Welcome to the NBA season-long fantasy weekly roundup, and happy holidays to everyone. The content of this weekly article will continue to vary based on what is happening in the association at the time.
We’ll take a look at the upcoming week of games and talk about some streaming targets we can take advantage of on the waiver wire. Then we’ll look at a few injury situations we can potentially take advantage of. If you have any questions about your season long teams or would like to see a certain type of content in this weekly article, don’t hesitate to tag me in the FTN Fantasy Discord or on Twitter at @KawhisenbergDFS.
Weekly Team Waiver Wire Targets
One of the best ways to gain an edge in season-long fantasy basketball is to play the waiver wire with a spot or two on your roster from week to week. With these spots we want to target players on the waiver wire who are on teams that will play the most games over the next matchup period. On the flip side, we certainly want to dump players in these rotational spots that play the least number of games in the coming week. For most sites, a head-to-head scoring period goes from Monday to Sunday, so for this week we will focus on “Week 12,” Jan. 2-8.
As always, the injury landscape in the NBA shifts fairly dramatically week to week, which opens up new opportunities for lower owned players in season long formats. We like to take this into account in combination with the weekly schedule when trying to take advantage of a streaming spot. The month of December saw a few consecutive weeks that had single digit teams with four games including the lowest number of four-game teams the week before Christmas. Things have shifted wildly in the opposite direction of late, with half the league playing four games this past scoring period and a season high 21 teams playing four games this coming week. There should be some very attractive streaming options available in your league this week unless it’s much deeper than standard formats.
Teams to Target That Play 4 Games in Week 12
Atlanta (@GSW, @SAC, @LAL, @LAC) Brooklyn (SA, @CHI, @NOP, @MIA) Charlotte (LAL, MEM, @MIL, @IND) Chicago (@CLE, BKN, @PHI, UTA) Cleveland (CHI, PHX, @DEN, @PHX) Dallas (@HOU, BOS, NOP, @OKC) Detroit (@POR, @GSW, @SA, PHI) Houston (DAL, @NOP, UTA, MIN) Indiana (TOR, @PHI, POR, CHA) LA Clippers (MIA, @DEN, @MIN, ATL) LA Lakers (@CHA, MIA, ATL, @SAC) Miami (@LAC, @LAL, @PHX, BKN) Minnesota (DEN, POR, LAC @HOU) New Orleans (@PHI, HOU, BKN, @DAL) Oklahoma City (BOS, @ORL, WAS, DAL) Philadelphia (NOP, IND, CHI, @DET) Phoenix (@NYK, @CLE, MIA, CLE) Portland (DET, @MIN, @IND, @TOR) San Antonio (@BKN, @NYK, DET, BOS) Toronto (@IND, MIL, NYK, POR) Utah (SAC, @HOU, @CHI, @MEM)
Somewhat surprisingly, there aren’t a ton of teams on this list that have a full schedule of advantageous opponents. Out of this group of 21 teams, my favorite team schedules in terms of matchups for Week 12 are Atlanta, Portland, and Utah
Week 12 Waiver Wire Targets
(Less than 50% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Now that we’ve got a group of teams with Week 12 schedules we want to target (and three of them with priority) for our streaming spots, here are some of the best options likely to be available in your league. Any players from these teams rostered above 50% are not listed here but should be rostered in your league this week (and likely going forward), so make sure to check the availability of those top players. The following low owned players are listed in order of preference, but that could change based on your roster’s positional needs.
As an additional note, Portland’s tight rotation likely leaves no clear options on your waiver wire. If Josh Hart (74.8%) is available in your league, he would be a top-three streaming option for me this week.
Injury Updates
Obviously as the season progresses there will be players who become IR-eligible along the way. For those who are there for a short stay there can sometimes be an opportunity to pick up and stash some very talented players in your IR spot. Some managers are either forced to drop these players due to taking on multiple injuries on their roster or just simply don’t know they have an IR spot available. We’ve discussed some injury situations over the past few weeks from a perspective of who benefits from the vacated minutes and usage. This week, let’s take a look at some important players who are currently shelved for their respective teams and potentially returning soon, as well as reminding you about some we have discussed at length in the past two weeks.
Here’s a few new or previously undiscussed injury situations for us to monitor.
Kelly Olynyk (37.0%)
If you need help in your frontcourt, then Kelly Olynyk may be one of the best options on your waiver wire. He’s likely to be healthy by the time Week 12 begins Sunday. Who knows when the Jazz will transition to Walker Kessler as the full-time starting center, but it’s likely not quite yet.
Jae’Sean Tate (3.9%)
More of a deep-league option, Jae’Sean Tate is expected to return to the Rockets rotation later this week. He should play a significant enough role for the Rockets when healthy that he’s an acceptable option, again in deeper leagues.
As a reminder, we discussed this pair of IR-eligible players over the last few weeks and not much has changed for me.
Jalen Suggs (51.2%)
For the second straight week there has been no updates on Jalen Suggs’ status. I do expect him to return prior to his teammate Jonathan Isaac.
Jonathan Isaac (23.5%)
Was sent to Lakeland (Orlando G-League affiliate) three weeks ago. It’s been so long since he’s played an NBA game so who knows how quickly he returns, but just like last week he’s still worth an IR stash for the statistical upside he would bring if healthy.
