Fantasy basketball advice and projections for Opening Night
More Teams. More Games.
Eric Moody breaks down his three favorite prop bet recommendations for the Lakers-Nuggets and Suns-Warriors matchups. (1:42)
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Memes and hoops dreams are back. The wait is over, real NBA action ensues after another busy offseason rife with superstars (i.e., Damian Lillard), stars (Bradley Beal), and specialists (Marcus Smart) shifting addresses. The dust hasn’t settled with so many new-look schemes and rotations, which means we need to relearn the league’s altered landscape.
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Tuesday’s two-game slate is the appetizer for Wednesday’s stacked schedule. Even though it’s a limited player pool for DFS and streaming candidates, the matchups couldn’t be more marquee or meaningful. The night begins with a revenge narrative; the Los Angeles Lakers in Colorado to face the reigning champion Denver Nuggets. A series of offseason barbs between these two squads drives anticipation for a game that has Denver positioned as fairly sizable favorites.
This matchup bears some telling outcomes: Can anyone slow down Nikola Jokic? It’s safe to assume not. I’m most interested in how Michael Porter Jr. looks to open the campaign, especially as he has been somewhat of an afterthought in most fantasy formats.
Can LeBron James sustain his ageless high-end production? What will Austin Reaves and the Lakers’ complementary crew look like on this stage? Questions abound.
Arguably just as fun is this tilt in San Francisco between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors in a game that oddsmakers deems too close to call as the spread approaches a pick on most books. Craving more narratives? We got you. Chris Paul faces his former team while playing for his former nemesis. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson bring continuity to the court, while we’ve still barely seen Kevin Durant and Beal align with the new-look Suns.
Enjoy the games, you’ve earned it.
— Jim McCormick
This segment nominates three key streaming options ahead of that day’s action. A streamer, by our standards, is a player available in at least half of ESPN men’s fantasy basketball leagues.
Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors (Rostered in 30% of ESPN leagues): Possibly lost in the build-up to this Warriors season is the potential leap Kuminga could make; he’s had a brilliant preseason playing more minutes given Draymond Green‘s ankle injury. Green, after all, has been ruled out ahead of tonight’s action.
Rui Hachimura, Lakers (20.3%): The Lakers suddenly have a collective of athletic ‘tweeners between Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Christian Wood. Here’s the thing; Vanbderbilt opens the season sidelined by a heel injury, which could vault Hachimura, who matches up with Aaron Gordon‘s skill set, into an important spot role this evening.
Nassir Little, Suns (0.5%): This a deep cut aimed at, well, deep leagues. There’s also some DFS juice to consider with Little, who could surface as a big part of the team’s rotation. A top-heavy roster has made the Suns target a number of upside-driven prospects such as Little. If preseason tea leaves mean anything, Little’s bounce and confidence could earn him minutes.
BPI and fantasy projections powered by ESPN Analytics. Players available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues are listed in italics.
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets
7:30 p.m ET, Ball Arena, Denver
Injury Report:
Lakers: Jalen Hood-Schifino, (Out – Knee); Jarred Vanderbilt, (Out – Heel)
Nuggets: None reported
Note: Projections account for players who are ruled out but assumes GTD players will play
Lakers projections:
LeBron James, SF/PF: 47.9 FPTS (25.0 pts, 7.9 reb, 6.1 ast, 2.0 3PM)
Anthony Davis, PF/C: 41.4 FPTS (23.0 pts, 12.1 reb, 2.2 ast, 2.0 blk)
D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG: 24.6 FPTS (12.9 pts, 2.7 reb, 3.8 ast, 2.1 3PM)
Austin Reaves, SG/SF: 23.0 FPTS (11.8 pts, 3.2 reb, 2.9 ast)
Gabe Vincent, PG: 19.1 FPTS (10.2 pts, 2.0 reb, 1.8 ast, 1.9 3PM)
Rui Hachimura, SF/PF: 16.7 FPTS (9.1 pts, 3.2 reb, 0.9 ast)
Cam Reddish, SG/SF: 15.5 FPTS (8.9 pts, 2.2 reb, 1.3 ast)
Nuggets projections:
Nikola Jokic, C: 60.3 FPTS (27.3 pts, 13.0 reb, 9.3 ast)
Jamal Murray, PG: 45.8 FPTS (25.5 pts, 4.8 reb, 6.3 ast, 2.8 3PM)
Aaron Gordon, PF: 30.5 FPTS (16.8 pts, 6.7 reb, 2.3 ast)
Michael Porter Jr., SF: 28.7 FPTS (14.8 pts, 6.4 reb, 1.4 ast, 2.6 3PM)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, SG/SF: 23.7 FPTS (12.1 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.5 ast)
Christian Braun, SG: 15.2 FPTS (8.1 pts, 3.5 reb, 0.9 ast)
DeAndre Jordan, C: 12.5 FPTS (5.2 pts, 3.8 reb, 0.7 ast)
Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
10 p.m ET, Chase Center, San Francisco
Injury Report:
Suns: Bradley Beal, (GTD – Back); Devin Booker, (GTD – Toe); Damion Lee, (OUT – Knee); Ish Wainright, (GTD – Calf)
Warriors: Draymond Green, (O – Ankle)
Note: Projections account for players who are ruled out but assumes GTD players will play
Suns projections:
Devin Booker, SG/SF: 49.9 FPTS (29.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 5.9 ast, 2.2 3PM)
Kevin Durant, SF/PF: 46.4 FPTS (27.0 pts, 6.9 reb, 4.6 ast, 1.8 3PM)
Bradley Beal, PG/SG: 35.1 FPTS (20.0 pts, 3.5 reb, 4.6 ast)
Jusuf Nurkic, C: 22.3 FPTS (10.7 pts, 6.4 reb, 2.2 ast)
Keita Bates-Diop, SF: 20.0 FPTS (10.9 pts, 3.8 reb, 1.3 ast)
Eric Gordon, SG/SF: 18.2 FPTS (9.6 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.5 ast)
Drew Eubanks, PF: 18.0 FPTS (7.6 pts, 6.0 reb, 1.2 ast, 1.4 blk)
Warriors projections:
Stephen Curry, PG: 51.9 FPTS (27.8 pts, 5.2 reb, 6.3 ast, 4.5 3PM)
Andrew Wiggins, SF/PF: 34.2 FPTS (20.0 pts, 5.7 reb, 1.9 ast, 2.2 3PM)
Chris Paul, PG: 33.8 FPTS (14.5 pts, 3.9 reb, 6.1 ast)
Klay Thompson, SG/SF: 31.8 FPTS (19.2 pts, 3.8 reb, 1.7 ast, 3.9 3PM)
Kevon Looney, PF/C: 19.5 FPTS (5.9 pts, 8.5 reb, 1.8 ast)
Cory Joseph, PG: 19.3 FPTS (10.3 pts, 2.2 reb, 2.3 ast)
Gary Payton II, PG: 14.6 FPTS (6.2 pts, 3.9 reb, 0.8 ast)