RADIO
This week we flip the calendar to December and have another dead day with no hoops (Sunday) as the league gave every team off to prepare for the elimination rounds of the in-season tournament that will take place next week. As always, I have our weekly schedule matrix and my top pickups for this week to help you get that win in your H2H league (or keep dominating in your roto league).
I think it's become conventional wisdom to some extent, but I will restate this anyway. The key to winning fantasy basketball leagues is NOT about how you draft, but what you do afterward with waiver additions and trades. And while you might make a handful of trades during the course of a season, you're most certainly going to make dozens of waiver adds and drops as you try to cope with injuries to players or just try to maximize your games played each week in H2H formats.
Working the wire is an incredibly important skill and being one step ahead of your fellow league managers means always planning ahead and keeping tabs on players who starting to play better or earn more minutes. Every week I will do my best to help you plan out your week and give you my top recommendations to add off waivers in both standard (10-12 team leagues) and deeper formats (more than 12 teams).
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Week 6 Schedule Breakdown
| TEAM | GAMES | MON | TUES | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| Atlanta Hawks | 3 | @CLE | @SA | @MIL | ||||
| Boston Celtics | 2 | CHI | PHI | |||||
| Brooklyn Nets | 3 | TOR | CHA | ORL | ||||
| Charlotte Hornets | 3 | @NY | @BKN | MIN | ||||
| Chicago Bulls | 3 | @BOS | MIL | NO | ||||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 | ATL | POR | @DET | ||||
| Dallas Mavericks | 3 | HOU | MEM | OKC | ||||
| Denver Nuggets | 4 | @LAC | HOU | @PHO | @SAC | |||
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | WAS | LAL | @NY | CLE | |||
| Golden State Warriors | 3 | @SAC | LAC | @LAC | ||||
| Houston Rockets | 3 | @DAL | @DEN | @LAL | ||||
| Indiana Pacers | 3 | POR | @MIA | @MIA | ||||
| Los Angeles Clippers | 4 | DEN | @SAC | @GS | GS | |||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 4 | @PHI | @DET | @OKC | HOU | |||
| Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | UTA | @DAL | @PHO | ||||
| Miami Heat | 3 | MIL | IND | IND | ||||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | @MIA | @CHI | ATL | ||||
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 3 | OKC | UTA | @CHA | ||||
| New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | @UTA | PHI | SA | @CHI | |||
| New York Knicks | 3 | CHA | DET | @TOR | ||||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 3 | @MIN | LAL | @DAL | ||||
| Orlando Magic | 3 | WAS | WAS | @BKN | ||||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | LAL | @NO | @BOS | ||||
| Phoenix Suns | 3 | @TOR | DEN | MEM | ||||
| Portland Trail Blazers | 3 | @IND | @CLE | @UTA | ||||
| Sacramento Kings | 3 | GS | LAC | DEN | ||||
| San Antonio Spurs | 2 | ATL | @NO | |||||
| Toronto Raptors | 3 | @BKN | PHO | NY | ||||
| Utah Jazz | 4 | NO | @MEM | @MIN | POR | |||
| Washington Wizards | 3 | @DET | @ORL | @ORL |
Notes:
Only six teams play five games this week (DEN, DET, LAC, LAL, NOP, UTA)
Two teams play just two games (BOS, SAS)
The coveted "weekend back-to-back" is now Fri-Sat since there are no games on Sunday and the following teams play both nights - DAL, DEN, MEM, NOP, ORL, PHX.
Standard League Adds For Week 6
Percentage owned numbers in parentheses are from Yahoo!
Lonnie Walker IV - SG,SF (37%)
Walker had two very pedestrian outings to start last week but then finished with another big game, scoring 20 points with six made threes against Chicago last night. His minutes are often inconsistent, but he has been very effective when on the floor, and while he's really only helping out with threes, points, and percentages, he's really not hurting you anywhere else. He plays Tues/Thurs/Saturday this week which could be ideal if your roster is loaded up with guys playing Mon/Wed/Fri.
Dyson Daniels - PG/SG (36%)
Daniels's rostership dropped this week, either as a product of some low-scoring games from him or perhaps it's managers anticipating C.J. McCollum's return (he's still out today, and we have no definitive word what day he will come back). Even when CJ returns, he may not be able to resume full starters' minutes and Daniels's defense and all-around play have earned him a role on this team.
Dyson Daniels has single-handedly put the jazz in hell tonight
He's up to 6 steals pic.twitter.com/O3shPwE34o
— Jazz Lead (@JazzLead) November 26, 2023
He had six steals on Saturday against Utah and continues to pile up defensive stats while being an above-average rebounder and passer.
Goga Bitadze - C (33%)
Don't look now, but Goga is inside the top 100 on Yahoo! He's sitting at 94 right now on the strength of 1.5 blocks per game, 57% shooting, and just 0.6 turnovers. He and Mo Wagner are basically in a platoon at the center position for the Magic and both have been very productive. Wagner is better for points, but Goga provides better rebounding and defensive stats, which is what really sets him apart. Until Wendell Carter Jr. returns, you can continue to deploy both of the Orlando big men.
