Editor’s Note: Now, all our premium tools for Fantasy, DFS, and Betting are included in one subscription at one low price. Customers can subscribe to NBC Sports EDGE+ monthly for $9.99. Click here to learn more!
Heading into the sixth week of the season, the Northwest Division can lay claim to some of the more interesting situations. Denver, Portland, and Utah are all dealing with significant health issues, opening the door for some guys on the back end of the rotation to step forward and become viable fantasy options in the short term. Philadelphia remains shorthanded in the backcourt, while Memphis welcomes back its best big man but lost its point guard. Let’s look ahead to some of Week 6’s top fantasy storylines.
Week 6 Schedule: Games Played
4 Games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CLE, DET, GSW, IND, LAC, MIA, MIL, MIN, OKC, PHI, POR, UTA
3 Games: CHI, DAL, DEN, LAL, MEM, NOP, NYK, ORL, PHO, SAC, SAS, WAS
2 Games: CHA, HOU, TOR
-- When will Denver’s Jokic, Murray, and Gordon return?
Denver, which will play three games next week, has played its last two without three of its top five scorers. Nikola Jokić (health and safety protocols) and Aaron Gordon (non-COVID illness) have missed the last three games, and Jamal Murray (health and safety protocols) the last two. The Nuggets will play three games in Week 6, with Tuesday’s matchup with the Pistons being the first of a back-to-back (Wednesday at OKC). Even if the team’s stars are cleared to play at the beginning of the week, it’s fair for fantasy managers to wonder if an injury management night is in the cards.
Bruce Brown and Bones Hyland have been Denver’s best fantasy players (among those available for each game) over the last week, with Brown providing top 50 9-cat value and Hyland ranking just outside the top 60. Both players should already be rostered in your more competitive leagues, but Brown has a Yahoo percentage of just 47% (Hyland comes in at 61%). It goes without saying that Brown and Hyland are easy pickups if Jokic, Gordon, and Murray are out Tuesday night. But this week will give fantasy managers to observe those two, Brown especially, and evaluate if they’ll have staying power when the Nuggets’ rotation is whole.
-- Which Jazz guard benefits the most from Conley’s absence?
Mike Conley suffered a non-contact left knee injury during the third quarter of Saturday’s win in Portland and did not return. It was reported Sunday afternoon that he suffered a sprained knee and would be out for 1-2 weeks, but that was refuted a few hours later. What we do know is that Conley won’t be available for Monday’s game against the Clippers, and he’ll be re-evaluated on Tuesday after the team returns to Salt Lake City. Two questions heading into that Monday night matchup: who starts next to Jordan Clarkson, and which reserve guard will see his fantasy value receive the greatest boost?
Collin Sexton has the size of a point guard and according to Cleaning the Glass, he’s played 56% of his minutes in that position. But the distribution can be lacking at times, and Jazz coach Will Hardy decided to go with a tandem of Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker to close out Saturday’s win. Sexton, who’s rostered in 76% of Yahoo leagues, and Horton-Tucker (5% rostered) will have their opportunities to earn more minutes with Conley out, but neither is ranked within the top 200 in 9-cat, per-game value. Horton-Tucker is worth a kick of the proverbial tires, especially with his rostered percentage being that low, but this is clearly a case of not getting our hopes too high.
-- Is it “Sharpe Time” in Portland?
Also injured in that game between the Jazz and Trail Blazers was Portland point guard Damian Lillard, who strained his right calf for the second time this season. This injury occurred in a different location on Lillard’s calf, and he’s looking at a downtime of 1-2 weeks. Anfernee Simons has been at his best this season when not sharing the ball-handling responsibilities with Lillard, but he’s already rostered in 89% of Yahoo leagues. The player of interest here is rookie Shaedon Sharpe, whose rostered percentage is just 8%.
He’s made four prior starts this season, all of which came while Lillard was sidelined, and averaged 9.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 0.8 3-pointers in 27 minutes per game. Ranked outside the top 200 in 9-cat during that stretch, Sharpe isn’t a must-have player as the Blazers once again prepare to play without Lillard, but he is someone to keep an eye on in what is a four-game week.
-- 76ers continue without Harden, Maxey
Already without James Harden (foot), Philadelphia lost Tyrese Maxey to a small fracture in his left foot during Friday’s win over Milwaukee. Shake Milton was his replacement in the lineup, recording a line of 27 points, six rebounds, two assists, and three 3-pointers in Saturday’s home loss to Minnesota. There was a lot to like about Milton’s performance, as he shot 10-of-15 from the field. The negative: he turned the ball over six times, the same as Joel Embiid, despite having a usage that was 10-plus percentage points lower (26.8 to Embiid’s 37.3).
