Fantasy Basketball Adds and Drops: Jalen Smith, Andre Drummond, and More
Don't wait too long to make your first roster moves of the fantasy basketball season.
The fantasy basketball season is officially underway! A lot of teams will open their seasons today, but we have some adds and drops to discuss after just one day of action.
We'll cover several players in this article, so let's dive right in!
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Adds
Jalen Smith - Chicago Bulls
Smith is trending up before he even steps on the court. He's sitting at 27.36% owned right now. Chicago opens its season on Wednesday against Toronto.
Smith was expected to fill a reserve role for the Bulls, but with Nicolas Claxton's injury to start the year, Smith should be more involved. He's expected to start, or at least log heavy minutes, so his fantasy outlook is pretty solid right away.
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He's coming off a career-best season in a lot of categories. Smith averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.5 steals over 20.7 minutes a night in his 53 games played (21 starts). He could average even more to start the year as he fills a bigger role.
Smith is a better deep-league fantasy asset, but he could emerge as a standard league threat in a hurry if he starts the year hot. Consider adding and playing him tonight in deeper leagues, and if he excels, then maybe stream him in standard leagues for a little while.
Andre Drummond - New York Knicks
Drummond fared well in the team's first game, so he's on the rise today. He's currently rostered in 18.58% of leagues.
He came off the bench, but logged 24 minutes and recorded a double-double. Drummond had 12 points and 14 rebounds, plus four assists, two blocks and a steal.
Drummond is a double-double threat anytime he gets enough minutes, and he showed out in the team's first game. If he were to come off the bench all season, his fantasy production could be inconsistent, but he at least is a decent deep-league asset.
He's worth adding in deeper leagues right now, and he could remain rosterable all season. Drummond would likely only gain standard league upside if Karl-Anthony Towns or OG Anunoby are injured and out for long stretches, but at least keep him in mind if that scenario ever plays out.
Grayson Allen - Charlotte Hornets
Allen is sitting at 28.38% owned right now. He too will be opening his season on Wednesday, taking on Brooklyn.
He's expected to come off the bench when Charlotte is healthy this season, but Coby White and Kon Knueppel are both out for the team's opener, so Allen will have a bigger role. He's very likely to start, and at the very least, will log heavy minutes for the Hornets, opening the chance for him to shine as a fantasy asset.
He's a better deep-league asset for the time being, but he could deliver enough early on to warrant some standard league pickups too. That all depends on the statuses of White and Knueppel too, so be keeping tabs on that.
Drops
Mitchell Robinson - Boston Celtics
Robinson played on Tuesday, so him being dropped today should indicate that he didn't fare too well. He also got injured, so that's even more concerning. He's owned in 52.36% of leagues at the moment.
Robinson started for Boston, but played only 18 minutes. He provided four points, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist.
Starting is a great thing, but it's all about minutes, and 18 is not enough to justify rostering Robinson in a lot of fantasy leagues. Of course, he would have played if not for an ankle injury that he suffered in the second quarter. He went back into the game, but his minutes were significantly impacted by the end of the game.
His status will be one to watch moving forward. Even if he doesn't miss time, Robinson is likely to be dropped in most standard leagues, and even some deeper ones. He's not a high-end fantasy asset, and his rebounding is his biggest strength, which doesn't translate to anything too special in fantasy leagues.
He's one to keep tabs on, but he's likely to be a better deep-league fantasy asset in 2026-27.
Devin Vassell - San Antonio Spurs
Vassell was another player who appeared during the NBA's opening day, so he's trending in the wrong direction after just one contest. He's rostered in 62.84% of leagues.
Vassell started and played 31 minutes, but tallied just seven points across eight shot attempts. He had three rebounds and an assist as well.
It was a disappointing first contest for the seventh-year player. He's had bigger seasons earlier in his career, but has regressed to a role player for San Antonio. He averaged 13.9 points, 4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks and 30.5 minutes per game across 67 games (65 starts) last year.
There's some decent fantasy production in those numbers, but he too is a better deep-league asset in most games. That means he's droppable if you are rostering him in standard leagues right now. Use your roster spot on a player with some more fantasy upside instead.
