Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who to play when it comes to setting your lineup for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Each week, you’ll see a compilation of the pickups you need to make and a quick look at the schedule and lineup notes (who’s in and out of rotations).
Press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.
🏀Week 15 Wrap Up
🥇Top players for Week 14
🎧 Who’s in my rotation: Waiver pickups Under 50% rostered
There continue to be 10 or so players between 40% and 50% rostered who should be on all fantasy teams. Rather than rehash names like Kel’el Ware and Ausar Thompson, I’ll focus on the players under 40% who are more likely to appear in your waiver pools.
Top streams
Isaiah Collier – PG/SG, Utah Jazz (34%)
I doubt he’s available in 12-team leagues, so this is a final notice for anyone in shallow leagues who needs a guard. Collier has been putting up wild numbers lately, but since the calendar turned to February, it’s been on another level. In three games thus far, the rookie is averaging 14.3 points, 3.7 boards, 9.0 dimes and 1.0 steals per game in 31.5 minutes. He’s shooting 49% over that span, too and once the jumper starts falling, watch out. The Jazz found their franchise PG and he’s the most must-roster guy of all the names in the rest of this story.
Max Christie – SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks (26%)
As much as the world is still reacting to the Luka Dončić and Anthony Davis swap, Christie’s got lost in the sauce. In his first three games for the Mavs, he’s averaging 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 3s, and 1.0 stock in 31 minutes per game. The minutes, efficiency, plus versatility he’s shown across categories with the Mavs make him worth adding in points and 9-cat leagues. He’s playing an essential role in this new iteration of the Mavs, so don’t sleep. He’s battling a right shoulder strain and is questionable for Monday, so keep an eye out for updates, but it doesn’t seem like anything serious.
Aaron Wiggins – SG/SF, Oklahoma City Thunder (17%)
Wiggins has been en fuego since dropping a career-best 41 points with 14 rebounds on February 1. He’s ranked in the top 25 in Week 15 and has been a top 80 player in 9-cat leagues over the past two weeks. He’s started the last five games and he’ll continue seeing 30+ minutes as long as Cason Wallace (shoulder) remains out. Add him in all leagues.
Jaxson Hayes – PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers (25%)
Hayes looked like a drop candidate, with the Lakers pulling off a trade for Mark Williams, but that deal was rescinded on Saturday, and Williams was sent back to the Hornets. Hayes delivered a solid 9 points (4-4 FG) with 12 boards, 2 assists and 2 blocks on Saturday and will likely be the Lakers starting center for the foreseeable future. It’s possible the Lakers will look to add depth in the buyout market, but as it stands, Hayes should be on the streaming radar with the Lakers playing five games across the two-week scoring period.
Ty Jerome – PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers (17%)
The backup point guard is one of the most underrated bench players in the league. He should be rostered in far more 9-cat leagues because of his efficiency. Despite playing around 22 minutes per night, Jerome’s been a top-100 player over the past month. He also ranks in the 90th percentile in true shooting percentage and 3-point percentage, with 85th percentile in steals for the season. Those are all strong indicators that his impact is legit IRL and fantasy, so even though his rostership is down, I’d pick him up and hold.
Matas Buzelis – SF/PF, Chicago Bulls (28%)
The Bulls are weirdly still “competing” even after trading Zach LaVine at the deadline. No matter the direction, the Chicago native is in the rotation and making the most of his increased playing time. Buzelis had his best game as a pro last week, going 10-for-10 from the field and scoring a career-high 24 points. He’s scored 12 or more points in his last five games and hitting nearly 2 3s nightly, but his ability to block shots is more impressive. I’d roster him in all leagues.
Nick Smith Jr. – PG/SG, Charlotte Hornets (15%)
The second-year guard has started the last 12 games for the Hornets, and I expect that theme to continue now that the trade deadline has passed. And what’s better for Smith, is that with the Dalton Knect for Mark Williams swap not happening, that’s one less scoring option to compete with for touches. The key to Smith maintaining his fantasy value is playing 30 minutes a night. When he does, he’s posting 18/3/3 with 3 3s per game on 51% shooting.
🗓️ Weekly game schedule
Week 16 in Yahoo Fantasy leagues runs from February 10 to 23 because of the All-Star break. Since that’s two weeks, the below weekly schedule is based on the first part of the scoring period, which runs from Monday through Thursday.
Here’s how the week breaks down in terms of total NBA games played per day. Use this to identify when streaming options will be the most favorable:
|
Day |
Games Played |
|
Monday |
10 |
|
Tuesday |
4 |
|
Wednesday |
15 |
|
Thursday |
5 |
Prime streaming days: Tuesday and Thursday
No teams play on both prime streaming days, Tuesday and Thursday. However, several teams play three games in four nights starting Monday, with a back-to-back set on Wednesday and Thursday. It’ll be hard to fit back-end bench players into your lineups on Monday and Wednesday, but if you can, using one transaction from the following teams would maximize the limited transactions you’ll have across a two-week scoring period.
🎯 Teams to target:
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Dallas Mavericks – Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie
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Golden State Warriors – Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield
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Miami Heat – Nikola Jović, Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier
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Minnesota Timberwolves – Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Rob Dillingham
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New Orleans Pelicans – Jose Alvarado, Yves Missi and Brandon Boston Jr.
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Oklahoma City Thunder – Alex Caruso
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Utah Jazz – Jordan Clarkson, Kyle Filipowski
If you’d rather pivot to a team playing on Tuesday’s lighter four-game slate, here are the teams who play on February 11 with a back-to-back on Wednesday.
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Memphis Grizzlies – Santi Aldama, GG Jackson, Jaylen Wells
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New York Knicks – Deuce McBride
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Phoenix Suns – Royce O’Neale
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Detroit Pistons – Malik Beasley, Isaiah Stewart (great matchup versus CHI)
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Chicago Bulls – Ayo Dosunmu
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Indiana Pacers – Andrew Nembard and Thomas Bryant
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Philadelphia 76ers – Guerschon Yabusele, Quentin Grimes and Justin Edwards
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Toronto Raptors – Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick
