Dan Titus reveals his cabs to help fill the hole on your fantasy basketball roster as injuries keep rising.
Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who and what to play — when it comes to music or other things in my rotation — for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.
Each week, you'll see a compilation of the pickups you need to make, lineup notes (who's in and out of rotations), followed by key takeaways on the schedule.
Press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.
🏀 Week 1 wrap:
Pelicans G Dejounte Murray will be out 4-6 weeks after undergoing surgery for a fractured hand.
Congrats if you drafted or scooped up Dyson Daniels. He's looking like an early league winner.
Warriors G Stephen Curry suffered a mild-to-moderate ankle sprain on Sunday night. The team is bracing for Curry to miss time, possibly several games.
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade is the latest victim to receive a terrible statue in front of an arena. We have to do better.
🏆 Top performers:
Points leagues: Anthony Davis (189 fantasy points)
Category leagues: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
🎧 Who's in my rotation: Pickups under 50% rostered
Note: If you see players like Jeremy Sochan and Andre Drummond who are under 50% rostered, add them. I didn't include them here because they were either drafted or added in most leagues coming into Monday.
The Nuggets starting two guard is playing a multi-faceted role in fantasy hoops, averaging 13.5 points, seven boards and 3.5 stocks in his first two contests this season. Denver opens with a back-to-back set against the Raptors and Nets to start the week which is an ideal streaming spot for fantasy managers in all leagues.
If you haven't seen Mann play, his game is eerily similar to Allen Iverson. He's been a microwave bucket off the bench for the Hornets and he'll continue to play a pivotal role in the rotation as the Hornets' sixth man. Brandon Miller's hip injury also opens up a bit more opportunity, so until he returns, he'll be sporting usage rates around 25%, which is great for fantasy purposes. Mann is a preferred option for points leagues but is also worthy of scooping in category formats.
For shallow leagues (eight teams or less), Wiggins has surprisingly been an effective scorer for the Dubs early in Week 1. Wiggins has scored at least 20 points in two of three contests (he scored 29 points in Sunday's loss to the Clippers) and sandwiched between those two games, Wiggins posted a diverse 10-point, 13-rebound and five-assist game. The Warriors initiated much of their offense through Wiggins sans Curry, a trend that could continue.
The Pelicans' frontcourt is thin and the rookie out of Baylor is ascending as their top rim protector. Missi swatted two or more shots across 20 minutes and has scored at least 20 fantasy points in every game this season. Two of the Pels' four games this week come on lighter slates (Tuesday and Sunday), and with a total of four games, Missi is a player who can help fantasy managers in stocks and FG% with mid-tier contribution in rebounds.
Marcus Smart is starting at SG, leaving Pippen Jr. with most of his minutes as the backup point guard. The results are speaking for themselves, as he's been generating a ton of assists in around 22 minutes per night off the bench. He registered 11 points with 12 assists and five boards in his last contest and with Ja Morant questionable with a quad injury heading into Monday, Pippen Jr. is a must-stream if Morant sits. The Grizzlies play four games this week with a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back. The Grizzlies could opt to rest Morant or Smart in that spot so Pippen is a player I'd hold until at least Thursday. If he keeps putting up numbers like this he could be worth holding for longer too.
The Pelicans' starters have benefited from Murray's absence, but Hawkins is next in line. He's been shooting lights out, knocking down 53% of his field goal attempts and hitting 9-for-17 on 3s. If you need a scoring boost with five boards, Hawkins is a strong option now that he'll continue to play over 30 minutes per night until Murray and Trey Murphy III return.
After averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and two stocks in Week 1, Jovic is a decent streaming option to open the week against the Pistons. He's starting and producing in 25-30 minutes, so he's someone to add in 12+ team points and category leagues.
🗓️ Schedule highlights:
Monday/Tuesday: Jazz, Kings, Mavericks and Nuggets
Tuesday/Wednesday: Nets, Pelicans and Warriors
Wednesday/Thursday: Clippers, Grizzlies and Spurs
Thursday/Friday: None
Friday/Saturday: Cavaliers, Celtics, Hornets, Kings, Nuggets, Raptors, Thunder, Timberwolves and Trail Blazers
Saturday/Sunday: None
🚑 Injury report:
Sixers C Joel Embiid - load management
Clippers G/F Kawhi Leonard - knee
Bucks F Khris Middleton- ankles
Hornets C Mark Williams - foot
Pistons F Ausar Thompson - illness (blood clots)
Thunder C Isaiah Hartenstein - hand (expected return date: Dec 3
Celtics C Kristaps Porziņģis - leg ( expected return date: early-to-mid December)
Sixers G/ F Paul George (knee) is expected to receive a timeline for return in Week 2
Hornets G/F Brandon Miller (hip) is expected to be out until at least Nov 1
Spurs G/F Devin Vassell (foot) is expected to be out until at least Nov 1
Pelicans F Trey Murphy III (hamstring) is expected to be out until at least Nov 8
Grizzlies G Ja Morant (thigh) is questionable Monday
Raptors G Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) is doubtful on Monday
Raptors F RJ Barrett (shoulder) is questionable Monday
Hawks G/F Bogdan Bogdanović (hamstring) out Monday
Knicks F Josh Hart (ankle) is questionable Monday
Suns G Bradley Beal (elbow) missed Saturday's contest
Suns G Grayson Allen (personal) missed Saturday's contest
🔁 Rotation notes:
The play: Nic Claxton (hamstring) minutes are continuing to ramp up over the past three games, and one would assume he'll rejoin the starting unit soon. Claxton played 22 minutes in Sunday's win over the Bucks, posting a double-double with one block. I'd still leave Simmons on waivers (34% rostered) because while his rebounds and assists are helpful, the four turnovers per game hurt his value, especially in category formats.
▶️ My Playlist:
RIP to legendary hip-hop producer, DJ Clark Kent. Here are five of my favorite tracks he produced.
Brooklyn's Finest - Jay-Z feat. Notorious B.I.G.
Sky's the Limit - Notorious B.I.G. feat. 112
Guess Who's Back - Rakim
Coming of Age - Jay-Z feat. Memphis Bleek
Super High - Rick Ross feat. Ne-Yo
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