Week 5 of the 2024-25 season is the last full week before Thanksgiving, a day the NBA usually cedes to the NFL. While Week 6 will have some very congested game days due to the holiday, that is not the case in Week 5, with no more than eight games (Monday and Wednesday) being played any day. Most teams will play three games, while four will only play twice. Let’s take a look at the Week 5 schedule and some critical stories.
Week 5 Games Played
4 Games: CHI, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, MIL, OR, Phi
3 Games: ATL, BOS, BKN, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, LAL, MEM, NOR, NYK, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
2 Games: MY, MIN, OKC, PHO
Week 5 Plots
– Most of the league’s teams will play three games in week 5
Rarely is a three-game week disqualifying in terms of fantasy value, and that’s especially the case in Week 5. Eighteen teams play three games next week, including the Celtics, Nuggets, Lakers and Knicks. There are some availability questions for these teams to answer. Nikola Jokic (personal) has missed two games and, at the time of publication, was considered questionable for Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies. Denver plays another game in Memphis on Tuesday and will finish its week with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back against the Mavericks (home) and Lakers (away). His absence from the Nuggets lineup put Dario Saric on the radar in deep leagues, while Michael Porter Jr. was a more critical figure offensively.
The Celtics (Jrue Holiday) and Knicks (Karl-Anthony Towns) have been without key players recently, although the latter could return for Sunday’s game against the Nets. This is the first game of a back-to-back for New York, which heads west after Monday’s game against the Wizards. After switching to Boston, the champions went with a bigger lineup in Holiday’s absence, with Neemias Queta starting alongside Al Horford on Sunday. After Tuesday’s home game against the Cavaliers, Boston is off until Friday’s road game against the Wizards.
– Oklahoma City and Phoenix will be finished by Wednesday night
Not only are the Thunder and Suns among the four teams that only play twice in Week 5, but their edge contributors will be off the fantasy radar by the end of play on Wednesday. Both will be done with their Week 5 boards on Wednesday. In the case of the Suns, their first game of Week 6 won’t be until Nov. 26. The time off could be valuable for Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic, who are all either sidelined or constantly appear on the team’s team. injury report.
Oklahoma City has a Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back against rebuilding teams, visiting the Spurs on Tuesday and hosting Portland the following night. The matchup with San Antonio should be intriguing, as Oklahoma City will have to deal with Victor Wembanyama without the (hip) services of Chet Holmgren. Using Jalen Williams as a small center has worked well so far. However, Wemby is a tougher matchup than Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic, who the Thunder handled with relative ease on Friday. Will any of the Isaiah Joe/Cason Wallace/Aaron Wiggins trio emerge as a reliable fantasy option? And can rookie Ajay Mitchell work his way into the conversation with Alex Caruso (hip) sidelined?
– Minnesota has the best schedule of the teams playing two games in Week 5
The Timberwolves won’t be much help to fantasy managers early in Week 5, as their first game isn’t until Thursday night. However, Minnesota’s two games are “lighter” schedule nights. There are only four games on Thursday and six on Sunday. Depending on player availability, there may be some streaming options for fantasy managers to take advantage of in leagues that allow lineups to be set on a daily basis. For those in leagues that require setup before the start of play on Monday, the two-game teams can be avoided for Week 5.
– Orlando is the only four-game team playing on Week 5’s quietest day
Of the eight teams playing four games during Week 5, Orlando is the only one active on Thursday, the quietest day of the week. There are only four games on the schedule, with the Magic visiting the Lakers in their second game in as many nights (Orlando faces the Clippers on Wednesday). Two players affected by this are Wendell Carter Jr. (foot) and Jonathan Isaac, with the former still sidelined with plantar fasciitis. Goga Bitadze and Moritz Wagner will still have value, especially if Carter starts Week 5 (at Phoenix on Monday) on the shelf. Tuesday and Sunday have six-game slates, and none of the teams that play four times are active on Tuesday. As for Sunday, Indiana, the Clippers, and Philadelphia will be in action, while the other five complete their Week 5 schedules on Saturday.
– Will any key contributors return during Week 5?
The injuries are piling up, forcing fantasy managers to adjust on the fly and roster players who were mere afterthoughts when the season began. New Orleans plays three games in Week 5, including a Tuesday/Wednesday road back-to-back against Dallas and Cleveland. Will McCollum (thigh) be healthy enough to return sometime this week? If so, Week 5 could be a two-game week for him, and the same can be said for Trey Murphy (hamstring). While Brandon Ingram will continue to do much of the heavy lifting, Yves Missi, Brandon Boston Jr., and Javonte Green will also be worthy of fantasy consideration, albeit to varying degrees.
Atlanta sent Bogdanovic to the G-League this week to get some practice time, so a return to game action may not be far off. Meanwhile, Maxey resumed on-court work in Philadelphia. Once the 76ers get their star point guard back, will Jared McCain be a “fall?” Or was he too good to lose significant minutes once that rotation is complete? The 76ers play four games in Week 5 and won’t have to deal with a back-to-back, which also bodes well for managers who have Joel Embiid or Paul George listed. Milwaukee (Lillard) and Sacramento (DeRozan) are also without significant contributors, with the latter’s absence increasing Kevin Huerter’s short-term fantasy value.
Bright Play Days
Thursday: 4 Games
that vs. CHA
MIN vs. TOR
UTA vs. EAGLE
ENT vs. LAL
Week 5 Back-to-backs
Sunday-Monday (Week 5): ATL, CHI, DET, HOU, IND, LAC, MIA, NYK, PHO, WAS
monday-tuesday: None
Tuesday-Wednesday: CLE, MEM, NOR, OKC
Wednesday-Thursday: ORL
Thursday-Friday: None
friday-saturday: CHI, DEN, GSW, HOU, MIL, FOR
saturday-sunday: None
Sunday-Monday (Week 6): BKN, BOS, DAL, IND, LAC, SAC, TOR
