Week 6 Fantasy Basketball Planner

Week 6 (Nov. 30-Dec. 6)

Teams playing four games: Chicago, Dallas, Golden State, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, Phoenix, Toronto, Washington
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Utah
Teams playing two games: L.A. Clippers, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, San Antonio

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics: The Celtics don't have favorable matchups in Week 6, playing three games against teams that allow under 100 points per game. The Bobcats and Thunder rank second and fifth in the NBA in team defense and both allow under 100 points per game. With the Celtics a team that likes to play a slower, grind-it-out pace already, this week could consist of low-scoring games. Don't expect huge weeks out of Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett or Ray Allen. Don't get too down on Kendrick Perkins, however, considering the scarcity of good center options. Avoid Rasheed Wallace where possible, however.
New Jersey Nets: Devin Harris has returned to the starting lineup for New Jersey, at the request of Rafer Alston. His selfless gesture, however, will likely eliminate the little Fantasy appeal he had left. The Nets do have one favorable matchup against the Knicks, but will play two tough defensive teams at home against Dallas and Charlotte. Harris and Lopez should start in all leagues and Chris Douglas-Roberts can still start in leagues of 12-plus teams as a No. 3 or 4 guard option, but stay away from Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee and Alston this week.
New York Knicks: Surprise, surprise. Eddy Curry is hurt again. This time, it's a knee issue. He is day to day and while we maintain that Curry could have some appeal down the road in the Knicks' system, we don't recommend activating him in any league even with a four-game slate. He isn't getting many minutes and conditioning still appears to be an issue. There have been some rumblings out of New York that a change could be made at point guard with the way Chris Duhon has struggled offensively this year, but so far coach Mike D'Antoni has resisted the change. Nate Robinson or Toney Douglas would replace Duhon if such a change is made. Obviously, avoid Duhon through his struggles even in a four-game week. Robinson is starting to pick up his production and is a great play. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari make decent one-week plays in leagues of 12-plus teams due to the four-game slate.
Philadelphia 76ers: With Lou Williams expected to miss two months due to a fracture in his jaw, rookie Jrue Holiday has been inserted into the starting lineup. While he's absolutely somebody to target off waivers and he will be of some use in certain spots over the next couple of months, keep in mind the Sixers play three tough matchups against top-10 defensive teams. Don't expect him to put up the numbers Williams was putting up. Elton Brand is day to day, but could return over the weekend and should be a safe play for Week 6. Monitor his progress over the weekend. His return could cut into the recent surge of production out of Thaddeus Young, but he's still a good play. Avoid starting Samuel Dalembert and Rodney Carney this week due to the possible low-scoring matchups.
Toronto Raptors: The Raptors will play a Wizards team that allows 101.6 points per game twice in Week 6 in a four-game week. It's pretty much status quo with Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon and Hedo Turkoglu. Jarrett Jack and Marco Belinelli have some measure of appeal as injury-replacements in deeper leagues, but are not ideal starts. Avoid struggling rookie DeMar DeRozan all together. He could be losing his starting job soon.

