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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Impact: Making Sense Of The New-Look 76ers

Justin Carter looks at the offseason moves by the Philadelphia 76ers and what those moves will mean for fantasy basketball managers ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season.

The 2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers are going to look a lot different than the team that they were last season.

Gone are Al Horford and Josh Richardson, the two big additions last offseason. New faces in Philly include Danny Green, Seth Curry, Dwight Howard, and rookie Tyrese Maxey. But as of now, two key things remain the same for new head coach Doc Rivers: Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are the leaders of this team.

Figuring out how this Sixers squad works will be important for anyone planning to draft Philly players in fantasy, so let's take a look at how things will likely shakedown this season.

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!

 

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris Return

Three big names remain in Philly this season: Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris.

In our current 9-Cat rankings, Embiid comes in 15th, then Simmons is just behind at 23, while Harris is at 51.

Honestly, there's not a lot to say about Embiid and Simmons. As long as we're giving up on the illusion that Simmons will suddenly start taking threes, we have a pretty good idea of what both guys are.

Embiid is a sometimes-injured big man who is going to shoot between 46 and 48 percent from the field. He'll score in the mid 20s most nights, will average a double-double, and should see a slight uptick in blocks to around 1.6 per game. He'll give you solid assist numbers, and he'll probably take a few more threes than you want him to while shooting in the low 30s on them. He'll do a very obvious pump fake from the arc then drive inside for two once per game and every time you'll be amazed it worked. Maybe his scoring average goes up a tiny bit -- more on that later in the article.

As for Simmons, his field goal percentage has gone up each year, but at 58 percent last year there likely isn't much more room for growth. He'll probably average around 17 points per game -- his career high is 16.9 -- and probably won't average 2.1 steals again, though something like 1.7 or 1.8 is easily within reach. He'll also give you around eight boards and eight rebounds per game. He'll take a three once every 10 games or so. Again, just not a lot of surprises should be expected with Simmons.

Harris, though. With Horford gone, Harris should be back at the four full-time instead of starting at and playing a lot of minutes at the three. That's a spot that makes a lot more sense in terms of modern NBA team building.

A big thing that should improve is his three-point shooting. With more spacing, we'll likely see a number that climbs back closer to 40 percent, which he'd been trending towards before last year's 36.7 percent. We should also see one or two more rebounds per game, and maybe a slight uptick in scoring. Assists could go down. Overall, Harris will be a solid player, though as the third option, his ceiling will be slightly limited.

 

How Danny Green and Seth Curry Fit On The Wing

Shooting!

Better shooting should help this entire team out, but that doesn't mean these two are great fantasy options on their own.

We're higher on Curry, who comes in at 120 in our rankings based on the assumption that he'll be the starting two. That's a role that Josh Richardson held last year and got 11.7 shot attempts per game in, including 4.5 threes on 34.1 percent shooting. Curry shot 45.2 percent from deep and has shot 42.5 percent or better in each of his full NBA seasons. Slide him into the same role that Richardson had, and Curry can averaged 15 points per game. He won't do a ton else, but he'll be a cheap source of points, threes, field goal percentage, and potentially steals.

We're much lower on Green, who took a step back last year in Los Angeles. Can he get back to being a 40-plus percent shooter from deep in his age-33 season? Would it even matter if it wasn't accompanied by an increase in volume, as he's averaged under 10 points per game in all but three of his NBA seasons?

Probably not. Green's still got the ability to be a solid player when it comes to helping the real life 76ers, but he's not going to contributing much to the fantasy squads who draft him.

 

Can Tyrese Maxey Break Into The Rotation?

Right now, Shake Milton enters the season as the backup point guard for Philly.

I like Milton. A lot of Sixers people like Milton. He played 40 games last year, averaging 9.4 points and 2.6 assists per game, plus shot 43 percent from behind the arc.

But Tyrese Maxey, the 21st pick in this year's draft, should be able to carve out a role at some point this year. He's an explosive athlete who can scorer on drives and has great touch in the paint. His defensive ability will also help him find minutes, as he can defend strong at the point of attack.

His lack of shooting is an issue, but he's flashed some ability at lower levels to shoot, even if he struggled at Kentucky.

