Welcome back! I missed the NBA. And I missed you, dear readers. Glad to have this space we can share together again.
It's been a bizarre opening week. Half of the first 12 games were double-digit blowouts, and four of last season's top-14 per-game fantasy producers missed Game 1. As opening weeks go, these complications mean we've learned less than we'd hoped, but we've still learned plenty. We can learn infinitely more from a single lopsided and injury-riddled regular season game than the entire preseason and training camp put together.
As you'd expect, the waiver wire is deep this week. Two players are stop-everything-go-now must-adds, and a whole lot more have attractive potential.
And, of course, our annual cautionary note: don't panic-drop your middle-round picks. Jonathan Kuminga and Jabari Smith put up disappointing stats in their first games, but there's a reason they were widely hyped by analysts and went inside the top 100 in every industry draft I was a part of. Smith, in fact, was also featured in this paragraph after an Opening Night dud last year – he finished the season safely inside the top 90, mildly beating expectations. Don't panic on earlier picks with tremendous upside after one disappointing night.
As we do every year, the players in this article must be rostered in less than two-thirds of CBS leagues. Players are listed in the order that I recommend adding them, assuming they are equally good fits for your team.
Double-check your league
Players rostered in more than two-thirds of leagues but who are still under-rostered. Double-check to make sure they aren't available in your league.
In many cases, these players qualified for this article before big opening night performances, meaning managers with once-weekly waiver runs are particularly likely to see these players still available.
Walker Kessler, Jazz (80% rostered)
Dereck Lively, Mavericks (71% rostered)
Jalen Suggs, Magic (80% rostered)
Brook Lopez, Bucks (77% rostered)
Cameron Johnson, Nets (75% rostered)
Jeremy Sochan, Spurs (69% rostered)
Andrew Wiggins, Warriors (81% rostered)
Ben Simmons, Nets (82% rostered)
Adds for all leagues
Dyson Daniels, Hawks (43% rostered)
Daniels started and played 35 minutes in the opener. Securing that massive role is, by far, the most important reason that Daniels is this week's top add. The fact that he was wildly productive – 15-5-2 with five steals, two 3s, and a block – is a nice bonus, but he'd be addable regardless. The 21-year-old former lottery pick was buried on the Pelicans' depth chart before coming to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray trade last summer. Daniels' per-minute productivity was mediocre, but earning the start and playing big minutes over a healthy Bogdan Bogdanovic likely implies that Daniels will get enough work to rack up stats. He's likely to be most helpful on defense, with low-ish scoring and decent rebounds and assists.
Note: I would prioritize Daniels over everyone listed in "double-check your leagues," except for Kessler.
Onyeka Okongwu, Hawks (61% rostered)
If the Hawks' minute distribution in their first game is indicative of what will happen all season, then calling Okongwu a must-add is underselling it. Fantasy managers have known about Okongwu's great per-minute productivity for years, pining for the day when he'd finally see a full workload. In the opener, he played 28 minutes off the bench, while starter Clint Capela played only 20. It's only one game, but it was a real game – and there was no blowout, foul trouble, or injury to muddle the data. The Hawks' second game is Friday night at 7:30 ET. If you're reading this after that game, and Okongwu once again saw 28-ish minutes while Capela played 22 or fewer, then go ahead and flip him ahead of Daniels for this week's top pickup.
Note: I would prioritize Okongwu over Wiggins and Simmons, listed in "double-check your leagues" above.
Mark Williams, Hornets (62% rostered)
Williams (foot) will miss the second game of the season, an ominous start after playing in just 62 games combined through his first two seasons. That said, waiver pickups are free, and he's really productive when he plays. Last season, he averaged 13-10 with 1.1 blocks and 0.8 steals in just 26.7 minutes. Especially if you have an IR spot, add Williams, stash him, and then add someone else.
Note: I would prioritize Williams over Wiggins and Simmons, listed in "double-check your leagues" above.
Norman Powell, Clippers (63% rostered)
The Clippers are short-staffed. With Kawhi Leonard (knee) out indefinitely and P.J. Tucker permanently away from the team, they lack rotation players. We learned Wednesday that part of their plan to replace all of those players is to just give all their minutes to Powell. He played 40 in the opener, tying teammate James Harden for the third-most by any player so far this season. With that many minutes, it would be hard to avoid making a fantasy impact. Powell should score a lot while also helping in 3s and steals.
Note: I would prioritize Powell over Wiggins and Simmons, listed in "double-check your leagues" above.
Rui Hachimura, Lakers (52% rostered)
Hachimura took over as a starter shortly before the All-Star break last season. Over those final two months of the season, he averaged 16-5-1 with 1.8 3s in 31 minutes per game while shooting 56-45-76. If the 35 minutes he played in the opener is indicative of a further increasing role, then Hachimura should easily flirt with the top 100, and that's without factoring in any improvement for the 26-year-old.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Warriors (46% rostered)
Another player who took over as a starter late last season and carried that promotion into the new campaign. He averaged 11-8-2 with 2.4 stocks in 25.4 minutes in his 11 full-time starts, and his opening night workload mirrored that. Jackson-Davis was drafted in most industry leagues, and his roster rate is much higher on other host sites – he's only so widely available because CBS had an unusually low default rank on him in their draft room. He's highly likely to reach a near-universal roster rate within a couple of weeks.
