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Atlanta Hawks
Jalen Johnson has looked extremely good in preseason, although his flashy per-minute numbers are tied to 87.5 percent shooting from deep. He looks locked in as the Hawk’s second option and could hit 20 PPG this year. He’s a nice target towards the end of the third/at the beginning of the fourth. He has second-round upside.
Dyson Daniels looks like he’s going to start beside Trae Young. That’s not a surprise. He will be an elite source of steals who chips in on the boards and in dimes. He’s a great late-round target for most builds. He has also looked better on the offensive end during preseason than he did in New Orleans.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has only played one game during preseason. It looks like he’ll come off the bench. That hurts his upside and he’s been bumped down in the rankings, but he still has a great shot at 30 MPG which would put the top-50 in play in friendly builds.
Zaccharie Risacher has looked ahead of schedule. He could eventually turn into a nice points, threes, boards, and steals option. He’s fine as a late-round flier and should be drafted in deep leagues.
Kobe Bufkin has had a very nice preseason after not doing much as a rookie. You don’t need to draft him, but keep an eye on him early in the year. He could be a pickup later in the season if the Hawks run into injury issues.
Onyeka Okongwu is back after missing the early part of preseason with a toe issue. He’s likely to start the season behind Clint Capela. He should be drafted around pick 100. Keep an eye out for news on Capela’s knee. It flared up this week. If he has to miss some early-season games, that could open up a path to a starting spot for Okongwu. One of the more realistic ways for Okongwu to leapfrog Capela is for OO to go off during a stretch when Capela is injured.
Boston Celtics
Luke Kornet has been ahead of Xavier Tillman. That’s something to keep in mind as Al Horford will get plenty of rest days this year. He’ll be a strong streaming option whenever Horford and Kristaps Porzingis are out.
Payton Pritchard has looked extremely good in preseason and will likely have a larger role this year with Kristaps Porzingis out until December or January. He’s viable as a final-round pick in 14+ team leagues and will be a must-start whenever one of the top options is out.
Kristaps Porzingis has said he is aiming for a December return. That’s possible given his timeline, but we should always take comments like this with a grain of salt. Injured players often overstate how close they are to returning.
Brooklyn Nets
It looks like the Nets are going with a double point guard lineup. It sounds like Dennis Schroder is going to start beside Ben Simmons. Schroder is likely going to be just an assists streamer this year. He’s fine as a final-round pick, but in most cases, I would chase a higher-upside option. Simmons is just a late-round flier as well and should only be targeted if you play in leagues with multiple IL+ spots. The Nets have no reason to push him.
The double point guard lineup makes it less likely we see Cam Thomas’ assist rate spike this year. That somewhat limits his upside. He’s solid at his ADP in punt FG% but iffy there in other builds.
Noah Clowney has been getting some buzz and has looked decent in preseason, but the role doesn’t look like it’s going to be there early. He’s behind Dorian Finney-Smith and is unlikely to see minutes in the high 20s. He’s fine as a final-round pick but you will likely have better options. He’s probably going to be a clear 12-team player at some point this year, but likely not right away.
Charlotte Hornets
LaMelo Ball has been taking a ton of threes in preseason. He is likely going to flirt with 4.0 3PG this season. The FG% hit will be huge, but it can be offset, so he’s not a punt FG%-only option. The turnover hit is more of a problem. He is a player I’ve moved up in the rankings as preseason has moved along. That is less about LaMelo and more about the other options in that range. Almost every player around the 1/2 turn and in the second comes with a fair amount of risk and most of those players don’t come with a ceiling as high as Ball’s.
Brandon Miller has looked like the Hornets’ second option during preseason, although the team hasn’t pushed Bridges too hard, so we can’t lock that in just yet. Bridges is still very solid in round five or six. His rebounds/threes combination is very useful. There are not a lot of players in his range who can be plus-contributors in both categories. Miller is solid in six, but he is somewhat risky due to his short track record. If you take him in that range, try to pair him with a friendly build like punt FG% or punt assists.
Josh Green will probably start, but keep an eye on Tre Mann and Tidjane Salaaun. Both have had nice preseasons and could come for Green’s minutes soon. Mann will also be a nice option if LaMelo’s ankles act up. Salaun is raw, but has looked better than expected on offense. Late in the season, he could be a decent source of threes, boards, and steals.
Nick Richards will fill in for Mark Williams if Williams isn’t ready to go for the opener. He’s a strong short-term streamer in all leagues.
