three games, he’s had more than 11 points, five assists and a steal.
New Orleans Pelicans
The game: CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray are back, but Brandon Boston Jr. may be streamed while Brandon Ingram (calf) is out. It’s worth noting that Klutch Sports now represents Ingram. Zion Williamson has also parted ways with his agent at CAA and is rumored to be joining WME. Don’t be surprised if we see a trade in the future.
▶️ “Leather So Soft” – Lil Wayne (feat. Birdman)
Philadelphia 76ers
The game: There were no updates on Joel Embiid (knee) and Andre Drummond sprained his ankle over the weekend, meaning Guerschon Yabusele (13%) will have the upper hand through the week of four games.
▶️ “Just a Moment” – Nas (feat. Quan)