Week 12 in the NBA brings a diverse schedule, with nearly a third of the league playing four games, while just one team — the Knicks — plays two games.
As is usually the case at this point in the season, the waiver wire isn't exactly brimming with high-level options, but the plethora of four-game teams presents ample opportunity. A few key injuries also factor into this week's recommendations. The Wizards losing John Wall for the season is the obvious headliner, but several other teams, including the Lakers, Hawks and Rockets, are also dealing with injured starters.
Here's a look at the Week 12 schedule breakdown:
- Four Games: ATL, CHA, DAL, MEM, MIN, OKC, ORL, PHX, TOR
- Three Games: BOS, BKN, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, NOP, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS
- Two Games: NYK
As always, players listed must be owned in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues.
Adds for all leagues
Tomas Satoransky, Washington (67% owned)
We're going to immediately disregard that two-thirds-ownership rule to talk about Satoransky, who should now be owned in leagues of nearly any size with John Wall done for the season. Satoransky has started the last two games and played 39 and 32 minutes, respectively. He struggled in a loss to Chicago on Friday but bounced back with 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and four made threes in Saturday's road win over Charlotte.
Outside of Satoransky, the Wizards' other options at point guard are Chasson Randle and Ron Baker. It doesn't get much more underwhelming than that. And even if the Wizards bring in another guard to add depth, it's unlikely to be anyone who would truly threaten Satoransky's grasp on the starting job.
Josh Hart, L.A. Lakers (41% owned)
If Satoransky is this week's most obvious add, then Hart is a close second. The Villanova product got off to a hot start before swooning in November and early-December, but he's looked more like his old self over the last week. Hart has played at least 29 minutes in each of the last four games, and he's averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 made threes in that span.
The uptick in production, of course, coincides with the absences of LeBron James and Rajon Rondo. While James is day-to-day and could return sometime in Week 12 — the Lakers play Wednesday, Friday and Sunday — Rondo will miss at least a month after undergoing surgery. Hart loses a bit of appeal on a three-game week, but after putting up 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 40 minutes Sunday night, there's plenty of reason for optimism.
Fred VanVleet,Toronto (34% owned)
VanVleet's scoring efficiency is down a bit after his sophomore breakout, but he's still hovered around the top-100 in Roto leagues for most of the season. The 24-year-old has stepped into a larger role of late with Kyle Lowry in and out of the lineup, and Lowry has already been ruled out of Tuesday's matchup with Utah, his eighth absence in nine games. That guarantees VanVleet at least one more game as a starter, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Lowry misses more time as the Raptors hit the road later in the week. Either way, on a four-game week, the risk that comes with adding a part-time starter is mitigated. Over his last eight games, VanVleet is averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.4 made threes (39.6% 3PT), though he's shooting under 40 percent from the field.
Danuel House, Houston (1% owned)
Admittedly, House is more of a deeper-league consideration, but his ownership should rise in Week 12 after the Rockets ruled Eric Gordon out of Monday's matchup with Memphis. House has already been a staple in the rotation, but he'll likely be thrust into an even larger workload Monday — and perhaps beyond, should Gordon miss any more time.
House played a season-high 32 minutes Saturday in New Orleans and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal and three made threes. If nothing else, he makes for an appealing single-game streamer Monday night in leagues with daily lineups. Austin Rivers (20% owned) is also worth a look, as he'll move into the starting lineup Monday alongside House. Rivers remains a low-upside option, but he's played at least 31 minutes in all three games since joining the Rockets, and he finished with 10 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two made threes in Saturday's win over New Orleans.
Alex Len, Atlanta (25% owned)
The Hawks head into a four-game Week 12 with a banged-up Dewayne Dedmon, who's already been ruled out of Monday's game against Indiana. Len wasn't overly impressive as the starter at center on Saturday — 12 points, four rebounds, one block — but he had a 15-point, 17-board double-double (with three blocks) in a win over Detroit on Dec. 23, and he's averaging 13.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks over his last four contests. Even if Dedmon ends up missing time beyond Monday, Len can still be a bit volatile, but with four games on the schedule he's worth the gamble if you're in need of help at center.
Thomas Bryant, Washington (61% owned)
Bryant has started every game since Nov. 20, but only recently has he begun to look like a truly viable Fantasy option. Following a string of single-digit scoring outings in the middle of the month, Bryant has reached double-figures in five of his last six games, owning a 15.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 BPG line in that span. Bryant had 12 points, eight boards and three blocks Friday against Chicago and followed up with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in 36 minutes Saturday against Charlotte.
Derrick White, San Antonio (24% owned)
None of White's recent games necessarily jump off the page, but he's been a consistent, diverse contributor since entering the starting lineup early in December. Over his last six games, White is averaging 8.3 points, 4.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 combined blocks/steals, while committing fewer than two turnovers per game. He's not much of a three-point shooter, but White, who had six steals against Denver over the weekend, can be of help to owners in need of assists and defensive contributions.
Luke Kornet, New York (20% owned)
The Knicks are the only team on a two-game week, so that inherently lowers Kornet's value. But he still bears mentioning after a pair of strong performances to end Week 11. Kornet entered the starting five Thursday against Milwaukee and finished with 23 points, five assists, three rebounds and seven made threes. Then, he put up 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four more threes in Saturday's loss to Utah. David Fizdale's rotation has been the most difficult in the league to project on a night-to-night basis, but if you can spare a roster spot, Kornet may be worth holding for a week and deploying for the Knicks' four-game Week 13.
DeAndre Bembry (13% owned) and Kevin Huerter (19% owned), Atlanta
Both players have been mostly afterthoughts this season, but the Hawks enter a four-game Week 12 with injuries to both Kent Bazemore and Taurean Prince. Bazemore is set to miss at least the next two weeks, while Prince isn't expected back until later in the week, at the earliest.
Despite the injuries, Bembry will continue to come off the bench, but he's averaged more than 25 minutes per game over the last eight contests, and that figure should rise in the absence of Bazemore. Bembry finished with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks Saturday against Cleveland.
Meanwhile, Huerter has started every game since Nov. 25. He's already averaging 32 minutes per game over his last 10, so while his playing time may not have much room to rise, he could see more offensive responsibility without Bazemore on the wing. Huerter's primary Fantasy attribute — his outside shooting — has slumped over the past two weeks, but he's been a decent source of assists and steals during that time.
A note on Ivica Zubac, L.A. Lakers (29% owned) …
The big man has been among the most-added players in CBS leagues over the last two weeks, but his run of success has likely come to an end. Zubac broke out with double-doubles in two of his first three games as a starter, but his playing time decreased in the Lakers' first two games after Christmas, and he was a DNP-CD on Sunday with JaVale McGee back from an illness. Zubac played well enough in McGee's absence that he could eventually reclaim a smaller role at the end of the rotation, but if Sunday was any indication, the 21-year-old can return to afterthought status in most leagues.
