The first week of the 2026-27 season had plenty of highlights and storylines. Unfortunately, it also didn’t lack impactful injuries, with multiple teams watching key players go down. Some injuries have a day-to-day timeline, while others will require extended absences. Let’s look back at Week 1 and the storylines that will impact fantasy basketball moving forward.

Five Week 2 Storylines

- Orlando’s Paolo Banchero facing an extended absence: Friday was a rough night for injuries, as multiple teams lost starters. Orlando was one of them, as Banchero suffered a right ankle injury in the third quarter of the team’s loss to the Timberwolves. According to the team, an MRI on Saturday confirmed a low-grade high right ankle sprain. No timeline was provided, but the injury could sideline Banchero for a few weeks.

Anthony Black has yet to play this season due to an ankle injury, but he could be valuable with Banchero sidelined. Another option, and the player most likely to start with Banchero unavailable, is Tristan da Silva, who’s rostered in 10 percent of Yahoo leagues. Banchero and Franz Wagner’s injuries led to da Silva making 34 starts in 2025-26. In those starts, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.9 three-pointers in 28.8 minutes per game.

After Sunday’s game against the Knicks, the Magic won’t play again until Wednesday, giving fantasy managers time to evaluate their Week 2 options.

- Hard foul sidelines Dallas’ Cooper Flagg: Dallas lost its star forward during the second quarter of Friday’s win over the Pacers, when Flagg was on the receiving end of a hard foul by Aaron Nesmith. An MRI revealed a sprained left shoulder, which kept him out of Saturday’s loss to the Spurs. It’s unclear how much longer Flagg will sit (he’ll be re-evaluated next week), but his absence makes PJ Washington and Naji Marshall more attractive options for fantasy managers.

In the 24 hours following Flagg’s injury, Marshall (1st) and Washington (4th) were among the most-added players in Yahoo leagues. The former joined the starting lineup on Saturday and finished with 10 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one three-pointer. Washington added 12 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Marshall offers a little more for managers needing assists, but Dallas was also without Kyrie Irving on Saturday. Dallas plays three games without a back-to-back on Tuesday, so Irving’s availability shouldn’t be an issue.

- Ty Jerome gets off to a red-hot start: There were a lot of people on the Jerome bandwagon before the season began, and it’s understandable why. He’s been given the keys in Memphis, and his production in 15 games last season fueled that optimism. That said, few, if any, fantasy managers expected Jerome to start the season the way he did in wins over the Jazz and Warriors.

In those victories, he totaled 73 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists and eight three-pointers. Jerome absolutely torched Utah, shooting 17-of-25 from the field and scoring a career-high 45 points. In those two games, the Grizzlies guard shot 28-of-47 (59.6 percent) from the field overall and 8-of-15 from three. Whatever fantasy managers expect from Jerome for the rest of this season, he’s in a good spot to deliver excellent fantasy value.

- Pistons lose Jalen Duren to a hamstring injury: After putting up 22 points and nine rebounds in Detroit’s season-opening win over Boston, Duren suffered a hamstring injury Friday night in Miami. Unfortunately, the Pistons announced on Sunday that he’s been diagnosed with a strained right hamstring and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. That means one thing: it’s Paul Reed time.

Reed played 26 minutes against the Heat, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two three-pointers. He’ll start at center until Duren returns. He’s rostered in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues, so “BBall Paul” is still available in many 12-team leagues. When Reed heads to the bench, John Collins should see his minutes at center increase. According to Cleaning the Glass, the offseason addition played 24 percent of his minutes at center in Detroit’s first two games. Rostered in 79 percent of Yahoo leagues, Collins will be worth adding in shallow leagues where he’s still available.

- Timberwolves roll through Heat, Magic: Minnesota began its season in the Sunshine State, and the vibes were immaculate. Anthony Edwards went off for 45 points in the season-opening win over the Heat, while seven players scored in double figures in the Timberwolves’ rout of the Magic on Friday. It’s only two games, but the chemistry between Edwards and LaMelo Ball has looked good, while supporting players like Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu have been productive.

