After some chaotic scheduling over the last couple of weeks, the league has spread the wealth for seven days. We have no double-digit game days and only one where you’re guaranteed to have open lineup spots. There are fewer games in general, which unfortunately means that some teams drew the short straw and won’t be making much of an impression.

There are four two-game teams next week. If you have multiple players on those teams or your roster foundation is on those squads (we’ll get to it in the schedule breakdown), you’re going to be at a disadvantage. At the end of the day, any head-to-head league is a game of volume. You’ll have to work extra hard to stay competitive but that’s just how life goes sometimes. There will be teams who got the luck of the draw, with players who just happen to have four games this week, and there’s nothing you’re able to do about it outside of streaming. Some teams will have it, and some teams won’t.

We’re starting to see the same thing around the league as teams start to establish themselves. Some teams have all the vibes, like Cleveland, who were undeterred by Evan Mobley missing Friday’s game and still rolled to a win. Some teams don’t, like the Bucks, who are scrapping and clawing just to get out of the basement. For some, like the Warriors, major offseason overhauls have yielded big gains on the court. Injury-wise it’s even worse, though that kind of thing levels out over time more often than not. Unfortunately, for teams like the Raptors and Pelicans, the timing, volume and magnitude of the injuries they’ve faced means that the season might already be over. That’s not a huge deal in Toronto, but New Orleans is already facing a tall task in the vicious Western Conference, and their fate could be sealed before the full lineup ever gets a chance to play together.

As time passes, we’re figuring out who the NBA’s Haves and Have-Nots are. Fantasy managers will figure that stuff out this week, but at least we’ll get a clean slate next Monday morning.

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