Basketball is my favorite sport
I like the way they dribble up and down the court
Just like I'm the king on the microphone
So is Dr. J and Moses Malone
I like slam dunks, take me to the hoop
My favorite play is the alley-oop
I like the pick-and-roll, I like the give-and-go
Cause it's basketball, uh, Mister Kurtis Blow
That's right, Kurtis, as of Tuesday evening "they're playing bas-ket-ball!"
We fantasy hoops junkies finally made it through the long stat-less drought of the offseason, but some big questions loom.
Who will be fantasy's Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year? Which players will be good trade bait early on? Will Dennis Schroder break out? Will Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic or Myles Turner bust?
Don't worry; I have the answers for you.
At the start of each week this season, I'll tip things off by posing and seeking answers to five key questions, thus The Starting Five.
This week's contributors are ESPN Fantasy's Jim McCormick, John Cregan and Kyle Soppe.
The consensus is that James Harden or Russell Westbrook will be the 2016-17 fantasy MVP. If it doesn't end up being one of them, who will it be?
McCormick: Karl-Anthony Towns looks even more ridiculously talented than expected this preseason. With a new coach prone to riding his core players for heavy minutes and Towns essentially providing prime Tim Duncan production plus 3-point upside and clean free throw numbers, his second year could see him become the top fantasy commodity.
Cregan: Stephen Curry's value translates in ways that go beyond the obvious volume categories. Even with a 20 percent drop in points per game, he could still do enough in the percentage categories and 3-pointers to push Harden and Westbrook.
Soppe: It has to be DeMarcus Cousins. I believe the Warriors simply have too many chefs in the kitchen for one to garner fantasy MVP honors, and while Boogie can be an explosive personality, there is no denying that he has the well-rounded game that could earn him the No. 1 spot on our Player Rater when all is said and done.
Who will be fantasy's Rookie of the Year?
McCormick: It's not the homer in me -- although maybe watching every preseason game and liking every tweet is a factor -- but Joel Embiid could provide rare block rates and even produce helpful points and boards in limited exposure. Philly will prove patient with its key big man, but increased playing time throughout the preseason and his potential to play through back-to-backs opens up intriguing upside for his long-awaited debut season.
Cregan: I like Dario Saric as a dark horse candidate. Rookie production hinges on volume, and Saric is in line for a starting gig on what amounts to a developmental team. He has across-the-board, multi-categorical fantasy potential. Most of the other touted rookies (Buddy Hield, Kris Dunn) may not break into the 25-28 MPG range.
Kyle Soppe: Ben Simmons will be the best player over the next decade, but for 2016-17, Dunn is the rookie you want. He is the type of big guard that today's NBA is built around, and the Timberwolves have plenty of young talent to alleviate some of the pressure felt by Dunn. Don't rule out a midseason trade opening up even more minutes for the pride of Providence, but I don't think Dunn needs that to be the best of this bunch.
Name a player you see as fantasy trade bait because he will start hot but then fade as the season goes along.
McCormick: As much as I like Eric Gordon's prospects as a relatively high-usage combo guard for the Rockets' up-tempo attack, his long and troubling injury history suggests investors should test his likely rising stock early on. With the potential to enjoy a top-10 rate from beyond the arc, marketing his shooting volume after a hot start could prove profitable and provide some cost certainty that Gordon himself can't offer.
Cregan: He's not a big name, but I really like what Tim Frazier has shown this preseason filling in for Jrue Holiday. I could see Frazier racking up midround value the first month of the season, but then losing most of that production when Holiday returns.
Kyle Soppe: Rudy Gay. As you may have heard, he's not exactly a fan of playing in Sacramento. For fantasy owners, that's a darn shame, as he is the unquestioned perimeter option on the fastest-paced offense from last season. My thought is that he balls out early, proves his value, and then gets moved to a better real team that asks him to do less.
What are your expectations for Dennis Schroder (ADP: 58) this season now that Jeff Teague is gone?
McCormick: Given the endorsements throughout our preseason content series, I'm clearly high on Schroder in the wake of Teague's departure. The Atlanta guard has long consumed a valuable usage rate, while a lack of minutes and touches has held him back from becoming the volume scorer his profile suggests. I expect Schroeder to surge past his ADP and firmly fit into the top 50 of the overall player pool.
Cregan: Not as high as 58, especially in a turnover league. I don't think his upside in assists is worth the hit in field goal percentage. He's probably more in the 60-70 range overall. I've avoided him entirely in turnover leagues.
Kyle Soppe: My expectation is that I will get him at that price in a lot of leagues. I'm looking for Schroder to put himself in the top-10 conversation at the point guard position, as I'm using Teague's 2015 as a guide (PG13) and believe Schroder offers more upside. Invest with confidence and thank me later.
Kristaps Porzingis (ADP: 30), Nikola Jokic (ADP: 47) and Myles Turner (ADP: 71) are among the most-hyped breakout bigs in fantasy. Which of them is most likely to be a bust relative to his draft position?
McCormick: As much as I love his upside, particularly in blocks, Turner faces the most meaningful competition for minutes. Even with the unique Jusuf Nurkic pairing in Denver, Jokic's offensive upside is undeniable, while Porzingis has by far the most diverse statistical profile of this trio of young bigs. I have still pursued shares of Turner this season and would even buy into the campaign if he starts slowly, but there is some inherent risk in his exposure potential.
Cregan: Oh, man. Can I say none of the above? I really, really like all three of those players in that range. I guess I'd go with Porzingis, based on his offensive volume possibly staying at rookie-year levels due to the addition of Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. But c'mon ... all three of those guys have huge ceilings. Their ADPs are probably their floors (barring injury).
Kyle Soppe: Jokic, but that has very little to do with any lack of confidence in him and more to do with me liking the price of the other two. Porzingis is a rare blend of size and skill, while Turner gained a mentor in Al Jefferson to help the development process. Jokic is going to be fine, but with two other frontcourt options, I'm not sure he has the usage upside of the other two.