Fantasy basketball: Start or sit rankings

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Read below for weekly rankings and start/sit recommendations

These rankings are based on the assumption that all players and teams play their games as scheduled over the next week ... yeah, I know. But it's the best we've got. I'm positive that you'll stay plugged in to potential absences and schedule changes due to COVID-19 up until rosters lock on Monday, and adjust your lineups accordingly.

With that said ... so, you're in a weekly transaction league, and half of your lineup is unavailable. You need to decide by Monday evening what your starting lineup will be for the week. Should you consider sitting a usual impact starter like Bradley Beal or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? Or perhaps starting someone like Coby White, who might generally be on your bench, perhaps even your waiver wire? And what's the weekly update on Kyrie Irving?

Beal's Wizards and Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder join the Rockets as the only teams with only two games this week, which makes it difficult to start even star players if you've got viable alternatives. The other 27 teams are split almost down the middle schedule-wise, with 13 squads playing four times and 14 playing three. As I always say, though, I'd have to have an option I was pretty comfortable with playing four games to be able to sit a reliable option like Beal or SGA.

The two Bulls players were listed among the potentially startable guys for a reason. With both Zach LaVine and Lonzo Ball dealing with knee issues, and Alex Caruso now sidelined 6-8 weeks due to a wrist fracture, there's a lane for White to produce starting-caliber numbers in the foreseeable future. Mix in the Bulls' strong schedule, and both make strong plays this week.

And, after having four road games and thus a full schedule last session, Kyrie and the Nets play only one road game this week. So, with a max 33% output, Irving is back on the bench for teams in weekly transaction leagues.

Check out the overall rankings to get a more in-depth look at how we think things might go next week among the 300-plus players in the main database, and check out the high points at a glance with the startable and sittable lists below.

Methodology

The "potentially startable" list is generally composed of players ranked below 80th in the season-long points rankings who ended up among the top 100 projected players for this week utilizing the Forecaster. Conversely, the "potentially sittable" list is generally composed of players ranked in the top 100 of the season-long points rankings who ended up outside of the top 120 projected players for this week utilizing the Forecaster (or who are in the 120 range but projected much lower for the week).

There is also some correction for injury, so a player with injury questions may have his value lowered enough to end up on the sittable list even if he's not officially out. Similarly, an understudy would get a boost in value if he is expected to play, and that could land him in the startable category. Finally, I have the license to add players to either list even if they don't fit the exact criteria but if I feel that it is close enough to be of interest.