Chicago Bulls
Zach LaVine looks like his normal self. He’s very tempting at his ADP. The Yahoo rankings are pretty tight this year and there are not a lot of opportunities to find great value inside the top 100. LaVine is an exception. He could be a fourth-round player who comes at a sixth-round price. I’m skeptical he gets moved. Teams have been hesitant to take on his contract in the past.
Coby White’s usage has held up well beside LaVine and Josh Giddey. It’s sitting at 22.5 percent which is where he landed last season. I’ve bumped him up slightly in the rankings but he is still likely to take a hit this year because he probably won’t play 37 MPG again.
Nikola Vucevic has also been doing his usual thing this preseason. His demise in fantasy has been exaggerated. He is a very solid pick in rounds five or six, especially in builds like punt FG% and punt blocks. There is some late-season rest risk here, but not a ton. One of the Bulls, Raptors, and Hornets are going to make the play-in with the Bulls being the current favorite.
Patrick Williams has looked like Patrick Williams. That’s not a good thing. There are more interesting threes, steals, and blocks options available late. Taylor Hendricks and PJ Washington are two examples. Matas Buzelis will likely come for his minutes sooner rather than later. Buzelis is a decent flier in deep leagues.
Ayo Dosunmu doesn’t look like he’s going to have a big enough role to be useful in fantasy leagues. He’s just a handcuff for the starting guards.
Lonzo Ball looked shockingly good in his first game back but we can’t draft him outside of Roto. He’s going to sit a ton of games and his minutes are likely going to get stuck in the low 20s.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland is playing a little faster this year. That has helped Evan Mobley in preseason. His usage is up and so is his offensive output. Even though he will continue to be held back by the Cavaliers’ current roster construction, I would expect at least a small jump on offense.
Jaylon Tyson has posted some solid per-minute numbers. He won’t have a big role early but could be a useful injury replacement at some point. He has as Roto-friendly game and can produce useful numbers in most of the counting categories.
Detroit Pistons
Jaden Ivey has been a pleasant surprise. He’s been playing more on-ball and the results have been very good. He’s fine as a 13th-round pick in 12-team category leagues, but I wouldn’t go higher than that since his game is still a very poor fit for the settings. Even if he breaks out and puts up some big popcorn numbers, he could end up as just an RJ Barrett type. In points leagues, he’s a great target just outside the top 100. His upside is significant in that setting.
Cade Cunningham has had an up-and-down prseason. He posted a monster line against the Suns but has posted a couple of duds. He’s fine in three in punt FG%. In other builds, there will be better options in that range most of the time.
Isaiah Stewart is going to spend more time at the five this year. That could be an issue for Jalen Duren. I don’t love Duren at his fifth-round price. There’s not a lot of room for upside there and a fair amount of room for downside.
Ron Holland has shown some nice flashes. If Ausar Thompson is out for a while, he could be a solid steals streamer who helps on the boards.
Ausar Thompson is fine to draft late if you play with multiple IL spots. We are still waiting to get additional information on his situation.
Indiana Pacers
Andrew Nembhard is starting beside Tyrese Haliburton. Nembhard has received some hype because of his strong postseason play, but from a fantasy standpoint, I don’t see the appeal. He’s more of an intangibles type of player than a box score stuffer.
Pascal Siakam hasn’t played a ton this season, so the Pacers have been able to give Jarace Walker a look. Walker has looked solid and should be watched. He had a very fantasy-friendly game in college. He could be a deep league option if he ends up in a mid-20s role at some point.
Ben Mathurin has done his points and not much else act. He’s looked good, but the nature of his game makes him a player who is hard to get excited about. He’s likely going to be just a points streamer this year.
Miami Heat
Bam Adebayo has averaged 3.3 3PA through four games in just 20.0 MPG. I doubt that 3PAr holds during the regular season, but it does seem like the three-ball is finally here. He could be in the 1.0+ 3PG range this year. The increased threes and dip in FG% that will follow makes him a nice target for punt FG%.
Kel’el Ware has not played a ton. He’s looked good, but it seems like he’s going to be stuck in a mid-teens role early in the year. He’s just a deep-league flier.
Nikola Jovic looks like the favorite to start at the four. He likely won’t play enough to be useful outside of deep leagues. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a better option in 12-team leagues in the final round, although he’s not a high-upside option.
Terry Rozier has struggled in preseason but his usage rate has been good. He’s a hard player to peg. He could be just a top-100 option when the Heat are healthy who turns into a top-65 option when they are not.
Milwaukee Bucks
Gary Trent survived an injury scare and looks locked in as the Bucks starting two-guard. If his steal rate bounces back, he could be a mid-round player. He’s a great target late for any team in need of threes and steals. He is usually available in the final round.
