The Fantasy Basketball Vibe Check: Jalen Williams’ rare feat, plus 3 stars nearing a return

Welcome to the Fantasy Vibe Check, your place to vent about the highs, lows and head-scratchers from the NBA and fantasy basketball.

Check out who I’m vibing with, and let me know in the comments or @DanTitus about what’s got you feeling a type-of-way about fantasy basketball.

🙌 I’m hyped about Jalen Williams getting four-position eligibility

Last week, I was curious about Jalen Williams gaining center eligibility. I’m hyped to report that Yahoo made J-Dub the only player in fantasy basketball with four-position eligibility on Monday. Fantasy managers can now start Williams at SG, SF, PF and C. It’s no fluke, either — the Thunder are 3-1 since installing Williams as their new starting center and he’ll continue to hold it down until Isaiah Hartenstein (hand) is ready to return.

The interesting part about Williams getting center eligibility is that, per Cleaning the Glass, he’s now logged more possessions at center (179) than at shooting guard and small forward combined (176). So it begs the question, should Williams even be startable at shooting guard or small forward? Yahoo doesn’t remove eligibility once it’s granted, so fantasy managers who have Williams will reap the benefits of being able to move him fluidly throughout their lineups.

The last players I recall getting four-player eligibility were LeBron James and Boris Diaw (throwback), so this is a rare occurrence that could end up being a cheat code akin to Marques Colston getting TE eligibility in fantasy football back in the day.

🤞 I’m crossing my fingers for a few players returning from injury

— Kristaps Porziņģis (ankle) practiced with the Celtics’ G-League squad, the Maine Celtics, on Monday and was recalled by the Boston Celtics following practice.

Porziņģis has been out of commission since the NBA Finals after undergoing surgery to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his ankle in June. It was a rare injury, and hearing that he’s moved to the next phase in his recovery is a positive sign that he’s trending towards returning to action.

There’s been no official date, but the Celtics and Porziņģis have targeted a return around mid-to-late December. Even on a minute restriction, getting Porziņģis back into fantasy lineups will boost anyone who’s been stashing him since Draft Night.

— Dejounte Murray (hand) returned to practice on Monday, and according to Pelicans HC Willie Green, Murray did some shooting and on-court work but has not yet been cleared for contact. Still, seeing Murray back with his teammates and getting shots up is what fantasy managers want to hear after losing Murray after just one game this season. Murray had a four-to-six-week recovery timeline, and we’re about 3.5 weeks into the process. Barring any setbacks, Murray should return around the first week in December.

— Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) is getting re-evaluated on Tuesday. The Sixers point guard led the league in minutes played before straining his right hamstring against the Clippers on November 6. Maxey was expected to miss at least two weeks, so the evaluation on November 19 is consistent with the communicated timeline.

The Sixers (and fantasy managers) need Maxey back. Philly is 1-5 without him, and their offense looks abysmal as Joel Embiid and Paul George continue to find their footing coming off injuries with this new-look Sixers team.

Those rostering the hottest rookie in basketball, Jared McCain, may have to consider selling high because of Maxey’s imminent return. However, I wouldn’t be mad if you held him because it’s becoming increasingly likely he’ll continue to be an offensive threat in this rotation.

🤔 I’m confused about the fantasy basketball schedule in Week 7 and Week 8

Looking ahead, those in standard Yahoo leagues will notice that when Week 7 arrives, it will be a two-week scoring period from Monday, December 2 to Sunday, December 15. The NBA schedule will be in flux during that period because we don’t know the participants or seeding for the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup tournament.

Here’s the breakdown of the number of games played by teams in Week 7:

• Teams playing six games (15): Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Kings, Lakers, Magic, Nuggets, Pacers, Pelicans, Suns, Timberwolves and Warriors

• Teams playing five games (10): 76ers, Bucks, Grizzlies, Jazz, Knicks, Mavericks, Pistons, Raptors, Spurs and Wizards

• Teams playing four games (5): Clippers, Nets, Rockets, Thunder, Trail Blazers

Here’s the breakdown of the number of games played by teams in Week 8:

• Teams playing three games: Kings, Pelicans

• Teams playing two games: 76ers, Bucks, Bulls, Celtics, Cavaliers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Heat, Hornets, Jazz, Knicks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nets, Nuggets, Pacers, Pistons, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Suns, Thunder, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Warriors and Wizards

There is an overwhelming difference in the number of games played across Weeks 7 and 8. The Emirates NBA Cup championship is one reason for the few games in Week 8. There are no games on December 16, 17 or 18. December 16 is an off day in preparation for the Emirates Cup Championship game on December 17, and then there’s another one-day hiatus from basketball until it returns on December 19.

Week 8 is December 19-22 — Thursday through Sunday. Given the vast disparity in games across Week 7 to Week 8, there’s an opportunity to make schedule adjustments to more evenly balance the number of total games played during this three-week period.