The fantasy basketball season formally tips off Tuesday evening with a pair of intriguing NBA games!
Plenty of managers will continue to draft over the next week or two due to the unusually early start to the season, so there is still time to join or create a league. And our fantasy basketball draft kit not only will help you dominate any upcoming drafts, but it also has plenty of in-season and DFS strategy from our experts to help you win.
Before the sneakers hit the hardwood, we asked our experts to make some bold predictions for the fantasy hoops season ahead. Let's tip it off!
Dennis Smith Jr. is not just the most valuable rookie, he is the best one outright
From a prospect point of view, he reminds me a lot of Eric Bledsoe. His size and other-worldly athleticism make him the prototype for successful point guards in today's NBA, and I think his jump shot can be effective enough from Day 1 to stretch defenses. Bledsoe's current ADP is 40, and his stat line from his first season as a regular starter (17.7 points and 10.2 assists-plus-rebounds per game) would have finished in that neighborhood on our Player Rater last season.
Smith's rookie upside is in that vicinity, and if he can achieve that, I think, given what it took to acquire him on draft day, Smith will prove to be the most valuable rookie this season -- and it wouldn't shock me if he were the top rookie on our Player Rater when all is said and done -- Kyle Soppe
D'Angelo Russell finishes as a top-10 point guard
Hyped as a true breakout candidate last season, only to finish 28th at the position on the Player Rater, I'm predicting Russell will finish as a top-10 fantasy point guard. This proves bold, given how amazingly deep and productive the position proves in what is a golden era of guard play. For some positional context, Russell would have to become production peers with the likes of Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry and Bledsoe to flirt with top-10 status.
The Nets' breakneck offense led the NBA in possessions per 48 minutes last season, and coach Kenny Atkinson affords his guards rare freedom to shoot from beyond the arc. He's not your traditional high-assist point guard, but I think the scoring upside and shooting volume in Brooklyn marries well with Russell's unique offensive skill set. -- Jim McCormick
Ricky Rubio will finish ahead of Blake Griffin and Klay Thompson on the Player Rater.
Rubio is about to post a top-30 campaign. And no one is talking about it! Post-Dante Exum injury, there's officially no one this side of Donovan Mitchell ready to stake a claim to anything outside of mop-up point guard minutes from Rubio.
Without Gordon Hayward, Utah needs a new offensive identity. He'll be asked to score more than he did in Minnesota. He should easily surpass last season's average of 0.8 3-pointers per game (which matched his career high). Don't underestimate what a change of scenery can do for a player's statistical prospects. Rubio is primed to sneak ahead of multiple big names and post one of the most underrated fantasy campaigns of the past five seasons. -- John Cregan
Justin Holiday ends up being a top-70 player on the Player Rater
You're probably thinking, who? Or ... Jrue? No, we're talking about Jrue Holiday's older brother, Justin, who has bounced around the league and served as an athletic 3-and-D type for the Warriors, Hawks and Knicks in recent years. Now he's in Chicago, and that's the reason why I'm such a believer in the 28-year-old.
If you haven't looked closely around the NBA this season, the Bulls have far and away the least-talented roster. Gone are Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade, Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson, and this is a team that's going to need to find someone who can log big minutes and put the ball in the hoop.
Holiday is capable of doing just that, and if he plays 30 minutes a night, like I think he will (especially while Zach LaVine is out), he's going to be a strong contributor in terms of points, 3s and steals, while also chipping in with some rebounds and assists. -- Joe Kaiser
Justin Holiday will lead the Bulls in scoring
Someone has to, right? After allowing Wade to bolt, it's Holiday who is penciled in as Chicago's shooting guard. The journeyman has had some big preseason games recently because the Bulls don't have other options to score.
He averaged nearly eight points per game with the Knicks last season and played in all 82 contests as well, and Holiday has a reputation for being an athletic scorer who doesn't exactly do much in the rebounding or passing departments. The Bulls need someone to rely on during their many pending losses until LaVine is healthy, but he might be out until at least Christmas recovering from his knee injury.
Holiday is primed to average 18 points per night, and if he decides to rebound as well, he can provide fantasy owners with a line similar to what Rudy Gay has provided in the past. Dare to dream! -- Eric Karabell
Tim Hardaway Jr. will average more than 20 PPG
Aside from Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks have a serious lack of scorers on their roster now that Carmelo Anthony is a member of the Thunder. Some of the better options like Enes Kanter and McDermott may ultimately be better served as bench players, and that's going to leave Hardaway with the opportunity to get buckets.
He averaged 14.5 PPG last season in just over 27 minutes a game with the Hawks, and after signing a huge deal paying him $17.7 million a year over the next four seasons, the Knicks are going to be asking him to be one of their top scorers.
He the scoring ability and the experience to average 20 this season while playing in an underwhelming Knicks backcourt that includes the likes of Ramon Sessions, Courtney Lee, Ron Baker and rookie Frank Ntilikina. -- Joe Kaiser
Joel Embiid will average more than 25 minutes a night, play in 60-plus games and finish the season in the top 20 on the Player Rater.
For every five games Embiid plays over the 50 mark, we can push him up another five spots on the Player Rater. A top-20 Embiid means 60-65 games played.
Even if his minutes per game are limited in the 25-28 MPG range, Embiid will still put together plenty of production. The reason: usage rate. I don't expect Embiid to match last season's sky-high usage rate of 33.6 -- Ben Simmons should siphon away some touches -- but Embiid will pack in his numbers at a second-rounder rate. -- John Cregan
Brook Lopez will end up as a top-20 player
Lopez gets knocked for being a 7-footer who was outrebound by guards last season, but he's averaged at least 20 points per game three of the past four seasons, and that doesn't figure to change much with the Lakers, a deeper team desperate for a post presence.
Lopez is the rare player combining blocked shots and 3-pointers, as he became a major threat in the latter statistic last season, and while it compromised his field goal percentage a bit and ate into his offensive rebounding numbers, it didn't hurt his fantasy value. In fact, Lopez could produce like Porzingis, but at far better acquisition value.
Lopez is reliable with the percentages and should see his rebounds jump back to seven per game. He hits 3s. Durability questions have been answered. Watch him exceed expectations yet again. -- Eric Karabell
Derrick Favors will be a top-10 power forward
If my Russell call isn't bold enough for you, since he's being selected as nearly a top-50 player in ESPN draft results, then how about Favors finishing as a premier power forward?
The Utah big man was limited by injuries throughout last season but has an awesome opportunity to reclaim his perch as an elite rim protector and savvy post scorer this season. Blocks are a distinctly scarce stat relative to the other categories, while Favors' career average of 1.3 per game blends well with his strong scoring and rebounding rates.
It's all about staying healthy for Favors to meet value, but given he's found in the 12th round and even later in ESPN leagues, there is a great deal of profit available for those willing to join me in this daring prediction. -- Jim McCormick
Thaddeus Young will be among the 10 most popular players on title winners this season
He's being left undrafted in more than 70 percent of leagues, and I just don't get it.
Last season, the versatile Young was able to be a top-80 player despite a career worst FT% and a usage rate that ranked 139th (behind the likes of Joakim Noah and Bobby Portis).
It may feel like Young has been around forever (he kind of has been), but this is just his age-29 season, something the casual fan is probably unaware of.
I think his career average stat line is a very reasonable projection this season, and a repeat of his 2015-2016 campaign is a possibility -- outcomes that would again have him finishing the season as a starter-worthy option despite being undrafted in many leagues. -- Kyle Soppe
