4 Games: BOS, BKN, DAL, DEN, GS, HOU, NO, OKC, PHI, PHO, POR, SA, TOR
3 Games: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DET, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, MIN, NY, SAC
2 Games: ORL, UTA, WSH

ON FIRE

Draymond Green – PF – Golden State Warriors

Draymond Green is one of the best players in fantasy basketball, with a top selling jersey, but he still appears to fly under the radar at times because of the team he is on. He had an amazing week three, and that is despite two games of scoring less than eight points. Green averaged a near triple-double this week with 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 9.3 assists, to go along with 2.0 steals and 2.5 blocks per game this past week. He also did not miss a free throw and contributed from behind the three-point line as well. Green is the definition of a player that can fill the stat sheet, making him one of the most valuable assets in all of fantasy basketball. Only his teammate, Curry, had a better week than Draymond Green did (according to the ESPN player rater) and, not to mention, Green nearly missed time this week because he was battling the flu. Green and the Warriors have a four game slate this week against the Raptors, Clippers, Bulls and Nuggets, which should lead to another very productive week for the defensive player of the year from a year ago.

Eric Bledsoe – PG/SG – Phoenix Suns

Eric Bledsoe has really found his stride this season and is emerging into the true breakout guard that he has shown flashes of the last couple of years since joining the Suns. While last year, Bledsoe really battled through some adversity in 2014 that he probably was not expecting after signing a five-year $70-million dollar contract. The Suns backcourt was full of talented guards, but a complete overhaul at the trade deadline last season left only Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe as the primary guards and scorers on this Suns team. That being said, it’s hard to imagine Bledsoe continuing the success he had this week for the foreseeable future. In his three games this past week, Bledsoe averaged 28 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.3 steals per game and shot an unsustainable 68% from the field. Not to mention that he made 2.3 three pointers per game and had double-doubles in two of the three games. While the success for Bledsoe this week was some of the best around the NBA, his teammate, Brandon Knight, had a career high 37 points against the Clippers in a game where Bledsoe was just one assists away from a triple-double. Look for Knight and Bledsoe to continue their tandem as two of the highest scoring guard duo’s around the league, with Bledsoe getting the nod as the better fantasy play moving forward.

ICE COLD

John Wall – PG – Washington Wizards

It’s hard to list a player as ice cold that is averaging nearly a double-double over this period of time, but John Wall just has not been the same player for the Wizards in the absence of Bradley Beal. Wall, a top 10 player coming into this season, only averaged 12 points this past week and shot just 33% from the field. His assist numbers are as good as we expected them to be, but Wall is really struggling to score in the absence of Bradley Beal, and even before he went down. His 33% shooting obviously doesn’t help matters and fully explains his deflated scoring numbers, but look for the former Kentucky Wildcat to get back to his normal ways sooner rather than later. This is just a slump that seemingly everyone around the league goes through at some point or another. While he shot just 33% this past week, he is only shooting 39% for the entire season thus far. The Wizards are likely still trying to find their identity as a team offensively, as they are relying on young players like Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. to have a much larger role offensively than they once did.

Mike Conley – PG – Memphis Grizzlies

Mike Conley bounced back and had a nice game against the Timberwolves on Sunday, but he has really been struggling of late for the Grizzlies, as their entire offense as a team has been anemic in this short season so far. As we just talked about John Wall and his struggles this season shooting the basketball, Conley came into Sunday’s game shooting 27% from the field on the week and just 34% on the season, averaging just 12.5 points per game. Conley’s worst night by far this season came in the Grizzlies home loss to the Warriors, where he was just 1/12 shooting and had just four points. Conley and the Grizzlies are off to a tough start this season, but have now won two in a row since Conley’s tough game against the Warriors, and scored over 100 points in each of their victories. Conley had 20 points and seven assists on 7/14 shooting against the Timberwolves on Sunday, which is more of what we expect from the former Buckeye moving forward. If you are going to make any bets on this weeks NBA games, it is essential that you check out this Betting News first.

Games of the Week

Each day, I will choose a game of the day for the entire week that I believe will be the best game of the night with the most fantasy implications. I will talk about matchups to watch, players to target and players to avoid in a game-by-game scenario for the games of the week.

