The Hawks’ Onyeka Okongwu will continue playing a significant role regardless of Kristaps Porziņģis’ availability on any given night.
Following a momentous Week 1, where we were treated to an abundant number of hard-fought overtime clashes and wire-to-wire battles, the first full week of the new season is on tap. Despite the fact teams are just three games into the campaign at most, there are already some noteworthy injuries, as well as plenty of players with low start/roster rates that are outperforming their standing with the fantasy community thus far.
Each week, we’ll aim to highlight a pair of Start candidates for your fantasy rosters who may shape up as some tougher calls of the week to make, focusing on players with a start or roster rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues.
Likewise, we’ll spotlight one Sit candidate at each position who 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, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Los Angeles Clippers
Without further ado, let’s examine some tougher start/sit decisions for Week 2:
Guards
Start: Tre Jones, Bulls
27% roster rate
Jones has helped the Bulls get off to an encouraging 2-0 start, one in which he’s provided 12.5 points, 8.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals across 30.5 minutes per contest. The veteran guard has shot a crisp 53.3%, including 66.7% from 3-point range, in that span. While Jones is entrenched in what is a clear complementary role, he’s clearly capable of checking off nearly every box on the stat sheet, which gives him plenty of fantasy-point upside on his upcoming four-game week, and even more so if Josh Giddey misses any time with his finger sprain that has him listed as questionable for Monday.
Start: Collin Sexton, Hornets
11% start rate
Sexton’s relatively minuscule start rate is surprising, considering both the veteran’s track record and his body of work in the first three games of his Hornets tenure. Sexton has proven a seamless fit alongside LaMelo Ball in Charlotte’s backcourt, delivering 18.7 points (on 56.3% shooting, including 50.0% from 3-point range), 4.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals across just 26.7 minutes per contest. The modest playing time isn’t cause for alarm, however, as that figure is largely the byproduct of Sexton logging just 17 minutes Opening Night against the Nets before putting in 30 and 33 minutes against the Wizards and 76ers, respectively, over the subsequent pair of contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hawks (21% roster rate)
Sit: De’Aaron Fox, Spurs
48% start rate
Fox is dealing with a hamstring injury that has cost him the first three games of the season, and as of Monday afternoon, there’s been no firm timetable established for his potential season debut. While the star guard will undoubtedly handle a high-usage role once he’s on the court, the combination of the uncertainty and the fact the Spurs have a three-game week that already begins Monday night makes Fox a no-go for Week 2.
Forwards
Start: Rui Hachimura, Lakers
26% roster rate
Luka Dončić has now joined LeBron James on the Lakers’ bench due to injury, with the former dealing with both a finger sprain and leg contusion entering Week 2. Dončić is expected to miss at least a week, meaning the rest of Los Angeles’ first unit has no shortage of usage to absorb in the short term. Hachimura is certainly capable of shouldering some of that load effectively, and after a lackluster opener against the Warriors, he bounced back to supply 20.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals over the subsequent pair of games, shooting 73.9% in the process. Hachimura averaged a solid 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steals per 36 minutes with both stars off the floor last season, teeing him up as a viable option this week if you need help at forward.
Start: Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors
35% start rate
Kuminga has put his drawn-out offseason contractual saga behind him to open the new season, serving as a key contributor for Golden State while holding down the starting small forward role. The talented wing is averaging a well-rounded 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals over his first three games, shooting 55.2%, including 50.0% from behind the arc, across 31 minutes per contest. He could be due for a bump in usage in coming games as well, considering he’s only putting up 9.7 shot attempts per contest thus far after averaging a career-high 12.1 a season ago.
ALSO CONSIDER: De’Andre Hunter, Cavaliers (20% roster rate); Kon Knueppel, Hornets (18% roster rate)
51% start rate
The Thunder gets its four-game week started Monday night against the Mavericks, and Williams has already been ruled out for that contest. That leaves him with just three chances to take the floor in Week 2, and with OKC on a back-to-back to start the week, a Tuesday absence vs. the Kings seems almost guaranteed as well. Consequently, keeping Williams on the bench this week is a prudent way to go, with more clarity likely as Week 3 approaches.
Centers
Start: Onyeka Okongwu, Hawks
40% start rate
It didn’t take long for the talented but oft-sidelined Kristaps Porziņģis to get on the injury report in his new Atlanta digs, missing two consecutive games with an illness to close out Week 1. The big man did go through shootaround Monday morning ahead of the night’s matchup versus the Bulls that will kick off the Hawks’ four-game schedule, but Okongwu will continue playing a significant role regardless of Porziņģis’ availability on any given night. A starter a year ago, Okongwu provided 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in the two spot starts he logged in Porziņģis’ stead, but he notably went for 18 points, six rebounds and one assist in 30 minutes off the bench – essentially a starter’s workload – in the opener with Porziņģis drawing the start.
Start: Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder
47% start rate
Hartenstein has put together a solid first three games while the Thunder navigates the season-opening absence of Jalen Williams (wrist), averaging 8.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals over 34.3 minutes per contest. The time on the floor has been skewed by OKC’s consecutive double-OT games to open the season – contests in which Hartenstein logged 37 minutes apiece – but he averaged a solid 27.9 minutes per game a season ago and generated a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double with a pair of assists and steals apiece in 29 minutes against the Hawks on Saturday. Hartenstein is averaging 14.0 points, 14.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals per 36 minutes with Williams off the floor since the start of last season, and with Chet Holmgren now also questionable to open the week due to a back injury, Hartenstein could be in for a busy four-game ledger.
ALSO CONSIDER: Wendell Carter, Jr., Magic (23% roster rate)
71% start rate
Zubac falls victim to a two-game week this week after a solid start to the season that saw him average 16.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 blocks over his first three games. With James Harden and Kawhi Leonard both healthy, Zubac is naturally filling more of a complementary role, and while he’ll very likely offer some solid production on the two occasions he takes the floor this coming week, you can almost certainly get better contributions from a three- or four-game option of similar caliber.
