André SnellingsNov 3, 2025, 01:52 PM ET
- Dr. André Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. André has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a writer and analyst for Rotowire.
Even though it is early in the season, we have already seen a slew of injuries to big name players that have changed team rotations and opened up opportunities for teammates to step in to fill the breach.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks is the most recent star player to be sidelined, joining a veritable All Star team’s worth of absences. Young players are also making their marks in the league, showing that they have the chops to produce more at the NBA level than they have in the past.
Let’s look deeper to identify a group of lightly-rostered players that deserve more attention and can help your fantasy hoops squads.
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Point guard
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Cole Anthony, PG, Milwaukee Bucks (48.9% rostered in ESPN leagues): Anthony has been getting consistent minutes and production as the sixth man for the Magic. He’s an instant offense scorer but has also shown himself capable of solid all around numbers. He is a plus assist contributor and also notches contributions in steals, rebounds, 3-pointers and even blocks.
Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (26.9%): Podziemski has alternated between starting and coming off the bench this season, but in either role has proven himself capable of double-digit scoring, plus steals, plus 3-pointers and solid rebound/assist numbers. He is right on the edge between a fantasy streamer and a low-flex play in deeper leagues.
Shooting guard
Ryan Rollins, PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks (48.9%): Rollins blasted into the fantasy landscape last week when he followed up a 25-point effort against the Knicks with 32 against the Warriors. He has stepped into the starting point guard slot with Kevin Porter Jr. sidelined, and is proving that he has definite every-game starter upside while in that role.
Bilal Coulibaly, SG/SF, Washington Wizards (21.7%):Coulibaly made his season debut last week after missing the first several games due to a thumb injury. He responded by immediately joining the Wizards starting lineup, moving Bub Carrington to the bench, and dropping 16 points with strong peripheral numbers in only 24 minutes. Coulibaly was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and was picked based on his upside as a young wing with star potential. The Wizards are deep in their rebuild, and Coulibaly should get every opportunity to show what he can do this season.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Atlanta Hawks (33.9%): Alexander-Walker has alternated between sixth man and starting, getting about 30 MPG in either role. He most recently moved into the starting lineup when Young was injured, and immediately notched his first 20-plus point scoring effort. Alexander-Walker is a consistent upper-teens scorer whether starting or not, with strong defensive and shooting numbers and solid contributions to assists and boards.
Quentin Grimes, SG, Philadelphia 76ers (27.8%): Grimes was a breakout star last season when almost the entire 76ers starting lineup was injured. He is coming off the bench this season but still getting more than 30 minutes per game early. At that level of minutes, he has shown himself to be a near-20 PPG contributor with plus rebounds, assists and especially 3-pointers. His role could shrink when Paul George or Jared McCain return, but in the meantime Grimes is proving he should be rostered whenever he’s getting 30 MPG.
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Quentin Grimes fights off defender for and-1
Quentin Grimes fights off defender for and-1
Small forward
Tari Eason, SF/PF, Houston Rockets (38.0%): Eason struggled in his first two games of the season, but since has returned more to his expected value. In his third game, he dropped 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in 26 minutes off the bench. While the scoring was a bit higher than expectation, Eason does project to a middle-teens scorer with a 3-and-D skillset and solid contributions in rebounds and assists.
Simone Fontecchio, SF, Miami Heat (3.4%): Fontecchio is a shooter. Pure and simple. He only averages just over 20 MPG, but in those minutes he’s on the court to knock down open looks from behind the arc. And he does that well, averaging more than three 3-pointers per game and thus notching double-digit points scored. His biggest fantasy value is as a consistent source of 3-pointers in category leagues.
Editor’s Picks
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De’Andre Hunter, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers (28.4%): Hunter missed the first two games of the season due to injury, but since his return he has slotted right back into his typical role and production. Whether starting or coming off the bench, Hunter can be relied upon for upper-mid teens scoring, a handful of rebounds and a couple of 3-pointers per game. This season he has teased an uptick in assists, though the bulk of those assists came in one game against the Pistons. He has the opportunity to dish the ball when he’s playing without Darius Garland and sometimes Donovan Mitchell, and if he adds that consistently it would give him another layer of fantasy hoops value.
Power forward
Jabari Smith Jr., PF/C, Houston Rockets (39.1%): Smith has held onto his starting role even as the Rockets have experimented with moving Steven Adams into and out of the starting unit. Smith is a plus scorer with upside to tease into the 20’s at any time, like he did when dropping 25 against the Raptors last week. He also is good for a handful of rebounds, strong defensive numbers, mainly steals so far this season, though he has a shot-blocking pedigree, and plus 3-point shooting from the power forward slot.
P.J. Washington, PF, Dallas Mavericks (42.3%): Washington has quietly flirted with a double-double in just about every game this season. While Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg get much more attention, Washington also remains in the starting lineup and averages in the upper-high teens as a scorer with almost 10 boards, two combined steals and blocks and almost two 3-pointers per game. His upside is higher when Davis is out, but either way his floor and base production have stayed roughly the same thus far this season.
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P.J. Washington denies vs. Detroit Pistons with stuff
P.J. Washington denies vs. Detroit Pistons with stuff
Center
Neemias Queta, C, Boston Celtics (21.9%): Queta projected to be a nightly low-double-double threat with plus defensive numbers, and thus far that is precisely what he has been. He’s a high-efficiency finisher around the rim, and his 70% free throw shooting on low volume doesn’t really hurt those in category leagues all that much. All-in-all, Queta is a rosterable fantasy center in a year where there seem to be fewer of those than usual.
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