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.
📝 My approach to Week 7, Part 2
If you saved your transactions for this week (they don’t reset for Week 7), I would target teams playing in the NBA Cup, and you would expect to advance beyond the first game.
The eight participants in the NBA Cup (ATL, MIL, NYK, ORL, OKC, GSW, HOU, DAL) will play on Tuesday or Wednesday. The winning teams advancing in the single-elimination tournament will play on Saturday (two-game slate), and the losing teams will play on Sunday (seven-game slate).
So, to maximize your transaction, pick teams and players you think will move on so that you can get another game on a lighter slate.
Lastly, several teams play only one game over the next seven days:
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76ers, Bulls, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, Nets, Nuggets and Pistons.
🎧 Who’s in My Rotation: Waiver Pickups
Players to target from NBA Cup teams under 50% rostered:
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Tari Eason (if back), Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Buddy Hield, De’Andre Hunter, Zaccharie Risacher, Taurean Prince, Gary Trent Jr., Wendell Carter Jr. and Quentin Grimes.
Miles McBride – PG/SG, New York Knicks (19% rostered)
The Knicks are the only team with the potential to play three games this week, which gives McBride an edge in counting stats over most of the available waiver pool in points or category leagues. As the top option off the bench, McBrides’s been both efficient and productive over the past two weeks, averaging 12 points with three rebounds, three assists and two 3s per game with 50/50/94 shooting splits in 25 minutes per night. He’s a must-add this week.
▶️ “Rubberband of Life”( feat. Ledisi) – Miles Davis
Ayo Dosunmu – SG/SF, Chicago Bulls (41% rostered)
Looking beyond Week 7 (the Bulls only have one game), Dosunmu has been playing phenomenally well recently and should be rostered in all leagues. He posted his first triple-double last week (27/10/11) vs. the Spurs and has provided second-round value to fantasy managers in 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks. The trade deadline is less than two months away and if anything were to happen with the Bulls, Ayo will likely benefit. Dosunmu’s production and opportunity are on the rise.
Royce O’Neale – SF/PF, Phoenix Suns (27% rostered)
The Suns play two games this week against the Jazz and Blazers so it doesn’t get much better for O’Neale, who’s getting a boost in playing time sans Kevin Durant (ankle). Without Durant on the floor this year, O’Neale is averaging 11 points, six rebounds, 2.6 3s and 1.8 stocks per game. He’s coming off a career-best 23 points on Saturday night and with Durant expected to miss the rest of the week, O’Neale gets another run as a streamer in points and 9-cat leagues. Grayson Allen (19% rostered) is also a good option.
Brandon Boston Jr. – SG/SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans (18% rostered)
Brandon Ingram (ankle) is out indefinitely, which gives Boston new life for fantasy managers. His rostership is down, but there’s not much depth left on the wing, even after Herb Jones returned to the lineup. Boston’s minutes fluctuated over the past five games, but he’s averaged 14 points while registering at least a few rebounds with a steal and a three-pointer. With Ingram out, his minutes will remain in the 25-26 range, which might be enough for fantasy managers in 12-team leagues to stream for a few weeks.
▶️ “Code of the Streets” – Gang Starr
Obi Toppin – PF, Indiana Pacers (9% rostered)
I talked about TJ McConnell the last couple of weeks, so if you missed out on him, Toppin is shaping up to be a nice streamer at the tail end of the week. Toppin has seen at least 20 minutes in four of his last five games and has been a steady contributor off the bench for Indy. He’s averaging 15.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 3s per game, with an impressive 62/39/86 shooting split in December. With such a thin frontcourt, Toppin’s role in the rotation is secure, so fantasy managers may want to throw him into the mix against Philly and a beatdown Pelicans crew to close out Week 7.
▶️ “Top of the Morning” – Smoke Dza
Julian Champagnie – SF/PF, San Antonio Spurs (27% rostered)
How is he only rostered in five more percent of leagues than last week? He dropped a career-best 30 points on Saturday with six 3s and will continue helping fantasy managers in points, 3s and rebounds as he’s become a mainstay with the starting lineup.
Players who are under 50% rostered that I’d roster in all leagues regardless of Week 7:
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Alex Sarr, Yves Missi, Nick Richards, Bilal Coulibaly, Gradey Dick, Goga Bitadze and TJ McConnell.
🗓️ Schedule Highlights:
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Week 7 scoring period in Yahoo is two weeks — Dec 2-15
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Daily schedule: Monday (1), Tuesday (2), Wednesday (2), Thursday (3), Friday (8), Saturday (2) and Sunday (7).
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19 teams play two games: Bucks, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hawks, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Pacers, Pelicans, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Wizards
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11 teams play one game: 76ers, Bulls, Cavaliers, Clippers, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Kings, Nets, Nuggets and Pistons
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The Knicks will play three games. If they win, they’ll play on Saturday. If they lose, they’ll play on Sunday.
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Back-to-backs: None
🚑 Injury news:
Notable Week 7 injuries (beyond day-to-day)
Latest injury reporting for all NBA teams
NBA Injury Report – Monday, December 9
▶️ “Patience” – NaS & Damian Marley
🔁 Rotation notes:
Cleveland Cavaliers
The play: Evan Mobley sprained his ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Heat and could not return to the game. Georges Niang filled in for Mobley, finishing with 15 points (5-7, 3-4 3PT,1-1 FT) with six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 31 minutes. Hopefully, Mobley’s ankle injury won’t have him sidelined for too long, but the Cavs have one game remaining in week 7.
Golden State Warriors
The play: Draymond Green has come off the bench in the last two games for the Warriors in favor of Jonathan Kuminga. For now, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney are fortifying the rest of the frontcourt. In another interesting move, Steve Kerr inserted Gary Payton II into the starting unit, and Buddy Hield stepped in for Wiggins (ankle) on Sunday. It’s something to monitor as the week moves along, as Payton II could offer some stocks and rebounds for fantasy managers, with Hield providing points and 3s.
Philadelphia 76ers
The play: Joel Embiid is back, so Guerschon Yabusele and Andre Drummond can be dropped from fantasy teams, especially because the Sixers play only one game in the second part of Week 7.
Washington Wizards
The play: Washington’s injury report is extensive, with Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring), Kyle Kuzma (rib), Kyshawn George (ankle), Corey Kispert (ankle) and Alex Sarr (back) all missing Sunday’s contest. Bub Carrington can be streamed with Brogdon out, and if you’re in a deep league, Marvin Bagley III is a possibility, though I don’t recommend it.