Welcome to Fantasy Basketball Week 3.
If you're reading this: One — thank you. And two — hopefully, you haven't had to roster a New Orleans Pelican or are in an even more dire situation where you're desperately awaiting the retu— ahem — season debut of Joel Embiid.
Thank God for injured lists…
Let's get into my Fantasy Basketball Notebook for Week 3.
Fantasy Basketball Notebook Week 3: Paul George Returns, Steph Curry Too?
Game Distribution
Four-Game Teams:
Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Notes:
No back-to-backs during Week 3 for the Celtics, Hornets, Mavs, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Knicks, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, Suns and Kings — whew — who all play Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Of these manymanyteams, only the Mavs would be coming into the week having played Sunday.
The Bulls, Cavs, Hawks, Clippers and Spurs all finish their week on Saturday.
Three-Game Teams:
Brooklyn Nets
New Orleans Pelicans
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Notes:
The Pels play Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Wiz are on Monday, Friday and Sunday.The Nets are Monday, Friday and Saturday and the Jazz suit up Monday, Thursday and Saturday — plan accordingly.
Injury Radar
Injuries to Monitor for Week 3
- Atlanta Hawks: C Onyeka Okongwu (toe)
- Atlanta Hawks: F/G DeAndre Hunter (knee)
- Boston Celtics: G/F Jaylen Brown (hip)
- Charlotte Hornets: C Nick Richards (shoulder)
- Chicago Bulls: G Zach LaVine (adductor)
- Denver Nuggets: G Jamal Murray (concussion)
- Indiana Pacers: C Isaiah Jackson (Achilles, out for the season)
- Memphis Grizzlies: G Marcus Smart (hand)
- Memphis Grizzlies: G Desmond Bane (oblique)
- Milwaukee Bucks: F Giannis Antetokounmpo (adductor)
- Minnesota Timberwolves: C Rudy Gobert (ankle)
- Orlando Magic: F/C Paolo Banchero (oblique)
- New Orleans Pelicans: F Zion Williamson (hamstring)
- New Orleans Pelicans: F Herb Jones (shoulder)
- New Orleans Pelicans: G CJ McCollum (adductor)
- Utah Jazz: F Lauri Markkanen (back)
- Utah Jazz: G Jordan Clarkson (foot)
- Washington Wizards: F Kyle Kuzma (groin)
Notes: Giannis, LaVine, Gobert and Markkanen are questionable to play Monday, as of this writing. Everyone else is out at least through Monday. Bane and Smart are week-to-week. Clarkson will be re-evaluated in a week. McCollum and Jones continue a season from hell for the Pels, with both being sidelined for at least the next two weeks. Banchero has a lengthy absence on the way, as he'll be out for at least a month.
Return Radar
Key Players Confirmed or Possible to Return in Week 3
Paul George
George is expected to make his season debut Monday after sitting out due to a knee injury. His teammate, Joel Embiid, is still sitting due to injury management and will be out through Monday at least.
Steph Curry
Curry has missed three games but is questionable to play Monday against the Washington Wizards. He participated in shootaround Monday morning, so even if he didn't play immediately, his return appears imminent.
Stock Up, Stock Down for Week 3 of Fantasy Hoops
Risers
Christian Braun
Listed in our honorable mentions last week, Braun is around 14-5-2 this season with two stocks per contest and is viable to roster in non-shallow leagues as long as he continues to hold the starting role. He has four games this week, and Murray is out with a concussion for at least Monday, possibly longer.
Alex Sarr | Bilal Coulibaly
Many thought he was the rightful No. 1 pick, and lately, Sarr has shown those flashes. Sarr had 17 points, six boards and four blocks against the Heat in Mexico on Saturday. He's averaging close to 10 points and three blocks per contest, and while he only has three games this week, it's time to add him if you're in a real league — a.k.a. not an eight-teamer.
Coulibaly, his teammate, has been even better. He's averaging 19.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest. Sustainable? Don't know, but he's gone over 20 in three of four with six stocks across his last three efforts. Plus, he'll get opportunities all team look because, well, look at that roster.
Payton Pritchard
With Jaylen Brown out to start the week, Pritchard — who had 22 points and six threes on Saturday — will benefit. Even with Brown, he's the Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner and is averaging 15.7 points with 3.0 boards, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Honorable Mentions:
F Tari Eason – Houston Rockets
G/F Ben Mathurin – Indiana Pacers
G Jordan Hawkins – New Orleans Pelicans
G Jose Alvarado – New Orleans Pelicans
Fallers
Alex Caruso
Caruso is averaging 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals. He's shooting 27/13/0 splits — including one free throw attempt, a miss — and has a career-low 10.9 usage. It's why I ultimately passed on drafting him, though I didn't think it'd be this bad, and chances are, the shooting will improve. Other than steals, there's no appeal to rostering him now.
Jonas Valanciunas
As someone who has JV again, the appeal in rostering him is the double-double threat, even if limited in minutes. But with Sarr's emergence, and in a three-game week, the big man takes a hit this week and has more of a ceiling than pre-season rankings would indicate. He's generally rosterable in non-shallow leagues but look for sell-high opportunities in the coming weeks,because chances are, wherever he eventually gets traded to, he'll probably be part of a rotation fortifying a frontline, not the guy at center.
Donte DiVincenzo
Meh. I'm sure the shooting will explode at some point, but it looks clunky. For now, it looks like pre-Knicks DDV. You didn't draft him where you did for sub-10 points and under four dimes per game on 36/31/61.
Honorable Mentions:
G/F Caleb Martin — Philadelphia 76ers
G/F Kelly Oubre Jr. — Philadelphia 76ers
G/F Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — Orlando Magic
G Ben Simmons — Brooklyn Nets
