Jaden McDaniels or Santi Aldama? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), SFs ranked 14th and 17th 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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- FP/G
- 29.9
- 9-cat
- #103
- Last 10 FP
- 27.8
Out (Knee)
4 games in Week 3
Week 3 pick in 9-cat leagues.
The Week 3 call
Santi Aldama is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands.
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Jaden McDaniels. Jaden McDaniels has 3 games counted to 0 for Santi Aldama, for 89.2 projected fantasy points against 0.0.
9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -0.2, because his category mix is worth more there.
Jaden McDaniels's minutes are up: 34.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 32.1 on the board.
Santi Aldama played 28.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 27.9 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 | Jaden McDaniels | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 0 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 0 |
| Games, Week 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 34.5 (last 5) | 28.0 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 32.1 | 27.9 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 15.2 | 12.3 |
| Injury | None listed | Out (Knee) |
| Projected fantasy points | 89.2 | 0.0 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.2 | 0.0 |
Schedule: Jaden McDaniels Mon MIL, Wed @HOU, Fri @NOP, Sun UTA. Santi Aldama Mon SAC, Wed @SAS, Fri UTA, Sun BKN.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | Jaden McDaniels | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 46.5 | 0.0 |
| Rebounds | 14.6 | 0.0 |
| Assists | 9.0 | 0.0 |
| Steals | 3.0 | 0.0 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 0.0 |
| Threes | 4.3 | 0.0 |
| Turnovers | 5.3 | 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: Santi Aldama, 29.9 fantasy points per game to 29.7.
9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 63rd overall against 103rd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Jaden McDaniels vs Santi Aldama: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | Jaden McDaniels | Santi Aldama |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 29.7 | 29.9 |
| Minutes | 32.1 | 27.9 |
| PointsPTS | 15.5 | 14.0 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.9 | 6.7 |
| AssistsAST | 3.0 | 2.9 |
| StealsSTL | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.9 | 0.7 |
| Threes3PM | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Field goal %FG% | 52.0% | 47.9% |
| Free throw %FT% | 79.3% | 66.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 1.8 | 1.3 |
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 Jaden McDaniels playing tonight? · Is Santi Aldama playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start Jaden McDaniels or Santi Aldama in Week 3?
Santi Aldama is listed Out (Knee) on Sleeper, so his projection counts no games while that stands. Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start Jaden McDaniels. Jaden McDaniels has 3 games counted to 0 for Santi Aldama, for 89.2 projected fantasy points against 0.0. 9-cat leagues: Santi Aldama instead, 0.0 category value for the week to -0.2, because his category mix is worth more there. Jaden McDaniels's minutes are up: 34.5 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 32.1 on the board. Santi Aldama played 28.0 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2025-26, in line with his 27.9 on the board.
Who is better for the season, Jaden McDaniels or Santi Aldama?
Points leagues: Santi Aldama, 29.9 fantasy points per game to 29.7. 9-cat leagues: Jaden McDaniels instead, 63rd overall against 103rd, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Jaden McDaniels or Santi Aldama?
Jaden McDaniels is ahead in 5 (points, steals, blocks, field goal percentage, free throw percentage); Santi Aldama in 3 (rebounds, threes, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 2:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number