NBA Fantasy: Start/Sit guide for Week 15

Week 15 has arrived, and we have what could be considered a close-to-ideal schedule to work with for fantasy purposes. Not only are the bulk of teams on four-game weeks but there are no clubs saddled with two-game ledgers. We also have plenty of players around the league enjoying recent spikes in production, and many are still flying somewhat under the radar in the fantasy realm. 

Each week, we’ll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters 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 or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues. We’ll also typically target players with four-game weeks in an attempt to maximize opportunities for production.

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

TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards

TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Pelicans and Toronto Raptors

Without further ado, let’s examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 15:

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Guards      

Start: Donte DiVincenzo, Knicks

46% start rate 

DiVincenzo continues to offer rock-solid complementary production on a Knicks attack that’s helmed by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, with the veteran wing scoring in double digits in 14 of the last 15 games and averaging 15.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 47.1%, including 40.5% from behind the arc, during that span. DiVincenzo’s consistency and versatility keep him fantasy-relevant despite the high-usage options that surround him, but he should be able to produce even more with Randle sidelined by a dislocated shoulder, especially on a full schedule like the one he enjoys this coming week.

Start: Kevin Huerter, Kings

41% start rate 

Huerter always comes with the caveat of somewhat erratic production, but when he’s hot, he can certainly pay dividends for multi-game stretches. Accordingly, the veteran earns a Start suggestion for the Kings’ four-game Week 15 thanks to his current six-game run of 17.5 points (on 58.2% shooting, including 50.0% from 3-point range), 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals across 32.2 minutes per contest. Huerter has encouragingly upped his usage over that span, averaging 11.2 shot attempts per game after coming into the stretch with an average of 8.6 per contest. With some particularly appealing matchups this coming week that include three teams – the Grizzlies, Pacers and Heat – ranked in the bottom half of the league at defending 3-point shooting, Huerter is in play.

ALSO CONSIDER: Malik Monk, Kings (48% start rate)

Sit: Kyrie Irving, Mavericks

50% start rate

Irving’s designation is simply a matter of availability, or lack thereof, for Week 15. The star guard has already been ruled out for Monday’s game against the Magic with the thumb injury that’s cost him the previous three contests as well, and it’s therefore difficult to ascertain whether he’ll be ready to suit up against the T-Wolves on Wednesday. There’s naturally a chance he does, but even if that does come to pass, Irving will have two games at most to work with in Week 15, very likely making whatever potential production he’d offer replaceable by a three- or four-game option.

Forwards          

Start: P.J. Washington, Hornets

48% start rate 

There are a few appealing sub-50%-rostered forwards to consider this week, but Washington certainly earns a second consecutive inclusion in this space after capping off what had already been a solid Week 14 with a breakout 43-point effort against the Jazz on Saturday. While that’s certainly an outlier, Washington came into that contest averaging 13 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block across his previous five games, a sample that saw him shoot 56.1%, including 50% from 3-point range. Although he continues to come off the bench, Washington typically logs minutes in the mid-20s at minimum, and there’s a chance he also plays at least the first installment of the Hornets’ four-game ledger against the Knicks on Monday without LaMelo Ball, who could sit due to an ankle injury. 

Start: Harrison Barnes, Kings

34% start rate 

Barnes’ situation is somewhat like Washington’s, except in the veteran’s case, he’s coming into the new week off multiple attention-grabbing performances. After playing a relatively subdued complementary role in Sacramento’s high-powered offense most of the season, Barnes came to life in Week 14 by averaging 30.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1.3 steals while shooting a blistering 55.6% from behind the arc. The veteran averaged a whopping 18.3 shot attempts in that three-game sample, compared to 7.6 in the 41 games he’d played before that stretch since the start of the season. That trio of efforts isn’t Barnes’ only noteworthy ones by any means – he’s scored 16 points or more on nine other occasions and in double digits in 26 instances overall — so there’s reason to believe the surge could have some staying power considering the Kings’ aforementioned favorable schedule this coming week.

ALSO CONSIDER: Obi Toppin, Pacers (43% roster rate); Jarred Vanderbilt, Lakers (23% roster rate)

Sit: Cameron Johnson, Nets         

56% start rate

It’s not often a player earns back-to-back Sit designations, but such is the case with Johnson this week. The 2019 first-round pick is once again working with a three-game slate this week, and he enters that shortened schedule with very little to show of late. Johnson missed Saturday’s win over the Rockets for personal reasons, and he’d scored just five points over 22 minutes in the game prior versus the Timberwolves. That was the fifth-year wing’s fifth single-digit scoring tally in nine games since Jan. 5, making him volatile enough to avoid again on a week when he won’t even have the maximum number of opportunities to take the floor.

CENTERS          

Start: Marvin Bagley III, Wizards

47% roster rate 

Bagley has legitimately looked like a new player since arriving in the nation’s capital, and he now has four Week 15 opportunities to continue building on his hot start with the fast-paced Wizards. The veteran big man has put up 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest over his first six games in Washington, including figures of 14.5, 8.3 and 1.0 in those respective categories over the last four contests while coming off the bench. Bagley has averaged a modest 20 minutes per game in that latter sample, so his efficiency doesn’t appear to be a concern heading into a four-game week that begins with a favorable matchup against the Spurs on Monday.

Start: Nick Richards, Hornets

45% start rate 

Mark Williams continues without a timetable for return, meaning Richards should enjoy another run of starts in Charlotte’s four-game Week 15. The 2020 second-round pick has been especially impressive since returning from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, putting up 20.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks over his first three games back in action. What’s more, that trio of contests happens to be the first the Hornets have played since the trade of Terry Rozier to the Heat, a development that naturally opened up a solid amount of usage. With plenty of opportunity this coming week, Richards is a solid Start candidate. 

Sit:  Jusuf Nurkic, Suns

69% start rate 

Nurkic has enjoyed a fine season overall, but he heads into the week with an unappealing combination of injury and underwhelming performances in recent games. The big man exited Friday’s game against the Pacers with a left thumb sprain that then cost him Sunday’s matchup versus the Magic and has him questionable to suit up in the Suns’ first game of the week against the Heat on Monday. While Phoenix does have four games this week, the possibility Nurkic misses at least one – and the fact he’d scored in single digits in four straight prior to his early exit versus Indiana – makes him a risk, even when factoring in his above-average rebounding production.