LaMelo Ball or Trae Young? Week 3
Who to start in fantasy basketball in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), PGs ranked 13th and 15th at the position, compared on 2025-26 and 2026-27 per-game production.
Updated Nov 3, 12:36 AM ET. Rechecked every 30 minutes.
Parlae may earn a commission from price links.
- FP/G
- 35.4
- 9-cat
- #60
- Last 8 FP
- 31.7
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 LaMelo Ball. Both have 3 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 35.4 fantasy points to 35.1.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball again, -0.0 category value for the week to -2.6.
Trae Young has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on.
LaMelo Ball played 28.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 27.1 on the board.
Trae Young's minutes are up: 35.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 28.7 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 | LaMelo Ball | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 3 | 3 |
| Back-to-backs | 0 | 1 |
| Games, Week 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Minutes, last games | 28.1 (last 5) | 35.4 (last 5) |
| Minutes, board | 27.1 | 28.7 |
| Shots per 36, last games | 18.4 | 13.4 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 106.2 | 105.3 |
| Projected 9-cat value | -0.0 | -2.6 |
Schedule: LaMelo Ball Mon MIL, Wed @HOU, Fri @NOP, Sun UTA. Trae Young Mon @ORL, Wed ATL, Fri @ATL, Sat @OKC.
Projected totals for the games counted
| Stat | LaMelo Ball | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 54.8 | 56.1 |
| Rebounds | 13.0 | 7.4 |
| Assists | 20.6 | 25.9 |
| Steals | 4.2 | 2.7 |
| Blocks | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Threes | 10.5 | 5.4 |
| Turnovers | 9.3 | 8.0 |
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: LaMelo Ball, 35.4 fantasy points per game to 35.1.
9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball again, 60th overall against 89th.
LaMelo Ball vs Trae Young: the full comparison, per 36 and by punt build
Per game, side by side
| Stat | LaMelo Ball | Trae Young |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 35.4 | 35.1 |
| Minutes | 27.1 | 28.7 |
| PointsPTS | 18.3 | 18.7 |
| ReboundsREB | 4.3 | 2.5 |
| AssistsAST | 6.9 | 8.6 |
| StealsSTL | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| Threes3PM | 3.5 | 1.8 |
| Field goal %FG% | 40.3% | 43.6% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.2% | 83.8% |
| TurnoversTO | 3.1 | 2.7 |
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 LaMelo Ball playing tonight? · Is Trae Young playing tonight?
Your next move
Common questions
Should I start LaMelo Ball or Trae Young in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Nov 2-8): start LaMelo Ball. Both have 3 games left in Week 3 (Nov 2-8), so it comes down to per game: 35.4 fantasy points to 35.1. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball again, -0.0 category value for the week to -2.6. Trae Young has 1 back-to-back in Week 3, the nights rest days tend to land on. LaMelo Ball played 28.1 minutes a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, in line with his 27.1 on the board. Trae Young's minutes are up: 35.4 a game over his last 5 games of 2026-27, against 28.7 on the board.
Who is better for the season, LaMelo Ball or Trae Young?
Points leagues: LaMelo Ball, 35.4 fantasy points per game to 35.1. 9-cat leagues: LaMelo Ball again, 60th overall against 89th.
Who wins more categories, LaMelo Ball or Trae Young?
LaMelo Ball is ahead in 3 (rebounds, steals, threes); Trae Young in 5 (points, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, turnovers), per game.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number