by Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who and what to play — music-wise or other things in my rotation — for the week ahead in fantasy basketball.
Each week you’ll see a compilation of the pickups you need to make, a quick look at the schedule, and roster notes (who’s in and out of rotations).
Press play and browse the latest fantasy basketball news.
🏀Week 6 recap:
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The Bucks, Grizzlies and Magic are the hottest teams, winning six straight games, respectively.
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Emirates NBA Cup group match concludes on Tuesday
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Isaiah Hartenstein averaged 15/14/4 with 1.5 shares in his first week back. Yeah.
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Nikola Jokić tied Magic Johnson for third all-time in triple-doubles. Jokić has 138 triple-doubles in 190 fewer games than Magic 👀
▶️ “Legendary” – Joey Bada$$ feat. J.Cole
🏆 The best performers
🎧 Who is part of my rotation: waiver of pickups
Note: The Week 7 marking period is two weeks. December 2-15.
Nick Richards – C, Charlotte Hornets (36% on roster)
I hope you spotted Richards when he made my list last week, but here’s another reminder. Richards returned to the Hornets on Saturday, scoring 12 points (3-5 FG, 6-7 FT) with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks in 25 minutes. Moussa Diabaté started but only played 22 minutes. Mark Williams still isn’t ready to return, so Richards is the player you’ll want to draft for fantasy purposes.
Yves Missi – C, New Orleans Pelicans (31%)
Add Baylor’s all-league recruit. The Pelicans are approaching sale mode and he is one of the few names on their roster who is unavailable. The big man has found his groove as of late, averaging nearly a double-double with 9.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2 TDs in 27 minutes per game over his last 10 games. As the starting center for a struggling team, he will continue to provide direction and production to fantasy managers in need of rebounds and blocks.
▶️ “Grand Groove” – Gaddafi Tragedy
Goga Bitadze – C, Orlando Magic (29% registered)
Be sure to check your waiver pools for Bitadze. He hasn’t missed a beat since Wendell Carter Jr. returned to the lineup, continuing to start and averaging 10.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists with five actions in his last three games. It makes no sense to change the lineup considering they are 11-3 with Bitadze as the starting center. If that’s the case, Fantasy managers will have a Jakob Poeltl type player until Paolo Banchero returns. Add him in all leagues.
▶️ “YSIV” – Logic
Julian Champagnie – SF/PF, San Antonio Spurs (23%)
Spurs starting small forward needs to be rostered in more leagues. He has the third-best offensive rating on the Spurs, and his 3-point shooting and floor spacing keep him on the court. The Spurs play four games this week and Champagnie is a decent streaming option for points, 3s and steals in 12-team leagues.
Quentin Grimes – SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks (14%)
Klay Thompson has missed the last four games with a foot injury and Grimes has been lights out in his absence. He’s riding a three-game streak with at least 21 points and four triples, with a shooting rate of over 53% from the field during that span. Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving were also in and out of the lineup, but he’s seeing minutes in the 20s and is taking advantage of those extra minutes. Wait to pick him up because the Mavs don’t play until Tuesday. However, this week’s opponents are the Grizzlies, Wizards and Raptors – all good fantasy matchups for the first part of the two-week rating period.
Vasilije Micić – PG/SG, Charlotte Hornets (12% of roster)
The Hornets will be without LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann for at least two weeks, leaving the door open for Micić to fill in at the point guard position. In 21 starts last year, he averaged nearly 12 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists with a 3. That’s at least 23 fantasy points per game for point leagues and Micić won’t hurt your efficiency in 9-cat leagues. He’s a solid streamer, considering he’ll see 30 minutes a night for the next two weeks.
Other streams for Week 7, Part 1:
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De’Andre Hunter, Rui Hachimura, Zaccharie Risacher, Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, Trendon Watford, TJ McConnell and Nikeil Alexander-Walker
🗓️ Calendar highlights
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The Week 7 grading period in Yahoo is two weeks – December 2-15
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Daily program: Monday (4), Tuesday (11), Wednesday (6), Thursday (8), Friday (7), Saturday (7) and Sunday (12).
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Best streaming days: Monday (4 matches) and Wednesday (6 matches)
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Teams playing Monday and Wednesday:
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Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Lakers, Nets and Timberwolves
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Four games: 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Pacers, Pelicans, Spurs, Suns, Timberwolves, Warriors and Wizards
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Three games: Blazers, Clippers, Jazz, Mavericks, Nets, Knicks, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets and Thunder
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Back to back:
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Tuesday/Wednesday: 76ers, Bucks, Clippers Magic, Pacers and Pistons
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Thursday/Friday: Bulls, Kings, Spurs and Warriors,
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Friday/Saturday: Celtics
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Saturday/Sunday: Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Heat, Hornets, Nuggets, Pelicans, Suns and Wizards
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🚑 Injury News
Notable Week 7 Injuries
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Hornets G LaMelo Ball (calf) to be re-evaluated in at least two weeks
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Hornets G Tre Mann (back) will be re-evaluated in at least two weeks
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Nets G/C Ben Simmons (knee) is day-to-day
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Mavs C Derek Lively (knee) is daily
Latest injury report for all NBA teams
NBA Injury Report – Monday, December 2
🔁Rotation notes
Dallas Mavericks
The room: I’ve already mentioned Quentin Grimes as an addition, but the same can be said for Spencer Dinwiddie (20%) if Kyrie Irving (shoulder) misses at any time before Week 7. Dinwiddie has scored over 20 points with at least five assists in three of his last four contests.
Denver Nuggets
The room: Aaron Gordon returned on Sunday and while Peyton Watson played well in 29 minutes, his run as a streamer is likely over. Gordon only played 24 minutes against the Clippers, six minutes less than his season average. Although he will likely need a brief ramp-up period, it won’t be long before Gordon rejoins the starting lineup with a normal workload.
Memphis Grizzlies
The room: Zach Edey (ankle) is expected to be back early this week, so his return likely lessens the appeal of streaming Brandon Clarke. Marcus Smart (28%) was a boost off the bench for Memphis, however. In his last three games, he has scored more than 11 points, had five assists and had one steal.
New Orleans Pelicans
The room: CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray are back, but Brandon Boston Jr. can be played while Brandon Ingram (calf) is out. It’s worth mentioning that Klutch Sports now represents Ingram. Zion Williamson also parted ways with his agent at CAA and is rumored to be joining WME. Don’t be surprised if we see a trade coming in the future.
▶️ “Leather So Soft” – Lil Wayne (feat. Birdman)
Philadelphia 76ers
The room: There have been no updates on Joel Embiid (knee) and Andre Drummond sprained his ankle this weekend, meaning Guerschon Yabusele (13%) will get an increase in playing time over a four-game week.
▶️ “Just a Moment” – Nas (feat. Quan)
