The Playlist: Fantasy basketball waiver-wire adds and schedule breakdown for Opening Week of 2026-27

Welcome to the Playlist. Each week, I’ll share the latest waiver-wire pickups and schedule info for the upcoming week in fantasy basketball. Every league is different. Sometimes a 50% rostered player is sitting on waivers, or a low-rostered player could pop, either because of the schedule or a newfound opportunity. I’ll cover the names I’m seeing available in most of my leagues and, hopefully, get ahead of the masses and your leaguemates as well.  

Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league for the 2026-27 NBA season

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First, the bad news. Kings PG Ben Simmons tore his Achilles, which is awful news for him and his NBA comeback. It’s also a real gut-punch for the Kings and fantasy managers who scooped him up before the season. He’ll miss the rest of the season, so if you drafted him, you can drop him. The NBA tips off Tuesday, with three games on tap starting at 3 p.m. ET. Let’s get to the pickups for Week 1.

🎧 Who’s in My Rotation

Sandro Mamukelashvili – PF/C, Los Angeles Lakers – (52% rostered)

Mamukelashvili had a career year last season in Toronto (11.2 points, 4.9 boards, 1.9 assists and 1.4 threes in 80 games on 52.3% shooting), signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Lakers this summer and then had a strong preseason: 13.4 points on 55.6% shooting, 2.6 3s a night on 4.8 attempts (54.2%), 4.2 boards and 3.4 dimes in 19.9 minutes over five games. He could start at power forward next to Walker Kessler or come off the bench, but either way he’s in the rotation, and that preseason should earn him real minutes. Add him wherever he’s available.

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Kevin Porter Jr. – PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks (49% rostered)

Simmons’ injury has the Kings making calls around the league to replace their injured guard. NBA Insider Jake Fischer has mentioned KPJ as a possible replacement, which would quickly elevate his fantasy profile. Malik Monk is dealing with an ankle injury, so the Kings could use another creator in their backcourt. It’s a mere stash at this point, but this is part of getting ahead of a potential trade. If it doesn’t work out, you can either hold or wait it out. Given Milwaukee’s…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/the-playlist-fantasy-basketball-waiver-wire-adds-and-schedule-breakdown-for-opening-week-of-2026-27-182902048.html

Author : Dan Titus

Publish date : 2026-10-19 18:29:00

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