NBA Weekly Player Rankings: Week 1

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Updated on October 25, 2015 10:30AM EST

This is our weekly cheat sheet based on our player's projected output and number of games. It assumes an eight-category league with the following categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, three-pointers made, free-throw percentage and field-goal percentage.

These are my rankings. They do not necessarily correspond with the RotoWire cheat sheet or our projections for the season. I use both as a rough guide, but I primarily factor in number of games played for the week, current player trends and pertinent information about the team (injuries, time share situations, etc). The rankings take into account games played Monday through Saturday. We will try to update the meter with any breaking news that happens Sunday, but in most cases, any injuries, lineup changes, etc. that happen on Sunday won't be accounted for in the rankings until the following week.

Week 1: October 26 - November 1

Four Games	ATL, CHI
Three Games	BKN, BOS, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NO, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Two Games	MIN, PHI

Point Guards

Rank	Player	Team	Pos. Eligible	Games	Notes
1	Jeff Teague	PG		4
2	Stephen Curry	PG, SG		3
3	Russell Westbrook	PG		3
4	Chris Paul	PG		3
5	John Wall	PG		3	Averaged career highs in assists (10.0) and field goal percentage (44.5%) last season.
6	Damian Lillard	PG		3
7	Kyle Lowry	PG		3	Durability is an issue (averaging 59 games played over last four

Week 1: October 26 - November 1

Four Games	ATL, CHI
Three Games	BKN, BOS, CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, DET, GSW, HOU, IND, LAC, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIL, NO, NYK, OKC, ORL, PHO, POR, SAC, SAS, TOR, UTA, WAS
Two Games	MIN, PHI

Point Guards

Rank	Player	Team	Pos. Eligible	Games	Notes
1	Jeff Teague	PG		4
2	Stephen Curry	PG, SG		3
3	Russell Westbrook	PG		3
4	Chris Paul	PG		3
5	John Wall	PG		3	Averaged career highs in assists (10.0) and field goal percentage (44.5%) last season.
6	Damian Lillard	PG		3
7	Kyle Lowry	PG		3	Durability is an issue (averaging 59 games played over last four seasons) but solid multi-category contributor when healthy.
8	Eric Bledsoe	PG, SG		3
9	Derrick Rose	PG		4
10	Reggie Jackson	PG		3	Averaged 17.6 points, 9.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 threes after the All-Star break last year.
11	Kemba Walker	PG		3
12	Mike Conley	PG		3
13	Goran Dragic	PG, SG		3
14	Ty Lawson	PG		3
15	George Hill	PG, SG		3
16	Michael Carter-Williams	PG		3
17	Isaiah Thomas	PG		3
18	Jarrett Jack	PG, SG		3	Clear cut starter at PG with Deron Williams in Dallas. Averaged 15.9 points, 6.6 assists and 1.2 steals as a starter for the Nets last year.
19	Emmanuel Mudiay	PG		3
20	Trey Burke	PG		3	Should be locked into 30+ minutes as starting PG with Dante Exum (knee) out for the season.
21	Mo Williams	PG, SG		3	Starter at point guard while Kyrie Irving (knee) is out.
22	Dennis Schroder	PG		4
23	Elfrid Payton	PG		3	Day-to-day (hamstring). Averaged 11.1 points, 8.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 steals after the All-Star break last year.
24	Deron Williams	PG		3	Day-to-day (calf).
25	Tony Parker	PG		3	Points per game last season (14.4) were the lowest since his rookie year in 2001.
26	Marcus Smart	PG, SG		3
27	Jeremy Lin	PG, SG		3
28	Jordan Clarkson	PG		3
29	Ricky Rubio	PG		2
30	Jose Calderon	PG		3
31	Rajon Rondo	PG		3
32	Darren Collison	PG		3
33	Aaron Brooks	PG		4	Could see bump in minutes this week if Derrick Rose (eye) is limited.
34	D'Angelo Russell	PG		3
35	Jrue Holiday	PG		3	Will be on a fifteen minutes cap for the start of the season.