Central Division

Chicago Bulls: Kirk Hinrich is day to day with a thumb issue. However, with Hinrich having failed to score 10 points in a game in nearly two weeks, you'd likely want to avoid him anyway. Outside of a favorable matchup against Toronto to wrap up Week 6, Chicago's matchups are not particularly attractive. In cumulative leagues, you may have reserved Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and John Salmons this week, but you'll want to activate them again in a four-game week. Taj Gibson has been far too inconsistent to activate despite an increased role filling in for the injured Tyrus Thomas.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Shaquille O'Neal appears to be ready to activate again after a shoulder injury kept him out of action the past two weeks. However, with the Cavs playing just three games this week and with Shaq averaging just 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds this season due to getting just 24.3 minutes per game, don't expect a big week out of him.
Detroit Pistons: The Pistons are now dealing with three injuries to key players, with Ben Gordon (ankle) being added to Richard Hamilton (ankle) and Tayshaun Prince (back) to the list of walking wounded. Gordon was held out of Friday's action and is considered day to day. If he does not return Sunday against Atlanta, Fantasy owners will have a tough decision to make with Detroit playing just three games in Week 6. He should be a safe play, but keep a close eye on his progress over the weekend leading up to lineup deadlines Monday. As for Hamilton and Prince, neither player has a return date set. Hamilton sounds closer to a return than Prince, but unless a return date is announced prior to lineup deadlines, you won't want to activate them in any league. Their lengthy absence will also lead to conditioning being an issue when they do return. Outside of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva, nobody is a safe play.
Indiana Pacers: The Pacers are a mess from a Fantasy perspective going into Week 6. Danny Granger was diagnosed with an MCL sprain and while it does sound like he will try to play through the injury, a sudden setback or a decision by the team to hold him back could have him out for an indefinite amount of time. Fantasy owners will obviously be paying very close attention to his progress over the weekend and leading up to lineup deadlines. The good news is the Pacers play Monday, so they'll be some sort of definitive news on his status prior to lineup deadlines. Mike Dunleavy's return from knee surgery is sure to make him a popular target off the waiver wire, especially with a four-game slate for Indy. But consider these factors: He hasn't played since February, Dahntay Jones and Brandon Rush have been productive in his absence and conditioning will almost surely be an issue for him. Jones and Rush could be in line for a dip in touches and minutes with Dunleavy back and there are just too many variables in Indianapolis to consider any of them safe plays this week.
Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut (leg) won't be returning in Week 6, which means you should still get some juice out of Ersan Ilyasova and Hakim Warrick this week. Brandon Jennings' scoring has declined with the return of Michael Redd, but his overall production remains very solid. He remains a great play. As for Redd, he does not look like he's all the way back from his injury with limited production this week, but that's more a matter of him being a little bit rusty than anything else. He remains a great play -- especially with four games. Ridnour has retained his value with some huge games this week, but beware of his numbers declining as Redd gets healthier.

Southeast Division

Atlanta Hawks: Marvin Williams continues to be up-and-down and after a good stretch of three big games, he returned to earth this week. That inconsistency also applies for Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Horford remain excellent plays. In a three-game week, avoid the shakier Hawks options if you can.
Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats will have a three-game slate with two of the three teams allowing 95 points or fewer per game on average. That's just the way they like it and there should be a lot of pounding the ball and not a lot of running this week for Larry Brown's crew. Outside of Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace, there are no great plays here. Boris Diaw and Raymond Felton are low-end starts. Avoid everyone else.
Miami Heat: The Heat travel West in Week 6 and games in Denver and Sacramento should lead to high-scoring games. Get Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal active in any format. Mario Chalmers is erratic, but could scrap together a decent week in deeper leagues and he should average around five dimes per game this week. Udonis Haslem is a good play thanks to the favorable matchups.
Orlando Magic: The Magic are a tricky team this week in Fantasy. It really depends on what format you play under. In leagues with average-based scoring, it's a dream week with two games against two of the worst defensive teams in the league in the Knicks and Warriors. In cumulative leagues, it's a tough week because the Magic play just two games. Treat this week, because of the matchups, as more like two-and-a-half game, or even three-game scoring period.
Washington Wizards: The Wizards have a favorable-four games slate with two games against a Raptors team that allows the second most points in the NBA per game. (108.6). Caron Butler is coming off a sprained ankle, but should be a safe play this week. Brendan Haywood is a strong play as a No. 2 center this week.Think about Andray Blatche in deeper leagues if you need an injury-replacement at center. Nick Young could give you some decent scoring performances with Mike Miller sidelined, but he won't chip in much else. He's a decent injury-replacement sleeper in deeper Head-to-Head formats.

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks: There is still no return date for Erick Dampier, who dealt with a health scare two weeks ago. He could return in Week 9 and his return would put a cloud over Drew Gooden, who has been phenomenal in Dampier's absence. We still think Gooden will see enough run to stay around 10-and-10 on most nights and his center eligibility in leagues that allow multiple positions makes him a strong play in a four-game week. Just account for a likely dropoff in production over what he's been putting up recently.
Houston Rockets: So much for Tracy McGrady's Nov. 18 return date or his Nov. 23 re-evaluation that was supposed to clear things up. He remains out indefinitely and is a player to sit in all leagues. The Rockets have just three games, but two of them are favorable matchups against the Clippers and Warriors. Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks can be trusted even in cumulative leagues this week. Carl Landry is a good play in average-based leagues.
Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies have three games in Week 6. Two of their opponents allow under 100 points per game, but the Timberwolves have given up 104.1 points per contest. It's status quo when it comes to your Grizzlies players. Start Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo. Reserve Mike Conley Jr. and everyone else.
New Orleans Hornets: For the second week in a row, the Hornets will play just two games. Seems like perfect timing with Chris Paul expected to miss at least another week and likely longer. In his absence, Peja Stojakovic has taken on a bigger scoring role and Darren Collison has become a strong Fantasy option. However, he can only be trusted in average-based play at this time due to the two-game slate. The same goes for Marcus Thornton.
San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs have a very unfavorable two-game scoring period ahead of them. Manu Ginobili could return for Week 6, which would only further muddy things up for players like Richard Jefferson and Tony Parker. In cumulative leagues, Tim Duncan is really the only player worth taking a gamble on for Week 6.

