While Week 12 will have a lot of action, there are also some significant question marks, most notably when the Clippers and Lakers can play again.
By the end of Week 12, some NBA teams will have reached the actual halfway point of their seasons. And, at least on paper, there should be a lot of action, as 28 of 30 teams will play three or four games. The two exceptions are Charlotte and Utah, who only play twice. And with seven teams finishing their weekly schedules by Friday night, fantasy managers should hold onto a transaction or two if their leagues have weekly limits. Let’s look at the Week 12 schedule breakdown.
Week 12 Games Played
4 Games: BKN, CHI, DEN, HOU, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, OKC, PHI, POR, SAS, WAS
3 Games: ATL, BOS, CLE, DAL, DET, HSW, IND, MEM, NOR, NYK, ORL, PHO, SAC, TOR
2 Games: CHA, UTA
Week 12 Storylines
– Clippers, Lakers dealing with postponements due to wildfires
First and foremost, this situation is of far greater importance than fantasy basketball or sports. Due to ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles County, the Lakers’ five-game home stand’s first two games (Charlotte and San Antonio) were postponed. At the same time, the Clippers could not host the Hornets on Saturday in the first of three they’re scheduled to play at home. Both teams are expected to play home games on Monday and Wednesday of Week 12, with the Lakers hosting Brooklyn on Friday. Also, with the Clippers hosting the Lakers on Sunday (January 19), this could be a situation where the only game that gets played is the Clippers’ January 16 game at Portland. At the time of publishing, the plan was for the Clippers and Lakers to play their Monday games as scheduled.
– Fantasy managers should Charlotte and Utah for Week 12
The Hornets and Jazz are the only teams scheduled to play two games during Week 12, and they’re both active on the busier days of the week (Wednesday and Friday). While main fantasy options like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Lauri Markkannen should be rostered as usual, others will fall off the radar for scheduling reasons alone. For the Jazz, Brice Sensabaugh (11% rostered) isn’t worth considering for Week 12 despite providing 7th-round value in 9-cat formats over the past two weeks. Also of note for Utah is the team dealing with multiple injuries, including John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, and Keyonte George.
– Thursday is the day to target for potential streaming value.
While Monday and Saturday are six-game days, Thursday is the “light” game day of Week 12, with five games on the slate. Three of the ten teams in action (Houston, Oklahoma City, and the Clippers) will play either the first or second game of a back-to-back on Thursday. The Clippers’ situation was discussed above, but Houston could be an interesting spot due to Tari Eason’s uncertainty. A left leg injury has sidelined him for an extended period for the second consecutive season.
While the Rockets continue to use the “injury management” description for Eason, that’s a concern for fantasy basketball managers. While Amen Thompson has flourished as Jabari Smith Jr.’s replacement in the starting lineup, Eason’s absence has freed up opportunities for Cam Whitmore. Houston will be on the road for both games of its back-to-back, visiting Denver on Wednesday and Sacramento the following night. Also worth a look for that Thursday slate are Detroit (Ausar Thompson and Malik Beasley), Phoenix (Grayson Allen and Ryan Dunn), and Sacramento (Keon Ellis).
– How many games will fantasy managers get out of Zion Williamson?
The Pelicans play three games during Week 12, beginning with the Bulls on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that road game is the first of a back-to-back, with New Orleans hosting Dallas the following night. As a result, this could be a two-game week for Williamson, who sat out the second game of New Orleans’ Week 11 back-to-back and was suspended for Friday’s win over Philadelphia due to a violation of team policies. As a result, he was only available for two games instead of the three many assumed he would play. While Williamson can be valuable when on the court, fantasy managers should strongly consider attempting to trade him before Week 12 begins.
– Seven teams won’t play at all during the final two days of Week 12.
New Orleans is one of six teams that will complete its Week 12 schedule by the end of business on Friday. The others are Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis, New York, Toronto, and Utah. While the Knicks don’t have any legitimate streamers that fantasy managers should part ways with after Friday’s games (unless you consider Deuce McBride one), the Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Raptors do. In the case of Dallas, it may be best to hold onto Quentin Grimes or Spencer Dinwiddie, especially while Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving remain out due to injury. However, due to the end-of-week schedule for these teams, fantasy managers will have the ability to clear up space, so be sure to hold onto a transaction or two.
Light Game Days
Thursday: 5 Games
IND vs. DET
PHO vs. WAS
CLE vs. OKC
LAC vs. POR
HOU vs. SAC
Week 12 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 11)-Monday: NYK, WAS
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: ATL, BKN, CHI, DAL, DEN, MIL, NOR, PHI
Wednesday-Thursday: HOU, LAC
Thursday-Friday: OKC
Friday-Saturday: BOS, MIN
Saturday-Sunday: PHI, POR, WAS
Sunday-Monday (Week 13): None
