We’ve made it! The 2020-21 NBA season officially tips tonight, and with opening tip comes the start of the fantasy basketball season. Our fantasy hoops staff started setting rankings a couple weeks ago, but in that time, preseason games have been played, players have been injured, and storylines have developed to better guide our guys in getting the most accurate rankings possible. We polled our featured experts for their biggest risers and fallers since they set their initial rankings, and this is what Brad Camara, Alex Burns, Aaron Larson, Dan Titus and Zak Hanshew had to say.

View consensus odds for the 2020/21 NBA Championship at BettingPros

Biggest Risers

Talen Horton-Tucker (G/F – LAL)
Horton-Tucker wasn’t even in my first set of rankings, so even though he’s still outside my top-100, I think he’s well worth a late-round flier. He’s been the star of the pre-season with the Lakers, averaging 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals in four exhibition games. Minutes may be hard to come by for the second-year player on the star-studded Los Angeles roster, but the Lakers will surely be resting their veteran stars throughout the season and you may be able to pick your spots with THT.  -Larson

Wendell Carter (C – CHI)
In my original rankings, I had Carter 114th overall. After further evaluation, I believe he should be a top-100 overall player and decided to bump him up in the rankings to 90. A nagging ankle injury limited Carter to just 43 games in 2019-20. The 21-year-old center averaged nearly a double-double during that span, providing 11.3 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 53 percent from the floor. Carter’s offensive game has room for improvement, but as long as he can stay healthy, the No.7 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft should provide solid production for fantasy managers in 2020-21.  -Camara

Jaylen Brown (G/F – BOS)
Originally had him at 65 but have since moved him up to 46 in my latest rankings. It’s by no coincidence that my biggest riser and faller play on the same team. With Kemba Walker (my biggest faller) set to miss the beginning of the season with an ongoing knee issue, only Brown and Jayson Tatum will remain as capable options on offense for the Celtics. The potential for elite usage is certainly being factored into Tatum’s current ADP of 12 but Brown is still sporting an ADP of 52. Combine that with the fact that Gordon Hayward is no longer in Boston and the Celtics will be forced to lean heavily on Brown for offensive and defensive production. The 24-year-old forward is already coming off a career-year in 2019 where he posted averages of 20.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting just under 40 percent from three. I expect those numbers to rise in 2020-21.  -Burns

Dillon Brooks (G/F – MEM)
I originally pegged Dillon Brooks as a top-150 player but after a strong showing in the preseason (16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.5 3PM in 22 minutes per contest), he’s cracked the top-100 in my final rankings, at #94. Though he’s been an inefficient shooter at times, he’s coming off the best season of his career, averaging 16.2 points per game last season along with a strong 24.7 usage rate. With Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined with a torn meniscus and no clear timetable for return, Brooks is primed to outperform his current ECR at 147. I think he’s criminally underrated and will be a productive asset to fantasy managers all season.  -Titus

John Wall (G – HOU)
Wall continues to rise in my rankings, as it seems more and more evident that James Harden won’t finish the season in Houston. Wall is a perennial All-Star with 20/10 upside, and if Harden heads out of town, Wall could have even bigger upside as a scorer. There’s a great chance he cracks the top-40 this season with Harden in the fold, but his ceiling is so much higher than that. Health is my biggest concern, but given the extra months of rehab he’s had, I’m expecting Wall to be fully healthy in 2020-21.  -Hanshew

Biggest Fallers

Blake Griffin (F/C – DET)
I didn’t have Griffin ranked too high in my initial rankings at 74. He posted career-low points (15.5) and rebounds (4.7) last season, but to be fair he only played in 18 games as he struggled through injuries. I was cautiously optimistic that I’d be moving him up my rankings throughout the pre-season but, unfortunately, it was just the opposite. In four exhibition games he played 24 minutes per game and averaged just 8.0 points on a woeful 38% shooting from the field. He’s fallen down to number 86 overall in my rankings and is somebody I don’t want on any of my fantasy rosters.  -Larson

Draymond Green (F/C – GSW)
I had Green originally ranked 72nd overall and dropped him down to 92 in my latest rankings. The 30-year-old PF/C was already ruled out for the season opener with a foot injury. He can rack up counting stats on any given night, but Green has been unable to stay healthy and is coming off one of his worst seasons on a per-game basis. Draymond averaged 8.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting a woeful 38.9 percent from the floor over 43 contests last season. Green can provide solid production for fantasy managers, but with his play descending and health questions, I’d rather draft high-upside centers such as Thomas Bryant, Brandon Clarke, or Wendell Carter.  -Camara

I’m going Draymond Green. I was low on him in my initial rankings, but with news that he’s going to miss the season opener, I’m bumping him outside my top-100. The guy cannot shoot, and his pitiful scoring should take a further tumble with the likes of Kelly Oubre and James Wiseman on board to play alongside a healthy Stephen Curry. Green is known as a jack-of-all-trades type, which has been great for Golden State’s real-life play. Green’s tenacity and ability to do a little bit of everything were instrumental in the team’s three titles, but he’s not a guy I want on my fantasy team.  -Hanshew

Kemba Walker (G – BOS)
I originally had Walker ranked inside the top-40 but have recently dropped him down to 62 in my latest rankings. Walker has had a lingering knee issue dating all the way back to the start of the 2019-2020 season. No matter how much time he seems to have off for rest, the issues seem to pop back up after only a few games. He is now slated to miss the beginning of the 2020-21 season after receiving a stem cell injection in his knee and that doesn’t sound too promising to me. Combine that with the fact that Jayson Tatum has emerged as the team’s go-to option on offense and Walker figures to take a step back this season. Besides, after an extended postseason and a short offseason, the Celtics’ should be in no rush to bring him back in an effort to preserve his health for this year’s playoffs. I have no problem drafting Walker on my team as long as I have quality options to fill in while he remains out. For what it’s worth, the 30-year-old point guard is coming off a season in which he posted his lowest scoring totals since 2014-15 and his lowest assist totals since his rookie year.  -Burns

John Collins (F/C – ATL)
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the busiest teams in the shortened offseason, acquiring G Kris Dunn, G Rajon Rondo, F Danilo Gallinari, G/F Bogdan Bogdanovic, and drafting F/C Onyeka Okongwu. In only a couple of months, they moved from one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference to actually having a chance to compete for a playoff spot. The problem is, the Hawks failed to come to an agreement with Collins on an extension; leaving the door open for him to test free agency and earn a max deal elsewhere. In four preseason outings, Collins averaged 13.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 3PM in 25 minutes per contest. Granted, it is the preseason, but I am concerned that the Hawks are signaling a change that Collins will not be a part of. He’ll still be a legitimate double-double threat but with Clint Capela back, and healthy, I don’t see him replicating his numbers from last season of 21.6 PPG, 10.1 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.8 BLK, with 1.4 3PT per game. My initial rankings had Collins in the top-20 but now I am one of only two experts to have him outside of the top-30 overall.  -Titus