If there’s a concern, it may be for those currently rostering Rudy Gobert. He took only two shots in the win over Miami, but the good news is that the 7-footer was more involved on Friday, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and scoring 14 points. Could this be an opportunity to buy low on the “Stifle Tower”? It wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially for teams needing rebounds and blocks. Gobert hasn’t blocked a shot this season, but he’s averaged at least 1.4 per game in every season except his rookie year (2013-14).

Five more storylines

- Mikal Bridges has gotten off to a very slow start: While there was concern amongst Knicks fans early last season about Bridges’ inability to get to the foul line, he did score in double figures in each of New York’s first 10 games. Unfortunately, fans are wishing they’d only have free throws to complain about after the champs’ first two games this season. Bridges’ totals: four points (2-of-16 FGs), three rebounds, five assists, one steal and one blocked shot. And he’s missed all seven of his three-point attempts.

Panicking after two games isn’t the best approach, but fantasy managers looking to move on from Bridges can’t be blamed, given the numbers he’s produced. However, could this be the time to buy low? He’s been a top-100 fantasy player for most of his career, so you could bet Bridges will eventually get untracked. The Knicks play three games in Week 2: two against expected contenders (Detroit and Philadelphia), and one against a team expected to land in the draft lottery (Chicago). Not exactly the best slate for a player mired in a serious slump.

- Yves Missi’s knee injury opens the door for Derik Queen: For all the talk during the preseason about Queen, who has provided solid fantasy value thus far, the second-year center still had not earned the starting job in New Orleans. Instead, the Pelicans chose Yves Missi, the superior defender. Unfortunately, he suffered a bone bruise in his left knee during Friday’s loss to the Jazz. The Pelicans haven’t announced a return timeline, but he’ll miss some time.

So, this means Queen will be the new starting center, right? No. Veteran DeAndre Jordan was tabbed to fill the vacancy in Saturday’s overtime loss, playing 20 minutes and finishing with nine points, nine rebounds, two assists and one block. As for Queen, he logged 24 minutes in Denver, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists. He’s unlikely to offer much defensively, but Queen’s fantasy ceiling still gets a slight boost with Missi out.

- Darius Acuff Jr. bounces back from a shaky opener: One thing we know about the Kings rookie point guard through two games: he isn’t bashful as a scorer. Wednesday’s 5-of-24 effort against the Clippers didn’t shake Acuff’s confidence, as he put up 26 shots in Friday’s loss to the Trail Blazers. He tallied 33 points and four assists, and his ability to attack Portland’s defense off the dribble earned him 12 free-throw attempts (11 made).

Fantasy managers and Kings fans alike want to see Acuff improve his efficiency. Still, it was clear from the night he was drafted that Sacramento will give the rookie every opportunity to take the reins. And that means taking the expected hits in field-goal percentage and turnovers.

- Neemias Queta is averaging more minutes per game than Mitchell Robinson: Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has essentially gone with a timeshare at the center position. While Robinson has started Boston’s first two games, Queta has played more, averaging 22.0 minutes per game to the former Knicks center’s 20.5. That split hasn’t helped either in fantasy value, with Queta sitting just inside the top-200 while Robinson’s production has placed him outside that threshold.

Can one of them make the starting center job their own? Will the opportunity be there, or will Mazzulla stick with the current minutes split? Robinson is rostered in 22 percent of Yahoo leagues, so his playing time isn’t a major issue for managers in 12-team leagues. However, Queta is rostered in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues, and the playing time could force some tough decisions. The Celtics open Week 2 with a back-to-back, so Robinson’s injury history could turn a four-game week into three.

- Raptors will manage Kawhi Leonard’s workload: Unsurprisingly, the Raptors aren’t going to ask too much of their star forward in his second stint with the franchise. After playing 24 minutes in the season-opening win over the Bulls, Leonard logged 28 minutes in Friday’s win over the Wizards. While he hasn’t shot well, going 12-of-37 from the field, Kawhi has done enough in multiple categories to preserve his fantasy value. That includes totals of 15 rebounds and seven steals.

