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, a quick look at the schedule, and lineup notes (which is in and out of rotations).
Press play and mix in the latest fantasy basketball information.
🏀 End of the 2nd week:
▶️ Sticky – Tyler the Creator achievement. GloRilla, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne
🏆 Best performers:
Major category player: Nikola Jokić (surprise runner-up, Devin Booker)
Most scoring fantasy points in Week 2: Nikola Jokić (surprising second, Jalen Johnson)
🎧 Who’s in My Rotation: Waiver Traps
Five players less than 50% listed on Yahoo who should be listed in all leagues:
Andre Drummond – C, Philadelphia 76ers (44%)
Santi Aldama – PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies (46%)
Three Man – PG/SG, Charlotte Hornets (44%)
Christian Braun – SG/SF, Denver Nuggets (42%)
Payton Pritchard – PG, Boston Celtics (39%)
Other additions to make:
Bilal Coulibaly, SG/SF, Washington Wizards (50% listed)
Coulibaly shows no signs of cooling down, averaging 19 points with six boards, nearly three assists and a steal over his first five games. With Kyle Kuzma (groin) expected to miss a few weeks, the demand for Coulibaly’s scoring is at a premium and he delivers. He shoots an unsustainable 61% from and 48% from 3. However, he should be listed in all leagues, given his upside as a defender and secondary scoring option for the Wizards.
Tari Eason – SF/PF, Houston Rockets (26% listed)
For years, Eason’s had a league-friendly ability. He just couldn’t stay healthy. It also doesn’t help that the Rockets have one of the deepest squads in the league. However, Eason is worth adding in 12-team leagues as he continues to be productive in various areas per minute. He’s off to a great start, averaging over three shares in 20 minutes a night along with 11 points, 4.5 boards and shooting 56% from the field. He is legit and will continue to be a fixture of the rotation. Houston plays four games this week as well.
Alex Sarr – PF/C, Washington Wizards (39% listed)
The second overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has struggled with his shot in four of five games this season, but his defensive contributions are spot on. Sarr averaged 2.8 blocks per contest and got a steal in three of five games. He’s coming off his best scoring output of the year on Saturday, netting 17 points, and his rebounding is coming along, too. His defensive numbers are worth adding, but with Kyle Kuzma out, he should see more volume in this offense.
▶️ I see now – Little brother achievement. Kanye West
Anthony Black – PG/SG, Orlando Magic (13% listed)
Negro has been drawing rave reviews since the offseason, and he will be one of the players to benefit the most from Paolo Banchero’s exit. The second-year pro has a versatile fantasy skill set where he will generate decent counting stats for rebounds, steals and shares. Playing around 30 minutes a night, add him before it’s too late.
Bennedict Mathurin – SG/SF, Indiana Pacers (27% listed)
I prefer Mathurin in point leagues, but he has been effective in his last two outings, shooting 16-for-32 from the field, 3-for-7 from 3 and 14-for-16 from the line. He started in place of Andrew Nembhard (knee) and could see more opportunities with Aaron Nesmith dealing with an ankle injury. Mathurin has always been a bucket, but expect little in the way of shares or assists.
Jordan Hawkins – SG, New Orleans Pelicans (28% listed)
The Pelicans are in trouble and Hawkins has provided fantasy managers with a strong source of 3s and points since CJ McCollum and Herb Jones went down with injuries. He’s averaging 38 minutes over the last three contests, so the upside is too high to ignore. He is worth adding in points and categorization links; just be aware that he can be inefficient and has little effect in assists or stocks.
Yves Missi – C, New Orleans Pelicans (16% listed)
It might be difficult to play Missi in Week 3 with the Pelicans’ unattractive schedule of three games on bigger slates (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). However, I have a longer-term view on him as his minutes increase and he proves to be a reliable shot-blocker — a rare enough category to find on waivers. Missi is ahead of Daniel Theis and has started the past two games for New Orleans. With so few options in the frontcourt, in addition to the injuries piling up, the rookie out of Baylor is in a good position to see an increase in production.