But anyway, this is a fantasy article, so let's not spend much time on the Sixers backup point guard role. Maxey might crack the rotation, but he's unlikely to have a fantasy impact outside of some ultra-deep leagues. His potentially playing time is capped by Ben Simmons being the starting point guard, as there's not much you can do as a backup when you have a point guard as good as Simmons starting.

 

Dwight Howard: Should We Care?

Howard's role seems pretty well-defined this year: he'll back up Joel Embiid. Howard isn't Al Horford, so don't expect the Sixers to put out two-center lineups like they did last year, when Horford's stretch ability theoretically made that idea make sense, even if that pairing had issues last year.

Embiid should benefit from playing as the lone center. When he shared the floor with Horford last year, he shot 46.9 percent, a number which rose to 48 percent when Horford was off the floor. Improved spacing has Embiid trending up.

Anyway, this section is about Dwight Howard.

His role last year saw him play in 69 regular season games with two starts, averaging a career-low 18.9 minutes per game with 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.

So, to answer the question posed in the headline? We probably shouldn't care too much about Howard from a fantasy perspective, because his minutes are likely to drop a bit more backing up Embiid, who will average around 30 minutes per contest. Howard likely slots in around that 18 per game mark from last year, though some potential Tony Bradley minutes could drop him a bit more. He's worth a late round pick because he can provide rebounds and a high field goal percentage, but his role really limits his upside.

Where Howard's value comes in is when Embiid sits, whether due to injury or rest. It'll happen, and in those games where Howard slides into the starting lineup, he should see a big increase in value.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Dominates Targets in Seattle, Records 124 Receiving Yards in Week 1
Puka Nacua

Leads Rams in Targets, Catches, and Receiving Yards in Week 1
Logan O'Hoppe

Exits After Concussion Scare, Status Remains Unclear
Christian McCaffrey

Logs 31 Touches in Season Opener
Travis Etienne Jr.

Dominates Backfield Touches in Jacksonville, Posts Monster Day
Jayson Tatum

"Moving Around Way Better"
Russell Wilson

Giants Won't Commit to Russell Wilson as Week 2 Starter
Drake London

Day-to-Day with Shoulder Sprain
George Kittle

and Jauan Jennings to Undergo MRIs
Jake Moody

49ers to Evaluate Kicker Position After Jake Moody Struggles
Evan Engram

Questionable to Return Against Titans
Daniel Palencia

to Miss Time With Shoulder Injury
Jauan Jennings

Questionable to Return With Shoulder Injury
Emeka Egbuka

Scores Twice in NFL Debut
Aaron Rodgers

Throws Four Touchdowns in Week 1
Justin Fields

Scores Three Times in Loss
Daniel Jones

Excellent in Colts Debut Sunday
Puka Nacua

Clears Concussion Check, Returns to Game
George Kittle

Scores TD Before Being Ruled Out With Hamstring Injury
Puka Nacua

Taken to Locker Room for Concussion Evaluation
Brock Bowers

Expected to be Fine, No Injury Concerns
Byron Buxton

Exits Early With Knee Contusion
Drake London

Injures Shoulder, Questionable to Return
Trea Turner

Suffers Hamstring Strain
Brock Bowers

Questionable to Return in Week 1
Jonathan Taylor

Exits Game With Apparent Injury
Ryan Blaney

Should Contend at Gateway
Denny Hamlin

Fastest in Qualifying, the Favorite to Win at Gateway
Christopher Bell

Looking for Redemption at Gateway
Joey Logano

Has Been Elite at Gateway
Austin Cindric

Should Be On Your Radar at Gateway
AJ Allmendinger

Could Be a Sleeper Again at Gateway
Tyler Reddick

Southern 500 Near-Miss Makes Tyler Reddick a Stronger Option for Gateway
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace a Likely Gateway Contender
Alex Bowman

a Long Shot to Advance in Playoffs
Austin Dillon

Richard Childress Racing Looks Slower at Gateway, Which Will Hurt Austin Dillon
Shane Van Gisbergen