Scottie Barnes has also been effective across multiple categories, while Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett have returned top-100 value in category leagues. Leonard doesn’t need heavy minutes to deliver value that matches his third-round ADP, which is good news for those rostering him. Toronto’s clear priority will be to make sure he’s healthy in the spring. The last time they did that with Kawhi, the Raptors won an NBA title.

Three Questions

1. Could Week 2 be a two-game week for LeBron James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Haliburton?

2. Is Alex Caruso “back” as a factor in fantasy basketball?

3. Will Jaxson Hayes become a worthwhile pickup in 12-team leagues?

Early Waivers Look (Players rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues)

G: Grayson Allen (Charlotte Hornets, 32%); Duncan Robinson (Detroit Pistons, 24%); Kris Dunn (LA Clippers, 9%); Kasparas Jakučionis (Milwaukee Bucks, 7%)

F: Naji Marshall (Dallas Mavericks, 42%); Quentin Grimes (Los Angeles Lakers, 41%); Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards, 20%); Aaron Wiggins (Atlanta Hawks, 18%); Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers, 11%)

C: Brook Lopez (LA Clippers, 28%); Paul Reed (Detroit Pistons, 21%); Precious Achiuwa (Sacramento Kings, 14%); Jaxson Hayes (Utah Jazz, 11%)

Stats of the Week

18.5 and 9.0: Those are the rebound and assist averages of Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, who led the league in the former category and ranked third in the latter after Friday’s games. His comments ahead of Friday’s loss to the Trail Blazers certainly grabbed attention, but he backed them up with 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, and one three-pointer. While developing Darius Acuff Jr. is the Kings’ clear priority, the rookie can benefit if the team runs more offense through Sabonis, the rotation’s best facilitator.

7: As in the number of steals accumulated by Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels in the Hawks’ rout of Charlotte on Friday. Through Atlanta’s first three games, he recorded 13 steals. After averaging three steals per game in 2024-25, Daniels’ output decreased to two last season. That may not seem like a major drop, but for a player like Daniels, who usually doesn’t offer much scoring, it noticeably hurt his fantasy value. The good news for fantasy managers is that, in addition to the steals, he’s gotten off to a good start offensively. Daniels is averaging 16.3 points per game on 61.8 percent shooting.

84.6: Through the Lakers’ first two games, Walker Kessler shot a staggering 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the field. Thus far, he’s been the anchor that the Lakers so desperately needed on both ends of the floor. In wins over the Warriors and Clippers, he averaged 24.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 4.0 blocks.

Awards Section

Week 1 Team of the Week

G Ty Jerome (Memphis Grizzlies)

G Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)

G/F Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks)

F/C Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings)

C Walker Kessler (Los Angeles Lakers)

Week 1 All-Rookie Team

G Keaton Wagler (LA Clippers)

G Darryn Peterson (Utah Jazz)

F Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State Warriors)

F Cameron Boozer (Memphis Grizzlies)

C Adya Mara (Oklahoma City Thunder)

Play of the Week: Amen Thompson’s game-saving block of a Victor Wembanyama layup attempt

Week 2 Schedule Breakdown

Week 2 Games Played

4 Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CLE, GSW, HOU, IND, LAL, MIN

3 Games: BKN, CHI, DAL, DEN, DET, LAC, MEM, MIA, MIL, NOR, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHI, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS

2 Games: PHX

Week 2 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 1)-Monday: IND, MIN, OKC, UTA

Monday-Tuesday: BOS

Tuesday-Wednesday: DET, LAL, NYK, SAS

Wednesday-Thursday: ATL, CLE, NOR

Thursday-Friday: None

Friday-Saturday: CHA, HOU, MIN, PHI

Saturday-Sunday: None

Sunday-Monday (Week 3): BOS, BKN, GSW, IND, LAC, LAL, ORL, TOR

Week 2 Light Game Days: Tuesday (4 Games), Thursday (3), Sunday (4)