Week 3 in the NBA brings about our first off day for the entire league, as no games will be played on Tuesday in observance of Election Day. That makes for an interesting schedule: four days loaded with games and three with lighter slates. Most teams will play four games in Week 3, and quite a few are dealing with injuries to key players. Let’s look at the Week 3 schedule and some of its key storylines.
Week 3 Games Played
4 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR
3 Games: BKN, NOR, UTA, WAS
Week 3 Storylines
- All 30 teams will play on Monday
With no games being played on Tuesday, it’s all 30 teams “into the pool” on Monday. Six (Atlanta, Brooklyn, Dallas, Detroit, New Orleans, and Orlando) will play the second game of a back-to-back. Depending on who sits for those squads, fantasy managers could begin Week 3 without the services of Ben Simmons (Brooklyn), for example. Atlanta, New Orleans, and Orlando have been hit especially hard by injuries recently, so navigating two games in as many days will be no small feat.
Among the players on the injury report for Sunday’s games are Jordan Hawkins (New Orleans), Wendell Carter Jr. (Orlando), and Dyson Daniels (Atlanta), and that doesn’t even touch on the players sidelined for extended periods. Simmons is essentially a lock to sit out one of Brooklyn’s next two games, so there won’t be much deliberation required there. As for the other vital injuries, fantasy managers will have much to sift through before Week 3 tips off Monday evening.
- Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday are the other busy days in Week 3
Wednesday’s schedule consists of 12 games, Friday’s 13, and Sunday’s 11, thanks to the Tuesday night off. Also factoring into the equation is the Emirates NBA Cup, which will begin with group play games during Week 4. Among the teams that will be active on all four busy days in Week 3 are Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, Houston, the Lakers, and Miami, to name a few. Houston has a wraparound back-to-back to navigate, as it will visit Detroit on Sunday and host Washington on the first night of Week 4. Oklahoma City is in a similar boat, as it plays on all four busy nights in Week 3 and finishes with a Sunday/Monday back-to-back against the Warriors and Clippers (both at home).
- New Orleans and Washington have the worst schedules of the four teams playing three games during Week 3.
Brooklyn, New Orleans, Utah, and Washington play three games during Week 3. While Brooklyn (Saturday) and Utah (Thursday and Saturday) will play on at least one of the lighter game nights, the Pelicans and Wizards had no such luck. New Orleans plays on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while Washington’s games are scheduled for Monday, Friday, and Sunday. Those are the busier game nights of Week 3, making it a little tricky regarding the search for streaming value.
However, the Pelicans and Wizards are navigating injuries to key players, so options like Hawkins, Jose Alvarado, Yves Missi, and Bilal Coulibaly are all worth the risk if available on your league’s waiver wire. While all four are currently starting, Coulibaly began the season in that role, and Missi was averaging more minutes than Daniel Theis before jumping him ahead of Friday’s win over the Pacers. The fantasy values of those two should have a longer shelf life than Hawkins or Alvarado.
- Shorthanded Hawks will have to navigate two back-to-backs
Atlanta’s first back-to-back begins with the final game of Week 2, as they visit the Pelicans on Sunday. The following night, they’ll host the reigning champion Celtics. And the Week 3 schedule ends with a road/home back-to-back against the Pistons (Friday) and Bulls (Saturday). The matchup with Chicago makes for an enticing target since only four games are on that day’s schedule. Dyson Daniels’ potential return from a strained hip flexor will undoubtedly help matters for the Hawks, and he was providing solid value at the time of his injury. Zaccharie Risacher has been in the starting lineup since De’Andre Hunter (knee) was sidelined, and Garrison Mathews may be worth a look in extremely deep leagues due to the 3-point production. Given how shorthanded Quin Snyder’s team is, an “unknown” name or two may emerge during Week 3 as a viable fantasy option.
- How much longer will the Warriors be without Stephen Curry?
The Warriors have been without Curry (ankle) and De’Anthony Melton (spine) since last weekend, with the former appearing closer to a return to action. Curry will be re-evaluated on Sunday, one day after the start of the Warriors’ road trip in Houston. During Week 3, Golden State plays road games against Washington, Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City with no back-to-backs. The good news for the Warriors is that Andrew Wiggins returned on Saturday, but they’re still shorthanded in the backcourt. Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield are already rostered in most standard leagues, but they may still be on the waiver wire in shallow formats. While Lindy Waters III has entered the rotation, there’s a need for more consistency before he’s considered a streaming option in any league.
- Are Joel Embiid and Paul George closing in on a return?
The 76ers have been without two of their three stars for every game this season, but that may change soon. Embiid and George have been scrimmaging with their teammates, most recently going through a 5-on-5 session on Friday. Looking at Week 3, the 76ers play four games, with the first three on the road. Monday night in Phoenix, followed by games against the Clippers (Wednesday) and Lakers (Friday) before returning home to face Charlotte on Sunday, November 10.
Adding Embiid and George to the lineup will help the entire team, notably Tyrese Maxey. While he’s put up good counting stats, the percentages haven’t been where fantasy managers have grown accustomed to. Managers with Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr., or Caleb Martin rostered should hold since it isn’t known precisely when Embiid and George will return. But be mindful of potential alternatives if you have to pivot during Week 3.
Light Game Days
Tuesday: 0 Games
Election Day
Thursday: 3 Games
MIN vs. CHI
UTA vs. MIL
POR vs. SAS
Saturday: 4 Games
UTA vs. SAS
CHI vs. ATL
BKN vs. CLE
TOR vs. LAC
Week 3 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 2)-Monday: ATL, DET, NOR
Monday-Tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: None
Wednesday-Thursday: CHI, SAS
Thursday-Friday: MIL, MIN, POR
Friday-Saturday: ATL, BKN, CLE, LAC
Saturday-Sunday: TOR
Sunday-Monday (Week 4): HOU, OKC, SAC, WAS