Starts 18th in Gateway Debut
Ty Gibbs

Toyota Speed May Help Ty Gibbs at Gateway
Brad Keselowski

Probably the Best DFS Place-Differential Option
Chris Buescher

May Have Qualified Too Well to Start for DFS
Kyle Busch

If Kyle Busch Contends Anywhere, it Could be at Gateway
NASCAR

John Hunter Nemechek Could Benefit From Toyota Speed Like he Did at Darlington
Michael McDowell

Slow Hendrick Setups Will Likely Slow Michael McDowell at Gateway
Bubba Chandler

to Make First Start on Sunday
Samuel Basallo

Exits Early with Hand Injury
Jeremy Swayman

Ready to Get Back on Track
Connor McDavid

Aiming for More Goals
NJ

Luke Glendening Signs Tryout Deal With Devils
Pete Crow-Armstrong

Leaves Early on Saturday After Fouling Ball Off his Knee
Dylan Harper

Hoping to be Ready for the Opener Versus Dallas
EDM

Derek Ryan Retires From Hockey
Connor Zary

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Flames
Carey Price

Canadiens Trade Carey Price to Sharks
Bobby Witt Jr.

Dealing With Back Spasms
Bobby Witt Jr.

Exits Early on Friday
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Placed on Injured List With Quad Strain
Tyler Glasnow

Scratched on Friday With Back Tightness
Rasmus Hojgaard

Finishes Tied For Second at Omega European Masters
Tyrrell Hatton

Finishes Tied for 32nd at LIV Indianapolis
Matt Fitzpatrick

Finishes Fifth at Omega European Masters
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied For Second in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Xander Schauffele

Finishes 42nd in 2025 FedEx Cup Standings
Tyler Glasnow

Scratched From Friday's Start for Undisclosed Reasons
Shohei Ohtani

Returning to the Mound on Friday
Kyle Finnegan

Lands on Injured List With Adductor Strain
Aaron Judge

Returns to Right Field on Friday
Willson Contreras

' Suspension Reduced, to Start Serving it on Friday
Kodai Senga

Mets Send Kodai Senga to Triple-A to Get Right
Caio Borralho

Set For A Title Eliminator Bout
Nassourdine Imavov

Looks To Earn A Title Shot
Mauricio Ruffy

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Set For UFC Paris Co-Main Event
Modestas Bukauskas

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Paul Craig

In Dire Need Of Victory
Mason Jones

Set for Main-Card Bout
Bolaji Oki

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Rhys McKee

Set To Open Up UFC Paris Main Card
Axel Sola

Alex Sola Set To Make His UFC Debut
Pablo López

Pablo Lopez Expected to Return on Friday
Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Exits With Knee Contusions
Will Smith

Unlikely to Play This Weekend
Shohei Ohtani

to Pitch on Monday
Jon Rahm

Looks to Prove His Importance on European Ryder Cup Team
Tommy Fleetwood

Among Leaders of European Ryder Cup Team
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Close to Triple-Double Versus Serbia
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Fills Box Score Against Turkey
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Shakes Off Minor Injury
E.J. Liddell

Inks Two-Way Deal With Nets
NBA

Ben Simmons Reportedly Considering Retirement
P.J. Washington

Agrees to Four-Year, $90 Million Extension
Sepp Straka

Gets Captain's Pick to Join Team Europe
PGA

Victor Hovland to Make Third Ryder Cup Appearance for Team Europe
J.J. Spaun

Set to Represent Team USA for First Time at Bethpage
Russell Henley

Makes First Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Harris English

Named to Ryder Cup Team for Second Time
Justin Thomas

Making Fourth Ryder Cup Team Appearance at Bethpage
Ben Griffin

Making First Career Ryder Cup Appearance at Bethpage
Bryson DeChambeau

Set to be Part of Team USA at Bethpage
Santi Aldama

Bags Double-Double in Losing Effort
Guerschon Yabusele

Erupts for 36 Points Against Poland
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia Into Next Round at EuroBasket
San Antonio Spurs

Stanley Umude Signs Training Camp Deal With Spurs
Reece Beekman

Joins Magic for Training Camp
Justin Minaya

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Magic
Alexandre Sarr

to Miss Rest of EuroBasket
Jared McCain

"On Pace" for Training Camp
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP