Fantasy Basketball: Start/Sit for Week 3
Rui Hachimara’s ability to score and rebound makes him an enticing player to start this week.
It’s been a very eventful start to the regular season, and we’re set for another busy Fantasy slate in Week 3. We have fewer teams with four-game weeks than ideal this week and a rare trio of two-game slates, but there’s a solid selection of three-game clubs to help offset that.
Each week, we’ll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates per position for your Fantasy rosters, with the focus usually being on players with a roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues.
Likewise, we’ll also spotlight one Sit candidate at each position that would typically not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, with the focus often on players with fewer game opportunities during the coming week.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers
Let’s examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 3:
Guards
Start: Tyus Jones, Grizzlies
38% roster rate
Jones could draw another start Monday night for Ja Morant (illness), but even if he comes off the bench in all four games this coming week, he makes for an intriguing start option if you’re on the thinner side at guard. The veteran exploded for a 23-point, 10-assist double-double in Morant’s stead Saturday night, and he gets a rematch against that same Jazz squad Monday. Jones was already averaging a solid 11.6 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds before Saturday while also putting up 5.2 3-point attempts per contest, and he’s now shooting 38.7% from distance going into the new week.
Start: Malik Beasley, Jazz
20% roster rate
Beasley is a proven veteran who’s slotting into a bench role at the moment on the surprising Jazz, but he’s averaging a solid 25.6 minutes per contest and parlaying them into averages of 11.0 points and 2.3 rebounds across his first seven games. Beasley will mainly contribute in scoring three-point categories, but it’s also worth noting he’s already recorded a pair of multi-steal tallies, including four thefts three games ago against the Rockets.
Sit: Jamal Murray, Nuggets
92% roster rate
Murray appears to be rounding back into form as the season unfolds. The talented guard enters the new week fresh off putting up a season-best 21 points across a season-high 32 minutes, but Murray will only have two chances this coming week to build on those numbers, making him a firm Sit candidate.
Forwards
Start: Royce O’Neale, Nets
48% roster rate
Somewhat lost in the malaise of the alarmingly poor start to the Nets season is the play of O’Neale — an offseason acquisition that’s provided rock-solid complementary production in the form of 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 37.8% on a career-high 6.2 3-point attempts per contest. O’Neale’s 3-and-D role seems secure, even with Seth Curry (ankle) recently returning.
Start: Rui Hachimura, Wizards
15% roster rate
Hachimura hasn’t drawn a start yet while working behind Kyle Kuzma at power forward, but he’s generated five straight double-digit scoring efforts entering the week and is averaging 7.0 rebounds over his last pair of contests. The 2019 ninth-overall pick is a very modest contributor in terms of assists and defensive stats, but with a 47.3% success rate from the field, Hachimura has some upside if some of your forward options are stuck on three- or two-game weeks.
Sit: Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers
85% roster rate
Sitting Mathurin following the red-hot start to his career is a tough pill to swallow, but the impressive rookie is one of those saddled with a two-game schedule this coming week. Mathurin just went off for a new career high of 32 points against the Nets on Saturday and is shooting a stellar 43.2% from 3-point range. However, he’ll still be hard-pressed to match the cumulative production of some of your other options with more opportunities this week.
CENTERS
Start: Andre Drummond, Bulls
45% roster rate
The Bulls return to action Tuesday against the Nets, and Drummond should have a good chance of returning from what appears to be a minor shoulder issue that kept him sidelined Saturday. The big man had been picking up the pace significantly going into that absence, as he’d averaged 9.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.0 steal across his previous four games despite a modest average of 17.0 minutes per contest. While Drummond’s bench role does up the chances of volatility for his production, the veteran is amply capable of producing solid numbers in modest allotments of playing time. He could especially give your rebounding numbers a boost on a four-game week.
Start: Nick Richards, Hornets
39% roster rate
Richards has been a pleasant surprise for the Hornets early this season, making good on the first expanded opportunity of his career to generate averages of 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across 21.2 minutes per contest over the first six games. The 2020 second-round pick doesn’t project for much more than 20 minutes per game unless Mason Plumlee suffers an injury in front of him, but with four more opportunities to take the floor this week, he profiles as a steady one-week fill-in if you’re thin on viable options at center.
Sit: Christian Wood, Mavericks
94% roster rate
Wood has been mostly a productive addition for the Mavericks and on fantasy rosters thus far, parlaying his 26 minutes per contest into averages of 16.7 points and 8.2 rebounds while also churning out a career-best 55.6% success rate from 3-point range. However, Wood’s scoring has been down the last three games (9.0 PPG), and he’s racked up five fouls in two of those contests, and he now draws a two-game schedule this week that furthers the case for a spot on your bench.
