NBA Fantasy: Start/Sit guide for Week 1 of 2023-24 season
Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson are two guards to consider starting in Week 1.
The 2023-24 NBA season is on the precipice of its tip-off Tuesday night, which means the first week of the Fantasy season is also upon us. We have a solid schedule to get us started, with the bulk of teams on three-game weeks to open the new campaign.
Each week, we’ll aim to highlight a pair of start candidates for your Fantasy rosters that may shape up as some of the tougher calls of the week to make, with the focus usually being on players with a start rate of 50% or less in Yahoo leagues. We’ll also typically hone in on players with four-game weeks in an attempt to maximize opportunities for production.
Likewise, we’ll spotlight one sit candidate at each position that would normally not be a consideration for a spot on your bench, with the focus there often on players with less game opportunities during the coming week.
TEAMS WITH THREE GAMES: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz
TEAMS WITH TWO GAMES: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
Without further ado, let’s examine some of the tougher start/sit decisions for Week 1:
Guards
Start: Jordan Clarkson, Jazz
41% start rate
Clarkson projects to open the season as the Jazz’s starting point guard over Collin Sexton on the heels of a career-best season, and he’ll have three games to further his grip on the role right out of the gate. The nine-year veteran put up averages of 20.8 points, 4.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds across 32.6 minutes over 61 games a year ago, and he’ll be poised to benefit from the high degree of continuity on Utah’s roster. Clarkson does have one new starting teammate to dish to in former Hawks forward John Collins, who could certainly help Clarkson’s assist numbers if he rediscovers the stroke that made him one of the better shooting big men in the league until last season.
Start: Ausar Thompson, Pistons
23% start rate
Rookies always carry a bit of unpredictability, particularly in their first few regular-season games, but Thompson seemingly offers a nice floor and will immediately fill a starting role for a Pistons team that could be one of the Eastern Conference’s most improved squads. The rookie fifth overall pick’s defensive skills have been evident throughout camp and preseason and have helped earn him a spot on the first unit, and both his Summer League and exhibition slate performances saw him flash some encouraging scoring and rebounding numbers. Thompson could also see some extra usage in his first few games, as Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) is out for at least Detroit’s regular-season opener against the Heat on Wednesday.
ALSO CONSIDER: Collin Sexton, Jazz (17% start rate)
Sit: Tyus Jones, Wizards
69% start rate
Jones will step into a full-time starting role in his new Washington digs, and he’s expected to be a key transitional player for a franchise in somewhat of a rebuild. However, the veteran won’t necessarily be counted on for as much offense as other ones around the league, not with the likes of Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma sharing the floor with him on the first unit. Additionally, Jones will have only two games to work with in his first week and will likely still be building some on-court chemistry with his new teammates, making him a Sit consideration to open the season.
Forwards
Start: Jeremy Sochan, Spurs
11% start rate
The buzz in San Antonio is naturally around another big man, but Sochan could start stealing some headlines of his own as early as the first week of the season. Coach Gregg Popovich announced that Sochan will open as the starting point guard after experimenting with the 6-foot-8 second-year pro at the position during preseason with success. Sochan showed plenty of potential as a 19-year-old rookie a year ago with 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 26 minutes over 56 games, and his numbers could naturally bump up across the board at his new position and with an increasingly talented core around him.
Start: Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers
33% start rate
Sharpe made a name for himself as a rookie last season with some explosive dunks and strong play off the bench, finishing the campaign with averages of 9.9 points (on 47.2 percent shooting, including 36.0 percent from three-point range), 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 22.2 minutes over 80 games. The 2022 seventh overall pick is now expected to be an important component of the post-Lillard era in Portland, opening the season as the starting small forward. Sharpe will certainly have plenty of competition for usage considering the talent that will surround him on the first unit, but he makes for a very viable starting option with three games to work with.
ALSO CONSIDER: Saddiq Bey, Hawks (37% roster rate)
Sit: Khris Middleton, Bucks
76% start rate
Middleton shouldn’t feature as a Sit recommendation very often, of course, but there are a couple of factors at play to open the season that earn him consideration for a seat on the bench. Perhaps the bigger of the two is the Bucks’ two-game week, which is always a ding on a player’s short-term fantasy prospects. However, in Middleton’s case, there’s also the fact he could be dealing with a good bit of rust over the first few games. The veteran wing played in only one preseason game after completing his recovery from offseason knee surgery, and he could therefore come out of the chute a bit less efficient than usual. Unless you’re short on three-game options, pivoting elsewhere for this week might be a prudent path to take.
CENTERS
Start: Ivica Zubac, Clippers
41% start rate
Zubac seems to be perennially underutilized in fantasy circles in terms of start rates, but all the big man seems to do is generate incremental improvements each season. Zubac put up a career-best 10.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest a season ago, and although he dealt with some back issues during preseason, all signs point to him being ready to go for the Clippers’ three-game opening week. Zubac can check off multiple boxes on the stat sheet, and his scoring should benefit from continuing to develop chemistry with an elite facilitator in Russell Westbrook.
Start: Xavier Tillman, Grizzlies
24% roster rate
Tillman is heading into the biggest role of his career right from the start of the season, as the recent news that Steven Adams will have season-ending knee surgery vaults the young big into the starting center role. Tillman was often impressive while filling in for Adams and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) in the latter stages of last season, and he also drew 12 postseason starts during Memphis’ playoff run. The fourth-year pro shot a career-best 61.4 percent during the regular campaign while also putting up career-best numbers of 7.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 steal across 19.3 minutes per contest. The seasoning Tillman got from his extended opportunity and the offensive acumen he displayed at times – such as during his 22-point, 13-rebound double-double against the Lakers in Game 2 of the quarterfinal round last April – offer a glimpse of what he could be capable of on a Memphis team that will need to make up for Ja Morant’s (suspension) to open the campaign.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kevon Looney, Warriors (22% start rate); Nick Richards, Hornets (3% roster rate)
Sit: Wendell Carter Jr., Magic
60% start rate
Carter is another victim of a two-game week to start the new season, dampening what are usually solid fantasy prospects for the versatile big man. There’s also often a bit of heightened injury risk with Carter given his spotty past in that regard, and there’s a chance he could be a bit less involved offensively with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero presumably taking the next steps in their development. While Carter could well open the campaign with two solid showings, there could certainly be three-game options that outperform him this week.
