With a handful of teams searching for answers, there are a couple of intriguing position battles taking place, notably in New Orleans and Dallas. Trying to get ahead of any potential breakouts is always tough, so perhaps we can get you on the front foot.

Week 4 brings with it a balanced slate, with 15 teams suiting up four times and 14 teams taking the court three times, leaving the 76ers as the only team with two games.

Sitting players who only go two or three times has its advantages, but fantasy managers still have to make smart decisions when figuring out whom to play, regardless of game count. Being aware of back-to-back sets is also a key factor, especially with so many teams now sitting players during the home stretch.

Four Games: ATL, CHA, CLE, DAL, GSW, LAC, LAL, MIL, NOP, ORL, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, UTA

Three Games: BKN, BOS, CHI, DEN, DET, HOU, IND, MEM, MIA, MIN, NYK, OKC, TOR, WAS

Two Games: PHI

Here are four potential starts and four potential sits entering the fourth week of the NBA season. Just keep in mind that this is based on games played for the week. If you play in a rotisserie league, the number of games played each week may not matter in your format.

Guards

Consider starting: Brandon Williams, DAL

Opponents: MIL, PHO, LAC, POR

While we aren’t there yet, we could be nearing a situation where Williams supplants D’Angelo Russell as the starting point guard in Dallas. Williams was a popular waiver wire pickup down the stretch last season, following the season-ending injury to Kyrie Irving. After a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign, Williams has started to put things together on both ends of the floor. In his past three games, Williams has averaged 11.7 points, four assists, and 2.7 steals in 22 minutes per contest. His numbers haven’t thrust him onto the standard league radar, making him not only a sneaky pickup but also a possible starting option.

Consider starting: Collin Gillespie, PHO

Opponents: NOP, @DAL, IND, ATL

Gillespie was red-hot to begin the season, playing a sizeable role off the bench, with Jalen Green sidelined due to a hamstring injury. The return of Green put a damper on things, with Gillespie’s recent production trending in the wrong direction. However, Green re-injured his hamstring in the Suns’ most recent game, an injury that could very well cost him multiple weeks. Gillespie went on to play 27 minutes in said game, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four 3-pointers. This could be a situation for managers to try and get ahead of, especially if Gillespie was dropped in your league. Make sure he isn’t still available, following which, consider getting him into your starting lineup.

Consider sitting: Quentin Grimes, PHI

Opponents: BOS, @DET

Grimes has picked up where he left off last season, playing a meaningful role for the 76ers, despite continuing to come off the bench. He currently sits inside the top 110 in standard fantasy formats, averaging 17.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, one steal, and 2.5 3-pointers in 31 minutes per game. However, Philadelphia has only two games this week, while 15 teams play four times. This could mean that Grimes is playing only half the amount of games as others on your roster. Simple math tells us this could be a case of quantity over quality, making Grimes a tough but realistic bench candidate.

Forwards

Consider starting: Derik Queen, NOP

Opponents: @PHO, POR, LAL, GSW

The Pelicans are going nowhere fast, beginning what could be another disappointing campaign. Coming into the season, the center rotation was far from encouraging. Nine games into the season, and it is no clearer. What is clear is that Queen is arguably the most promising option at either center or power forward. In three appearances over the past week, he has averaged 12 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks in just 22.8 minutes per game. He continues to come off the bench, but it should be noted that he has been in the closing lineup on four straight occasions. There is obviously some risk here, given the current lack of direction in New Orleans, but giving Queen a shot in your starting lineup should at least be on the table.

Consider sitting: Josh Minott, BOS

Opponents: @PHI, MEM, LAC

Minott’s roller coaster season continues, having played one of the more inconsistent and unpredictable roles in the NBA. We need only look at his past four games to see how frustrating it has been, logging 15, 34, 25, and 16 minutes. Although he will likely remain a rosterable player for the majority of the season, the uncertainty regarding his playing time from one night to the next makes him a viable bench candidate whenever the Celtics play three or fewer games.

Consider sitting: Kelly Oubre Jr., PHI

Opponents: BOS, @DET

Much like the Grimes situation, this is simply a matter of games played. Oubre has once again taken advantage of a favorable situation in Philadelphia, given the fact that the roster is rarely healthy. Unlike Grimes, Oubre has started in all 10 games, making this arguably a harder decision. While his numbers have been more than adequate, an argument can be made that Oubre doesn’t necessarily contribute to winning basketball. The 76ers have lost three of the past four games, with Oubre being a -14 during that span. Perhaps that small piece of information is enough to convince you to give him the week off.

Centers

Consider starting: Kyle Filipowski, UTA

Opponents: MIN, IND, ATL, CHI

This is definitely a situation where we are looking to the future and what might be, rather than what has transpired thus far this season. With Walker Kessler gone for the season due to a shoulder injury, it has been Jusuf Nurkic who has stepped into the starting center role. Filipowski, on the other hand, has seen a small bump in playing time only, averaging 8.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, one 3-pointer, and 1.4 combined steals and blocks in 20.4 minutes per game in his last three appearances. Managers would need to count on some sort of common sense from the Utah coaching staff here. Nurkic is a viable starting center, but it would make sense for Filipowski to be the priority. This is likely a situation we see at some point this season, with the question being, will that happen in the next seven days?

Consider sitting: Isaiah Jackson, IND

Opponents: @UTA, @PHO, TOR

Jackson has done just enough in recent times, making him a worthwhile addition to standard league rosters. Over the past five games, he has averaged 11 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 22 minutes per game. While this has been encouraging, it still doesn’t appear as though the coaching staff is ready to fully unleash him as a true starting center. He has played fewer than 22 minutes in three straight games, despite managing to avoid foul trouble, which plagued him earlier in the season. With some uncertainty remaining regarding his upside, shifting him to the bench during a three-game week makes sense.