RADIO
If the schedule for this week confuses you, don't worry - you're not the only one. After many hours of studying it, I feel pretty confident that I know how this thing is working and I'm going to break it all down for you. What it means for fantasy hoops is really just a lot fewer games played overall as most teams will play only two games this week and a few teams will play just once.
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 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 7 Schedule Breakdown
| TEAM | GAMES | MON | TUES | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| Atlanta Hawks | 2 | BKN | @PHI | |||||
| Boston Celtics | 1 or 2 | @IND | NYK/MIL | NYK/MIL | ||||
| Brooklyn Nets | 2 | @ATL | WAS | |||||
| Charlotte Hornets | 2 | @CHI | TOR | |||||
| Chicago Bulls | 2 | CHA | @SA | |||||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 2 | ORL | @MIA | |||||
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | UTA | @POR | |||||
| Denver Nuggets | 2 | @LAC | HOU | |||||
| Detroit Pistons | 2 | MEM | @ORL | |||||
| Golden State Warriors | 2 | POR | @OKC | |||||
| Houston Rockets | 2 | OKC | @DEN | |||||
| Indiana Pacers | 1 or 2 | BOS | NYK/MIL | NYK/MIL | ||||
| Los Angeles Clippers | 2 | DEN | @UTA | |||||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 2 | PHO | SAC/NOP | SAC/NOP | ||||
| Memphis Grizzlies | 2 | @DET | MIN | |||||
| Miami Heat | 2 | @TOR | CLE | |||||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2 | NY | IND/BOS | IND/BOS | ||||
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 2 | SA | @MEM | |||||
| New Orleans Pelicans | 2 | @SAC | LAL/PHO | LAL/PHO | ||||
| New York Knicks | 2 | @MIL | IND/BOS | IND/BOS | ||||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | @HOU | GS | |||||
| Orlando Magic | 2 | @CLE | DET | |||||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 2 | @WAS | ATL | |||||
| Phoenix Suns | 2 | @LAL | SAC/NOP | SAC/PHO | ||||
| Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | @GS | DAL | |||||
| Sacramento Kings | 2 | NO | LAL/PHO | LAL/PHO | ||||
| San Antonio Spurs | 2 | @MIN | CHI | |||||
| Toronto Raptors | 2 | MIA | @CHA | |||||
| Utah Jazz | 2 | @DAL | LAC | |||||
| Washington Wizards | 2 | PHI | @BKN |
Notes:
All teams are guaranteed two games this week.
All teams that didn't make the single-elimination bracket are guaranteed at least two games and will play on Wednesday and Friday.
The winners of the first round will play again on Thursday in the semifinals.
The losers of the first round will play a consolation game on Friday.
The Championship game on Saturday is the only game that doesn't count for any regular season stats or standings.
Standard League Adds For Week 7
Percentage owned numbers in parentheses are from Yahoo!
Patrick Williams - PF (37%)
We kick things off here with a guy I mentioned last week, P-Will. It's still too early to claim victory on calling for his turnaround last week, as he could fade as quickly as he's emerged. But we know he has six straight double-digit scoring games, minutes in the high 20s or low 30s, and some solid defensive stats starting to roll in (5 blocks and 5 steals EACH in his last three games combined).
Patrick Williams, last six games:
13.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 steal, 0.8 blocks in 31.2 mins.
His 3-point shot has returned (41.7 percent) -- only 4 attempts.
Biggest change I've seen is he's actually moving off the ball and recognising and filling lanes. pic.twitter.com/Y9x4KJjaoK
— Mark K (@mkhoops) December 3, 2023
My prediction is that Zach LaVine is traded this season, and possibly DeMar DeRozan and/or Nikola Vucevic, too. The Bulls have to tear it down at some point and the guys I want for the rest of the season when that happens are Coby White and Patrick Williams, who would be centerpieces of the rebuild in addition to any young players that the Bulls might get in trades. Buy low on P-Will while you can, I think this is a pretty solid opportunity to invest in a player with top-100 upside.
