We are almost a week into the NBA season and we're already seeing huge storylines start to play out. Luka Doncic set an all-time Los Angeles Lakers record with 92 points in their first two games, then he sat out the third game and Austin Reaves exploded for 51.
Victor Wembanyama looks like a walking impossibility on the court, blocking seemingly every shot on defense while dropping more than 30 PPG on offense. Nikola Jokic has triple-doubles in his first two games despite struggling with his shot, and somehow the Philadelphia 76ers start this week in first place in the Eastern Conference despite Paul George sitting out and Joel Embiid playing on a strict minutes limit.
And of course, we are also already seeing players outproducing expectations in their early season production. This all leads to a really exciting product on the court, and a plethora of players that you should really be paying attention to.
Let's go through some of the lightly rostered players who are worth picking up this week.
Point Guard
Dylan Harper, PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs (41.8% rostered in ESPN leagues): Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, was one of the more talented and polished rookies I saw this summer at the Las Vegas Summer League. He is getting more opportunity to start the season with De'Aaron Fox sidelined, but his level of play, in addition to his 6-foot-7 size that lets him defend all three perimeter positions, seem likely to continue to get him run as long as he continues to perform.
Egor Demin, PG, Brooklyn Nets (43.7% rostered): Demin was the most talented and NBA-ready of the five rookies the Nets chose in the first round of this year's NBA draft. He was injured for most of the preseason, but played well in his last preseason game and has gotten off to a good start early in his NBA career. He seems poised to be an impact fantasy hoops producer moving forward, particularly as a rebounding guard who can flat out shoot the 3.
Ajay Mitchell, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder (26.1% rostered): Mitchell was a second round draft pick in 2024, but has already played himself from a two-way deal up to a standard NBA contract. He is making the most of extra opportunity early in the season with Jalen Williams out. Mitchell can create his own shot off the dribble, and gets to attack an unbalanced unit when the defense focuses on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is solidifying his role as someone the Thunder can rely on to produce when called upon.
Shooting guard
Ben Sheppard, SG, Indiana Pacers (15.8% rostered): Sheppard was already set for a larger role this season due to the absence of Tyrese Haliburton, but in the first game of the season Andrew Nembhard also injured his shoulder and has had to miss time. Sheppard is getting major minutes now, and is able to contribute across the board as long as the Pacers ask him to carry this larger role.
Walter Clayton Jr., SG/PG, Utah Jazz (5.8% rostered): Clayton made his name with a dominant effort in last season's NCAA tournament, knocking down 3-pointers and big shots to lead Florida to the National Championship. At the pro level, Clayton had a strong preseason that has carried over into the regular season. With Isaiah Collier battling a hamstring injury, Clayton is getting meaningful minutes early in his rookie season and establishing himself as a rotation player with upside on the rebuilding Jazz.
Small forward
Dillon Brooks, SF/SG, Phoenix Suns (31.0% rostered): The Suns start Brooks as a 3-and-D power forward, but he is the second-most established healthy scorer on the Suns with Jalen Green out. So, while Devin Booker remains the offensive focal point for the Suns, Brooks is called upon to step up into the second scorer slot. He has been a mid-upper teens scorer for the past five-plus seasons, and should continue to produce at this level for at least as long as Green is out.
Herbert Jones, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans (30.9% rostered): Jones is a known commodity as a 3-and-D wing. He has averaged at least a steal and a block, with at least 2.9 combined, in each of the last two seasons. But he has shown some flashes as a scorer and rebounder, and when you added in a few assists and a rounded block per night Jones becomes a valuable across-the-board contributor, particularly in category leagues.
Ronald Holland II, SF, Detroit Pistons (7.9% rostered): Holland was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, and had a solid rookie season in limited minutes off the bench. But the Pistons did not bring back a couple of their veteran wings from last season, opening up more space for the developing Holland. Holland has upside across-the-board, particularly as a scorer, and has been productive to start the season.
Power forward
Jerami Grant, PF, Portland Trail Blazers (39.8% rostered): Grant is a career scorer; over the five seasons leading into this one, he averaged 19.5 PPG and 2.1 3PG. The Trail Blazers are bringing him off the bench this season, but he has already shown that he can still heat up and put big points on the board whether he is starting or not.
Center
Ryan Kalkbrenner, C, Charlotte Hornets (14.9% rostered): Kalkbrenner was drafted in the second round of this year's NBA draft but already has earned the starting center job for the Hornets. He was a dominant rebounder and defender at Creighton, and he notched a double-double in his first NBA game.
Isaiah Stewart, C/PF, Detroit Pistons (21.3% rostered): Stewart is the backup center for the Pistons, but he should still get at least sixth-man minutes this season. Starter Jalen Duren tends to get into foul trouble on a regular basis, and Stewart already took advantage of extra minutes in his first game to drop a 20-point/10-rebound double-double.
