Week 15 Fantasy Basketball Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: McCollum Is Back!
As we kick off Week 15 of the fantasy basketball season, C.J. McCollum is finally back in action for the Trail Blazers. Elsewhere, players that aren’t necessarily the most efficient on the floor still have very strong fantasy value. This week, Devonte’ Graham will play four games, and though he is shooting below 38% from the field this season, he’s a must-start in Week 15.
Teams Playing 4 Games in Week 15: Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz
Teams Playing 3 Games in Week 15: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors
Teams Playing 2 Games in Week 15: Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets
Guards To Start in Week 15
SG C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
McCollum is back, and he’s scored at least 16 points in his first four games after recovering from the collapsed lung he suffered earlier in the season. This is a friendly reminder to make sure he’s rostered. With Damian Lillard out of action, McCollum is Portland’s top option on the offensive end of the floor. Plus, the Blazers suit up four times this week. Now that McCollum has a few games under his belt and regained his stamina, don’t hesitate to lock him into your starting lineup.
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PG Devonte’ Graham, New Orleans Pelicans
While Graham’s shooting struggles continue to be an issue this season, his production on the floor remains fantasy worthy because of how much time he has the ball in his hands. If you are in a points league, his poor field-goal percentage doesn’t even negatively affect you. Graham takes a lot of shots even though they don’t go in as much as they should. Still, he’s scoring in double figures in the vast majority of the games despite shooting below 35% from the floor on many nights. Graham will likely play more than 120-130 minutes in Week 15, with the Pelicans’ schedule packed with four games on the slate.
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Guards To Sit in Week 15
PG Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder
Josh Giddey has had a spectacular rookie season. However, he will be limited to two challenging contests this week. The Thunder will host the Bulls tonight and then the Pacers on Friday. Both matchups aren’t advantageous for Giddey, who will likely be guarded by Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, and Malcolm Brogdon during those two contests. Though the Pacers allow 100 FPTS to guards per contest, the Chicago Bulls only allow an average of 93 FPTS to opposing guards. Since OKC only plays two games in Week 15 and Giddey faces a particularly difficult defensive matchup tonight, it makes sense to bench the rookie in weekly formats.
Wings To Start in Week 15
SF Dorian Finney-Smith, Dallas Mavericks
Multiple players around the league consider Dorian Finney-Smith to be one of the league's most underrated talents. This season, Smith is producing 10.1 PPG, 4.9 REBs, and 1.2 STLs in 31.4 minutes per contest. In Sunday’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, Finney-Smith showcased his defensive ability. He recorded two blocks, seven rebounds, and two steals. With what was an impressive defensive performance, Finney-Smith also scored nine points.
SF Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns
Bridges reliably plays close to 30 MPG when healthy. He’s a complete player capable of efficient defense and offense every night. The 25-year-old Suns’ forward is averaging 12.2 PPG on a whopping 51.0% shooting from the field this season. While he doesn’t score big numbers every night, he’s converting over half of his shots taken through 45 games played in 2021-22.
Wings to Sit in Week 15
SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Washington Wizards
Kentavious Caldwell Pope is scoring 11.4 PPG and converting 41.1% of his shots taken from the field in his first season in Washington. He’s only producing 3.6 REBs and 1.8 ASTs as a perimeter shooter. While his field-goal percentage isn’t abysmal, it is certainly unimpressive and correlates with his inconsistency night-to-night for the Wizards. Although he should be activated in a week where the Wizards play three or four games, Washington only has two games on the schedule in Week 15. Be sure to keep him on the bench before tonight’s game tips off.
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Bigs to Start in Week 15
C Mason Plumlee, Charlotte Hornets
Mason Plumlee consistently produces just shy of a double-double in most contests that he’s played in January. The red-hot Hornets are very dependent on their veteran big man’s abilities as a rebounder, and reliable short-range shooter. He can consistently produce 20-25 FPTS any given night. Additionally, he is one of the better passers in the league at the center position. He’s no Nikola Jokic, but he can tally five assists on any given night.
C Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
Zubac has played strongly as of late. The big man has posted multiple double-doubles over the last few weeks, including one in each of the Clippers’ last three contests. He saw an uptick in minutes in Week 14 and because the Clippers play four games this week, Zubac should get the nod ahead of Monday night.
Bigs to Sit in Week 15
C Nerlens Noel, New York Knicks
Noel has returned from injury and is back in the Knicks’ active rotation after only playing one game this month before last night’s outing against the Clippers. He produced eight points (4-5 FG) and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. The Knicks play three games in Week 15 and are likely to give Mitchell Robinson the nod at the center position. While Noel might be a viable starting option next week, he will be somewhat limited in Week 15 in terms of his playing time. Since he’s played so little in 2022, he could be unpredictable and unreliable at least for fantasy purposes this week. Start Mitchell Robinson, but make sure to keep Noel sidelined if he’s on your roster.
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