Week 13 Fantasy Basketball Schedule Primer: Low-rostered Lakers like Jake LaRavia should be popular

The Week 13 fantasy basketball schedule is an interesting one, in that every day has between six and nine games. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any quirks for fantasy managers to navigate. The Lakers have the first five-game week of the season, while four teams are only playing twice during Week 13.

Add in the back-to-backs, injuries and teams looking to improve their draft lottery odds, and it’s clear that the “silly season” is not far away. In fact, is it starting up earlier than in previous years? Washington acquired Trae Young, and it’s unknown when he’ll make his first appearance in a game. And Ja Morant has been out while his name has come up in trade rumors. Here’s a look at the Week 13 schedule breakdown and some of its key storylines.

Week 13 Games Played

5 Games: LAL

4 Games: BKN, CHA, CHI, DAL, DEN, HOU, IND, NOR, POR, SAC, TOR, UTA

3 Games: ATL, BOS, CLE, GSW, LAC, MIA, MIN, NYK, OKC, PHI, PHX, SAS, WAS

2 Games: DET, MEM, MIL, ORL

Week 13 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 12)-Monday: BKN, PHI, SAC, TOR

Monday-Tuesday: LAL

Tuesday-Wednesday: CHI, DEN, NOR

Wednesday-Thursday: DAL, NYK, UTA

Thursday-Friday: HOU

Friday-Saturday: IND, MIN, WAS

Saturday-Sunday: CHA, DEN, LAL, POR

Sunday-Monday (Week 14): BKN

Week 13 Storylines of Note

– Week 13 is a good week to roster Lakers players.

After a poor fantasy schedule in Week 12 because they didn’t play on Saturday or Sunday, the Lakers have an excellent slate for Week 13. They’ll play five games, including Monday/Tuesday and Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs, which boosts the values of some of the team’s low-rostered players. Even if Rui Hachimura can return from his calf injury during Week 13, Jake LaRavia will be worth a look in fantasy leagues due to the back-to-backs. Marcus Smart, as enigmatic a fantasy option as he can be, also has added value because of the schedule. As for Luka Dončić and LeBron James, their workloads will be worth tracking. Do they play all five games, or will the Lakers look to give them at least one night off? The answer will have a significant impact on fantasy basketball leagues next week.

– Be ready to move on from Bucks players after Thursday.

The Bucks are one of four teams playing only twice during Week 13. However, unlike the other three teams discussed below, Milwaukee plays its games on Tuesday and Thursday. Does the schedule give fantasy managers added motivation to trade Myles Turner, whose “sell high” window slammed shut during Week 12? What happens with Bobby Portis after the end of the games on Thursday? While he’s been more productive than Turner recently, the combination of the schedule and his reserve role may make Portis expendable in the eyes of some fantasy managers. At this point, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Porter Jr. are the two players who must be held onto, no matter what the schedule looks like, with Ryan Rollins also in that discussion. As for the others? It’s probably time to either make a deal or drop them to the waiver wire for the final days of Week 13.

– Detroit, Memphis and Orlando don’t play their first game of Week 13 until Thursday.

The Pistons, Grizzlies and Magic won’t play their first games of Week 13 until Thursday, with the former playing its second on Saturday. Memphis and Orlando will play their final game of the week on Sunday as part of a six-game slate, making them teams worth mining for streaming value ahead of those contests. Detroit has been hobbled by injuries recently, with Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Tobias Harris all sidelined. While players like Daniss Jenkins and Paul Reed, to name two, have stepped up at various points, holding on to them until Thursday could be challenging. Hopefully, that’s enough time for some of Detroit’s main options to get back onto the court.

Memphis’ injury situation is complicated by recent trade rumors involving Morant. Will the team be able to find a new home for him before the trade deadline? Also, how will the rumors affect his availability before something happens? Cam Spencer has been a valuable option at point guard, whether he starts or comes off the bench, while Santi Aldama and Jock Landale have added importance due to Zach Edey’s injury. Orlando remains without Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, but Moritz Wagner will make his season debut on Sunday as he returns from a torn ACL. Anthony Black is a player who fantasy managers should hold onto despite the poor early schedule, but Wendell Carter Jr. may not be in some formats.

– The Nuggets have two back-to-backs during Week 13.

The Lakers aren’t the only team that has two back-to-backs to navigate. Denver is one of the others, and the Nuggets are still awaiting the return of Nikola Jokić. He still has a few more weeks on the shelf, but the back-to-backs will impact the availability of some of Denver’s other fantasy mainstays. Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon and Spencer Jones all missed time during Week 12, and that could also be the case in Week 13. And with all four of the Nuggets’ Week 13 games being part of back-to-backs, this could be a case where players are only available for two games. While Murray may be able to offer three (or four) games’ worth of production in two appearances, that won’t be as easy for Braun or Gordon to do, especially with their minutes being restricted.

– The Nets also have two back-to-backs; what does that mean for Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas?

Brooklyn also has two back-to-backs, one of which begins with the final day of Week 12. Porter was ruled out of Sunday’s matchup with the Grizzlies; hopefully, that means he will be available for Monday’s matchup with the Mavericks. If so, Week 13 could be a three or four-game week for MPJ, as the second back-to-back is another Sunday/Monday set. As for Thomas, not only are the back-to-backs a concern, but so is his playing time. He hasn’t surpassed 24 minutes in any of the six games he’s played since returning from a hamstring injury. And Thomas being available for Sunday’s game likely means that he won’t play in Dallas on Monday. There’s a chance he’s only active for two games in Week 13; add in the restriction, and this could be a challenging week for those who have him rostered. Nic Claxton is someone else to watch; Week 13 could be when fantasy managers receive a preview of what’s to come in Brooklyn during the “silly season.”

– Dallas’ four-game week will get very interesting due to Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington missing time due to injury.

Davis, another star who has been the subject of trade rumors recently, suffered a left hand injury during Thursday’s loss to the Jazz that’s expected to cost him six weeks minimum. And that’s if he doesn’t need surgery. As for Washington, he’s missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Add in Brandon Williams sitting out Saturday’s loss to the Bulls with an illness, and the Mavericks head into a four-game Week 13 down three rotation players.

As much as it’s been reported that decision-makers would like to see what a trio of Davis, Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving would look like on the court together, would that be good business for the Mavericks? The 2026 first-round pick is the last that they’ll have complete control over until 2031. Week 13’s schedule includes a midweek back-to-back; fantasy managers may get some clues about what the Mavericks plan to do the rest of the season, even though the team is only three games out of the final play-in spot in the loss column.

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