NBA Fantasy Start/Sit - Lineup Decisions for Week 10

We head into a very interesting holiday week schedule-wise, as there is only a smattering of four-game teams, a glut of three-game clubs and a rare four-squad array in the two-game schedule pool. With a couple of monumental injuries (Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry) currently opening up opportunities for multiple players on their respective teams, it's also a very interesting week to highlight some Start candidates that weren't exactly top of mind for fantasy managers up to this point.

Each week, we'll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your Fantasy rosters – usually from teams with four games -- that may shape up as some of the tougher calls of the week to make, with the focus usually being on players with a start rate (when available) or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues. 

Likewise, we'll also spotlight one Sit candidate at each position that would normally not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, with the focus there often on players with fewer game opportunities during the coming week.

TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns

TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards

TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat                

Without further ado, let's examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 10: 

Guards     

Start: Markelle Fultz, Magic

39% start rate 

Fultz made his delayed season debut November 30th and jumped right into a starting role, one in which he's been productive across the board. The sixth-year veteran is averaging 10.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals while shooting 45.3 percent, including 41.7 percent from three-point range. The Magic are still operating without Jalen Suggs (ankle) to open the week and are also missing Gary Harris (hamstring), so Fultz should continue enjoying plenty of opportunity and can offer you help in virtually every category except blocks.

Start: Lonnie Walker, Lakers

42% roster rate 

Anthony Davis is projected to miss up to a month with his foot injury, so there will certainly be no shortage of usage available for the remainder of the Lakers' starting five to soak up. Walker, who's already enjoyed a career-best season, could certainly be a beneficiary, considering his secure starting two-guard role. Walker bounced back from a couple of clunkers Sunday to post 21 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over the Wizards, and he's now averaging 15.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists on the season while shooting 47.5 percent, including 38.8 percent from behind the arc. With L.A. one of the rare four-game teams this week, Walker, who's averaging 18.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists, along with a pair of made threes, per 36 minutes without AD on the floor, is an appealing option.

ALSO CONSIDER: Jaden Ivey, Pistons (37% start rate)

Sit: Paul George, Clippers

47% start rate 

George's start rate is already dropping this week due to his two-game schedule, but in the event you're still tempted to roll with the star wing, also be mindful he's sat out the Clippers' last two games due to left knee soreness. While there don't appear to be any long-term concerns, and George could very well be back for Wednesday's game against the Hornets, the risk of at least one more absence and the light schedule overall makes him a relatively easy player to hand a seat on the bench to this week.

Forwards         

Start: Jalen Duren, Pistons

32% start rate 

Duren has an especially modest start rate for a player who's averaged 8.6 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists across 29.4 minutes while shooting 60.7 percent in his first five games as a starter. Duren also had a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double off the bench in the game prior to the start of that stint and certainly seems to have a firm hold of the starting center role in Motown for the time being. Detroit has three games this coming week, but two come against a pair of the most vulnerable teams in the league to centers, the Jazz and Hawks.

Start: Moritz Wagner, Magic

43% roster rate 

Wagner is another young big who's leveraging some newfound opportunity into meaningful production heading into Week 10. The fifth-year pro is averaging 14.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 28.9 minutes during his nine-game starting stint, shooting 52.2 percent, including 34.5 percent from three-point range, along the way. Wagner should continue handling starting center duties in the first two of Orlando's three games this week before a potential Wendell Carter return Friday against the Spurs, but given the extent of the latter's absence, he's likely to be eased back in during that contest if he does indeed suit up.

ALSO CONSIDER: Donte DiVincenzo, Warriors (53% roster rate)

Sit: Buddy Hield, Pacers

57% start rate

Hield has been efficient with his sometimes-erratic shot of late and delivered a trio of performances of greater than 20 points in three of the last seven, but he's got only two opportunities to take the floor this coming week. He's also facing a pair of capable defensive squads in the Celtics and Heat during those matchups, with Boston ranking tops in defensive efficiency going into the week.

CENTERS            

Start: Thomas Bryant, Lakers

45% roster rate 

Bryant is an even more direct beneficiary of AD's extended absence, as the big man is set to handle starting center duties for the extent of his teammate's absence. Drawing his first start in Davis' stead Sunday against the Wizards, Bryant posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double that included a pair of assists, and he'd generated 21 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals over 24 minutes versus the Nuggets after Davis went down in that contest Friday. Given his past starting experience and ability to occasionally space the floor – Bryant shot over 40 percent from three-point range in two of his Wizards seasons earlier in his career – he makes for a very viable option at center on a four-game slate for the Lakers.

Start: Mitchell Robinson, Knicks

51% start rate 

Robinson carries some foul-trouble risk every time he takes the floor, but with four games on the docket for the Knicks this week, he's a risk worth taking. The big man is also an elite source of blocks, which certainly aren't easy to come by. Robinson is averaging a solid 8.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per contest while shooting 71.1 percent over his last nine games, numbers that could certainly benefit your roster on a full schedule like the one he'll draw this week. 

ALSO CONSIDER: Kevon Looney, Warriors (36% roster rate)

Sit: Myles Turner, Pacers

69% start rate 

Turner is scoring and rebounding at a career-best level and is still an above-average source of blocks as well (2.2 per contest), but he'll have just two games on his schedule this week. The big man also comes in off a modest six-point eight-rebound effort during which he went 2-for-10 from the field against the Knicks in his most recent game, and he draws one of the toughest matchups for centers in the league against the Heat in one of his two upcoming contests while facing the Celtics in the other matchup. If you're desperate for blocks Turner might still have to be a consideration, but otherwise, rolling with a similarly productive three- or four-game option is likely the more prudent move.