Northwest Division

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets play three games in Week 6, but one of those games is against Golden State, which makes it more like three games and change. They do have two tough defensive matchups against Miami and San Antonio following that, however. Start Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Nene, as usual, but it's a safe play to keep J.R. Smith active in typical cumulative leagues as well if you don't have four-game options you are comfortable starting over him. Kenyon Martin and Ty Lawson are a bit of a stretch this week, however.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves play three games, with two of them coming against teams that allow over 102 points per game. Al Jefferson remains the only must-start for the T'Wolves, but Jonny Flynn, Corey Brewer remain viable options in deeper leagues -- especially average based this week. Keep a close eye on Ramon Sessions, who seems to slowly be showing signs of a resurgence. Don't start him yet, though.
Portland Trail Blazers: The Trail Blazers have shaken things up again. Andre Miller has returned to the bench, Brandon Roy is back in the back court and Martell Webster starting at small forward. With an unfavorable two-game slate in Week 6, the only player you'll even consider starting in a cumulative league this week. Even LaMarcus Aldridge is a risky play with Greg Oden starting to step on his toes a bit.
Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder have the worst matchups in Week 6, with two games and one against a Celtics team that allows just 90.9 points per game. You can still start Kevin Durant in standard cumulative formats, but all other options should be reserved this week.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz play three games, but all three come against teams that regularly allow 100 points per game. That makes them one of the better three-game teams to lean on this week with more than half the league playing less than four games this week. The return of Mehmet Okur hasn't completly knocked Paul Millsap off track in his last two games, but that possibility still exists. Play it safe in Week 6 considering the three-game slate.

Pacific Division

Golden State Warriors: The Warriors could be lighting up the scoreboard all week with three of four games coming against teams that allow 100-plus points per game. Monta Ellis is a no-brainer. But this is a great week to plug in Corey Maggette, Stephen Curry and Anthony Morrow -- each player seeing a noticeable boost in the absence of Stephen Jackson and Kelenna Azubuike. With Andris Biedrins still a question mark to return in Week 6, Anthony Randolph is also a strong play.
Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers are a two-game team this week, but their matchups are favorable for average-based play against two teams that like to play at a fast pace. In cumulative leagues, Baron Davis, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby could still be of some use, but you can also start Al Thornton this week in average-based play coming off some strong performances the last couple of weeks. Eric Gordon is coming off a groin injury and does not appear to be 100 percent recovered yet. He's worth taking a chance on in average-based play for his upside and with good matchups this week, but he's too risky for cumulative play.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers are just about at full strength for the first time this season and, as expected, Lamar Odom has become verry inconsistent. Both Odom and Ron Artest still do enough across the board outside of scoring that they can be helpful in a lot of category-based leagues, but their appeal in a three-game slate this week is that of a No. 4 option in standard leagues.
Phoenix Suns: The Suns have one of the best schedules in Week 6 with four games, including tilts against the Knicks and Kings. The Knicks allow 107.6 points per game while the Kings allow 105.4. That works perfectly for the Suns, who score an average of 111.4 points per contest. Expect a lot of high numbers to fly around this week. Channing Frye is a great play this week at center. Grant Hill should accumulate strong numbers as well and Leandro Barbosa makes for a strong play now that his wrist has finally stopped limiting his production. Jared Dudley is an extreme sleeper for deep formats.
Sacramento Kings: The Kings have three games this week, with two games coming against teams that allow 100-plus points per game on a regular basis. The Suns allow 105.9 points per game and that particular matchup should be high scoring with two teams that like to run and lack a defensive presence. Beno Udrih should continue to be a sleeper for good lines while Kevin Martin remains sidelined. Spencer Hawes is a decent play in leagues that require two centers this week.

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