NBA Fantasy - Salary Cap Edition: Week 4 Breakdown

The Emirates NBA Cup has officially kicked off, with group play starting on Tuesday and Friday. The knockout stage games will commence on Dec. 10.

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, after which, you’ll automatically be entered into global leagues for your favorite franchise and participating country. You can also create and join private or public leagues at any time during the regular season.

Here’s what you need to know for Week 4:

Last Week’s Story

The Cleveland Cavaliers – still scalding hot – continue to dictate the early-season narrative. Now at 11-0 and in sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference, the group is off to the finest start of any NBA team since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (24-0).

Punctuation came in the form of victory over the Warriors on Friday, during which the Cavaliers stormed out to a 41-point halftime advantage. The winning formula has been an unselfish, high-octane offense that consists of six double-digit scorers and has yielded a league-leading 122.7 points per game.

In fantasy points per game, the Cavaliers have four players ranked between No. 30 and 60, featuring Evan Mobley (33rd), Jarrett Allen (50th), Darius Garland (55th) and Donovan Mitchell (58th) with marks of 39.4, 35.4, 34.7 and 33.7, respectively. Mobley leads the pack in total fantasy points with 433.8 on the campaign, good for 15th in the NBA.

And with none of their Week 4 opponents – the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls (twice) and Charlotte Hornets – bringing a top-15 defense to the table, the Cavaliers’ streak might last a bit longer.

Games to Watch

With Emirates NBA Cup getting underway, there are two group-play games that should draw your attention:

Dallas Mavericks (5-5) vs. Golden State Warriors (8-2), Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET:

Klay Thompson, a four-time NBA Champion in 13 years with the Warriors, makes his return to the Bay Area with the Mavericks. It’ll be Golden State’s first shot at the defending Western Conference Champions following a three-game gauntlet of the Boston Celtics (9-2), Cavaliers (11-0) and Oklahoma City Thunder (8-2) – another chance to prove itself as a legitimate contender.

In fantasy terms, the Mavericks are led by Luka Dončić’s 52.2 (4th) and Kyrie Irving’s 42.7 (17th) points per game, but have struggled to win close contests, with each of their last four losses decided by seven points or fewer.

Phoenix Suns (8-2) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-2), Friday at 10 p.m. ET:

It’ll be a heavyweight bout between two of three teams tied for first place in the Western Conference. The Suns and Thunder enter with nearly identical offensive ratings – 113.0 and 112.8, respectively – but the latter’s rating on the defensive side of the ball ranks No. 1 in the league.

This matchup loses some luster with Kevin Durant (43.9 fantasy ppg) and Chet Holmgren (37.7 fantasy ppg) both out with injuries, but it could very well be a conference finals preview. And it’s a premier battle in a loaded West Group B of the NBA Cup that also includes the Los Angeles Lakers.

Injury Report

Holmgren’s fall capped another slew of injuries to some of the game’s biggest stars. The right iliac hip fracture he suffered Sunday will keep him out for at least 8-10 weeks, forcing the Thunder into small ball with fellow center Isaiah Hartenstein also out long-term. Holmgren was the eighth-most selected player in NBA Fantasy, and ranked 35th in total fantasy points with 377.4.

Elsewhere, the New Orleans Pelicans continue to be haunted by the injury bug. Zion Williamson suffered a left hamstring strain Wednesday and will be out indefinitely, only adding to a laundry list of pending absences that includes Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones and Jordan Hawkins. Williamson’s 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game were good for an average of 40.2 fantasy points per outing.

Durant (calf), Ja Morant (hip) and Tyrese Maxey (hamstring) are also each unavailable for at least a couple weeks with recent injuries of their own.

Transaction Tips

Dyson Daniels made leaps and bounds last week for the Atlanta Hawks. After totaling 16.9 fantasy points on Monday and 28.0 on Wednesday, he put up his highest numbers all season with 49.6 and 47.1 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. 

The third-year guard has been a pesky defender, tallying 17 steals across his last three games, in addition to improved shooting from the field. At a price of just $7.6M for 32.9 fantasy points per game (63rd), Daniels is one of the best value options to shore up your bench.

Also quietly breaking out in the backcourt has been Christian Braun. The Denver Nuggets guard only cracked the 40-fantasy-point plateau once last week on Wednesday, but has pitched in at least 23 in every game this season.

Braun has notched double-digit points in every outing and has proved to be a consistent rebounder. His 29.4 fantasy points per game at a price of $6.6M make him a fine addition to your squad while sparing some change.

Weekly Advice

Use your captain’s chip wisely if you’re looking to get an extra leg-up on your fantasy foes. If any of your team’s high-volume scorers play the Washington Wizards in Week 4, use the chip on one of them.

The Wizards are allowing a league-worst 123.5 points per game, and have a 119.3 defensive rating that qualifies as third-worst, only ahead of the Pelicans and Toronto Raptors. They’ve surrendered at least 120 points to each of their last three opponents.

Washington plays the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Hawks and Detroit Pistons this week, so Alperen Sengun, Victor Wembanyama, Trae Young and Cade Cunningham should be top-chip candidates.

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