Welcome to The High Score Playlist: my weekly column that lets you know who to add off the waiver wire and get in your lineup for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball. You can also read my 9-cat and standard points leagues pickups story for advice in those formats.
[It’s not too late to create or join a High Score league, a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring]
Every league is different — sometimes you’ll see an 80%-rostered player on waivers because they’ve been underperforming or someone got impatient. If you think they make sense for your build, by all means — do your thing.
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That said, the below recs are players under 50% rostered who you can realistically pick up in most leagues.
🎧 Who’s in My Rotation: High Score
Donte DiVincenzo – G, Minnesota Timberwolves (45% rostered)
The Wolves play on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday — all lighter nights where DiVincenzo becomes much easier to start. Donte’s minutes have remained secure, as the Wolves still lack a true point guard outside of Mike Conley.
DiVincenzo’s been holding it down though, scoring 50, 39 and 36 fantasy points in High Score over the past three weeks. Given the schedule and his ability to score more than 30 fantasy points each week, he’s worth streaming.
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Nikola Jović – FC, Miami Heat (24% rostered)
Jović has posted 46 fantasy points in each of the past two scoring periods, showing improved usage, shot confidence and sneaky playmaking. The numbers don’t lie, as Jović is averaging nearly 15 points with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and over a steal per game over his last six outings. Despite playing under 30 minutes in those games, he’s producing and has an ideal streaming schedule with the Heat playing on Tuesday, Thursday, plus a Saturday/Sunday back-to-back in Week 12.
Isaiah Stewart – FC, Detroit Pistons (22% rostered)
Stewart quietly sits among the league leaders in blocks, and that alone makes him a High Score factor — but Week 12 gives him a bigger boost: Jalen Duren is out, opening up more minutes, boards and defensive responsibilities. I’d start Beef Stew on Monday and then wait and see for the rest of the week. It’ll be hard to start him on Wednesday’s 10-game slate and then the Pistons don’t play again until Saturday. Still, when his minutes hit the low-to-mid-30s, he’s averaged 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3.5 blocks per game.
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Peyton Watson – FC, Denver Nuggets (26% rostered)
Denver’s starters are slowly working their way back into the fold, but Watson continues to impress. He’s scored at least 21 points in his last three games, and for fantasy, provided no fewer than 34 fantasy points in those contests.
The Nuggets need his defense and transition offense, leaving his role secure while the team awaits the Joker’s return and for other key players to ramp up their minutes. The Nuggets’ schedule isn’t great; however, Watson can be a fill-in option for anyone needing 30-35 points off the waiver wire.
Ayo Dosunmu – G/FC, Chicago Bulls (22% rostered)
Dosunmu becomes a solid streaming option for Week 12 with Coby White and Josh Giddey sidelined, leaving Chicago thin in the backcourt. Ayo has responded with 31+ fantasy points in four straight games, thanks to his mixed bag of scoring, rebounding and assists. He’s surprisingly averaging six assists over his last four contests, providing a boost for his value in High Score. The Bulls’ Week 12 schedule also sets up nicely — a game to start the week on Monday, with a couple of smaller-slate nights, gives fantasy managers the chance to fit Ayo into lineups with ease.