The Maxey injury led to Milton’s Yahoo rostered percentage jumping by 30 points (up to 31%). And he’ll be someone to hold onto, as Maxey could miss four weeks. Fantasy managers will need to keep an eye on two things: will the increase in minutes/usage result in Milton’s turnovers getting out of whack? And can he offer any production on the defensive end of the floor (he’s averaging 0.1 steals and 0.2 blocks per game on the season)? De’Anthony Melton, who’s closing in on top 75 value in 9-cat, is rostered in 67% of Yahoo leagues, and that number should increase ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Nets.
The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the Rotoworld app to receive real-time player news and mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
-- Is Pistons’ Hayes now worth the risk?
Cade Cunningham has missed Detroit’s last five games with a stress fracture in his shin, and it was most recently reported that surgery is a possibility. After coming off the bench in the first game that Cunningham missed (Cory Joseph started vs. New York), Killian Hayes has started Detroit’s last five games and come through with some solid performances. He’s hit double figures in two of those starts and scored nine in a third, averaging 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.8 3-pointers in 30.2 minutes per game. That’s been good for top 75 value in 9-cat formats, despite Hayes shooting just 39.2% from the field. Detroit plays four games next week, making Hayes (43% rostered) a popular target for managers needing guard help. His progression as an NBA player hasn’t occurred as quickly as many hoped, but Hayes has made some strides over the last week. Whether or not he can keep it going, especially if Cunningham were to go the surgery route, is something to keep an eye on in Week 6.
-- Will this be a four-game week for Clippers’ Leonard?
Kawhi Leonard made his return to action after spending close to a month on the sideline Thursday night, playing 25 minutes in a win over the Pistons. He played 22 minutes in Saturday’s win over the Spurs, with the blowout getting him a little more time on the bench. The Clippers will play four games this week: will Leonard be available for all four? What helps here is the schedule, as the Clippers don’t have a back-to-back to worry about until Week 7 (November 29-30). But you never know when it comes to injury management days, especially when considering the amount of basketball that Leonard has played since undergoing knee surgery in the spring of 2021. If Leonard can play in all four games that would be a welcome development for those who have him rostered, even if the Clippers keep him at 25 minutes.
-- Does Watanabe have staying power in Brooklyn?
Playing on a contract that still isn’t fully guaranteed, Nets wing Yuta Watanabe has been a pleasant surprise coming off the bench. Rostered in 6% of Yahoo leagues, he’s providing 11th-round per-game value in 9-cat formats over the last two weeks. Many of those games were played while Kyrie Irving was still suspended, but Sunday’s effort against the Grizzlies was not. And Watanabe had himself a good night off the bench, playing 25 minutes and accounting for 16 points (12 in the 4th quarter), three rebounds, three assists, and four 3-pointers. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn essentially went with an eight-man rotation with Nicolas Claxton (personal) away from the team, and being one of those players bodes well for Watanabe in the short term. But can he produce at a level that would make him a valued rotation piece for the long term? With Brooklyn having four games this week, he’ll have multiple opportunities to make his case.
- Will this be a full week for the Grizzlies’ Jackson?
Jaren Jackson Jr. made his season debut Tuesday night in New Orleans and played 25 minutes, then played another 25 (and was dominant) in a win over the Thunder three nights later. But he was held out of Sunday’s loss to the Nets for injury management reasons. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said ahead of JJJ’s season debut that the team would be smart with his minutes, which is certainly understandable. Memphis only plays three games this week with no back-to-backs. Will Jackson be on the court for all three? And will the absences of Ja Morant (ankle) and Desmond Bane (toe) have any impact on the team’s thinking? The answer to the second question is likely “no,” as it should be. We’ll have to wait and see about the first. And those perimeter injuries have thrust Tyus Jones and John Konchar back into “mainstream” fantasy relevance for the time being.
Light Game Days
Tuesday: 4 Games
Thursday: No Games
Week 6 Back-to-Backs
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: BKN, DEN, DET, PHI, SAC
Wednesday-Thursday: None
Thursday-Friday: None
Friday-Saturday: HOU, LAL, OKC, PHO, SAS, UTA
Saturday-Sunday: DAL