Monday: Portland at San Antonio
These two teams battled in LaMarcus Aldridge’s first game back to Portland to face the Trail Blazers just a week ago. Aldridge finished with a game high 23 points and chipped in with six rebounds in the Spurs 113-101 win over the Blazers. Damian Lillard and the Blazers head to San Antonio on Monday, where they will look for revenge. While the emotion of the return to Portland will not be there, it will be interesting to see how LMA responds to playing his former team now that he has had time to let it all pass and digest. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum had a tough night shooting the ball in the Spurs visit to Portland last Wednesday night, as they combined to shoot 16-40 from the field. Look for Aldridge to come up big against his former team yet again, this time being back home in San Antonio, as he is simply too much to handle down low against a short manned Blazers team.

Tuesday: Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons
There are a few matchups that I was trying to decide between for this one, but I went with the Cavs and the Pistons simply because of one man, and no, it isn’t LeBron James. Andre Drummond has played his way into early talks for MVP around the NBA, and while they wont last, his Pistons team might. Although they have lost three games in a row, the Pistons have been one of the surprising teams in the NBA so far this season, and Andre Drummond has been the main reason why. Drummond has had a double double in every game so far this season and is currently averaging 18.7 points and 19.2 rebounds per game prior to Sunday’s contest against the Lakers. LeBron James, Kevin Love, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson feature what is the game of the night for me, as the Cavs will be coming off of a tough two overtime loss to the Bucks as well.

Wednesday: Sacramento Kings at Atlanta Hawks
While this game could eventually become a blowout win for the Hawks, I am especially intrigued for the showdown between Al Horford and Demarcus Cousins, and not the showdown that you’re expecting. I’m ready for their three-point contest! Both Cousins and Horford have made nine three pointers in their previous four games, which is the same number as Kyle Korver and Rudy Gay have in that time frame. These two big men have solidified themselves as two of the best in the game at the center position, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to see them square off against each other.

Thursday: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers
Part of me wanted to pick the Cavaliers and Bucks rematch in Cleveland, but how can you go against this matchup in LA? The Warriors and the Clippers battled to the very end of the game the first time these two teams faced off, and I expect nothing different this time around. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan highlight this game that could basically make up their own starting five for the Western Conference all-star team. Tons of fantasy implications in this one, and it’s always great to see what Steph Curry will do next on national TV.

Friday: New York Knicks at Oklahoma City Thunder
It’s not going to have as much glamour to it if Kevin Durant is still out with his hamstring injury, but this game intrigues me more than I suspected it would if I was looking at the calendar before the season started. The Knicks are just 5-6 on the year, but they have already proven to the rest of the league that they can come out and compete against any team on any given night. Their first round pick in the 2015 draft, Kristaps Porzingis, has turned into a star already and it’s only the fourth week of the season. Porzingis his a very nice three pointer at the buzzer that was just a fraction of a second too late, or else he would have hit the game winner to beat the Hornets in Charlotte. Russell Westbrook is a triple double threat every night he takes the floor, and it will be interesting to see the offensive battle he puts up with Carmelo Anthony on the other side.

Saturday: Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
A rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from a season ago, the Hawks take on the Cavaliers in what should be two of the best in the east square off in Cleveland. LeBron James has really been turning it on as of late, completely controlling the game and seemingly scoring at will against whomever the opponent he is up against. It will be interesting to see these two teams battle early, despite the fact that the Cavaliers will still be without Kyrie Irving for this game.

Sunday: Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans
I almost picked the Pelicans one or two other times this week, simply because of Anthony Davis. It’s so impressive to see the rest of the NBA drooling over a potential superstar kid because of the talent that he possesses as a 22-year-old kid. The Pelicans were one of the sleeper picks by many in the west to potentially make the playoffs, but have struggled mightily out of the gate with a 1-9 record on the year. Davis and the Pelicans will host the Suns in New Orleans where Davis should have a terrific matchup against a Suns team that doesn’t have the personnel to match the game that Davis possesses. However, on the flip side, the Pelicans don’t seem to have the guard play that it is going to take to shut down Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe on the other end.