Moritz Wagner - C (32%)
Last week I was on Goga Bitadze as the Magic big man to pick up, but Wagner continues to outplay him off the bench and is the guy who is more likely to earn a full 20-24 minutes because of his ability to score and stretch the floor.
Wagner has two 18-point games in a row and can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. He will score, grab boards, and help percentages. Anything extra like a few blocks here and there are just a bonus.
Grayson Allen - SG/SF (30%)
The Suns will face the Lakers tomorrow night in the first round of the knockout stage of the tourney. They'll then face either Sacto or New Orleans on Thursday or Friday for their second game. Allen has been logging heavy minutes for Phoenix as Devin Booker has been in and out of the lineup and Bradley Beal continues to be out for an extended time.
He's a bit of a one-trick pony in terms of stats as a three-point shooter, but he also contributes sparkling percentage, low turnovers, and nearly three assists per game. His game is very fantasy-friendly for a shooter and he's not going to hurt you anywhere.
Sam Hauser - SF/PF (19%)
Hauser can give you similar stats to Allen, just with fewer assists as he's purely a spot-up shooter and not a guy who is going to drive the ball at all. He's been deadly from behind the arc all season and continues to get minutes in the mid to low 20s as the Celtics lack much depth behind their starters. Kristaps Porzingis remains out tonight, so expect Hauser to see close to 25 minutes and fire up shots from downtown in an up-tempo spot against an Indiana team that thinks defense is optional.
Deep League Adds For Week 7
Caleb Martin - SG/SF (14%)
Martin missed the first few weeks of the season, but he's finally heating up and giving Miami some much-needed help on the wing. Over his last four games, Martin is averaging 17 points, 3.8 boards, 2.5 assists, and 0.8 steals on 52% from the floor. Those numbers will work for 9-cat and with Miami constantly having injuries, Martin should continue to be needed for anywhere from 25-30 minutes a night for the foreseeable future.
Robert Covington - SF/PF (10%)
We saw some vintage Bob-Cov last week when he cracked 30 minutes twice and posted some monster lines. Now, Embiid was out in those games and Nicolas Batum also missed on them, too. Covington had been playing anywhere from 12-20 minutes a game before that and he could easily go back to that role this week if the Sixers are healthy. But let's not act like he's not still a valuable fantasy player with 20 minutes a night.
He's contributing 2.3 blocks/steals per game right now in only 18 minutes per contest. Two up-tempo matchups this week for the Sixers (ATL and WAS) have me intrigued.
David Roddy - SF/PF (9%)
Roddy has been starting for Memphis at the three now for several games and while he's not posting big scoring numbers, he has been contributing across the board, especially in rebounds and threes. If you need some threes, points, and boards he is worth a look while Memphis continues to be strapped for healthy players.
DAVID RODDY IN THE FIRST HALF :
- 17 POINTS
- 6/9 FG
- 5-8 3PT
- 4 REBOUNDSYOU LOVE TO SEE IT. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/zLnTvSaGR7
— Grizz Lead (@Grizz_Lead) November 30, 2023
Payton Pritchard - PG/SG (6%)
I mentioned Sam Hauser earlier, but Pritchard has been another excellent player off the bench for the Celtics this season. He's stepped into a 20+ minute role and is providing a couple of threes per game along with some assists and solid shooting percentages. You have to like this matchup against Indiana tonight and a chance at more minutes this week as Boston runs a tight rotation and is missing Porzingis.
Derrick Jones Jr. - SF (5%)
DJJ is coming off his best week of the season, scoring 15, 16, and 24 points in his last three games. Luka and Kyrie have been taking turns taking nights off, but DJJ has been having some decent games even when both of them play, too. He can chip in across the board with valuable defensive stats in addition to scoring and the matchups this week are excellent as the Mavericks take on the lowly Jazz and Blazers.
Good luck everyone, and enjoy the in-season tournament!
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