Shooting Guards

Rank	Player	Team	Pos. Eligible	Games	Notes
1	Jimmy Butler	SG, SF		4
2	James Harden	SG, SF		3
3	Klay Thompson	SG, SF		3
4	Victor Oladipo	SG		3
5	Kyle Korver	SG, SF		4
6	Danny Green	SG, SF		3	Multi-category contributor averaged 11.7 points, 1.1 blocks, 1.2 steals and 2.4 threes last season.
7	Dwyane Wade	SG		3
8	Monta Ellis	PG, SG		3
9	DeMar DeRozan	SG, SF		3
10	Bradley Beal	SG		3
11	Brandon Knight	PG, SG		3
12	Khris Middleton	SG, SF		3	Averaged 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.6 threes after the All-Star break last year.
13	Eric Gordon	SG		3	Could have increased role this week with Tyreke Evans out (knee), Norris Cole banged up (ankle) and Jrue Holiday on a minutes restriction.
14	C.J. McCollum	PG, SG		3	Blew up in the preseason (18.3 ppg., 4.4 apg., and 2.4 3's made per game) and should play a major role for the Blazers this year.
15	Kobe Bryant	SG		3
16	Joe Johnson	SG, SF		3
17	J.R. Smith	SG, SF		3
18	Louis Williams	PG, SG		3	Averaged 15.5 points, 1.9 threes and 1.1 steals as the sixth man for the Raptors last year and could have similar role with the Lakers.
19	Kentavious Caldwell-Pope	SG		3	Averaged 14.3 points, 2.0 threes and 1.3 steals in 33 minutes after the All-Star break last year.
20	Alec Burks	SG		3	Only played 27 games last year due to injury, but averaged 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 threes in 33 minutes.
21	J.J. Redick	SG		3
22	Bojan Bogdanovic	SG, SF		3	Averaged 11.6 points and 1.6 threes in 26 minutes after the All-Star break last year.
23	Arron Afflalo	SG, SF		3
24	Jamal Crawford	PG, SG		3
25	Avery Bradley	PG, SG		3
26	C.J. Miles	SG, SF		3
27	Wesley Matthews	SG, SF		3	Day-to-day (Achilles). Played in the last game of the preseason but could be on a minutes restriction for the foreseeable future.
28	Dion Waiters	SG		3
29	Rodney Hood	SG		3	Averaged 12.7 points and 1.6 threes as a starter last year but will likely move to sixth man role with Alec Burks healthy.
30	Ben McLemore	SG		3	Starter at shooting guard for now but could lose minutes to Darren Collison and Marco Belinelli.
31	Rodney Stuckey	PG, SG		3
32	Marco Belinelli	SG		3
33	Gary Harris	SG		3	Looks to be opening day starter at shooting guard. Averaged 11.7 points, 1.7 steals and 1.3 threes in the preseason.
34	Zach LaVine	PG, SG		2	Starting at shooting guard over Kevin Martin. Averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 assists and 1.3 threes last year after the All-Star break while starting for the injured Ricky Rubio.
35	Kevin Martin	SG		2

Small Forwards

Rank	Player	Team	Pos. Eligible	Games	Notes
1	Kevin Durant	SF		3
2	LeBron James	SF, PF		3	Day-to-day (back). Should be ready for season opener.
3	Kawhi Leonard	SG, SF		3	Coming off season where he averaged career highs in points (16.5), rebounds (7.2), assists (2.5) and steals (2.3).
4	Paul George	SG, SF		3	Looked great in the preseason averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.3 threes.
5	Carmelo Anthony	SF, PF		3
6	Gordon Hayward	SG, SF		3
7	Rudy Gay	SF, PF		3
8	Tobias Harris	SF, PF		3
9	Nicolas Batum	SG, SF		3
10	Danilo Gallinari	SF		3	Starting the season healthy - averaged 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.8 threes after the All-Star break last year.
11	DeMarre Carroll	SF		3	Multi-dimensional player averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.7 threes last year.
12	Trevor Ariza	SF		3
13	Giannis Antetokounmpo	SF		3
14	Otto Porter	SG, SF		3	Locked into starting SF spot with Paul Pierce gone.
15	Luol Deng	SF		3
16	Wilson Chandler	SG, SF		3
17	Marcus Morris	SF, PF		3
18	Andrew Wiggins	SF		2
19	Al-Farouq Aminu	SF		3
20	P.J. Tucker	SF, PF		3
21	Courtney Lee	SG, SF		3
22	Jae Crowder	SF		3
23	Kent Bazemore	SG, SF		4
24	Jeff Green	SF, PF		3
25	Stanley Johnson	SF		3	Flashed multi-category game in the pre-season averaging 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.1 threes. Could be a solid play if he gets 25+ minutes a night.
26	Wesley Johnson	SG, SF		3
27	Paul Pierce	SF		3
28	Harrison Barnes	SF		3
29	Andre Iguodala	SG, SF		3
30	Evan Turner	SG, SF		3
31	Tony Allen	SG, SF		3
32	Thabo Sefolosha	SG, SF		4
33	Manu Ginobili	SG, SF		3
34	Aaron Gordon	SF		3
35	Chandler Parsons	SF, PF		3	Missed all of preseason and could miss some games this week.

