X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Atlantic Division Fantasy Basketball Preview

Justin Carter previews the teams in the NBA's Atlantic Division for fantasy basketball impact, breakouts, stars, and sleepers.

It might seem like the NBA season just ended, but we're just a month away from the start of the 2018-2019 NBA season! Time flies in basketball world.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be bringing you division-by-division analysis of the upcoming NBA season and providing you with some fantasy nuggets for each NBA team that can help you make the best decisions as you head into your fantasy basketball drafts.

Today, I'll be looking at the NBA's Atlantic Division.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Atlantic Division Fantasy Preview

Boston Celtics

How does Gordon Hayward fit into this team?

Last year, the NBA world was deprived of seeing Gordon Hayward in a Celtics uniform for more than just a few minutes. I remember excitedly rushing home from work to watch the game, thinking "I'm only going to miss, like, a little over half the first quarter," and then opening up Twitter while walking up the stairs to my apartment and seeing the Hayward video. I'm not a Celtics fan, but it was still a deeply sad moment.

But Boston still ended up as the second seed in the East. Hayward comes back this year and will re-enter this starting lineup, but what kind of numbers will he put up? Depending on the development of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and h0w well Hayward recovers in terms of movement and speed, he's anywhere from the second option offensively to splitting shots with everyone not named Kyrie Irving. I think he's worth the risks in fantasy if you're able to get him outside of the top-50, but if Hayward starts to sneak up the rankings I'd be wary.

Don't forget Terry Rozier

Terry Rozier went from being the butt of all the "lol, Ainge wouldn't trade Terry for LeBron" type jokes to a solid NBA player last year when Kyrie Irving was out. While Irving being back and Hayward's return takes away shot opportunities from Rozier, he should be the team's best bench scorer and a solid fantasy play should any of Boston's starting backcourt pieces miss time.

Brooklyn Nets

Who will be the breakout player on this team?

There's not a ton of confidence when it comes to rating the individual pieces of this Nets team, which makes sense because Brooklyn isn't some awe-inspiring team when taken as a whole -- they'll be closer to the playoffs than to the bottom of the East, but will they be able to sneak into the postseason?

Still, there's fantasy value on every NBA team, especially ones where the players are so far down the board. The top rated Nets player on Yahoo! is Jarrett Allen at 46, but after that is D'Angelo Russell (71), Allen Crabbe (82), and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (113). But there are two names I'm keeping my eye on, especially at their current ADP. Caris Levert (148) should continue to improve as a scorer and a passer this season in head coach Kenny Atkinson's system and while he's coming off the bench for Brooklyn, he should be one of their most impressive performers. And then there's DeMarre Carroll down at 180, which seems like a good value for a starting stretch-four in the modern NBA. There's some unpredictability with Carroll because his contract is expiring and he could be a trade piece, but as long as he's in Brooklyn he'll play an important role.

Who'll be left out of the rotation?

One player that I love in Brooklyn but hate when it comes to his fantasy value is Shabazz Napier. Theoretically, he could excel as an off-ball shooter for this team, but the guard rotation is crowded and Napier could be the odd man out for now, though there are heavy whispers that a Spencer Dinwiddie trade could happen, which would make things easier for Napier. Still, I'm fading him in fantasy for now despite the strong shooting numbers he could potentially bring, but keep an eye on him as the season goes along.

New York Knicks

What's the value of New York's rookies?

Kristaps Porzingis will miss the first half of the season while recovering from an ACL tear, so the Knicks are going to be a very bad basketball team. The good news? We should see rookies Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson to varying degrees. I don't like Robinson's fantasy upside this year -- he showed out during Summer League, blocking shots and finishing efficiently around the basket, but he's a raw prospect who could see a lot of playing time in the G-League this year. Knox, though, can play both forward spots, spots up well, runs the floor, switches defensively -- he's going to do a lot in New York this season.

Tim Hardaway Jr. or Courtney Lee?

Yahoo! has Tim Hardaway Jr. ranked 73rd and Courtney Lee ranked 186th. While Hardaway averaged 5.5 points per game more than Lee, Lee had him beat in field goal percentage and free throw percentage and the players were nearly equal in assists, steals, and blocks per game. Lee's a really good value at this point, especially if you're getting your consistent scoring elsewhere.

Philadelphia 76ers

The second year of Ben Simmons

Yes, the fact that Ben Simmons does not shoot three pointers but will cost you a late first or early second round pick limits some of the things your team can do, but you can make up for that by either going heavy on the shooters in the next few rounds or by ignoring three pointers all together and focusing on the other categories. Simmons, entering his second NBA season, showed the ability to contribute in virtually every other facet of the game last season and should be better this year. Simmons was 13th in field goal percentage last year, fifth in assists per game, eighth in steals per game, 18th in rebounds per game -- he's a well-rounded player. His free throw shooting needs to improve, but getting a player who can help you this much in field goal percentage while also giving you passing is rare, with the list of guys in the top 20 of both categories consisting of Simmons, LeBron James, and no one else.

Finding value from a shallow bench

I'm covering the Sixers for another site this year, and my big worry after spending a lot of time looking up and down this lineup is the bench. Markelle Fultz has a ton of potential if his broken shot gets fixed, Wilson Chandler brings some solid production but may also be on the downswing of his career, and young players like Zhaire Smith, Shake Milton, and Furkan Korkmaz seem too green to be major contributors yet. One name I want to keep an eye on, though, is backup power forward Mike Muscala, who Yahoo! has ranked 230th right now. Muscala could get a lot of playing time in this frontcourt and has the shooting chops to create mismatches if Philadelphia uses him as stretch five in super small lineups. (Muscala also shot 91.9 percent from the free throw line last year.)

Toronto Raptors

Where are we ranking Kawhi?

Kawhi Leonard presents a lot of the same question marks that Gordon Hayward does, albeit with a different level of talent behind those questions, but I think that talent gives us an easy answer to the questions -- a healthy Leonard should play at the same level he did in San Antonio. He could end up even more efficient playing next to a point guard, Kyle Lowry, who is better than anyone he would have played with in San Antonio last season. I've seen most rankings about Leonard sitting just outside the top-10 and I am ALL about drafting him in that range if I'm picking there. I get the hesitance, but all signs suggest that the issues that plagued him last year are in the past.

Is Jonas Valanciunas underrated?

Here are Valanciunas's career stats per Basketball Reference:

Those last four seasons are #CONSISTENT. I really like knowing that you can draft someone as your second center and know exactly what he'll give you. I also like that the one thing that changed last season was that Valanciunas started stepping out on the perimeter more, hitting 40.5 percent from deep on one attempt per game. While the small sample we're working with there could very much turn out to just be noise, it's still an added bonus to drafting the Lithuanian big.

 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Back in Action to Begin Second Half
Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF