Fantasy Basketball Week 12 Schedule Guide: Smart Starts & Streams

Smart roster management can be the difference between winning and losing in fantasy basketball, and it all starts with understanding the weekly schedule. In this article, we break down the upcoming Week 12 slate to help you fly up the fantasy basketball rankings by identifying ideal streaming days and prioritizing the teams worth targeting. We'll highlight light-schedule dates to exploit, squads with heavy workloads to lean into and the best matchups to attack based on defensive trends. Whether you're chasing counting stats, planning short-term adds or setting weekly lineups, this guide will help you squeeze every possible edge out of the week ahead.

Days with fewer than six games

These are dates to target players for streaming options from the following teams: 

Thursday, January 8 - IND at CHA, CLE at MIN, MIA at CHI, DAL at UTA

Teams with more than three games this week

Make sure to activate players and target weekly pickups from the following teams:

Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Bulls, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Raptors, Jazz, Wizards

Teams with fewer than three games this week

Consider looking for streaming options if your roster includes players from these teams:

N/A

Top teams to target based on favorable matchups

Rockets vs. Suns, at Trail Blazers, at Trail Blazers, at Kings 

The Rockets are 5-5 in their last 10 games but have a good chance to build momentum in Week 11. They begin with a matchup against the Suns, a team they defeated by almost 20 points in early-December. The Suns give up the league's seventh-most offensive rebounds and sixth-most turnovers per game, which likely means that guys like Tari Eason, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith will pad their stats on both ends of the floor. Up next, the Rockets clash with the Trail Blazers, who give up the league's eighth-most points and fourth-most free throws per game. They also give up the league's most turnovers per game, leaving plenty of opportunity for score-first players like Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard to help take control. Finally, the Rockets close their week against the struggling Kings, who are giving up the league's fourth-most points and sixth-most free throws per game, providing an opportunity for Josh Okogie and Dorian Finney-Smith to possibly benefit from some extra playing time. 

Pelicans vs. Lakers, at Hawks, at Wizards, at Magic

The Pelicans sit last place in the West and have dropped seven straight games. However, this week provides a good opportunity to make up ground, as they are lined up against a few of the league's most troubled defenses. They start the week against the Lakers, who give up the league's third-highest field-goal percentage, including the second-highest three-point shooting percentage, along with the league's fifth-most turnovers per game. Trey Murphy, who thrives as a long-range shooter and is averaging 1.6 steals per game, is the ideal candidate to take control. Up next, the Pelicans encounter the Hawks, who give up the league's sixth-most points per game, including the eighth-most points in the paint, which should allow room for Derik Queen and Zion Williamson to pick up steam. They then look ahead to a meeting with the Wizards, who are giving up the league's second-most points and fifth-most three-pointers per game, while their last game of the week features the Magic, an opponent that is giving up the league's eighth-highest field-goal percentage, along with the league's fourth-most points per game to opposing point guards. Both of the final two matchups provide an environment where Jeremiah Fears can shine, as the rookie has already hit the 20-point mark eight times this season. 

Thunder vs. Hornets, vs. Jazz, at Grizzlies, vs. Heat, 

The Thunder sit first in the West and are likely to build on their position in Week 11. They open against the Hornets, who give up the league's third-highest shooting percentage, followed by a meeting with the Jazz, who give up the league's most points, most made threes and third-most turnovers per game. These should be relatively easy for the squad that is averaging 121.9 points per game, led by 32.1 points, including 2.1 made three-pointers and 1.5 steals per game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Up next, they clash with the Grizzlies, who give up the league's sixth-most three-pointers per game, which should allow Ajay Mitchell, who averages 1.1 made threes per game, and Aaron Wiggins, who averages 1.8 made threes per game, to keep it up from deep. The Thunder finish the week against the Heat, who give up the league's fourth-most rebounds, including the fourth-most offensive rebounds per game, a matchup where Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams will have to take charge. 

Magic at Wizards, at Nets, vs. 76ers, vs. Pelicans

The Magic begin the week against the Wizards, who give up the league's most rebounds and offensive rebounds, along with the fourth-most turnovers per game. Paolo Banchero, who averages 21.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, should be the one to lead the charge and get the week off to a good start. Up next, the Magic meet the Nets, who are giving up the league's ninth-most points in the paint, along with the fourth-most turnovers per game, making Wendell Carter and Goga Bitadze likely candidates to derive the most out of the matchup. Moving ahead, an encounter with the 76ers, who are playing well lately but are giving up the league's ninth-most rebounds per game, along with the league's eighth-most points to opposing centers, which means the three aforementioned Magic bigs will have to work hard to help build an advantage. The Magic close the week against the Pelicans, an opponent that gives up the league's third-most points, including the second-most made three-pointers per game, giving Desmond Bane and Anthony Black a prime chance to get hot. The Pelicans also give up the third-most points in the paint and third-most offensive rebounds per game. 

Warriors at Clippers, vs. Bucks, vs. Kings, vs. Hawks 

The Warriors have won six of their last 10 games and should be looking to make the most of a few winnable matchups in Week 11. They begin against the Clippers, who give up the league's fourth-highest three-point shooting percentage, which certainly favors Stephen Curry, but might also allow guys like Brandin Podziemski, Will Richard or Moses Moody to step up as an X-factor. Next, the Warriors clash with the Bucks, who give up the league's fifth-most free throws per game, an ideal chance for Jimmy Butler, who averages the league's eighth-most free throws per game, to prosper. Moving on, a meeting with the Kings, who give up the league's second-most points in the paint, along with the highest field-goal percentage and sixth-most rebounds per game. Then lastly, a tilt with the Hawks, who give up the league's fifth-most rebounds per game, including the sixth-most offensive rebounds. The final two matchups provide the opportunity for Warriors bigs, Draymond Green, Quinten Post and Trayce Jackson-Davis, to pad their stats and help lead the way.