Daniel Gafford or Nikola Vučević? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), Cs ranked 34th and 35th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 4:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- FP/G
- 25.6
- 9-cat
- #95
- Last 7 FP
- 28.3
4 games in Week 3
Week 3 pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Daniel Gafford. Daniel Gafford has 3 games counted to 2 for Nikola Vučević, for 76.7 projected fantasy points against 51.0.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -3.5 category value for the week to -4.3.
Nikola Vučević has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Daniel Gafford's minutes are up: 26.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 22.4 on the board.
Nikola Vučević's minutes are down: 11.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 22.4 on the board.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 3 (Nov 2-8), side by side
| This week | Daniel Gafford | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 26.1 (last 5) | 11.6 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 9.6 | 12.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 76.7 | 51.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.5 | -4.3 |
Schedule: Daniel Gafford Mon SAC, Wed @SAS, Fri UTA, Sun BKN. Nikola Vučević Mon WAS, Thu @PHX, Sat @GSW.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Daniel Gafford | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 29.2 | 22.6 |
| Rebounds | 20.7 | 13.3 |
| Assists | 4.2 | 5.4 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Blocks | 4.3 | 1.3 |
| Threes | 0.1 | 2.4 |
| Turnovers | 3.8 | 2.1 |
Each projection is the board's per-game line times the games counted; a player listed Out counts none. 9-cat value is the per-game category score (z-scores against the top 156) times games. Minutes and shots per 36 come from the last 5 games of 2026-27. Schedule from the NBA's published slate via ESPN.
The season-long call
Points leagues: Daniel Gafford, 25.6 fantasy points per game to 25.5.
9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, 95th overall against 141st.
Daniel Gafford vs Nikola Vučević: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Daniel Gafford | Nikola Vučević |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 25.6 | 25.5 |
| Minutes | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| PointsPTS | 9.7 | 11.3 |
| ReboundsREB | 6.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 1.4 | 2.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 1.4 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 0.0 | 1.2 |
| Field goal %FG% | 68.5% | 48.7% |
| Free throw %FT% | 67.9% | 80.0% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.3 | 1.0 |
Bold is the better number. Per-game lines blend last season with this one, the same numbers the rankings use.
Other close calls
Week 3 streamers · NBA waiver wire · Games per team this week
Is Daniel Gafford playing tonight? · Is Nikola Vučević playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Daniel Gafford or Nikola Vučević in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Daniel Gafford. Daniel Gafford has 3 games counted to 2 for Nikola Vučević, for 76.7 projected fantasy points against 51.0. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, -3.5 category value for the week to -4.3. Nikola Vučević has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on. Daniel Gafford's minutes are up: 26.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 22.4 on the board. Nikola Vučević's minutes are down: 11.6 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 22.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Daniel Gafford or Nikola Vučević?
Points leagues: Daniel Gafford, 25.6 fantasy points per game to 25.5. 9-cat leagues: Daniel Gafford again, 95th overall against 141st.
Who wins more categories, Daniel Gafford or Nikola Vučević?
Daniel Gafford is ahead in 4 (rebounds, steals, blocks, field goal percentage); Nikola Vučević in 5 (points, assists, threes, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 4:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number