Given the injured players who could be available to play, Week 5 in fantasy basketball stands to be very interesting. Among those who could be on the floor at some point are LeBron James, Zion Williamson and Josh Giddey, players who will have a significant impact on their rotations and fantasy basketball. Let’s look at the Week 5 schedule breakdown and some of next week’s key storylines.
Week 5 Games Played
4 Games: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, LAC, MIA, NOR, OKC, ORL, PHI, POR, TOR
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3 Games: BKN, BOS, DET, GSW, IND, MEM, MIL, NYK, PHO, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS
2 Games: HOU, LAL
Week 5 Back-to-backs
Sunday (Week 4)-Monday: CHI, DAL, LAC, NOR
Monday-Tuesday: DET
Tuesday-Wednesday: GSW, POR
Wednesday-Thursday: PHI, SAC
Thursday-Friday: None
Friday-Saturday: CHI, DAL, DEN, NOR, WAS
Saturday-Sunday: ATL, CHA, LAC, ORL
Sunday-Monday (Week 6): BKN, CLE, MIA, PHO, POR, TOR
Week 5 Storylines of Note
– Could LeBron James potentially make his season debut during Week 5?
James, who has yet to appear in a game this season due to sciatica, has been cleared for contact and participated in practices with the Lakers’ G League affiliate while the parent club was on a five-game road trip. Saturday’s game against Milwaukee was the last of the road trip for the Lakers, who plan to practice on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s home game against the Jazz. The questions of interest to fantasy managers are: will LeBron participate in that session, and is there a chance that he plays the following night?
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From a scheduling standpoint, the Lakers aren’t in a good spot, as they play only two games in Week 5. After Tuesday’s matchup against Utah, they’re off until the rematch in Salt Lake City on Sunday, November 23. The schedule is certainly good for James if he were to play for recovery reasons, but players ranked outside the top-100, like Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia, will take a significant hit to their fantasy values due to the schedule, in addition to a potential LeBron return.
– The Rockets are another team to avoid during Week 5.
The Lakers are one of two teams that will only play twice, with Houston being the other. Ime Udoka’s team doesn’t play its first game until Wednesday, and the second is scheduled for Friday. With Tari Eason sidelined by an oblique injury, is Reed Sheppard worth rostering despite the poor schedule? He may be, especially with the second-year guard providing top-75 value in nine-cat formats. Jabari Smith Jr. is another Rocket ranked within the top-75 who is available in over 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues, leaving fantasy managers with another interesting choice. As with Sheppard, the Eason injury may make Smith a player worth sticking with despite Houston’s poor Week 5 schedule.
– The Hawks, Clippers and Magic have the best schedules to end Week 5.
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These three teams will play three games over the final four days of Week 5, and all have Saturday/Sunday back-to-backs. Due to injuries and load management, some low-rostered players may emerge as solid streaming options. Atlanta’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Orlando’s tandem of Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva are three players worth keeping in mind, with the latter two being impacted by the availability of Jalen Suggs (injury management) and Paolo Banchero (strained groin).
As for the Clippers, it’s unknown when Kawhi Leonard will return from his injuries, and Bradley Beal (hip) is done for the year. Bogdan Bogdanović has increased his production recently and will be worth a look in deep leagues. Derrick Jones Jr. has been a starter throughout the season and is sitting just outside the top-100. There may even be room for Jordan Miller to emerge after returning from an injury that delayed his season debut until this past week.
– Chicago and New Orleans are among the teams that will have to navigate two back-to-backs.
The Bulls, Pelicans and Clippers will have two back-to-backs to deal with from the final day of Week 4 through the final day of Week 5. For Chicago, the team may have Josh Giddey and Coby White on the floor. The former is probable for Sunday’s game against the Jazz and the latter is questionable. The availability of Giddey and White impacts Tre Jones, who is questionable for Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Given the back-to-backs, it’s fair to wonder about the availability of all three Bulls guards. As a result, Kevin Huerter may retain some of his fantasy value during Week 5.
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In addition to the scheduling, the Pelicans also have a head coaching change to deal with: Willie Green was fired on Saturday, with James Borrego taking over as interim head coach. Zion Williamson is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Warriors after missing time with a strained hamstring. With New Orleans also active on Monday, how many games will he be able to appear in? And how will Derik Queen’s opportunities be impacted? With the Pelicans’ two back-to-backs, it’s possible Williamson isn’t available for more than three games if he plays on Sunday.
– How many games will Grayson Allen be available for?
Allen, who’s dealing with a quad contusion, is out for the Suns’ final game of Week 4, Sunday against the Hawks. Phoenix plays three games in Week 5, with two scheduled for the final three days of the week (Friday and Sunday). Can Allen play on Tuesday in Portland? Or will that be ruled as an opportunity to get Allen a few more days to recover, especially with the final two games both being at home? With Jalen Green out until about Christmas, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale and Collin Gillespie will have heightened importance in fantasy leagues. Brooks has been the most productive of the three thus far, but deep-league managers have also received solid value from rostering O’Neale and Gillespie.
– What will the availability of the Pistons’ key players be?
The Pistons have been shorthanded recently, but it hasn’t derailed a nine-game win streak. Isaiah Stewart returned from a sprained ankle on Friday, but Detroit remained without Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris, among others. The Pistons open a three-game Week 5 with a Monday/Tuesday back-to-back, so the schedule for the week isn’t ideal. However, this may allow players such as Daniss Jenkins, Paul Reed, Javonte Green and Duncan Robinson to retain some fantasy relevance to begin Week 5.
