The Playlist: Fantasy basketball Week 7 waiver wire pickups & in-season tournament info you need to know
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 the must-watch games from across the league.
So press play and shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.
Before we get to the pickups, here's what you need to know about Week 7's in-season tournament (IST) schedule:
All teams will play two games in Week 7
Fantasy points will be calculated for all games played between Monday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 8
The IST Championship game on Saturday WILL NOT count toward Week 7 fantasy scoring
All non-IST teams will play games on Wednesday (11 games) and Friday (13 games)
The days to stream are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
Target teams you think will win on Monday and Tuesday (Quarterfinals) because they'll play again on Thursday (Semifinals)
For additional context, I recommend checking out Raphielle Johnson's Week 7 schedule breakdown as well as Jake Fischer's inside look at the NBA’s impromptu scheduling process for the tournament.
Who's in my rotation: players to pick up on waivers who are less than 50% rostered in Yahoo leagues
IST streaming options for Week 7
Monday, Dec. 4:
Pacers at Celtics
Sam Hauser – SF/PF – Boston Celtics (15% rostered)
Hauser is an ideal pickup if you think the Celtics will move on. He's been producing, averaging almost 11 points with six rebounds and three 3s per game over the past week. Picking him up could get you two games on lighter days out of one transaction, assuming the Celtics defeat the Pacers on Monday.
Obi Toppin – PF – Indian Pacers (49% rostered)
Toppin (injury/illness) is listed as questionable for Monday, and if he's a go, start him. He's been with the starters in five straight contests — averaging 17 points with close to three 3s per game. He hasn't done much otherwise, but he makes for a good stream if the Pacers advance on Monday.
Shallow-league streams: Al Horford (60%), Bennedict Mathurin (47%)
Deep-league streams: Payton Pritchard (4%), Aaron Nesmith (10%). If Tyrese Haliburton is out (he's listed as questionable with an illness), TJ McConnell (3%) and Andrew Nembhard (4%) would be streamable.
New Orleans Pelicans at Sacramento Kings
Harrison Barnes – SF/PF – Sacramento Kings (45% rostered)
The Kings host the Pelicans, who are 3.5-point favorites and 6-2 at home compared to the Pelicans, who are 3-6 on the road. I say that because Barnes is certainly streamable in Week 7 if the Kings advance. He's played at least 33 minutes in three of his last four games and offers fantasy managers points, 3s and low-end rebounds with a steal.
Shallow-league streams: Malik Monk (57%), Kevin Huerter (67%)
Deep-league streams: Jordan Hawkins (27%), Dyson Daniels (15%) and Naji Marshall (6%)
Tuesday, Dec. 5:
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers
Grayson Allen - SG/SF – Phoenix Suns (30% rostered)
Allen is still under-rostered considering Bradley Beal is out of the lineup. He and Eric Gordon are averaging about 24 fantasy points per game and are both in the top 90 in category leagues in the past week. His minutes are also secure, averaging 37 minutes over his last five contests. Allen offers more counting stats than Gordon and is worth adding, especially if the Suns beat the Lakers.
Shallow-league streams: Eric Gordon (52%)
Deep-league streams: Taurean Prince (6%), Christian Wood (19%), Cam Reddish (11%), Drew Eubanks (5%) and Josh Okogie (5%)
New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
Shallow-league streams: Immanuel Quickley (65%), Malik Beasley (50%), Josh Hart (48%)
Deep-league streams: Donte DiVincenzo (8%)
Must-adds in all leagues
Dereck Lively II - C - Dallas Mavericks (47% rostered)
Lively is officially on the fantasy map after turning the OKC frontcourt into barbecue chicken on Saturday night, finishing with a gaudy line of 20 points (9-9 FG, 2-5 FT), 16 rebounds, one steal and seven blocks. He shouldn't be available in 53% of leagues with the amount of upside he poses as a lob threat and rim protector for a playoff-contending squad that has Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.
