The 2023–24 regular season week 1 has come to a close, and what a week we witnessed. Week 2 sees the start of some in-season tournament qualifier games. There is no better time for the 2023–24 Fantasy Basketball Week 2 Planner!
Group Play and Knockout Rounds are the two phases of the In-Season Tournament.
Based on win-loss records from the 2022–2023 season, teams were randomly assigned to groups of five within their conference. Teams will play four games within their groups on "Tournament Nights" starting on November 3 and lasting through November 28. Each club will play two games at home and two away, one against each opponent in its group.
Eight teams and two wildcard teams will move on to the Knockout Rounds. Single-elimination games will be the style format for knockout rounds including the Championship game. The NBA Cup, the new In-Season Tournament trophy, and a prize pool will be up for grabs for the qualifying teams.
To start your league strong and achieve the heights of fantasy basketball glory, make sure to plan and strategize for your fantasy week two!
2023–24 Fantasy Basketball Week 2 Planner
Streamer Consideration
The seasoned fantasy basketball managers are keeping a close eye on the waiver wire as the NBA regular season gets underway. Injuries and mid-season transactions can cause chaos. But the ideal time to discover underutilized talent in the free agency pool is typically early in the season.
It's a difficult path to tread, though, because no manager wants to prematurely cut a player off after one or two bad games, but they also want to seize the chance to strengthen their roster. Here are some players you should think about adding in the first few games of the upcoming season.
Dallas Mavericks
Dereck Lively II (C)
Lively had a great debut against the Spurs. Coach Jason Kidd started Lively in place of Maxi Kleber, even though Kleber was supposed to start. This move helped spark the Mavericks' comeback from a relatively careless start, particularly defensively. The other large men on the team just can't quite match Lively's level of athleticism. Additionally, he had remarkable offensive synergy in pick-and-roll scenarios alongside Luka Doncic.
Add Lively right away if he's available.
Dereck Lively II currently leads the NBA in highest FG percentage (91.7%).
Through 2 games he’s averaging:
12.5 PPG
6.0 RPG
1.0 BPG
0.5 SPG
11/12 FG#MFFL pic.twitter.com/XPyZ6bPaOK— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) October 28, 2023
Brooklyn Nets
Cam Thomas (SG/SF)
In the season opener, Thomas came off the bench and put up a big performance. He continued the momentum with another outstanding showing on the offensive end of the floor. Ben Simmons moved to the frontcourt when Thomas was added to the starting lineup. It's unclear if this will remain the case going forward because Nic Claxton's injury forced Thomas into the starting lineup, but just his scoring prowess should keep Thomas valuable in most fantasy formats.
Cam Thomas first two games:
30 PTS - 7 REB - 12/19 FG
36 PTS - 3 REB - 13/21 FGPure Hooper ?
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 28, 2023
Atlanta Hawks
Jalen Johnson (SF/PF)
Prior to the season, Johnson was unable to replace the more seasoned forwards in Atlanta—De'Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey—in the starting lineup. However, Johnson was the highest-scoring Hawk in the first game of the season, as the third-year forward finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in just 29 minutes to keep his team in the contest.
Johnson is someone you should take into consideration if you're looking for someone with breakout potential.
JALEN JOHNSON POSTER.
WOW ? pic.twitter.com/uwCNHUT2rl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 28, 2023
2023–24 Fantasy Basketball Week 2 Planner
Monday 30 October 2023 - Sunday 5 November 2023
| Team | Games | Home | Away | b2b | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | MIN | WAS | @NOR | |||||
| BKN | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | @CHA | @MIA | @CHI | BOS | ||||
| BOS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | @WAS | IND | @BKN | |||||
| CHA | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | BKN | @HOU | @IND | @DAL | ||||
| CHI | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | @IND | @DAL | BKN | @DEN | ||||
| CLE | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | NYK | @NYK | @IND | GSW | ||||
| DAL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | @MEM | CHI | @DEN | CHA | ||||
| DEN | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | UTA | @MIN | DAL | CHI | ||||
| DET | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | @OKC | POR | @NOR | PHO | ||||
| GSW | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | @NOR | SAC | @OKC | @CLE | ||||
| HOU | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | CHA | SAC | ||||||
| IND | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | CHI | @BOS | CLE | CHA | ||||
| LAC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ORL | @LAL | ||||||
| LAL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ORL | LAC | @ORL | |||||
| MEM | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | DAL | @UTA | @POR | @POR | ||||
| MIA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | @MIL | BKN | WAS | |||||
| MIL | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | MIA | @TOR | NYK | |||||
| MIN | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | @ATL | DEN | UTA | |||||
| NOR | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | GSW | @OKC | DET | ATL | ||||
| NYK | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | @CLE | CLE | @MIL | |||||
| OKC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | DET | NOR | GSW | |||||
| ORL | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | @LAL | @LAC | @UTA | LAL | ||||
| PHI | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | TOR | PHO | ||||||
| PHO | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | SAS | SAS | @PHI | @DET | ||||
| POR | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | @TOR | @DET | MEM | MEM | ||||
| SAC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | @GSW | @HOU | ||||||
| SAS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | @PHO | @PHO | TOR | |||||
| TOR | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | POR | MIL | @PHI | @SAS | ||||
| UTA | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | @DEN | MEM | ORL | @MIN | ||||
| WAS | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | BOS | @ATL | @MIA |
2023–24 Fantasy Basketball Week 2 Outlook
2 Games: HOU, LAC, PHI, SAC
3 Games: ATL, BOS, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NYK, OKC, SAS, WAS
4 Games: BKN, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, IND, MEM, NOP, ORL, PHO, POR, TOR, UTA
Week 2 back-to-back games
Sun (Week 1)-Mon: ATL, DEN, GSW, LAL, MIL, OKC, POR
Mon-Tues: ORL
Tues-Weds: CLE, LAC, NYK
Weds-Thurs: DET, NOP, TOR, UTA
Thurs-Fri: None
Fri-Sat: BKN, CHI, DEN, IND
Sat-Sun: CHA, PHO
Sun-Mon (Week 3): DAL, DET, GSW, SAS
Late Start
First Game on Weds: HOU, SAC
First Game on Thurs: PHI
Early Finish
Last Game on Weds: LAC
Last Game on Fri: MIA, MIL, NYK, OKC, WAS
Big Gap
LAC: Game Weds, Next Game on Mon (Week 3)
Game Schedule
Mon: 11 Games
Tues: 3 Games (Light Game Day)
Weds: 13 Games (Heavy Game Day)
Thurs: 4 Games (Light Game Day)
Fri: 7 Games
Sat: 8 Games
Sun: 5 Games
Teams that play Tuesday & Thursday: ORL, PHO, SAS
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In a deeper league and need more waiver wire suggestions? Check out our Week 2 Wavier Wire article by Brian Dailisan
