As we enter one month of NBA action in the 2023-24 season, here’s a fantasy basketball guide and analysis for week four.
Fantasy Basketball 2023-24: Week 4 Guide and Analysis
NBA Schedule
This week, most teams are playing between three and four games. The Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and Toronto Raptors play a high of four games.
Teams with three games are the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards.
The Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, and Los Angeles Clippers play a low of two games.
Potential Waiver Wire Adds
Bogdan Bogdanovic – Even though he’s coming off the bench, Bogdanovic is on a hot streak. He scored double-digit points in his last five outings while also chipping in threes, rebounds, assists, and steals in 20-30 minutes per game.
Miles Bridges – Bridges is set to return on November 17th as he wraps up his 10-game suspension (barring any more legal trouble). Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said he expects the forward to play a significant role immediately. He’s certainly worth rostering if available, but don’t expect him to fully return to his 2021-22 form.
Coby White – This past week, White has excelled as the Bulls’ starting point guard while the team has struggled. His presence was felt on both ends of the court through his scoring, three-point shooting, playmaking, rebounding, and steals.
Max Strus/Caris LeVert – Both Cavaliers are posting excellent fantasy basketball numbers even while the team is at full strength. Strus is enjoying a starting role and is posting career numbers. Cleveland’s sixth man, LeVert, is on a scoring tear and is posting solid numbers in rebounds, assists, and steals.
Killian Hayes – Hayes continues to impress in his starting role with the Pistons. He did a fantastic job limiting turnovers and contributing valuable numbers in the primary categories.
Rui Hachimura – Hachimura is a player to monitor and stream when LeBron James misses time. He displayed spurts of potential this season, even in fewer minutes, through his scoring, rebounding, and steals.
Dyson Daniels – With the Pelicans missing CJ McCollum, Daniels has entered a starting role. In three games, he emerged as a double-double threat of points and rebounds with some decent playmaking. His shooting is up and down, but he’ll continue to see increased usage for a few weeks.
Jalen Suggs/Moritz Wagner/Goga Bitadze – The Magic are dealing with several injuries, so Suggs, Wagner, and Bitadze have stepped up. Suggs has become an excellent scorer and racks up steals. The two centers will have plenty of opportunities to make an impact, with Wendell Carter Jr. out for a while.
Bismack Biyombo – Biyombo was named the starting center as Xavier Tillman recovers from a knee injury. He impressed in that role so far as a double-double machine of points and rebounds with some blocks.
Jaime Jaquez Jr./Kyle Lowry – Injuries stretched the Heat extremely thin. Jaquez, the rookie, and Lowry, the veteran, are two of the top streaming options on the team, as they have bigger roles to fill over the next few weeks.
Skylar Mays – Another team dealing with several injuries is the Trail Blazers. As a result, the lesser-known Mays is receiving 30+ minutes a night. In two games as a starter, he posted a double-double of points and assists while grabbing some rebounds and steals.
Jeremy Sochan – Last week, Sochan was electric, putting up great numbers in the primary categories with some defensive contributions. He struggled with turnovers but is starting to get comfortable in the point guard role.
Keyonte George – Now that he has a starting spot, the rookie is worth considering as an add. He still has a way to go in terms of efficiency and overall impact, but he’s displayed tremendous potential, especially as a playmaker.
Deni Avdija – Avdija’s shooting splits are rough, but outside of that, he’s solid. His fantasy value has trended upward over the past week thanks to his contributions to points, rebounds, and assists.
Potential Drops
Saddiq Bey/De’Andre Hunter – Bey has moved to the bench and Hunter hasn’t made a significant impact as a starter. Both are droppable, and Jalen Johnson should be added instead.
Grant Williams – Williams had a hot streak going early in November. Since then, his production has been minimal, and he posted abysmal numbers across the board over the past four games.
Jaden Ivey – An abundance of guards means a reduced role for Ivey. As a result, he’s usually only worth adding as a streaming option when he’s in the starting lineup.
Andrew Wiggins – A continued rough slump for Wiggins means it’s time to let him go. The Warriors are a stacked team with several high-impact players, so there isn’t much opportunity for Wiggins to have rosterable fantasy value.
Xavier Tillman- A knee injury and inconsistency have plagued Tillman. He hasn’t lived up to the expectations of being the Grizzlies’ starting center with Steven Adams out for the season.
Kelly Oubre Jr. – Oubre was involved in an accident that resulted in rib injuries. There is no timeline for his return, but it’s expected that he’ll be out for a while. Even when he returns, the 76ers have several forwards to split minutes between.
Robert Williams – A season-ending injury means there’s no point in holding Williams.
Gary Trent Jr. – Trent is only valuable as a streamer when he starts. Outside of that, he is droppable as he doesn’t contribute to many categories.
Notable Injuries/Suspensions
Cam Thomas – Will miss about two weeks with an ankle injury.
Miles Bridges – Eligible to return November 17th. However, his situation is still unclear.
Lonzo Ball – Out for the season.
Jamal Murray – Sidelined for the rest of November with a hamstring strain.
Bojan Bogdanovic – Getting re-evaluated in late November for his calf.
Amen Thompson – Could return in two weeks following his ankle injury.
Steven Adams – Out for the season.
Ja Morant – Suspended until December 19.
Tyler Herro – Suffered an ankle sprain and is out until at least late November.
CJ McCollum – Making progress with his collapsed lung, but there is no timetable for his return. He will likely miss a few more weeks.
Wendell Carter Jr. – Underwent surgery to repair a fractured finger and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
Kelly Oubre Jr. – Has a fractured rib after a hit-and-run car accident. He will be re-evaluated in one week, but a return will take longer.
Devin Booker – Dealing with a calf injury.
Scoot Henderson – Will miss at least two more weeks with an ankle injury.
Anfernee Simons – Had surgery on his thumb and should return in about a month.
Robert Williams – Out for the season to undergo knee surgery.
De’Aaron Fox – Should return sometime this week from his ankle injury.
Walker Kessler – Out for two weeks with a UCL sprain in his elbow.
Delon Wright – Missing four to six weeks due to a knee injury.
Week 3 Observations
-Rookies:
- Victor Wembanyama – The first overall pick posted two double-doubles of points and rebounds this week, along with great numbers in assists, blocks, and threes.
- Jordan Hawkins – The Pelicans shooting guard stepped up with the absence of McCollum. He supplied scoring, rebounds, and threes. He should see an increased role for the next few weeks.
- Chet Holmgren – Holmgren led all rookies in blocks in week three. He’s a skilled scorer and rebounder, and he’s also shown flashes of playmaking.
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. – With increased minutes, Jaquez has excelled. He posted solid numbers in the primary categories and contributed steals.
- Ausar Thompson – The twin averaged a double-double of points and rebounds last week. Thompson is a skilled two-way threat.
- Keyonte George – Now in a starting role, George should take his game to another level. He is already an excellent playmaker and was first among rookies in assists in week three (he averaged double the amount of assists of the player in second).
-Stars of the week:
- Nikola Jokic
- Joel Embiid
- Tyrese Maxey
- Bam Adebayo
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Tyrese Haliburton
- Luka Doncic
- Kevin Durant
- Anthony Edwards
-Breakout players:
- Jerami Grant
- Caris LeVert
- Skylar Mays
- Gordon Hayward
- RJ Barrett
- Coby White
- Max Strus
- Rui Hachimura
- Bismack Biyombo
- Grayson Allen
-Disappointments:
