Dan Titus Fantasy analyst Wed, October 21, 2026 at 5:14 PM UTC · 7 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 2026-27 NBA season tipped off with a bang, giving us a three-game slate that began in the afternoon with a classic Eastern Conference matchup and concluded with a battle between two juggernauts in the Western Conference.
In between, we caught a glimpse of what the Sixers could be, and how hard it'll be for the Knicks to repeat as champs.
Here are my fantasy basketball takeaways from NBA Opening Night.
Paul George scored 38 points (12-21 FG, 7-8 FT) with 5 rebounds and 3 assists in just 31 minutes. He also hit 7 3s and had 5 steals, totaling 60.5 fantasy points. Dominant on both ends, George couldn't have had a better debut for Boston. That 35% usage rate is unsustainable and speaks to how reliant the C's were on George on opening night.
Jayson Tatum went the other way, shooting 6-of-23 (0-of-7 from 3) for 13 points, but he still had 11 assists, 4 rebounds and 32 fantasy points. It's encouraging to see his usage was near 29%, and the shots will fall. He has a penchant for shooting contested jumpers — and won't let up on those — so low-efficiency nights will happen. He should get to the cup more, but either way, it's a prime buy-low spot for someone panicking, and you could argue it is a perfect sell-high opportunity for George.
Quick hits: Derrick White (17 points, 8 assists, 1 steal and 4 turnovers) and Payton Pritchard (17 points with 4 rebounds in 27 minutes) both had solid outings, not great ones. Both guards were passive, given that Tatum and George accounted for 55% of Boston's shot attempts. Still, I'm not concerned about either of their fantasy values.
Duncan Robinson (21 points with 5 3s) and Javonte Green (19 points off the bench, plus-21) helped the Pistons rally back from 22 points in a comeback win over the Celtics.
Jalen Duren scored 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting and grabbed 9 rebounds with a 2 stocks in just 28 minutes. He was a force all game and is showing no signs of rust despite missing most of the preseason in a contract standoff. Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists and 2 stocks. Three of Cade's eight dimes went to Duren, showing that this elite duo hasn't missed a beat. Cunningham had 5 turnovers, which will always hamper his 9-cat status, but 40 fantasy points and 39 from Duren are still good numbers.
Quick hits: Ausar Thompson stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists and 1 steal in 33 minutes. He also made all three of his free-throw attempts. W.
John Collins was underwhelming in 25 minutes, scoring 6 points, grabbing 5 rebounds with a steal. It was good to see him get backup center minutes behind Duren, though.
Waiver guys: I'd consider Duncan Robinson for Sunday's matchup against the Sixers if you need 3s and points to win. It's a seven-game slate, the third-lowest of the week.
Joel Embiid shot 4-of-15 but still got 13 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, for 46.2 fantasy points. His defense carried his second-half performance, though he also took a reckless shot late, an all-too-familiar bonehead play. Hopefully he realizes he doesn't need to do that much: stay healthy, rebound, defend, don't flop and don't make bad business decisions.
Tyrese Maxey looked like the 1A, with 28 points, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 40 minutes, equating to 56.3 fantasy points. 6 stocks is ridiculous for a guard. Can't believe people were concerned about him.
Quick hits: LeBron James had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 stocks and 1 turnover. Jaylen Brown balled out in 34 minutes, scoring 19 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 stocks. VJ Edgecombe had 9 points on 4-of-10 in 35 minutes. I warned about his usage and opportunity, and the first game he looked like I expected. Ten shots won't cut it, and without an injury to the other four starters, nights like this will be common.
Waiver guys: Anfernee Simons? He scored 13 points with three 3s in 25 minutes. Since the Sixers play three more games this week (including a back-to-back) on the lightest slates, I would pick him up for scoring and 3s like Robinson.
Jalen Brunson shot 6-of-19 (32 percent) and 1-of-3 from 3 for 21 points. He went 8-of-8 at the line, adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, with no stocks in 34 minutes. His 29.5 fantasy points fell short of expectations, but his 28% usage rate held. Karl-Anthony Towns was efficient but was limited by foul trouble: 19 points on 6-of-9, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 4 turnovers in 24 minutes. No concerns from a fantasy perspective.
Quick hits: OG Anunoby had a rough shooting night, going for 10 points on 3-of-12 from the field and 1-for-9 from 3. Josh Hart had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Mikal Bridges had a forgettable game, with 4 points on 2-of-8 shooting with 3 boards and no stocks.
Waiver guys: Andre Drummond had 12 points and 14 rebounds, but don't trust it. KAT was in foul trouble, and when Drummond gets 13 shot attempts, it's probably good for the opposing team. If you're down on rebounds heading into Sunday, he's an option, but don't expect this level of output.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looked like he was in mid-season mode, netting 32 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks in 36 minutes. He and Paul George were the only players to top 60 fantasy points on Tuesday night. His usage rate was 33%. Most impressively, he did this to the Spurs with just 4 free-throw attempts. Pretty flawless game for a consensus top-four fantasy pick.
Quick hits: Jalen Williams went 5-for-16 from the field for 12 points and 7 rebounds. He looked rusty in his first game back. Chet Holmgren had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. It was good to see him play 30 minutes; hopefully that sticks. Holmgren held up much better tonight than he did in Game 7 of last season's Western Conference Finals.
Waiver guys: Ajay Mitchell versus Cason Wallace: Mitchell won the first round in minutes and production, with 23 minutes, 5 rebounds and 6 assists to Wallace's 19 minutes and 6 points on 3-of-8. For now, keep them both rostered in 12-team leagues.
Aday Mara made highlight plays, blocking Wembanyama, running the floor and finishing an alley-oop. That said, he shouldn't be rostered in 12-team leagues unless Isaiah Hartenstein or Chet Holmgren gets hurt, because 12 minutes isn't enough, but his size and impact in limited minutes earned him a spot on the watch list.
Jared McCain, on the other hand, is worth scooping for points and 3s. He had 20 points with six 3s in 22 minutes. Plus, he'll play Thursday and Sunday, so he'll likely fit into your lineups.
Victor Wembanyama shot an abysmal 1-of-13 from the field, scoring 12 points (10-12 FT) with 13 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 assists, for 49.1 fantasy points. It was by far the worst shooting performance of his career. We won't see games like this often, so fantasy managers can expect a strong bounce-back on Friday.
Quick hits: San Antonio put De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper in the starting lineup, and all three guards produced. Castle led the way with 27 points on 9-of-21 (5-of-12 from three) with a surprising 35% usage rate. Fox had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and a steal on 6-of-9 shooting, while Harper had 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Each finished with 30-33 fantasy points.
Waiver guys: Julian Champagnie is a good short-term streamer. In 30 minutes, he scored 8 points with two 3s, but added an unexpected 3 blocks. He had 28 fantasy points in his debut and is rostered in 21% of leagues.
Source: Sports
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