Bam Adebayo has turned in some monster performances in the last two games with Jimmy Butler unavailable.
We’re set for a fantasy-friendly Week 7 in terms of scheduling, as there is only one team with a two-game week after multiple squads were saddled with especially light schedules in Week 6. There’s a solid pool of four-game teams to choose from, and some players that have turned in particularly impressive performances lately are set to benefit from those full schedules.
Each week, we’ll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your Fantasy rosters – usually from teams with four games — that may shape up as some of the tougher calls of the week to make, with the focus generally being on players with a start rate (when available) or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues.
Likewise, we’ll also spotlight one Sit candidate at each position that would typically not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, with the focus there often on players with fewer game opportunities during the coming week.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Miami Heat
Without further ado, let’s examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 7:
Guards
Start: Josh Hart, Trail Blazers
35% start rate
Hart is guard-eligible but starts at small forward for the Blazers, offering him the opportunity to compile more rebounding production than you’d typically get out of a player in this position. Hart pulled in a career-high 19 boards two games ago against the Knicks, averaging a career-best 8.5 for that category. The veteran is also distributing at a career-high level with 4.2 assists per game, while 1.4 steals per contest are also a high-water mark. Hart’s usage has gone down over last season, but he’s still shooting a tidy 47.6% and has posted double-digit scoring tallies in eight of 20 games thus far.
Start: Seth Curry, Nets
34% roster rate
Curry has gotten hot after struggling in his first two games following a delayed start to the season, averaging 15.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 52.9%, including 49.0% from three-point range. The veteran is thriving in a bench role that’s still affording him minutes in the mid-20s on average each night, and he’s encouragingly put up double-digit shot attempts in three of his last four games. With his prowess from deep, Curry can pile up points in a hurry. He’s already scored over 20 on three occasions despite not yet having logged 30 minutes in any contest. The four games he’ll have to work with this week should give him ample opportunity to boost your scoring and shooting categories.
ALSO CONSIDER: Lonnie Walker IV, Lakers (43% start rate)
Sit: CJ McCollum, Pelicans
49% start rate
McCollum remains in COVID-19 protocols entering Monday’s game against the Thunder, automatically leaving him with a maximum of three games this coming week. McCollum had been scuffling a bit before his absence began as well, as he’d scored 15 or fewer points – including a trio of single-digit tallies – in the prior eight games. If you have more certainty in the form of a similarly talented four-game option, feel free to leave McCollum on your bench this week.
Forwards
Start: RJ Barrett, Knicks
44% start rate
Barrett’s offensive efficiency remains a work in progress in his fourth season, as he’s shooting only 40.0% overall. However, with 16.5 shot attempts per game, he’s still putting up solid lines on most nights, averaging 18.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and a career-high 3.1 assists across 34.8 minutes per contest. With a coach in Tom Thibodeau that’s never been hesitant to give his starters plenty of run, Barrett, who comes into the new week having eclipsed the 20-point mark in two of the last five games and having hit at least 20 in nine contests overall this season, should be able to offer you strong multi-category production over his four games.
Start: Jerami Grant, Trail Blazers
51% start rate
Grant exploded for a career-high 44 points two games ago, a performance he followed up with a 29-point tally against the Nets on Sunday. While Damian Lillard’s ongoing absence due to a calf injury has undoubtedly helped bump up Grant’s usage, the big man has essentially been on fire all of November. He’s averaging 24.3 points (on 48.7% shooting, including 52.6% from distance), 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 blocks over 36.9 minutes in 12 games. Lillard could well sit out Portland’s entire four-game week, and Grant’s upcoming opponents include the defensively vulnerable Jazz and Lakers, making him a great start candidate this week.
ALSO CONSIDER: Patrick Williams, Bulls (33% roster rate)
Sit: Michael Porter Jr. Nuggets
68% start rate
Porter is dealing with a heel injury that’s already cost him two games, and he appears to be on track to miss at least the first of Denver’s four games this coming week on Monday. The talented but oft-injured fourth-year pro has also been inconsistent at times this season with a couple of single-digit scoring tallies and four games at 11 points or less overall, so his potential production isn’t irreplaceable by any stretch, especially if he’s going to play less than the full complement of games.
CENTERS
Start: Jarred Vanderbilt, Jazz
52% start rate
Vanderbilt has been an unsung hero for the Jazz during their solid start to the season. While the likes of Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen have rightfully garnered much of the headlines, Vanderbilt has put in solid work down low while churning out averages of 8.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.1 steals, shooting 56.9% in the process. The fifth-year pro will have four more games to work with this coming week, and he may play at least one of them – Monday’s contest against the Bulls – without Markkanen in the lineup due to his teammate’s knee injury. That naturally could heap more scoring and rebounding opportunity on Vanderbilt, who already has a pair of double-doubles and four double-digit scoring efforts this season.
Start: Ivica Zubac, Clippers
51% start rate
Zubac only has three games this coming week, but the combination of slim pickings on centers with four-game weeks with modest start rates and the big man’s recent production make him a clear Start recommendation. Zubac’s numbers Sunday against the Pacers were jaw-dropping, as the veteran generated a 31-point, 29-rebound double-double that included three blocks. While that was an outlier performance, Zubac does have eight double-doubles overall in 20 games and is averaging a career-high 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per contest. Paul George remains out for at least the Clippers’ first two games this week, and Kawhi Leonard continues to cycle in and out of the lineup, which means Zubac always has a chance for a bump in offensive usage.
Sit: Bam Adebayo, Heat
65% start rate
Adebayo has turned in some monster performances the last two games with Jimmy Butler unavailable, but the Heat’s upcoming two-game week is going to make it hard for even the red-hot big man to eclipse what a similarly talented four-game option could offer you. Butler is projected to be available for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics, Miami’s first of the week, which will surely lead to a hit in Adebayo’s usage if that return comes to pass.
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Winner of the FSWA 2016 Newcomer of the Year Award, Juan Carlos Blanco has been playing fantasy sports for over 20 years and covers NBA, MLB, NFL, CFL and Arena Football for Rotowire.com, including serving as the beat writer for teams in multiple sports. He has previously written for KFFL.com and remains an avid season-long and daily fantasy player in multiple sports as well.