"Live at the Barbeque" - Main Source
Keyonte George – PG/SG – Utah Jazz (45% rostered)
Y'all must be trolling at this point. George should be over 50% rostered — especially in points leagues where his poor FG% doesn't hurt you. So, if you're punting FG% in category leagues, he's helpful, posting a respectable 13 points with four rebounds, five assists and two 3s over the past two weeks.
Short-term streamable options for Week 7
Patrick Williams – SF/PF – Chicago Bulls (36% rostered)
He's racked up an average of 3.4 stocks per game over the past three games, and that's where his value lies. Coby White will also benefit from Zach LaVine (foot) missing at least a week, but Williams is a solid stream if you're looking for defensive stats.
Duncan Robinson - SG/SF, Miami Heat (47% rostered)
Tyler Herro is nearing his return from an ankle injury but is not quite there yet. As long as Herro is out and Robinson plays nearly 30 minutes a night and is hitting threes, keep him rostered.
Moses Moody – SF – Golden State Warriors (6% rostered)
In what Steve Kerr described as a "short-term injury," Andrew Wiggins has missed the past two contests with a finger injury. Moody gave the Warriors a much-needed scoring punch in his past two games, which included a season-high 21 points against the Clippers on Friday. He's making an easy case to continue playing at least 25 minutes, especially with the Warriors' wing defense limited without Wiggins and Gary Payton II. Moody's an efficient player better suited for category leagues than points.
Reggie Jackson – PG/SG – Denver Nuggets (40% rostered)
You might have to stream Jackson against the Clippers on Wednesday after he just came off torching them for 35 points and 13 assists a couple of games ago. Jamal Murray is back, but Jackson's done enough to stay in the rotation for 20-25 minutes, especially with Murray easing back into his usual workload.
Other streaming options in Week 7 and beyond:
Moritz Wagner – C – Orlando Magic (32%)
Jeremy Sochan – PG/PF – San Antonio Spurs (48%)
Killian Hayes – PG/SG – Detroit Pistons (23%)
Cody Martin – SF/PF – Miami Heat (14%)
Simone Fontecchio – SF – Utah Jazz (12%)
Omer Yurtseven – C – Utah Jazz (5%)
Derrick Jones Jr. – SF/PF – Dallas Mavericks (5%)
Rotation notes:
-Pistons F Bojan Bogdanovic is back
The play: Isaiah Stewart's days as the starting PF could be numbered — although Ausar Thompson could continue to come off the bench, which is a disgrace. With no clear direction, this could be a frustrating stretch for fantasy managers outside of rostering Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Bogie.
-Warriors G Chris Paul (knee) will be re-evaluated on Monday
The play: Brandin Podziemski looks more than capable of running the second unit, and if Paul needs more time to recover from his nerve/knee injury, Podziemski could be worth a look in deeper leagues. He's coming off two games of at least 12 points, six rebounds and two threes.
-Jazz F Lauri Markkanen (hamstring) will be re-evaluated this week
The play: Simone Fontecchio has been playing very well and should be rostered in deeper leagues for as long as Markkanen is out. He's averaging nearly 12 points with five rebounds and five assists with two triples in his past three contests.
-Nets G/F Ben Simmons (back) received an epidural and will miss at least the next two weeks.
The play: There's no pickup here as the Nets are getting healthy, and the main beneficiaries are already highly rostered in most leagues.
Schedule notes:
ALL TEAMS PLAY TWO GAMES
Daily Games Played:
Monday: 2
Tuesday: 2
Wednesday: 11
Thursday: 2
Friday: 13
Saturday: 1 (IST Championship game, doesn't count for fantasy)
Sunday: 0
Games to watch:
Like the NCAA tournament, I always watch the Elite 8 and that's what we have on deck for the NBA in Week 7. So, like many of you, I'll watch all the games I can to see who will be crowned the winner of the inaugural NBA Cup!
