RADIO
We roll into Week 3 of the NBA season and the injuries are already piling up. I am not talking about guys resting or taking a day off here and there, we already have a large number of injuries that have forced guys to miss significant time. We also have had some fast starters already start to slow down and vice versa (meaning guys who started slow are picking it up). This week we start to see teams' rotations really take shape and which players can consistently contribute for our fantasy teams.
I think it's become conventional wisdom to some extent, but I will restate this anyway. The key to winning fantasy basketball leagues is NOT about how you draft, but what you do afterwards with waiver additions and trades. And while you might make a handful of trades during the course of a season, you're most certainly going to make dozens of waiver adds and drops as you try to cope with injuries to players or just try to maximize your games played each week in H2H formats.
Working the wire is an incredibly important skill and being one step ahead of your fellow league managers means always planning ahead and keeping tabs on players who starting to play better or earn more minutes. Every week I will do my best to help you plan out your week and give you my top recommendations to add off waivers in both standard (10-12 team leagues) and deeper formats (more than 12 teams).
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Week THREE Schedule Breakdown
| TEAM | GAMES | MON | TUES | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| Atlanta Hawks | 3 | @OKC | @ORL | MIA | ||||
| Boston Celtics | 4 | @MIN | @PHI | BKN | TOR | |||
| Brooklyn Nets | 4 | MIL | LAC | @BOS | WAS | |||
| Charlotte Hornets | 3 | WAS | @WAS | @NY | ||||
| Chicago Bulls | 3 | UTA | PHO | DET | ||||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 2 | @OKC | @GS | |||||
| Dallas Mavericks | 4 | @ORL | TOR | LAC | @NO | |||
| Denver Nuggets | 3 | NO | GS | @HOU | ||||
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | GS | @MIL | PHI | @CHI | |||
| Golden State Warriors | 4 | @DET | @DEN | CLE | MIN | |||
| Houston Rockets | 4 | SAC | LAL | NO | DEN | |||
| Indiana Pacers | 4 | SA | UTA | MIL | @PHI | |||
| Los Angeles Clippers | 4 | @NY | @BKN | @DAL | MEM | |||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 4 | @MIA | @HOU | @PHO | POR | |||
| Memphis Grizzlies | 3 | MIA | UTA | @LAC | ||||
| Miami Heat | 4 | LAL | @MEM | @ATL | @SA | |||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 4 | @BKN | DET | @IND | @ORL | |||
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 4 | BOS | NO | @SA | @GS | |||
| New Orleans Pelicans | 4 | @DEN | @MIN | @HOU | DAL | |||
| New York Knicks | 3 | LAC | SA | CHA | ||||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 4 | ATL | CLE | @SAC | @PHO | |||
| Orlando Magic | 3 | DAL | ATL | MIL | ||||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 4 | WAS | BOS | @DET | IND | |||
| Phoenix Suns | 3 | @CHI | LAL | OKC | ||||
| Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | @SAC | @LAL | |||||
| Sacramento Kings | 3 | @HOU | POR | OKC | ||||
| San Antonio Spurs | 4 | @IND | @NY | MIN | MIA | |||
| Toronto Raptors | 2 | @DAL | @BOS | |||||
| Utah Jazz | 3 | @CHI | @IND | @MEM | ||||
| Washington Wizards | 4 | @PHI | @CHA | CHA | @BKN |
Notes:
No Games on Tuesday (Election Day)
Only two games on Thursday and four games on Saturday.
This means the majority of teams are playing Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun. Players who play on Thursday and Saturday have added value as a result (ORL, MIL, ATL)
Standard League Adds For Week 3
Percentage owned numbers in parentheses are from Yahoo!
Luguentz Dort - SG/SF (41%)
Yeah, I know he puts up some stinkers, but he also has two massive games this season and we already know SGA is out tonight. The Thunder play four times this week. Even when he's not scoring the ball, he can rebound well for a guard and rack up steals.
Jalen Suggs - PG/SG (37%)
Suggs and his teammate Cole Anthony both seem far too low-owned considering how productive they have been and that Markelle Fultz is currently banged up. Last time out, Anthony Black started for Orlando with Anthony maintaining his bench role, but Anthony still played a ton and put up some solid stats. Suggs isn't a scorer, but he can rack up assists and is a steals specialist as he already has 11 swipes in just six games this year.
