Dennis Smith Jr.

In the fantasy basketball world, it's been the Year of the Rookie so far. One Philadelphia rookie is averaging near a triple-double, while the other has looked like garbage and is currently on the shelf with a shoulder injury. In Chicago, Lauri Markannen has been a pleasant surprise, and the same can be said for Kyle Kuzma out in Los Angeles.After the Celtics lost Gordon Hayward on opening night, many expected Boston to take a major step back. Well, rookie Jayson Tatum, along with Jaylen Brown, aren't letting that…

We opened the NBA and fantasy basketball season on Tuesday with two potential conference finals matchups. Sounds great, right? Well, just a little over five minutes into the first quarter of the Boston/Cleveland showdown, Gordon Hayward came down hard. It looked like he just hurt his back at first, but then you heard Marv Albert break the news, “Heyward broke his leg! Hayward has broken his leg.” No matter what team you root for, you never want to see something like this happen.Unfortunately, Hayward wasn’t the only…

Now that our fantasy sleepers series has wrapped up, we move on to this season's impact rookies. After a loaded 2017 NBA Draft, the outlook is promising on the fantasy front. Some of the best talents in the draft may take a few years to become valuable contributors, but several should still make an impact from this season's opening tip. It should be no surprise that three of our choices were lottery picks this year and players who will receive impact roles immediately. Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers No rookie from the 2017…

With the Eastern Conference sleepers now complete, this week we move to the Western Conference, beginning with the Southwest Division. The Western Conference has seen an increase in talent in general, and the same can be said for most of the Southwest. Three teams added players that could pay off immensely and impact the fantasy value of themselves and their teammates. Two of those players made the cut as fantasy sleepers, and we begin with the more controversial choice. Rajon Rondo, New Orleans Pelicans The Pelicans took…

The dust has finally settled, and the 2017 NBA Draft has come and gone. This year’s draft was one of the most loaded in recent memory and could be fruitful for a good chunk of the league. With six potential stars in the draft, 20 percent of the league may have just added a vital piece to winning a championship.Note: The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards did not have a selection in the 2017 NBA Draft.Atlanta Hawks: B-John Collins, Tyler Dorsey, Alpha KabaThe Hawks' selection of John Collins makes…