Week 6 of the fantasy basketball season can be a bit wonky from a lineup standpoint due to a national holiday (Thanksgiving) that the NBA has surrendered to the NFL for years. Once again, there aren’t any games on Thursday, and Tuesday’s slate consists of just three games. The other five days have between eight and 11 games, with Monday and Friday being the busiest. Also, this is the week in which one of the league’s established stars will be available, but for how many games? Let’s look at the Week 6 schedule breakdown and some of the week’s key storylines.
Week 6 Games Played
4 Games: DET, IND, MEM, MIL, MIN, NOR, NYK, PHO, SAC, TOR
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3 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, GSW, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, OKC, PHI, POR, SAS, UTA
2 Games: ORL, WAS
Week 6 Back-to-backs
Sunday-Monday (Week 6): BKN, CLE, MIA, PHO, POR, TOR
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: None
Wednesday-Thursday: None
Thursday-Friday: None
Friday-Saturday: BKN, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, IND, LAC, MIL, PHO
Saturday-Sunday: BOS, CLE, MIN, NOR, TOR
Sunday-Monday (Week 7): ATL, HOU, LAL, UTA
Week 6 Storylines of Note
– How many games will fantasy managers get out of Kawhi Leonard?
Leonard, who has missed the Clippers’ last ten games with ankle and foot injuries, is expected to make his return on Sunday against the Cavaliers. Given how much the team has struggled despite the efforts of James Harden and Ivica Zubac, going 2-8 without its star forward, getting Leonard back is enormous. If he plays on Sunday, there won’t be a back-to-back to worry about to begin Week 6, as the Clippers play the Lakers in their first game of the week on Tuesday. However, they end the week with a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday against the Grizzlies and Mavericks.
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That means Leonard managers are most likely looking at a scenario in which Kawhi plays a max of two games. And that doesn’t take into consideration any potential minutes restrictions due to the time missed. John Collins has started the last seven games, with rookie Kobe Sanders starting the previous three due to Derrick Jones Jr.‘s knee injury. Collins is still rostered in 79 percent of Yahoo! leagues, which is shocking given the production, even with his move into the starting five.
– Move on from fringe Magic and Wizards players after Tuesday’s slate.
Under normal circumstances, teams that only play two games during the week are the ones to avoid. For managers competing in leagues that set lineups at the beginning of the week, that still applies to Orlando and Washington. However, those competing leagues where lineups can be sat each day may want to hold onto those players to begin Week 6. Orlando and Washington both play their first Week 6 game on Tuesday, which is a three-game slate.
In the case of the Magic, Wendell Carter Jr. (37 percent rostered, Yahoo!), Anthony Black (16 percent) and Tristan da Silva (19 percent) would apply here. For Black (Jalen Suggs) and da Silva (Paolo Banchero), their fantasy values are impacted by the availability of starters ahead of them in the pecking order. For the Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly (26 percent) will be of greater value to fantasy managers at the beginning of Week 6 than after Tuesday’s game against the Hawks.
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– 19 teams will play a back-to-back at some point between Friday and Monday.
The Clippers aren’t the only team that may spark concerns among fantasy managers regarding back-to-backs in Week 6. Among the other 18 teams that will have a back-to-back at the end of Week 6 are the Lakers, who are still working LeBron James back into the fold. Maybe the time off since Tuesday’s win over the Jazz will be enough to ensure the team’s Sunday/Monday back-to-back at the end of Week 6/start of Week 7 won’t be an issue. But if the Lakers decide to manage LeBron’s minutes, Jake LaRavia will once again be a streaming option for some 12-team formats.
Charlotte is another team to watch with a back-to-back at the end of the week, due mainly to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. The former’s ankle issues are well-known by now, and he’s yet to play both games of a back-to-back since returning from a five-game absence last week. As for Miller, Saturday’s loss to the Clippers was just his second appearance of the season. His availability for Sunday’s game against the Hawks to end Week 5 may give fantasy managers an idea of how Charlotte will handle their Friday/Saturday back-to-back to end Week 6.
– Four of those 19 teams will have Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs.
Boston, Minnesota, New Orleans and Toronto are the four teams in question, with the Pelicans (Zion Williamson) being the one most impacted by the back-to-back. Zion was held out of Saturday’s loss to the Hawks, and his track record of lower-body injuries may mean that back-to-backs are still out of the question for the former first overall pick. Boston’s Jaylen Brown navigated a hamstring issue earlier this season but did not miss a game, and he has not appeared on recent injury reports. As for Minnesota and Toronto, Mike Conley and Jakob Poeltl may be the players of interest, especially given the latter’s time missed earlier this season due to a lower back injury.
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– Tuesday is the day to seek an advantage to set yourself up for a good week.
There are only three games on the slate, but there is a catch. All six teams in action (Hawks, Clippers, Lakers, Magic, 76ers and Wizards) play only three games during Week 6. That said, the Hawks, Lakers and 76ers have superior schedules for the week. Those three teams will play two games each between Friday and Sunday without a back-to-back. That’s good news for those who have a Kristaps Porziņģis, LeBron James or Paul George rostered. We’ll see if that means anything for Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, who has missed the team’s last six games due to right knee injury management.