Franz Wagner or Jimmy Butler III? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), SFs ranked 6th and 10th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 4:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
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- FP/G
- 35.0
- 9-cat
- #118
- Last 7 FP
- 37.4
3 games in Week 3, 1 back-to-back
Week 3 pick in points leagues.
- FP/G
- 37.4
- 9-cat
- #15
- Last 10 FP
- 38.2
Out (Knee)
3 games in Week 3, 1 back-to-back
Week 3 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 3 call
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Franz Wagner. Franz Wagner has 2 games counted to 0 for Jimmy Butler III, for 70.0 projected fantasy points against 0.0.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -3.3, because his category mix is worth more there.
Franz Wagner has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on.
Franz Wagner's minutes are up: 37.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 31.8 on the board.
Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 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 | Franz Wagner | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 0 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Minutes, last games | 37.7 (last 5) | 27.1 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 31.8 | 31.1 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 17.2 | 18.3 |
| Injury | None listed | Out (Knee) |
| Projected fantasy points | 70.0 | 0.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -3.3 | 0.0 |
Schedule: Franz Wagner Mon WAS, Thu @PHX, Sat @GSW. Jimmy Butler III Mon PHX, Thu MIA, Sat ORL.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Franz Wagner | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 40.9 | 0.0 |
| Rebounds | 11.0 | 0.0 |
| Assists | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Steals | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Blocks | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Threes | 2.6 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 5.0 | 0.0 |
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: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.0.
9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 15th overall against 118th.
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Franz Wagner | Jimmy Butler III |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.0 | 37.4 |
| Minutes | 31.8 | 31.1 |
| PointsPTS | 20.5 | 20.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| AssistsAST | 4.7 | 4.9 |
| StealsSTL | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Threes3PM | 1.3 | 0.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 45.9% | 51.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 81.4% | 86.4% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.5 | 1.6 |
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 Franz Wagner playing tonight? · Is Jimmy Butler III playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Franz Wagner or Jimmy Butler III in Week 3?
Jimmy Butler III is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Franz Wagner. Franz Wagner has 2 games counted to 0 for Jimmy Butler III, for 70.0 projected fantasy points against 0.0. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -3.3, because his category mix is worth more there. Franz Wagner has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on. Franz Wagner's minutes are up: 37.7 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 31.8 on the board. Jimmy Butler III's minutes are down: 27.1 a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, against 31.1 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Franz Wagner or Jimmy Butler III?
Points leagues: Jimmy Butler III, 37.4 fantasy points per game to 35.0. 9-cat leagues: Jimmy Butler III again, 15th overall against 118th.
Who wins more categories, Franz Wagner or Jimmy Butler III?
Franz Wagner is ahead in 2 (points, threes); Jimmy Butler III in 5 (assists, steals, field goal percentage, 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