Fantasy Basketball Week 6 Schedule Breakdown
Week 6 marks the point when the NBA schedule gets a bit interesting. This is also the final week of the group stage of the In-Season Tournament, and the results will impact who remains in the running for a trip to Las Vegas and how the Week 7 schedule will look. Twenty-two of the league's 30 teams will play three games during Week 6, and seven of those 22 will have to navigate a back-to-back at some point. Fringe Celtics and Spurs are unlikely to offer much value, as those teams only play twice, while this would be a good time to consider some of those players on the six squads that play four games. Let's take a look ahead at Week 6.
Week 6 Games Played
4 Games: DEN, DET, LAC, LAL, NOR, UTA
3 Games: ATL, BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, GSW, HOU, IND, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, TOR, WAS
2 Games: BOS, SAS
Week 6 Storylines
- The In-Season Tournament's group stage concludes
Tuesday marks the end of the group stage of the first annual In-Season Tournament, and only two teams (Indiana and LA Lakers) have locked up places in the quarterfinals. Something to be mindful of regarding that six-game Tuesday slate is that three teams (Houston, Sacramento, and Toronto) will also be in action on Wednesday. The biggest current injury issue for the three teams has been Keegan Murray's back injury, as he has missed Sacramento's last two games. Tuesday's game against the Warriors will be Sacramento's first since Friday, and that could be enough time to get Murray back into the lineup. His availability impacts Chris Duarte the most, as he's been the replacement in the starting lineup.
- No games scheduled for Sunday
The NBA schedule will be void of any action on Sunday (December 3), with the NBA scheduling six games for the prior Friday and 12 on Saturday. Of the 24 teams playing that Saturday, six will be on the second game of a back-to-back. That list includes New Orleans (Zion Williamson) and Phoenix (Kevin Durant), and both teams have been without multiple key contributors recently. Durant is questionable for Phoenix's November 26 game against the Knicks with a sore right foot, which is obviously something to be mindful of. As for Williamson, he's yet to play both ends of a back-to-back this season. The good news for managers who have him rostered is that he should still get three games in if that trend holds, as the Pelicans are scheduled to play four games. As for Durant, Phoenix will only play three games in Week 6.
- Celtics and Spurs only play two games in Week 6
Boston and San Antonio have drawn the proverbial short straws in Week 6, and while the latter ends Week 5 with a clean injury report, the former doesn't. Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf injury during Boston's November 24 loss to Orlando and was ruled out for the November 26 game against the Hawks. Also, Jrue Holiday did not play against the Magic due to a sprained ankle. With Boston's two games for Week 6 being scheduled for Tuesday and Friday, there may not be much gained from slotting either of those two into weekly lineups. As for San Antonio, its two games will be played on consecutive nights, with Atlanta visiting on Thursday and the Spurs heading to New Orleans for a game the following night.
- Six teams will play their final game of Week 6 on Friday
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Toronto, and Washington are the teams that won't play past Friday of next week, which will impact how managers in leagues that allow for daily roster updates approach their lineups for Saturday's 12-game slate. Players like Gary Trent Jr. (Toronto) and Bilal Coulibaly (Washington) could wind up on the waiver wire in this spot, but those are players many managers would prefer to hold onto. Complicating matters is the Week 7 schedule, which won't be set until after the In-Season Tournament group stage reaches its conclusion Tuesday night. All 30 teams will play at least two games in Week 7, so there is that for managers to fall back on.
- How will the Los Angeles-based teams handle their schedules?
Not only do the Clippers and Lakers play four games apiece in Week 6, but they're also navigating stretches of five games in seven days. The good news for the Clippers is that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have remained healthy, and there hasn't been a need for the injury management days that became commonplace in years past. But does that change in Week 6, as the Clippers have a Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back? Also, Norman Powell had to leave the Clippers' November 22 win over San Antonio with a groin injury. He was able to play 28 minutes two nights later, but that's something else to be mindful of.
As for the Lakers, they're currently without Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), Cam Reddish (groin), and Rui Hachimura (nose). As long as the recent trend of LeBron James and Anthony Davis being cleared to play after being listed on the injury report continues, they (and fantasy managers) should be fine. Like the Clippers, the Lakers will also be in action on Wednesday and Thursday of next week.
Light Game Days
Monday: 5 Games
WAS vs. DET
POR vs. IND
LAL vs. PHI
NOR vs. UTA
DEN vs. LAC
Sunday: 0 Games
Week 6 Back-to-backs
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: HOU, SAC, TOR
Wednesday-Thursday: DET, LAC, LAL, UTA
Thursday-Friday: NYK, SAS
Friday-Saturday: DAL, DEN, MEM, NOR, ORL, PHO
Saturday-Sunday: None
Sunday-Monday (Week 7): None