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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.

 




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tyler Soderstrom

Returns to A's Lineup
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Sidelined on Wednesday with Toe Injury
Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
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CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks

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