🗓️ Schedule Highlights:
Week 3 daily schedule of games: Monday (15), Tuesday (0), Wednesday (12), Thursday (3), Friday (13), Saturday (4), Sunday (11)
Main Flow Days: Thursday and Saturday
Teams playing on lighter slates: Bulls, Jazz and Spurs (play Thursday and Saturday)
Teams playing four games: 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Kings, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pacers, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers and Warriors
Teams playing three games: Jazz, Nets, Pelicans and Wizards
Back-to-backs:
Wednesday/Thursday: Bulls, Spurs
Thursday/Friday: Bucks and Timberwolves
Friday/Saturday: Knights, Clippers, Hawks and Nets
Saturday/Sunday: Raptors
Sunday/Monday: Kings, Rockets, Thunder and Wizards
🚑 Injury news:
🔁 Notes of rotation:
Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard is firmly in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation
The play: I will repeat that he needs to be listed in all leagues because his minutes keep going up. He is a top 50 player in 9-cat leagues and has played more than 27 minutes in five of seven games this year. He remains available in over 60% of leagues even though he will lean heavily on running the second unit while also spending time with the starters. He is in the top 10 in offensive efficiency ratings in the NBA, and he really is.
▶️ Just Do It – Jaylen Brown feat. A$AP Ferg
Charlotte Hornets: Mark Williams (foot) and Nick Richards (shoulder) are out Monday.
The play: Expect Grant Williams to play and start as the small ball center. He was disappointing in his last game in that role, so I’ll avoid the situation altogether.
Memphis Grizzlies: Pass Me Scotty (and Santi)
The play: Santi Aldama has started five of seven contests so far and Desmond Bane’s recent ankle injury has him starting at small forward. He put up two double-doubles and was a good source of points while shooting a good FG%. Scotty Pippen Jr. was one of my pickups last week, and he’s backed up his value as a backup point guard, dishing out double-digit assists in three of his last five outings. Keep riding the wave. He remains available in almost 60% of leagues.
A deep league addition is Jaylen Wells (4% listed). He is stepping in for Marcus Smart (ankle) and has provided solid production over his last two starts, averaging 36 minutes and dropping 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 3s.
New Orleans Pelicans: Who’s left? It is what it is.
The play: First, it was Trey Murphy III, then Dejounte Murray. CJ McCollum and Herb Jones are on weekly timelines and have the Pelicans down four core players to start the year. It’s time to dig into the bag for fantastic resources. I would look at Jose Alvarado in deep leagues for steals and assists, Jordan Hawkins for scoring and Yves Missi for blocks and rebounds. In the meantime, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram will continue to lead the way over the next month to keep the Pels in contention in a tough Western Conference.
▶️ It is what it is – a Big Sean achievement. Gunna
Philadelphia 76ers: Return of the (P)G
The play: It was real, Kelly Oubre Jr. Unfortunately, he looks like a drop after Paul George returns to the lineup. Oubre has been ineffective and ranks outside the top 150 in 9-cat leagues. Keep Andre Drummond even when Joel Embiid returns because we already know Embiid will rest periodically during the season.
Toronto Raptors: Players step up amid injuries
The play: With Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley out with injuries, Gradey Dick and RJ Barrett have been playing unreal basketball lately. Barrett ranks 46th in 9-cat leagues and 11th in points per game in point leagues, while Dick is 60th and 90th, respectively, in both formats. The deep sleeper benefiting from all the injuries was Jonathan Mogbo (7% listed), who was quietly adept at stock picking. Keep him if you need defensive stats and until Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes return, keep Barrett and Dick in your lineups.
Utah Jazz: A winless team looking for answers
The play: Rookie forwards Kyle Filipowski (6% listed) and Cody Williams (2%) are getting more minutes after Taylor Hendricks suffered a season-ending injury. Keep both players on your radar in Week 3. They play Thursday and Saturday, lighter slate days where you can sneak in a few more runs for production. I prefer Filipowski because he has proven to have a better fantasy profile.