Power Forwards

Rank	Player	Team	Pos. Eligible	Games	Notes
1	Paul Millsap	PF		4
2	Pau Gasol	PF, C		4
3	Anthony Davis	PF		3
4	Blake Griffin	PF, C		3
5	Draymond Green	SF, PF		3	Stat sheet stuffer averaged 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.4 threes last season.
6	Serge Ibaka	PF, C		3
7	Chris Bosh	PF, C		3
8	LaMarcus Aldridge	PF, C		3
9	Kevin Love	PF, C		3
10	Greg Monroe	PF, C		3
11	Derrick Favors	PF, C		3
12	Nikola Mirotic	PF		4	Could be started at small forward with Mike Dunleavy out. Averaged 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 threes in only 26 minutes after the All-Star break last season.
13	Tim Duncan	PF, C		3
14	Markieff Morris	PF		3
15	Thaddeus Young	SF, PF		3
16	Ryan Anderson	PF, C		3	Could see bump in minutes this week with Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca banged up.
17	Dirk Nowitzki	PF		3
18	Kenneth Faried	PF		3
19	Terrence Jones	SF, PF		3	Slow start again last year but averaged 14.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks after the All-Star break.
20	Zach Randolph	PF, C		3
21	Ersan Ilyasova	PF		3
22	David Lee	PF, C		3	Celtics front court is loaded but Lee could be the safest play. Just two years ago averaged 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds.
23	Nerlens Noel	PF, C		2	Averaged 13.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.1 steals after the All-Star break last year.
24	Karl-Anthony Towns	PF		2
25	Taj Gibson	PF		4
26	Amir Johnson	PF, C		3
27	Mason Plumlee	PF, C		3
28	Julius Randle	PF		3
29	Kris Humphries	PF		3	Looks to be the starter at PF but could be in timeshare with Nene. Averaged 4.0 threes attempted per game in the preseason.
30	Mirza Teletovic	PF		3
31	Josh Smith	SF, PF		3
32	Kristaps Porzingis	PF		3
33	Patrick Patterson	PF		3
34	Ed Davis	PF, C		3
35	Tristan Thompson	PF, C		3	Could see limited minutes this after missing all of preseason (contract holdout).

Centers

Rank	Player	Team	Pos. Eligible	Games	Notes
1	Al Horford	PF, C		4
2	DeMarcus Cousins	PF, C		3	Averaged career highs in points (24.1), rebounds (12.7), assists (3.6), blocks (1.7) and free throw percentage (78%) last season.
3	Marc Gasol	C		3
4	Nikola Vucevic	PF, C		3
5	Andre Drummond	PF, C		3	Averaged 13.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in only 31 minutes last year. Could see a bump in minutes and production with Greg Monroe in Milwaukee.
6	Rudy Gobert	C		3	Averaged 11.1 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.0 steals in 34 minutes after the All-Star break last year.
7	DeAndre Jordan	C		3
8	Brook Lopez	C		3
9	Hassan Whiteside	C		3	Averaged 13.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks after the All-Star break last year.
10	Al Jefferson	PF, C		3
11	Joakim Noah	PF, C		4
12	Marcin Gortat	C		3
13	Jonas Valanciunas	C		3
14	Tyson Chandler	C		3
15	Robin Lopez	C		3
16	Tiago Splitter	C		4
17	Andrew Bogut	C		3
18	Roy Hibbert	C		3
19	Meyers Leonard	C		3	Starting at center for the Blazers. Averaged 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 threes in the preseason.
20	John Henson	PF, C		3	Could see bump in minutes this week with Jabari Parker (knee) likely out.
21	Timofey Mozgov	C		3
22	Ian Mahinmi	C		3	Starter at center with Roy Hibbert gone but could lose minutes to Jordan Hill and Myles Turner.
23	Zaza Pachulia	C		3
24	Enes Kanter	C		3	Double-double machine at the end of last season (averaged 18.7 points and 11.0 rebounds after the All-Star break) but will likely come off the bench behind Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka.
25	Dwight Howard	C		3	Will only play two games this week (suspended for opener).
26	Jahlil Okafor	C		2
27	Gorgui Dieng	C		2	Averaged 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.1 steals after the All-Star break last year but production could go down with Karl-Anthony Towns starting and Nikola Pekovic healthy.
28	Joffrey Lauvergne	C		3	Averaged 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in the preseason. Will likely start this week with Jusuf Nurkic (knee) out.
29	Tyler Zeller	PF, C		3
30	Steven Adams	C		3
31	Kyle O'Quinn	C		3
32	Brandan Wright	PF, C		3
33	Jordan Hill	PF, C		3
34	Myles Turner	C		3
35	Willie Cauley-Stein	C		3