Kelly Olynyk - PF/C (33%)
Utah is a complete mess right now and looks like they are already prepared to throw in the towel this season. The other night they rested Lauri and Clarkson and were running two different five-man groups on and off as if it were a junior high game where everyone gets to play the same number of minutes. Olynyk hasn't been starting, but has seen 20+ minutes in nine straight games and that's all he really needs to provide some low-end value in FG%, FT%, points, rebounds, and a few threes.
Utah has a four-game week, so you could do a lot worse than running Kelly O out there.
Patrick Williams - PF (28%)
We have all been here before, I know, but maybe...just maybe...it's finally going to be P-Will SZN?
Williams has reeled off three pretty solid games in a row and has had a hot hand from behind the arc (8-12). His 20 points last night was easily his season-high and one of the lone bright spots for a Chicago team that lost again, dropping their record to 5-12. We know the rumors around LaVine, DeRozan, and Vucevic are already starting and if one or more of the big three gets traded during the season, then we could see the Bulls go with a full youth movement the rest of the way and unleash Williams and others.
Patrick Williams vs Brooklyn Nets
20 PTS
4 REB
7/9 FG
4/5 3P
+14 in 34 minutes#SeeRed L pic.twitter.com/DWfy1DT2fP— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) November 27, 2023
This could also just be a small blip of productivity that goes away quickly, and if it is, you can just cut him and move on. But guys who can give us a three, a steal, and a block per game don't grow on trees. Williams is worth taking a flyer on to see if there's something substantial to this strong recent play.
Reggie Jackson - PG (22%)
The Nuggets play four games this week but have no idea if Jamal Murray will return for any of them as his return remains ambiguous. Jackson had three really solid games last week and just one stinker. He's actually shooting the ball really well and proof that playing with Jokic can elevate just about anyone's game, even a gunner like Reggie. Just know that if Murray returns later this week, Jackson will be an instant cut and you can ride out the rest of the week with some streaming options.
Deep League Adds For Week 6
Matisse Thybulle - SG/SF (18%)
This section is going to be filled with some non-conventional players who can help us fill out peripheral categories and no player really embodies that more than Thybulle. You have to be prepared for the lack of scoring as Thybulle has cracked double-digits in points only a handful of times this season. However, when it comes to threes, steals, and blocks - this guy is worth his weight in gold. It's incredibly rare to find a player who can give you 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game and he's doing it in only 21 minutes per night.
Thybulle is also knocking down 1.4 threes on the season. He's shooting 48% from the floor and is a non-factor at the free throw line, attempting less than half a shot per game. If your team has plenty of offense but is lacking in defense, then grab Thybulle for the week or stream him on the nights when you have an empty roster spot.
Bilal Coulibaly - SF (17%)
There was a big rush to add the lengthy rookie a few weeks ago when he broke out with a 20-point game, but over the last week, his rostership has been on the decline. I could see the lack of patience in shallower formats as he's going to take his lumps some nights, but Coulibaly is an ADD-and-HOLD in deeper formats as he's more than likely going to continue to improve as his rookie season goes along.
Smooth looking middy pull-up from Coulibaly. When the season starts dwindling down and the losses keep piling up, I’d love to see Bilal get more on-ball reps. pic.twitter.com/bSmrMYeoLh
— Wizards Film Room (@KevinFolliNBA) November 26, 2023
He's got nothing but praise from his teammates and coaches and he's still incredibly raw in terms of his talent. But the defensive stats are impressive (nearly a steal and block per game) while he's also shooting the ball over 50%. This kid is oozing potential and is a player to invest in now so you can reap the rewards later.
Josh Richardson - SG (12%)
J-Rich is back in Miami this year and in a familiar role as glue guy/sixth-man player who can do a little of everything. He's a better asset for a real NBA team than a fantasy team, but he has been providing some low-end value in threes, steals, and assists. You just have to be able to stomach his poor shooting, which at 41% continues to be one of the weakest parts of his game. He's scored in double figures in four straight games and has taken on a bigger role since Tyler Herro went down.
Terance Mann - SG/SF (10%)
Mann has stepped into the starting lineup for the Clippers as they moved Westbrook to the bench. He's not being asked to score, that's not his role on this team, but he did have 17 points on Saturday night in a big win over Dallas.
It's really those steals that we are after here. Mann averages 1.0 swipes a game and 0.4 blocks as well (pretty solid for a guard). And the Clippers play four times this week. You can count on a few boards, assists, steals, and blocks - just don't count any threes from Mann, he doesn't shoot them.
Christian Braun - SG (9%)
Braun was on my list last week and will stay here as he continues to see solid minutes with Jamal Murray out. He has struggled to score in Denver's last two games, but he's still getting the minutes and the shots up. The only real downside here is almost no defensive stats, as Braun simply doesn't contribute much there. Remember, Denver plays four times this week which is one reason I bumped Braun and Jackson up above some of the other available players out there.
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