It’s Week 23. One week left to do what it do. Don’t let all of your hard work managing your squad for 22 weeks go to waste. It’s time to bring home a fantay basketball title.
My Playlist is focused on the guys who play on lighter slates — Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday — but with the schedule only having one double-digit slate, you can find pockets to play the matchups all week. Try to maximize transactions by having one pickup last at least two to three games before you pivot.
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One thing to plan around before you start adding: the Warriors, Pacers, Nuggets and Kings don’t play until Wednesday. The Pelicans don’t play until Thursday. The Nuggets and the Trail Blazers play only two games. Hold your mains guys, but the fringe players can be dropped.
Fantasy basketball pickups and advice.
Daniss Jenkins – PG/SG, Detroit Pistons (35%)
Just a PSA for shallow league managers. Jenkins is averaging 18-4-7 over his last seven starts without Cade Cunningham. The Pistons have arguably the best schedule with four games this week, with three on lighter slates. He’s an auto-start in points and 9-cat leagues this week.
Will Riley – SF/PF, Washington Wizards (21%)
Between 20-minute playing restrictions and 10-day contracts, it’s hard to pinpoint what to expect of most Wizards options. Riley is the only trustworthy asset for the Wizards right now.
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He was a top-40 player in 9-cat last week, averaging 18-5-3 with a steal per game and an efficient 51/41/88 shooting split. Those in shallow leagues need to take notice: the Wiz have four games, and Riley will cook in any format.
Dylan Harper – PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs (20%)
The rookie out of Rutgers is making the most of his minutes lately, posting a solid 15-4-5 in just 24 minutes per game across his last six contests. The stocks haven’t been there, but he’s been otherwise a valuable 9-cat asset with his efficiency and contributions in 3s.
Harper’s been a top-60 player in 9-cat over the past two weeks and has a favorable four-game schedule where I’d want to play him as the Spurs chase the Thunder for the best record in the West. Two consolation options are Keldon Johnson and Julian Champagnie, who will chip in across 3s, points and possibly rebounds.
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Paul Reed – C/PF, Detroit Pistons (5%)
Reed has a ton of injury upside heading his way to start the week. Jalen Duren is listed as doubtful on Monday, and Isaiah Stewart remains on the sideline. The Pistons face two strong defensive teams to start the week, playing against the Thunder and Raptors on Monday and Tuesday.
Still, the thin frontcourt will work in Reed’s favor in terms of opportunity. High minutes (if he stays out of foul trouble) will lead to more counting stats for fantasy managers. Detroit avoids Sunday’s 11-game slate, so picking up Reed (and other Pistons) will go a long way in Week 22.
Jaxson Hayes – C, Los Angeles Lakers (7%)
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to have to go here, but I picked up Hayes in a couple of spots because he’s playing too well for me not to consider him. He’s putting up Daniel Gafford numbers, hitting all of those traditional big man stats of FG%, rebounds and blocks.
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He swatted almost 4 shots per game in Week 22, averaging 14 points and 7 boards — far more productive than Deandre Ayton. The Lakers play three games in four nights, so I’m anticipating Hayes will feast in the Monday-Tuesday back-to-back, especially in garbage time versus Washington to begin the week.
Royce O’Neale – SF/PF, Phoenix Suns (16%)
Dillon Brooks is sitting out on Monday and it’s less likely that Grayson Allen will play both games of the Suns’ back-to-back on Monday and Tuesday. If you need 3s, stocks and low-end assists, O’Neale has surprisingly been getting busy, ranking as a top-60 player in 9-cat the past two weeks.
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The Suns play three games in four nights to open the week, so the schedule works in his favor. A deeper add would be Ryan Dunn, who contributes to similar categories as O’Neale, just swapping assists for rebounds.
Oso Ighodaro – C, Phoenix Suns (18%)
Oso is another Phoenix player to target because of the early schedule advantage and the fact that Mark Williams isn’t ready to play. Ighodaro has flashed some fantasy-centric appeal as a big man who rebounds well, can score, playmake and aggregate stocks. I like him more in points leagues, though, because his inconsistent free-throw shooting won’t tank your percentages.
Sandro Mamukelashvili – C/PF, Toronto Raptors (14%)
Mamu is on a heater in his last four games, averaging 18.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.8 3s per game. The Raptors play a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back and have two games over the weekend on Friday and Sunday. Although the Raptors play on Sunday, they have a few starters (Jakob Poeltl, Collin Murray-Boyles and Brandon Ingram) who are unlikely to play on back-to-backs, which would help Mamu’s numbers. I’d also consider Ja’Kobe Walter, with Immanuel Quickley still out with plantar fasciitis.
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Ousmane Dieng – SF, Milwaukee Bucks (14%)
The Bucks have been eliminated from playoff contention, which means it’s time to rest all of the vets in favor of some young blood like Dieng. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner are either out or day-to-day, leaving Dieng with a chance to take on more shot volume and usage. While the counting stat potential is there for points, rebounds, assists and steals, his efficiency is horrible. Prioritize Dieng for points leagues, as the Bucks have four games, three of which are before Sunday.
Kevin Huerter – SG/SF, Detroit Pistons (4%)
Similar to Reed, Huerter is a worthwhile stream given Detroit’s schedule and injury reports. Tobias Harris is doubtful and Ausar Thompson is questionable on Monday. That leaves a nice opportunity for Huerter, a guy who scored 22 points two games ago and has been racking up a surprising number of steals over his past five contests (10 total steals). He hits 3s and has been pretty efficient in terms of assists to turnovers, so I’d add him to the list of considerations for championship week.
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New Orleans Pelicans
Strictly a matchup play in the middle of the week, where the Pelicans face off against the Blazers and Kings on Thursday and Friday. Two streamable days where Herb Jones should be on your radar in shallow leagues, with Derik Queen and Yves Missi on your watchlist for deeper leagues.
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