Yves Missi, Pelicans (25% rostered)
The Pelicans probably have the worst center depth chart in the league. It's just Daniel Theis, Missi, the 21st pick in last June's draft, and Karlo Matkovic. Matkovic was a late second-round pick in 2022 who spent last season in the G-League and made his NBA debut in the final minute of Wednesday night's game. Theis started but played only 19 minutes to Missi's 23. Missi was having a good game, and the margin was somewhat small, so we'll need to keep watching to see if this pattern continues. But if it does, Missi could emerge as an excellent source of defensive stats. In the "actions speak louder than words" department, Missi was the first player in this column that I actually went out and added in my own competitive leagues (in part because the players listed above were already rostered).
Andre Drummond, 76ers (55% rostered)
When Joel Embiid is out, Drummond needs to be in lineups. It's that simple. I don't think Drummond will have much utility while Embiid is playing, hence Drummond's low-ish placement in this column. But he's a must-start any time Embiid is out, and we already know Embiid (knee) will be out on Friday.
De'Andre Hunter, Hawks (40% rostered)
Despite foul trouble, Hunter still managed 26 minutes in an opening night start. That's a great sign for a chronically underrated Fantasy contributor. Hunter has popped up in this column repeatedly over the past two seasons, averaging basically 16-4-2 with nearly two 3s while playing around 30 minutes per game. His workload in the debut implies another season of a similar role, which means another season of rosterability for as long as he can stay healthy. After Missi, Hunter was the second player I added in my own leagues this week.
Bilal Coulibaly, Wizards (47% rostered)
It was kind of unfair for the Wizards to kick off their schedule against the Celtics. The two teams are just in completely different classes. But one of the few bright spots in their merciless drubbing was Coulibaly, who put up 8-6-6 with a steal in 30 minutes. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was solid production and a lot of minutes against a great opponent. It might not turn into anything, but this is the sort of performance that can easily build into a breakout campaign.
Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers (10% rostered)
Generally speaking, I think the fantasy basketball community underrates the "he's just a good player" factor, especially when it comes to surprising players like Camara. A good recent parallel is Herb Jones, who, like Camara, was a defense-first, second-round pick who surprised everyone by forcing his way into a large rotation role as a rookie. That undeniability usually matters. Camara isn't as good as Jones, but he is a good defender who has earned a large role in the rotation. He played 30 minutes as a starter in the opener, though, granted, that was without Shaedon Sharpe (shoulder) and Matisse Thybulle (knee). Sharpe is the more serious threat, so we'll see what happens when he returns (expected in about two weeks). Even with that looming threat, however, I like Camara as a flier to see if he can maintain this workload and what happens to his numbers as he continues to improve.
Other recommendations: Al Horford, Celtics (54% rostered); Nikola Jovic, Heat (23% rostered); Tre Mann, Hornets (25% rostered)
Not adding yet
Dalton Knecht, Lakers
Knecht barely did enough to warrant a blurb, but he was the most popular pickup on CBS this week after playing a larger-than-expected 16 minutes on opening night, so I wanted to address him. It is an excellent sign that Knecht appears to be starting the season firmly in the rotation. The rookie sharpshooter could be a solid contributor if he earns a larger role. But first, he'll have to hold onto these minutes once Jarred Vanderbilt (foot) returns). Knecht's surprisingly lengthy appearance Tuesday increases his dynasty appeal. But he's droppable if you drafted him in a standard-sized league.
Another of the week's most popular pickups that need to be dropped. It is very exciting to see Ball back in action after nearly three years away. If he ever gets anything near full health and a full workload, he'll be rosterable. But he played 14 minutes in the opener.
Injured players wrongly getting dropped
Keep an eye on the transaction page in your league – the following injured players have seen their roster rates fall meaningfully over the past week. As evidence of these players' value, all of these players were selected well inside the top 100 in recent industry drafts. Let other managers' impatience be your benefit.
Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder (71% rostered) – out at least four more weeks
Trey Murphy, Pelicans (66% rostered) – out at least two more weeks
Ausar Thompson, Pistons (50% rostered) – out indefinitely
Deep league special
Toumani Camara, Trail Blazers (10% rostered)
Just making sure you noticed that Camara is 10% available. His blurb is in the "adds for all leagues" section.
Miles McBride, Knicks (21% rostered)
McBride was the clear sixth man for the Knicks on Opening Night. The blowout was obvious early, so it's unclear how many minutes that will translate to during a competitive game – but, historically, it's been a profitable position under substitution-challenged coach Tom Thibodeau. Last season, in the 20 games where he played between 19-33 minutes, he averaged 11-2-2 with 2.1 3s and 1.1 steals (while averaging 24.9 minutes). If he is, in fact, firmly entrenched as the sixth man, then that strikes me as a realistic and possibly slightly conservative expectation of what we might see from him moving forward.
Other recommendations: Bruce Brown, Raptors (8% rostered); Dean Wade, Cavaliers (1% rostered); Derrick Jones Jr, Clippers (5% rostered)
