NBA Fantasy Start/Sit: Payton Pritchard's Production Isn't Going Anywhere

The NBA Cup remains in full swing as we head into Week 7, and we have a healthy amount of teams on four-game weeks. There are plenty of players at each position across the league who have been surging in their roles recently but remain lightly rostered or started, giving us plenty to choose from this week.

Each week, we'll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters who may shape up as some of the tougher calls of the week to make, focusing on players with a start or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues. We'll also typically hone in on players with four-game weeks to maximize opportunities for production.

Likewise, we'll spotlight one Sit candidate at each position who would normally not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, often focusing on players with fewer game opportunities during the coming week.

TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards

TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz

Without further ado, let's examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 7:

Guards     

Start: Payton Pritchard, Celtics

44% roster rate

Pritchard's improvement this season has been a sight to behold, both from a real-world and fantasy perspective. The fourth-year guard has blossomed into a legitimately reliable second-unit offensive threat, putting up a career-high 16.0 points per game while shooting a stellar 43.2% from 3-point range. Pritchard is contributing on the other end of the floor as well with a career-best 1.1 steals per contest, and his play has earned him a career-high 27.8 minutes per game to this point. Pritchard also comes into Boston's four-game week riding a blistering hot streak, as he's averaging 24.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals across his last three games while shooting 53.3% (51.6% from deep) in that span.

Start: Malcolm Brogdon, Wizards

36% roster rate 

Brogdon has moved into the starting shooting guard role for the Wizards and is making very good use of the opportunity, averaging 18.8 points (on 58.3% shooting, including 45.5% from behind the arc), 5.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last five games with the first unit. That sample includes two points-rebounds double-doubles, giving Brogdon value beyond his ample scoring abilities. With four more games to work with this week and his role seemingly secure, Brogdon could well pay off nicely in multiple categories for your roster.

ALSO CONSIDER: Christian Braun, Nuggets (42% start rate); Malik Monk, Kings (37% start rate)

Sit: Jrue Holiday, Celtics

78% start rate

Holiday is a Sit candidate again this week despite the Celtics' four-game schedule. Not only is the veteran guard continuously playing a modest supporting role when Boston's stars are healthy, but Holiday is already ruled out for Monday's game against the Heat due to left knee tendinopathy. Holiday also has three single-digit scoring tallies in the last four games and has seen his shooting sink to 44.7% after draining just 30.0 percent of his attempts in that span. With a max of three games and a chance to play even fewer this coming week, Holiday's outlook remains bleak from a fantasy perspective.

Forwards          

Start: Dalton Knecht, Lakers

42% start rate 

Knecht is still prone to some of the typical ups and downs for a rookie, but he boasts considerable offensive potential when he gets hot. The first-round pick is shooting an excellent 42.9% from deep thus far in his young career, and 48.0% from the field overall. Knecht already has 27- and 37-point tallies on his nascent NBA resume, and he enters Week 7 with three consecutive starts, two of which have seen him score 20 points. Knecht is also proving an active rebounder from his wing position – he has six tallies of five boards or more – affording him plenty of appeal on a full schedule.

Start: Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies

10% roster rate

The Grizzlies are finally getting healthy, but Wells retains a spot on the first unit at small forward for the time being. The rookie second-round pick enters Week 7 with averages of 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game over his last six games, a span during which he's shot 54.4%, including 44.7% from downtown. While his usage will fluctuate some with Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart all back on the floor, Wells still clearly holds a key complementary role and is proving highly efficient with his shooting opportunities.

ALSO CONSIDER: Ayo Dosunmu, Bulls (22% roster rate);  Julian Champagnie, Spurs (24% roster rate)

Sit: Jerami Grant, Trail Blazers

53% start rate

Grant certainly still carries plenty of name value, but his production has taken a step back this season. The veteran, who just returned from a two-game absence due to a knee sprain, is averaging just over five points fewer per game than last season (15.9, compared to 21.0), and he isn't doing anything remarkable on the rebounding (3.5) or assists (2.4) front on a per-game basis either. Grant does average a block per game, but on a three-game week, it's likely his overall production, which is also capped by his worst shooting percentage (38.3) since his rookie season, is replaceable by a comparable player with one more game.

CENTERS     

Start: Goga Bitadze, Magic

29% roster rate 

Wendell Carter has been back in action from his foot injury for the Magic's last three games, but Bitadze's play was so impressive during the former's absence that head coach Jamahl Mosley has kept both players in the first-unit frontcourt. Bitadze is handling center duties and has averaged 10.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 steals across 28 minutes per game in the aforementioned three-contest sample during which Carter has played alongside him. With Paolo Banchero (oblique) still presumably at least a few weeks from returning, Bitadze's role on the first unit should remain safe throughout the upcoming four-game schedule.

Start: Yves Missi, Pelicans

31% roster rate 

Missi came through handsomely as a Start suggestion last week, so we'll stick with the rookie big man as he looks to build on the 13.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals per contest he averaged during New Orleans' four-game Week 6. Missi already has a quartet of double-doubles to his name – two which occurred within the last week – and has eight multi-block tallies overall. The Baylor product should be in for another busy week in the Pelicans' frontcourt with Zion Williamson (hamstring) nowhere close to a return according to the latest reports.

ALSO CONSIDER: Nick Richards, Hornets (36% roster rate); Moritz Wagner, Magic (19% roster rate)

Sit: Jabari Smith, Rockets

70% start rate

It feels a bit uncomfortable saddling Smith with this designation coming out of his 15-point, 14-rebound, three-block performance against the Thunder on Sunday, but that type of production hasn't really been the norm for the big man. Before Sunday's breakout, he'd scored in single digits in seven of the previous 14 games while averaging a modest 5.7 rebounds during that sample. Smith has been on a blocking spree over the last four games with 10 rejections in that span, but even factoring in three of those performances, he still averaged under a block per game (0.8) over the aforementioned 14 contests. It's certainly possible you miss out on one strong performance from Smith if you bench him, but with Houston healthy on the first unit and only playing three games this week, there's a good chance to find even better numbers with a four-game center.