Welcome to the Week 4 fantasy basketball start/sit guide. This week features 15 teams with a 4-game schedule, but a 2-game week for the 76ers makes the Joel Embiid decision crucial. Injuries to stars like LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson are also shaking up lineups. We'll break down the top start candidates, like Stephon Castle and Grayson Allen, who are set to thrive, and identify the key players you should bench
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's NBA News or follow @RotoWireNBA on X.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Philadelphia 76ers
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
Fantasy Basketball Start/Sit
Guards
Start: Stephon Castle, Spurs 
35% start rate
Castle has shown significant improvement virtually across the board through the first several games of his second season, averaging 18.2 points (on 49.2% shooting), 7.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest. Three-point shooting is about the only major area in which he's regressed, but the 2024 fourth
Welcome to the Week 4 fantasy basketball start/sit guide. This week features 15 teams with a 4-game schedule, but a 2-game week for the 76ers makes the Joel Embiid decision crucial. Injuries to stars like LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson are also shaking up lineups. We'll break down the top start candidates, like Stephon Castle and Grayson Allen, who are set to thrive, and identify the key players you should bench
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's NBA News or follow @RotoWireNBA on X.
TEAMS WITH FOUR GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Philadelphia 76ers
Visit RotoWire's NBA Daily Starting Lineups to find out starters for every game on the schedule!
Fantasy Basketball Start/Sit
Guards
Start: Stephon Castle, Spurs
35% start rate
Castle has shown significant improvement virtually across the board through the first several games of his second season, averaging 18.2 points (on 49.2% shooting), 7.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest. Three-point shooting is about the only major area in which he's regressed, but the 2024 fourth overall pick is averaging a robust 33.4 minutes per game and comes into San Antonio's four-game week with consecutive points-assists double-doubles. With a very safe floor and multiple steals on six occasions in his first nine games, Castle can offer quite the multi-category boost with a full schedule.
Check out where all the players on your fantasy basketball team fit into RotoWire's Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet!
Start: Grayson Allen, Suns 
18% start rate
Allen's usage was set to take at least a slight hit with the recent season debut of Jalen Green, but the hamstring injury the latter suffered in only his second game Saturday opens the door for Allen to continue enjoying a prominent role. The veteran wing has taken his game-to-game consistency up a notch thus far, leading to career highs in points (16.3), assists (4.7) and steals (1.4). Allen is also shooting over 40% from behind the arc (40.9) after draining 44.5% of his attempts from distance over the last two seasons, and he should be in line to approximate the career-high 13.3 shot attempts per game he's been averaging if Green misses additional time this coming four-game week.
Stay up to date on who is in and who is out with RotoWire's NBA Injury Report!
ALSO CONSIDER: Collin Sexton, Hornets (8% start rate)
Sit: LaMelo Ball, Hornets 
58% start rate
Ball remains in this spot this week thanks to his troublesome ankle impingement, which kept him out for both of the Hornets' games in Week 3 and is already guaranteed to cost him at least Monday's Week 4 opener versus the Lakers. With the possibility of at least another absence Wednesday versus the Bucks, you're likely looking at a two-game week at best for the talented guard, making him a candidate to remain on your bench again.
Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's NBA Projections!
Forwards
Start: Jerami Grant, Trail Blazers 
21% start rate
Grant looks rejuvenated early on this season, despite the fact he's operating in a second-unit role. The veteran is displaying career-best all-around offensive efficiency, as his 50.5% success rate from the field is his highest since the 2017-18 season, while his 41.7% figure from 3-point range is a career high. Grant is adding 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a career-high 1.3 steals. Despite coming off the bench, he's averaging a solid 28.4 minutes per game that's clearly giving him enough opportunity to make an impact.
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Start: Kon Knueppel, Hornets
10% start rate
Knueppel has taken control of the Hornets' starting small forward role thanks to the auspicious start to his NBA career. Considering LaMelo Ball is starting the week off still sidelined by his ankle injury while Miles Bridges could miss at least Monday's contest versus the Lakers due to back spasms, the rookie fourth overall pick is in line to start Charlotte's four-game schedule on the right foot. Knueppel finished off Week 3 averaging 24.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists over his last three games, a span where he put up a whopping 32 3-point attempts. Knueppel is shooting 40.5% overall from long range, and his aggressive nature on the floor should continue leading to plenty of full stat lines.
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ALSO CONSIDER: Devin Vassell, Spurs (32% start rate); De'Andre Hunter, Cavaliers (15% start rate)
Sit: Zion Williamson, Pelicans 
50% start rate
The injury bug has also gotten Williamson, who has already missed three games with a hamstring strain and will sit out Monday's contest against the Suns as well. The big man is then set to be reevaluated, but given the tricky nature of soft-tissue injuries and Williamson's checkered injury history, additional missed time seems firmly within the range of outcomes. With so much uncertainty regarding his status this week, Williamson can likely be steered clear of again.
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Centers
Start: Mark Williams, Suns
34% start rate
Williams is starting to hit his stride as the Suns' top option at center, as he closed out Week 3 with averages of 16.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 steals across 28.0 minutes per contest over his last three games. About the only category the big man can't really lend your roster a hand in is 3-point shooting, as even his 0.8 blocks per game are bound to increase considering he came into the season averaging 1.1 blocks per contest in his first three campaigns. Williams now has four games to work with in Week 4, a schedule that includes favorable positional matchups against the Pelicans, Mavericks and Pacers.
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Start: Onyeka Okongwu, Hawks 
30% start rate
Okongwu has contributed 11.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest in the last eight games, logging at least 26 minutes in the six games in that span during which he came off the bench. The veteran big man also draws the occasional spot start, and he's equaling a career-high success rate from 3-point range (33.3%) that, while certainly having plenty of room for improvement, adds another dimension to Okongwu's fantasy profile. The four-game schedule makes the big man especially appealing, especially while Trae Young (knee) remains out for another week and Jalen Johnson (quadriceps) potentially misses a second straight game Monday against the Clippers.
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ALSO CONSIDER: Wendell Carter, Jr., Magic (29% start rate)
Sit: Joel Embiid, 76ers 
84% start rate
The 76ers have just a two-game week this week, and Embiid, who has started to look like himself again while navigating a carefully crafted load-management plan, could always sit out at least one of those contests. He's also yet to crack 26 minutes in any appearance, so even though he'll likely give you solid returns any time he's on the floor, a similarly talented three- or four-game option is expected to offer you more bang for your fantasy buck.
Agree with these recommendations? Give them a spin with various combinations of other players in RotoWire's NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer.
