The first month's schedule, where Denver plays 11 games and 13 teams play 14
Over the first four fantasy weeks, from October 19 to November 15, thirteen teams play 14 games, Denver plays 11 with no back-to-backs, and Philadelphia opens with four games in week one.
By Matt · 3 min read
Nikola JokićDevin BookerTyrese MaxeyPhotos: NBAFreeThe NBA schedule does not hand every team the same number of games each week, and the first month of 2026-27 is unusually uneven. Across the first four fantasy weeks, which run Monday to Sunday from October 19 to November 15 on the calendar ESPN, Yahoo and Sleeper all use, thirteen teams play 14 games, nine play 13, seven play 12 and Denver plays only 11. In a head-to-head league those weeks are four matchups decided in part by how many games your lineup gets, and a three-game gap at a single roster spot is roughly three nights of a starter's production.
Every count here comes from the published 2026-27 schedule, the same file the Weekly Slate reads. The schedule is not a reason to draft a worse player, because the gap closes over the season and the fantasy playoffs have their own shape. It is a sound reason to break a tie between two players of similar value, and a reason to plan your streaming around the light weeks before they arrive.
| Team | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Total | Back-to-backs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 4 |
| Atlanta | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 3 |
| Cleveland | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 3 |
| Oklahoma City | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 3 |
| San Antonio | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 3 |
| Philadelphia | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 2 |
| Phoenix | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 2 |
| Portland | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 2 |
| Brooklyn | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 3 |
| Denver | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 0 |
The other seven teams on 14 games are Dallas, Houston, Indiana, the Lakers, Milwaukee, Utah and Washington. Sacramento is the only team besides Denver with no back-to-back in the first month.
Denver's slow start
Denver plays two games in week one and three in each of the next three weeks, and it has no back-to-back in that stretch, so Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray give their managers 11 games where a player on Atlanta or Oklahoma City gives 14. Jokić is still the first pick on both of our boards and on both consensus lists, and three games do not change that. They do mean a Jokić manager should expect to be short on games in the opening weeks and should use their bench and waiver spots to make up the volume, particularly in week one, when Denver plays twice.
Phoenix, Portland and the light weeks
Phoenix plays only twice in each of the first two weeks before four games in each of weeks three and four, so Devin Booker and Jalen Green start slowly and then run hot. Portland plays twice in week one, Boston, Cleveland and Phoenix do too, and Brooklyn and Minnesota play only twice in week four. A manager who drafts two or three players from those teams should know which weeks their lineup will be thin and plan pickups for those weeks rather than reacting once they arrive.
The busy teams
Philadelphia is the only team with four games in the opening week, which gives Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid managers an early start, though Embiid's own availability matters more than his team's schedule. Oklahoma City, San Antonio and New Orleans finish the month with four games in each of weeks three and four, and New Orleans plays four back-to-backs, the most in the league. Back-to-backs matter most for players who rest on the second night, and a team that plays four of them is a team where a rest-prone player is more likely to sit.
What to do
On draft day, use the first month only to separate two players you rate equally, and prefer the one on a 14-game team. After the draft, open the Weekly Slate each Monday: it counts every team's games for the week, names the light nights where a streamer will reach your lineup, and shows your matchup against your opponent's games once your league is synced. The playoff weeks are a different picture again, covered in the fantasy playoff schedule.
Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.