Bobby Portis has been a per-minute monster in his three preseason appearances. He’s being slept on a bit this year. His minutes and production went up under Doc. He was a top-65 player over the final two months of 23/24. He’s an especially nice target in Roto where you can sit him during stretches where his minutes aren’t where they need to be.
Khris Middleton will be sidelined to start the year. There isn’t an obvious pickup besides Trent. Pat Connaughton and Taurean Prince should split his minutes. Both are just threes streamers.
New York Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns’ rebounds and blocks are back. He’s averaged 10.7 RPG and 0.7 BPG in just 24.0 MPG in preseason. He’s locked and loaded as a second-round pick, although he is not a great partner for injury-prone players in round one. He’s stayed healthy just once over the past five seasons and Thibs is Thibs.
Josh Hart has had a very quiet preseason, but that’s nothing to worry about. We know what he can do in a mid-30s role and we know he is going to have some stretches this year where he plays 40+ MPG. You may need to be patient with him at points, but that patience should pay off. He’s a nice late-round target for most builds.
Miles McBride has been sporting a very healthy usage rate. He’ll pick up some minutes and usage with Donte DiVincenzo in Minnesota. He’s not worth a late-round pick, but he’ll be a must-grab at points this year.
Precious Achiuwa looks like he’s going to have a decent role for the Knicks. He’ll be a nice rebounds streamer who becomes a must-grab when Towns is down.
Orlando Magic
We haven’t seen much of the Magic in preseason. Wendell Carter picked up an ankle injury, but it looks like he’s going to be ready for the opener. I would not bother with Goga Bitadze just yet.
Jett Howard isn’t going to play a ton, but it does look like he may be in the rotation. It’s possible he ends up as a solid threes streamer at some point this year.
Jonathan Isaac has barely played. He has a shot at around 20 MPG this year. He’s not a bad deep league option in leagues with IL+ spots. In 12-team leagues, he’s viable as well, but you will likely have better options in the 13th round.
Philadelphia 76ers
The big news here is that both Joel Embiid and Paul George are expected to sit during back-to-back sets. That’s not surprising in Embiid’s case, but it is a development that takes a decent bite out of George’s appeal. Embiid is still viable in the first. In a perfect world, we’d take him in the second, but with the end of the first being a disaster this year, there aren’t many clearly better gambles. George is best left for the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth. The news puts Tyrese Maxey back in the second-round conversation. He’s fine around the 2/3 turn.
Kelly Oubre will be the Sixer to grab whenever George sits. He’ll be a strong points, threes, and steals option on nights when he’s a featured player.
Andre Drummond was already a must-draft in Roto before the Embiid news. In H2H, he’s viable in 12-team setups, but he’s not a great option. In 14+ team H2H leagues, he should be rostered.
Toronto Raptors
Gradey Dick looks like he’s taken a bit of a jump. That’s not too surprising now given that he’s been playing with the starters. He struggled early and late in his rookie year playing beside bench options but excelled in the middle of the year when he was playing with proper NBA talent. He’s worth a look in the 13th round if you need points and threes. His steal rate will determine whether or not he’s a long-term hold. It was very good at Kansas and has been solid in preseason but was MIA during most of his rookie year.
RJ Barrett is iffy for opening night. In category leagues, he’s just a flier. In points leagues, he’s a mid-round pick.
Immanuel Quickley hasn’t played yet but should be ready to go soon.
Jakob Poeltl has looked very good. He should be at least a top-50 player in builds punting a guard category. The question is what happens late in the season.
Scottie Barnes’ usage rate has been enormous, but with Quickley and Barrett out, we can’t read too much into that.
Washington Wizards
Alex Sarr looks like he’s going to be a top-end source of swats right out of the gate. He’s averaged 1.7 BPG in just 22.9 MPG. He also had an elite block rate in Summer League. I love him as a late-round target in punt FG%, but he works well on any team in need of blocks. The offense will come and go, but as long as the blocks are excellent, holding him will be a fairly pain-free experience.
I didn’t have much interest in Bilal Coulibaly before preseason, but his strong preseason play has put him in late-round flier territory in category leagues. He’s averaged 9.0 PPG, 0.7 3PG, 5.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG, and 1.0 BPG in 26.0 MPG.
Jordan Poole is playing the one which is great news for his fantasy value. However, he’s also struggled badly during preseason. He’s fine in the middle rounds in punt FG%, but in other builds, he makes me nervous, especially with the Wizards likely to shut down some of the top options early this year.
Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George will be in the rotation, but neither will play enough to be useful. They are just players to put on your watch list.