The Playlist: Fantasy Basketball Week 1 Waivers and Deadline Notes

Welcome to The Playlist: my weekly column that informs you of who and what to play in fantasy basketball in the coming week—when it comes to music or anything else in my rotation.

Each week you'll see a breakdown of the pickups you need to make, lineup notes (who's in and out of rotations), followed by takeaways on the schedule.

Press play and browse through the latest fantasy basketball information.

🎧 Who's in my rotation: Waiver of pickups

As a general strategy note, look for players with the INJ designation in the waiver pool. Pick them up and put them in an IL spot (if you have one). Shaedon Sharpe comes to mind because he's only 29% of the roster.

Oh, and for those with IL+ slots, there are a ton of players listed as GTD. Send them to IL+ if they don't play so you can pick up another player with waivers.

Payton Pritchard – PG, Boston Celtics (14% on roster)

The Celtics play on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you can get two quality games from Pritchard in a three-game week. What is better? After playing the Knicks on opening night, the Celtics face the Wizards and Pistons. Pritchard could go for 30.

Trolling or not, the Celtics will be heavily favored in every contest, so Pritchard has a good chance of getting more minutes and more production this week. He should be the Celtics' sixth man, so stream him and see where it goes. Sam Hauser is an alternative option if you are looking for 3s.

Taylor Hendricks – SF/PF, Utah Jazz (48% on roster)

The second-year pro didn't have a good preseason. Still, he starts at PF and can hit 3s and generate stocks. He also averaged six boards as a starter, so he could add stealthy value with more minutes on the back end of your team.

Kelly Oubre Jr. – SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers (31% on roster)

We don't know when Paul George will be ready to start the season, so Oubre Jr. could get a nice boost in opportunities if PG doesn't miss any playing time this week. As a starter, his minutes count is certainly around 30, but more hitting volume, rebounds and steals are a reasonable expectation if George doesn't play.

Nick Richards – C, Charlotte Hornets (12% on roster)

The Hornets are still silent on Mark Williams' return date, making Richards a streamable option for rebounds, blocks and FG%. Williams hasn't managed to stay healthy, and Richards is a serviceable player if you need depth at the position. Richards averaged 10 points with 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks with Mark Williams out last year.

Al Horford – PF/C, Boston Celtics (39% on roster)

Playing Big Al in a three-game week without a back-to-back? Smart choice. Without Kristaps Porziņģis in the lineup, Horford averaged 11.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 3s and 1.8 digs in 30 minutes. He enters the league's 18th class as an underrated but solid 3-point shooter and serviceable defender. If you don't have a Horford feel, go with Xavier Tillman Sr. – especially against the Wizards and Pistons.

Jaden McDaniels – SF/PF, Minnesota Timberwolves (24% on roster)

Like the Celtics, the Timberwolves play on Tuesday and Thursday, so McDaniels is guaranteed to fit into your lineup. McDaniels shot particularly well in the preseason, finishing exhibition play 12 of 21 from the field (57%), 5 of 8 from 3 (63%) and 6 of 7 from the line (86%) over four games. If this carries over into the regular season, that, along with his stock potential, will provide a solid influx.

🗓️ Schedule Highlights:

“We all need something to help us in our daily events” – AZ, I'm back

• Teams play three games: Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Hornets, Lakers, Nets, Pacers, Pelicans, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers and Warriors

• Teams play two games: Heat, Jazz, Kings, Knicks, Mavericks, Nuggets, Spurs and Wizards

• Prime streaming days: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday

• Consecutive:

  • Friday/Saturday: Bulls, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Hornets, Lakers, Magic, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets and Suns

  • Saturday/Sunday: Clippers and Thunder

  • Sunday/Monday: Bucks, Hawks, Pacers and Trail Blazers