Darius Acuff Jr. or LaMelo Ball? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), PGs ranked 9th and 13th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 2:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Darius Acuff Jr.. Both have 3 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 38.8 fantasy points to 35.9.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, 0.9 category value for the week to -8.8, because his category mix is worth more there.
Darius Acuff Jr. played 36.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 36.6 on the board.
LaMelo Ball played 28.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 27.4 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 | Darius Acuff Jr. | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Minutes, last games | 36.8 (last 5) | 28.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 36.6 | 27.4 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 22.5 | 18.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 116.3 | 107.6 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -8.8 | 0.9 |
Schedule: Darius Acuff Jr. Mon @DAL, Wed LAL, Fri SAS, Sun MIA. LaMelo Ball Mon MIL, Wed @HOU, Fri @NOP, Sun UTA.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Darius Acuff Jr. | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 78.4 | 56.9 |
| Rebounds | 11.6 | 13.2 |
| Assists | 18.9 | 20.1 |
| Steals | 1.7 | 4.2 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Threes | 9.0 | 10.8 |
| Turnovers | 10.7 | 9.3 |
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: Darius Acuff Jr., 38.8 fantasy points per game to 35.9.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, 52nd overall against 173rd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Darius Acuff Jr. | LaMelo Ball |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 38.8 | 35.9 |
| Minutes | 36.6 | 27.4 |
| PointsPTS | 26.1 | 19.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 4.4 |
| AssistsAST | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| StealsSTL | 0.6 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 3.0 | 3.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.6% | 41.3% |
| Free throw %FT% | 84.8% | 84.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.6 | 3.1 |
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 Darius Acuff Jr. playing tonight? · Is LaMelo Ball playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Darius Acuff Jr. or LaMelo Ball in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Darius Acuff Jr.. Both have 3 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 38.8 fantasy points to 35.9. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, 0.9 category value for the week to -8.8, because his category mix is worth more there. Darius Acuff Jr. played 36.8 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 36.6 on the board. LaMelo Ball played 28.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 27.4 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Darius Acuff Jr. or LaMelo Ball?
Points leagues: Darius Acuff Jr., 38.8 fantasy points per game to 35.9. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball instead, 52nd overall against 173rd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Darius Acuff Jr. or LaMelo Ball?
Darius Acuff Jr. is ahead in 2 (points, free throw percentage); LaMelo Ball in 6 (rebounds, assists, steals, threes, field goal percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number