NBA Fantasy: Week 3 Start/Sit advice

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We have a very interesting Week 3 on tap. Despite the league being idle for Election Day on Tuesday, all but four teams will play a full four-game schedule. That’s welcome news for us on the fantasy front, and the fact there are already numerous noteworthy early-season injuries is also opening up opportunities for several players who are still widely available on the waiver wire or languishing on fantasy benches.
We’ll highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters that may shape up as some of the tougher calls of the week to make, with the focus usually being 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 in an attempt to maximize opportunities for production.
Likewise, we’ll spotlight one Sit candidate at each position that 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, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, 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
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
Without further ado, let’s examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 3:
Start: Dyson Daniels, Hawks
35% start rate
Daniels has quickly grown into a starting shooting guard role with the Hawks following the departure of Dejounte Murray this offseason and the ongoing absence of Bogdan Bogdanović (hamstring). Daniels should be set for another full week of turns with the first unit in Week 3 – Bogdanović is expected to remain out through November – and comes in already averaging 13.4 points (53.8% shooting), 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals across 30.8 minutes. The third-year wing is proving to be an excellent complementary source of production alongside Trae Young and is certainly benefitting from the attention paid to his ultra-talented backcourt mate.
Start: Tre Mann, Hornets
27% start rate 
Mann has essentially been providing starter-worthy numbers off the bench, checking into Week 3 with averages of 19.2 points, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest while shooting a remarkable 44.4% from behind the arc. The fourth-year guard has scored in double digits in each game thus far and has encouragingly taken between 11 and 19 shot attempts in all but one game, despite logging a relatively average 27.7 minutes per contest. With his robust and secure second-unit role, Mann is one of the safer second-unit starting options across the league.
ALSO CONSIDER: Scotty Pippen, Jr., Grizzlies (29% start rate)
Sit: Jamal Murray, Nuggets
98% roster rate
Murray is the first of three big-name Sit candidates this week that see that designation bestowed upon them due to injury concerns. The talented guard remains in concussion protocol to start the week and has been ruled out for Monday’s game against the Raptors, at minimum. With a relatively short turnaround for a Wednesday date with the Thunder, it’s possible that Murray, who’s opened the season in a shooting funk (36.5%), misses at least half of Denver’s four-game slate.
Start: Jaylen Wells, Grizzlies
4% roster rate 
The Grizzlies are once again decimated by injuries early this season, with all of Marcus Smart (ankle), Desmond Bane (oblique) and Luke Kennard (foot) expected to remain out throughout Week 3. That should continue affording Wells some extended opportunity at two-guard, where he started the last two games of Week 2 and averaged 15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 55.0%, including 50.0% from 3-point range. The rookie second-round pick was also a 41.7% shooter from deep during his one college season at Washington State, so the efficiency could well be legitimate despite it being so early in his NBA career.
Start: Gradey Dick, Raptors
43% start rate
Dick has fully capitalized on his starting opportunity early in the season and is currently also benefiting from the absences of Immanuel Quickley (pelvis) and Scottie Barnes (orbital). Dick boasts a 27.6% usage rate and is averaging a stellar 30.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes without his two teammates on the floor so far this season, taking 20.3 shots attempts in that span as well. The second-year wing should continue displaying a similar level of aggressiveness during the upcoming four-game week as the Raps continue to rely heavily on him for offense.
ALSO CONSIDER: Christian Braun, Nuggets (42% roster rate)
Sit: Lauri Markkanen, Jazz
68% start rate
Markkanen opens Week 3 already expected to miss a third consecutive game due to his back injury, as he’s listed as doubtful for Monday’s game against the Bulls. That leaves him with just two other possible opportunities to take the floor this week, considering Utah is one of the few teams on a three-game schedule. While the big man can certainly offer outstanding production each time he takes the floor, the risk of a near-non-existent week is a big one to take on.
Start: Naz Reid, Timberwolves
53% start rate 
Reid is always a reliable bench option that is locked into minutes in the mid-20s, and his typical per-minute efficiency/usage makes him a solid alternative if you are short-handed at center on any week when he’s playing a full schedule. The Timberwolves indeed have four games this week, and Reid enters that slate with averages of a career-high 13.7 points (on career-best 54.9% shooting, including 42.3% from 3-point range), 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest. With Rudy Gobert also in danger of missing Monday’s game against the Hornets due to an ankle issue, Reid becomes all the more appealing.
Start: Zach Edey, Grizzlies
49% start rate 
Edey was actually a Sit candidate at center last week, but as can often be the case in an ever-evolving fantasy season, he’s on the opposite end of the spectrum this week. The rookie will have four games to work with and is in a position to benefit from the same extra opportunity afforded to his fellow first-year teammate Wells. Edey did a better job avoiding foul trouble – one of the concerns I’d cited about him –  in Week 2 after a rough start in that area over the first three games of his career, and he averaged a solid 11.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest across 21.3 minutes per game. If he can continue to remain on the floor for longer periods this week, the towering ninth-overall pick could make a solid fantasy impact. 
ALSO CONSIDER: Moritz Wagner, Magic (18% start rate) 
Sit: Zion Williamson, Pelicans
84% start rate
Zion has struggled with the injury bug early in the new season, already missing Opening Night due to illness and Sunday’s game against the Hawks with a hamstring issue. The latter is the big concern heading into what is already a three-game week for the Pelicans, as the lingering nature of soft-tissue injuries makes the talented big man a candidate for multiple absences or an in-game aggravation that tanks his Week 3 altogether. Difficult as it may be, this may be a good week to play it safe and go with another option at your forward or center spot.