What a move & dime from Jalen Suggs! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Vy9Sk3OcrR
— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) November 5, 2023
Dorian Finney-Smith - SF/PF (36%)
The news on Nic Claxton does not sound good. The Nets really don't have a backup center that they want to start as they have been bringing Day'Ron Sharpe off the bench. They have been rolling with Ben Simmons at the five and DFS at the four with a super small ball lineup instead. It's been an effective lineup as the Nets have been battling every night and even managing to win some games that they were not expected to win. DFS is strictly a points, threes, and rebounds player for the most part, but he's shooting it well right now and getting a ton of minutes.
Saddiq Bey - SF/PF (34%)
Bey and Jalen Johnson have been taking turns starting at PF for Atlanta, but both players have remained productive even during this timeshare. While Johnson is the guy I want in the long term, Bey is still contributing points, rebounds, threes, and steals in a 25-minute role and has some value as a result. Atlanta has a nice fantasy schedule this week, too.
Eric Gordon - SG/SF (31%)
Bradley Beal still hasn't suited up and Devin Booker continues to miss games at an alarming rate here to start the season. The result has been steady playing time for Eric Gordon and some pretty solid (but not sexy stats). He's contributing 15 points and over 2 threes a game while still shooting 47% from the floor. He's a boring fantasy player, but with all these minutes and shots he belongs on rosters in standard formats.
Moritz Wagner - C (27%)
Mo Wagner is going to be very relevant for the next few weeks while Wendell Carter Jr. is on the shelf. He's coming off the bench behind Goga Bitadze right now, but still likely to play around 20 minutes a night, which is more than enough to be productive. He's a big man who can step out and hit a three and who also won't hurt your FT%. Remember that Orlando has those games on Thursday and Saturday this week!
Deep League Adds For Week 3
Nick Richards - C (21%)
Richards is playing really well right now for Charlotte off the bench and pushing for a timeshare with Mark Williams at center. Richards has always been productive on a per-minute basis, but most analysts buried him assuming that Williams would be playing 35 minutes a night. However, Williams has been on a minutes cap and the Hornets may choose to continue to limit him to around 28-30 minutes a night for some time. That leaves 18-20 minutes a night for Richards, who is averaging 2.0 blocks a game in just 17 minutes per game so far this year.
Marcus Sasser - PG (19%)
The Pistons might have found themselves a really good young player here. An injury to Alec Burks has opened up minutes for Sasser off the bench and he's made the most of it. In his last two games, he's gone for 19 and 22 points with 9 made threes in that stretch. He might just be a flash in the pan, but he is certainly worth an add right now for a four-game week to see how things play out.
Detroit Pistons rookie Marcus Sasser today against the Phoenix Suns #Detroitbasketball
— 22 PTS
— 3 REB
— 4 AST
— 1 STL
— 9/16 FG
— 4/6 3P pic.twitter.com/LCEOhnus45— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) November 5, 2023
Goga Bitadze - C (19%)
Goga got his first start of the year this weekend after he had been buried on the bench for the first two weeks of the year. He went for 10 points, 10 boards, and five blocks in 26 minutes. We won't get that many blocks most nights, but he is a double-double guy if he keeps getting 25 minutes a night based on his rebounding rates. He's a great add this week and for as long as Carter Jr. is out with his injury.
Drew Eubanks - C (15%)
Eubanks is an incredibly fantasy-friendly player and all he ever needs is minutes. Right now he is backing up the oft-injured Jusuf Nurkic (who is playing well for Phoenix) and has been very productive in only 18 minutes per game (7 points, 5 boards, 1.7 blocks). He should be on rosters in deep leagues and stashed in case Nurk gets hurt. He would be immediately a top-100 player if he ended up starting at some point.
Dyson Daniels - PG/SG (11%)
Those who follow the preseason and Summer League closely know that Daniels is a stat-stuffing guard who can contribute across the board, even in blocks. He's not a natural scorer, but his defense and ball-handling have earned him an increased role off the bench. With C.J. McCollum banged up now, we might see even more minutes for Daniels going forward.
Reggie Jackson - PG (8%)
We don't know the extent of Jamal Murray's injury yet, but Jackson is a decent short-term add until we find out. He could slide into the starting lineup or continue to come off the bench, but either way, he's likely to pick up some more usage and assist opportunities.
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