The NBA season rolls into Week 7, and fortunately the number of COVID-19-related postponements has been waning some of late. The coming week promises plenty of playing time for the majority of fantasy-relevant players, considering there are 22 teams on a four-game week. However, it's worth noting there are some teams with heavy star power — like the Warriors, Lakers and 76ers — with three-game ledgers.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
Without further ado, let's examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 7:
GUARDS
Start: Tim Hardaway, DAL (56% start rate)
Hardaway heads into the new week with some solid momentum, as he's averaged 16.3 points (44.4 percent shooting), 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 33.7 minutes over his last seven games. Those numbers even include one of the occasional duds Hardaway is prone to — a two-point effort against the Jazz two games ago. The veteran wing has four games to work with this week, including a pair against the fast-paced Warriors, and he encouragingly took 19 shot attempts in his most recent
The NBA season rolls into Week 7, and fortunately the number of COVID-19-related postponements has been waning some of late. The coming week promises plenty of playing time for the majority of fantasy-relevant players, considering there are 22 teams on a four-game week. However, it's worth noting there are some teams with heavy star power — like the Warriors, Lakers and 76ers — with three-game ledgers.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors
Without further ado, let's examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 7:
GUARDS
Start: Tim Hardaway, DAL (56% start rate)
Hardaway heads into the new week with some solid momentum, as he's averaged 16.3 points (44.4 percent shooting), 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 33.7 minutes over his last seven games. Those numbers even include one of the occasional duds Hardaway is prone to — a two-point effort against the Jazz two games ago. The veteran wing has four games to work with this week, including a pair against the fast-paced Warriors, and he encouragingly took 19 shot attempts in his most recent contest against the Suns on Saturday, despite Josh Richardson being back in the lineup.
Start: Jeremy Lamb, IND (38% start rate)
Lamb is now firmly entrenched in the starting lineup, and he's seen at least 30 minutes in each of the last three games. He's primarily a points and threes contributor, but Lamb has registered five blocks over the last two games, and he's grabbed at least five boards in three of the last four contests. With a four-game week ahead for Indiana, Lamb is a reasonable starting option in most leagues.
ALSO CONSIDER: Gary Trent, POR
Sit: Kyle Lowry, TOR (90% start rate)
Lowry won't be saddled with a Sit suggestion very often, but this could be a good week to consider relegating the multi-time All-Star to your bench. The Raps are only in action three times over the next seven days, and two of his games involve tough defensive matchups against the Magic and Hawks on the road. Lowry is still providing excellent assists production -- he had 15 in Sunday's win over Orlando -- but he's shooting just 42 percent from the field and his steals per game (0.9 SPG) average has dipped below 1.0 for the first time since 2009-10.
FORWARDS
Start: Otto Porter, CHI (30% start rate)
Porter continues to come off the bench and provide solid numbers on most nights, as he's averaging 11.8 points (52.8 percent shooting), 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 23.3 minutes over his last four contests. Porter is also displaying his typical, underrated wizardry from behind the arc, as he's draining an impressive 40.6 percent of his 4.6 three-point attempts per game for the season. While a bump to about 30 minutes per contest would be ideal, Porter isn't a bad multi-category option for you on a four-game week in deeper formats where you might have some thin alternatives at forward.
Start: Danilo Gallinari, ATL (16% start rate)
Gallinari should be primed for a bigger role in coming games with De'Andre Hunter diagnosed with articular wear and tear in his right knee, an injury that will keep him out at least a week. Whether or not Gallinari actually steps into a starting small forward role remains to be seen, but he should see a nice bump in opportunity and already comes in shooting 46.9 percent, including 38.9 percent from distance, over his first five games following an extended absence.
ALSO CONSIDER: Rui Hachimura, WAS; Luguentz Dort, OKC
Sit: Kelly Oubre, GSW (45% start rate)
Oubre has shown some recent flashes of his old self lately, but he's still shooting a career-worst 37.2 percent, including 22.8 percent from three-point range. His maddening inconsistency is perfectly encapsulated by his last six games, when he's offset excellent 7-for-9 and 8-for-14 shooting performances with tallies of 2-for-11, 2-for-8 and 1-for-11 from the field in three other games during that span. With only three games on tap for the Warriors this week, consider leaving Oubre on the bench.
CENTERS
Start: Al Horford, OKC (32% start rate)
Horford has returned from a six-game paternity leave in fine form, averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks over his first two games back. While the caveat of an extremely small sample applies, it's still worth noting that Horford has gone 9-of-11 from three during that span. His pair of strong showings is actually an extension of some improved play Horford had demonstrated before his absence, when he'd posted double-digit scoring tallies six of his last eight games. With a four-game week ahead, Horford is back to being a viable starting option at center.
Start: Mason Plumlee, DET (33% start rate)
Plumlee and most of the Pistons laid an egg against the Warriors in their most recent game Saturday, but prior to that outlier, the big man was churning out some fantasy-friendly scoring and rebounding numbers. Plumlee had three consecutive double-doubles to begin Week 6, and he averaged 11.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists across a seven-game sampe from Jan. 18 through Jan. 28. He's still subject to the occasional single-digit scoring tally, but with four games on the schedule he's viable for managers in need of efficient scoring and rebounds.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jarrett Allen, CLE
Sit: Montrezl Harrell, LAL (52% start rate)
Harrell still operates with as high a motor as ever, but his overall numbers are down thus far in his first year with the Lakers. The big man is averaging 24.5 minutes per game -- more than three fewer than last season when he was a member of the Clippers. Harrell also had a couple of stumbles in Week 6, including a scoreless, four-foul performance in 15 minutes and a disappointing eight-point tally. Harrell is still an efficient scorer and an effective rebounder, but he doesn't provide much else, so he's best left on the bench in Week 7.
