Raphielle Johnson Mon, October 26, 2026 at 7:06 PM UTC · 11 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first week of the NBA season is a time to celebrate, as basketball is officially back. Unfortunately, the first week of the 2026-27 season was rough, with multiple teams losing key players for extended periods. Dallas dodged a bullet with Cooper Flagg 's shoulder injury; Detroit will be without Jalen Duren (hamstring) for at least two weeks, and Indiana's Ivica Zubac (ankle) may also miss time. Oklahoma City and Orlando had even worse luck on the injury front.
The Thunder lost Jalen Williams to a horrific left leg injury during the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Clippers. That came after Cason Wallace (shoulder) and Jaylin Williams (wrist) exited earlier in the contest. At the time of publication, J-Dub hadn't been officially ruled out for the rest of the season, but that may be the outcome.
As for Orlando, they lost Paolo Banchero to a low-grade high right ankle sprain in Friday's loss to the Timberwolves, an injury likely to keep him out 4-6 weeks. During Sunday's win over the Knicks, Anthony Black made his debut after missing the preseason and the first two games with a sprained ankle, and Jalen Suggs hyperextended his right knee while attempting to convert a layup. Suggs will be re-evaluated in two weeks, which is a positive development given the initial fears.
Because of those injuries, players like Oklahoma City's Ajay Mitchell and Orlando's Black and Tristan da Silva will take on added importance in fantasy basketball in the coming weeks and months. Below are the updated top-200 fantasy basketball rankings, which will be a bit volatile early in the season.
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Week 2: Anthony Black and Alex Caruso headline early injury replacements
Anthony Black and Alex Caruso top our list of waiver wire adds after Week 1.
G Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies: Many expected Jerome's fantasy value to rise this season, but few expected him to be as good as he was in Week 1. In three Grizzlies victories, he averaged 34.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.0 three-pointers per game, shooting 56.3 percent from the field and 88.5 percent from the foul line.
G/F Duncan Robinson, Detroit Pistons: Detroit is off to a 3-0 start, and Robinson's production is one reason why. During Week 1, he averaged 19.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 5.0 three-pointers per game. Robinson remains primarily a points-and-threes option for fantasy managers, but Duren's injury should open even more offensive opportunities.
C Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings: After Sabonis' 2025-26 averages dropped sharply, he appears to have rebounded. Shooting 80.8 percent from the field and 86.7 percent from the foul line, the veteran center averaged 18.7 points, 17.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game during Week 1.
G Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls: Giddey struggled with his shot during the preseason, and unfortunately for fantasy managers, that has carried into the regular season. During Week 1, the Bulls point guard shot 26.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from the foul line, averaging 5.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. Few expect high-level scoring from Giddey, but he can do more than he did last week.
G/F Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks: Bridges' six points on 3-of-7 shooting in Sunday's loss to the Magic was a step in the right direction compared to his first two outings. Through three games, he has totaled 10 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks, shooting 5-of-23 from the field and 0-of-10 from beyond the arc.
C Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves: Gobert's field-goal attempts per game have decreased each of the last three seasons, and he isn't going to be an offensive focal point for the Timberwolves. However, he averaged just 4.7 attempts per game in Minnesota's three Week 1 victories. Hopefully, that number improves as Gobert establishes better chemistry with LaMelo Ball.
Source: Sports
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