2026-27 Fantasy Basketball: Jayson Tatum Is Back, Plus More Preseason Takeaways To Know Before Your Final Drafts

The NBA preseason is over, and the regular season starts next week, which means fantasy basketball drafts are nearing the finish line. Several preseason storylines will shape player values, rankings and draft strategy. Here are five preseason takeaways to keep in mind before your fantasy basketball draft.

Jayson Tatum Is Back

After tearing his Achilles during the 2025 playoffs, Tatum did not return to the Celtics until March. Surprisingly, the Celtics didn't really ease him back into action. He logged 27 minutes in his first game back and ended up averaging 33 minutes over 16 games. He wasn't exactly himself, shooting 41.1% from the field and 32.9% from behind the arc. Both of those were the lowest marks of his career. He eventually got hurt in the playoffs, missing Game 7 of the series against the 76ers in which Boston was eliminated.

The Celtics look very different this season after they traded Jaylen Brown to the 76ers in a deal that landed Paul George in Boston. At 36 years old and coming off playing just 78 games over the last two seasons, George is a significant downgrade from Brown. The bulk of the scoring responsibilities will be on the shoulders of Tatum. In two preseason games coming into Friday, he attempted a combined 36 shots despite not playing more than 29 minutes in either contest. A healthy Tatum with a hefty usage rate will make him well worth being selected in the first round of fantasy drafts.

Spurs Experimenting With Starting 5

The Spurs brought back mostly the same roster that lost to the Knicks in the NBA Finals. They did add veteran Tobias Harris, who is likely to start at power forward. Their roster is loaded, meaning players including Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson might be forced to come off the bench. They could decide to move Devin Vassell to the second unit, which could create a starting spot for Harper alongside fellow guards De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.

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Harris has missed the preseason with a calf injury, which has resulted in Vassell and Champagnie starting games. In their matchup with the Suns on Wednesday, the Spurs started Fox, Castle and Harper together for the first time. None of them played more than 24 minutes, but if the Spurs decide to deploy all three guards as starters during the regular season, Harper could see a significant increase in fantasy upside. Vassell would also likely take a noteworthy hit as a member of the second unit.

Fred VanVleet Looks Healthy

VanVleet tore his right ACL prior to last season, dealing a crushing blow to a Rockets team that hoped to make a deep run in the playoffs. They struggled at point guard, with Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard taking turns serving as their primary facilitators. While both have significant potential, the veteran VanVleet would have been a welcome stabilizing presence.

In his first preseason game with the Rockets, VanVleet logged 24 minutes against the Mavericks. He attempted 12 shots, all of which came from behind the arc. He emerged from the matchup with 17 points, five 3-pointers, seven assists and two steals. A healthy VanVleet can be a reliable fantasy option, while his return to action means that Sheppard will be forced into somewhat of a sixth-man role off the bench. VanVleet might not play both legs of back-to-back sets right out of the gate, but him logging 24 minutes in his first preseason game is promising for him to begin the season without much of a minutes restriction.

Bucks Continuing To Start Veterans

The Bucks changed the direction of their franchise when they traded Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat during the summer. While a youth movement is underway, there are still some veterans on the roster who could block minutes for younger players. Two of them are Myles Turner and Kyle Kuzma, who have big contracts under their belts. Those two are most notably blocking the path of Kel'el Ware, who averaged 11.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 3-pointers over just 22 minutes per game with the Heat last year.

The Bucks don't seem ready to lean into a full rebuild yet. Turner started all three preseason games that he has played, while Kuzma started the two games that he took the floor. If the Bucks could find a taker for either player in a trade, they would likely jump at the opportunity to move them. However, at least to begin the season, both appear to be starters. The good news for fantasy purposes is that Ware already proved last season that he can be a valuable option even playing limited minutes off the bench. If the Bucks decide to change course and start him at some point, the sky is the limit.

Jazz Thin At Center

The Jazz trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. last season signaled their willingness to move on from their tanking ways. The new anti-tanking rules have pushed them further in the direction of actually trying to win games this season. They dealt center Walker Kessler to the Lakers, but returned Jusuf Nurkic and Kyle Filipowski to leave them with depth at center.

The center position then thinned out for the Jazz during the preseason. Filipowski quietly had offseason back surgery and there is no timeline for his return. Then, Nurkic suffered a foot injury that will force him to miss at least the first couple of weeks of the season. That leaves the possibility of them starting Jaxson Hayes at center, or moving Jackson to the five and rolling with a smaller lineup. Even if he starts, Hayes likely won't play as many minutes as a healthy Nurkic would. Expect the Jazz to deploy more small lineups, which should leave added minutes for Ace Bailey and rebounding opportunities for Jackson and Lauri Markkanen.