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Welcome to The Starting Lineup: my weekly column that gives you the insider scoop on which players and strategies to deploy for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball.

Each week, you'll see a compilation 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 shuffle through the latest fantasy basketball info.

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

Oh and for those with IL+ spots, there’s a ton of players who are listed as GTD. Send them to IL+ if they’re not playing so you can pick up another player on waivers.

Payton Pritchard - PG, Boston Celtics (14% rostered)

The Celtics play Tuesday and Thursday, so you’ll get two quality games out of Pritchard in a three-game week. What’s better? After playing the Knicks on opening night, the Celtics face the Wizards and the Pistons. Pritchard might go for 30.

Jaylen Brown:

"A night we playing, don't mean to disrespect them but, the Detroit Pistons who have struggled over the last year or two, we gonna play through Payton, let him go for 30. Play through Sam, let him shoot 10 threes tonight. We gonna still win the game" pic.twitter.com/t1Cgu6lgdI

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) September 24, 2024

Trolling or not, the Celtics will be heavily favored in each contest so Pritchard's got a good chance of increased minutes and 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’re looking for 3s.

Taylor Hendricks - SF/PF, Utah Jazz (48% rostered)

The second-year pro didn’t have a good preseason. Still, he’s starting at PF and can hit 3s and generate stocks. He averaged six boards as a starter, too, so with more minutes, he could net some sneaky value in the back end of your team.

Kelly Oubre Jr. - SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers (31% rostered)

We don’t know when Paul George will be ready for the start of the season, so Oubre Jr. could get a nice boost in opportunity should PG miss any floor time this week. As a starter he’s minutes floor is safely in the 30s but more shot volume, rebounding and steals is a reasonable expectation if George doesn’t play.

Nick Richards - C, Charlotte Hornets (12% rostered)

The Hornets are still mum on Mark Williams’ return date so Richards becomes a streamable option for rebounding, blocks and FG%. Williams hasn’t been able to stay healthy and Richards is a serviceable big if you’re needing depth at the position. Richards averaged 10 points with 8.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks with Mark Williams out of the lineup last year.

Al Horford - PF/C, Boston Celtics (39% rostered)

Playing big Al in a three-game week with no back-to-backs? Wise choice. Without Kristaps Porziņģis in the lineup, Horford averaged 11.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.2 3s and 1.8 stocks in 30 minutes. He enters Year 18 in the league as an underrated but solid 3-point shooter and functional defender. If you’re not feeling Horford, go with Xavier Tillman Sr. — especially against the Wizards and Pistons.

Jaden McDaniels - SF/PF, Minnesota Timberwolves (24% rostered)

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-for-21 from the field (57%), 5-for-8 from 3 (63%) and 6-for-7 from the line (86%) across four games. Should that carry over into the regular season that makes for a solid stream along with his stock potential.

“We all need somethin' to help us through our daily events” - AZ, I’m Back

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

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

Prime Streaming Days: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday

Back-to-Backs:

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