Fantasy Basketball Start/Sit for Week 10: Important Lineup Decisions

We have the first of back-to-back holiday weeks on tap in Week 10. Even with an idle night on Christmas Eve, we still have plenty of teams with four-game schedules as the league gets back to normal volume following the conclusion of the Emirates NBA Cup.

Each week, we'll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters who may shape up as some of the tougher calls of the week to make, focusing on players with a start or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues. 

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

TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs

TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards

TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings

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

Guards     

Start: Payton Pritchard, Celtics

42% start rate

Pritchard has already made a couple of appearances in this article this season, with good reason. The surging guard continues to put together a career-best season and has become a legitimately reliable second-unit source of production, with just a sparse amount of outliers thus far. Coming into Week 10, Pritchard has averaged a starter-worthy 18.3 points (on 49.0% shooting, including 45.5% from 3-point range), 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists across 31.1 minutes over his last 11 games. What's noteworthy is he's done much more than just fire away from all over the court, posting at least five rebounds on seven occasions and at least four assists in five instances during that sample, along with one points-rebounds and one points-assists double-double apiece. Pritchard's second-unit role is locked in and therefore makes him very viable on a four-game week.

Start: Dennis Schroder, Warriors

47% start rate 

Fantasy basketball is truly a week-to-week phenomenon that can see players run the gamut from stay-away to start-worthy candidates in the course of seven days. Such is the case this week with Schroder, who's now had two games to adjust to his new Warriors squad and is set to operate as the starting shooting guard for the foreseeable future. We're going on a bit of faith here since the production wasn't quite there in that first pair of contests (7.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.0 rebounds), but a significant reason for the struggles was an atypically low 25.0% success rate from the field in that sample. Schroder is capable of much better play. Even though he naturally won't approximate the usage he was enjoying in Brooklyn, there's no question the wily veteran is capable of adjusting and taking advantage of the attention typically bestowed on Stephen Curry to offer a strong four-game run of production.

Sit: Damian Lillard, Bucks

67% start rate

Lillard is the first of three Sit candidates this week that are clearly the victims of extenuating circumstances. In Dame's case, it's the calf strain that has already caused him to miss two games and has him listed as doubtful for Monday's matchup against the Bulls. Milwaukee has only two other games this week as well, and Lillard could, at minimum, miss one of those additional contests. Despite his upside, there's too much uncertainty surrounding his availability to roll with him this week.

Forwards        

Start: De'Andre Hunter, Hawks

31% start rate 

Hunter has found a home on the Hawks' second unit, as he's in the midst of the best offensive season of his career. The 2019 fourth overall pick is averaging a career-best 20.1 points on 48.8% shooting, including 44.1% from behind the arc. He's been in especially good form of late, putting up 22.5 points (on 51.6% shooting, including 49.3% from 3-point range), 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per 28.8 minutes over the last 11 contests. Additionally, Trae Young could miss a second straight game Monday with a heel injury, and Hunter happens to lead Atlanta in usage rate (30.8%) and scoring (32.1 points) per 36 minutes with Young off the floor this season.

Start: Amen Thompson, Rockets

49% start rate

Much like Pritchard and Hunter, Thompson is performing well in a second-unit role, averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals across 26.9 minutes per contest. His start rate fittingly continues to creep up across Yahoo leagues, and his elite efficiency (55.3% shooting, 60.8% true shooting) is a proven part of his game that should continue to keep him very productive over a four-game week. The second-year pro has especially stood out over the last month of play with one 22-point tally and a trio of 19-point efforts off the bench, and he's also a reliable contributor in rebounds while already boasting seven multi-steal performances this season.

Sit: Trey Murphy, Pelicans

88% roster rate

Murphy has been filling a key role for the Pelicans in the wake of their key injuries, but the talented wing is entering the week with a gloomy outlook. Not only is New Orleans set for just two games over the scoring period, but Murphy exited Sunday's game against the Nuggets early with a left ankle injury. The Pels don't take the floor again until Thursday, yet ankle issues can certainly linger and be difficult to prognosticate in terms of recovery time. Precisely because Murphy's status may not be known for several days, and he only has two games on the docket this week anyhow, it's best to steer clear and focus on healthy options with more opportunity.

CENTERS    

Start: Santi Aldama, Grizzlies

44% start rate 

Aldama continues to enjoy a key second-unit frontcourt role for the Grizzlies, and he's averaging new career highs in points (13.4), rebounds (7.4), assists (3.1), shooting percentage (50.8) and 3-point shooting percentage (38.3). The 2021 first-round pick offered a clear reminder of his upside just two games ago against the Warriors, posting a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double that included four assists, two steals and one block across just 25 minutes. Aldama has scored 20 points or more on six occasions and has eight double-doubles overall, and only one of the former and three of the latter came in spot starts. 

Start: Ben Simmons, Nets

31% roster rate 

Schroder's exit from Brooklyn was bound to lead to a boon in Simmons' production, and thus far, the oft-maligned 2016 first overall pick has validated that assumption. Taking over as the primary ball handler, Simmons has averaged 12.3 points (51.9% shooting), 8.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals over his first three starts, and he just produced his first double-double of the season against the Jazz on Saturday. The Nets do have a back-to-back set Thursday and Friday, but Simmons is reportedly healthy and should therefore have a good chance of playing a full four games. Additionally, the fact he's both guard- and center-eligible for fantasy purposes is a nice bit of extra flexibility for your roster construction. 

Sit: Ivica Zubac, Clippers

85% start rate

Zubac is questionable for Monday's game against the Grizzlies due to calf soreness, meaning he could realistically play just a single game this coming week. It's a tough ask to bench the big man considering he's been a double-double machine of late and is enjoying a career-best season, but there's a legitimate possibility of getting just one or even no games at all from him during Week 10, an unnecessary risk to take considering the number of teams on three- and four-game schedules.