Fantasy Fantasy Basketball: NBA depth chart predictions

Fantasy basketball expert Mike Barner predicts how NBA depth charts will play out for the 2026-27 season.

Mike Barner, RotoWire.com | September 3, 2026 8:55 PM

Neemias Queta will compete with Mitchell Robinson for minutes at center with the Celtics.

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After a busy offseason across the NBA, several teams will look much different heading into the 2026-27 season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is on the Miami Heat, LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers and LaMelo Ball is now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. As the dust has settled, there are still plenty of teams with rotations left to sort out. With that in mind, let’s dig into five unsettled situations and project how they could play out.

Milwaukee Bucks: Backcourt

The Bucks took the franchise in a new direction by trading Antetokounmpo to the Heat, and they got a haul back, including promising young players like Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware. They also acquired veteran guard Tyler Herro, who should lead the team in usage rate and start at shooting guard.

The likely starting point guard is Ryan Rollins, who was one of last season’s best stories with averages of 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 three-pointers. Rollins is also just 24, fitting neatly into the Bucks’ timeline.

Behind them, the picture is open, and that’s an opportunity rather than a problem. Kevin Porter Jr. posted a 24.3% usage rate last season and is at his best with the ball in his hands, exactly the profile that produces the occasional 30-point night that wins you a week in High Score fantasy leagues. The Bucks also selected Brayden Burries with the 10th pick in the draft and clearly view him as a cornerstone, which should mean a long developmental runway and the freedom to play through mistakes. Kasparas Jakučionis, who came over in the Heat trade, was the 20th pick a year ago and has plenty of upside of his own.

If you’re picking one backup guard late, Burries is the choice, since a rebuilding roster tends to prioritize the rookie’s development. But Porter’s shot creation makes him a legitimate ceiling play in a format that only counts his best night like High Score.

Boston Celtics: Center

The Celtics reshaped their roster last season with Jayson Tatum working back from a torn Achilles, and center wasn’t the priority at the time. Neemias Queta seized the job and played well in it. With the team exceeding expectations and posting one of the best records in the East, Boston added Nikola Vučević at the deadline. The fit never quite came together in a short window, and Vučević is no longer in the picture.

Queta now has a new frontcourt partner to share the middle with. The Celtics signed Mitchell Robinson away from the Knicks, adding elite rebounding and rim protection. Robinson is the more accomplished player and brings a longer track record. New York found a formula that worked with him: keep his minutes measured, under 20 per game in each of the last two seasons, and he stays at his most explosive.

Boston may follow a version of that plan, possibly bringing him off the bench to manage his workload across the season. Even so, closer to 25 minutes a night looks reasonable, and that’s plenty. Robinson is one of the better High Score values on the board. A 14-rebound, three-block night is 23 fantasy points before he scores at all. Queta stays relevant too, and in a ten-man roster format you can comfortably carry one of them and rotate the other through your Utility slot.

Charlotte Hornets: Center

The Hornets were a pleasant surprise last season, reaching the Play-In Tournament behind a young core of Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. Rather than tinkering at the margins, they made bold moves, trading Ball to the Timberwolves and Miles Bridges to the Suns.

Moussa Diabaté was a terrific story at center, bringing relentless energy and elite rebounding to the middle. Charlotte still wanted more scoring punch up front, and they got it by landing Naz Reid in the Minnesota trade. Reid can play both power forward and center and stretches the floor with his three-point shooting. They also drafted center Hannes Steinbach with the 14th pick after he averaged 18.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in his long college season at Washington. Holdover Ryan Kalkbrenner, a 2025 second-rounder, is in the mix as well.

Make no mistake: Reid is going to play a lot. He’ll likely start at power forward and slide to center in small lineups, and he’s a straightforward frontcourt starter for your fantasy team. Diabate’s minutes may fluctuate as Charlotte sorts out the group. Steinbach has the most long-term upside and is the one to circle late. If he settles in above 20 minutes a night, he’ll return value in 12-team and deeper formats, and his best game of any given week could look a lot like a starter’s.

Memphis Grizzlies: Backcourt

Ja Morant gets a fresh start in Portland after the Grizzlies sent him to the Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, adding a proven veteran scorer and a versatile young forward to the frontcourt mix. The future of the franchise now rests largely on Cameron Boozer, selected with the third pick in the 2026 Draft.

Memphis has clear building blocks up front in Boozer and Zach Edey, while the backcourt is where the competition lives. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome will vie for point guard minutes, with Jerome also in the mix alongside Cedric Coward and Walter Clayton Jr. at shooting guard. Cam Spencer belongs in the conversation too after averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 assists in 24 minutes per game last season.

The Grizzlies took Coward 11th in the 2025 Draft, so expect him to get every opportunity to start at shooting guard. Spencer played well running the offense last season when injuries limited Pippen to 10 games, and Pippen should reclaim the starting point guard job with Jerome as the primary backup across both guard spots.

Here’s where format matters. In a standard league, a five-man rotation that keeps everyone under 30 minutes caps all of their values. In High Score, you’re only asking one of them to be great once a week, and with this much talent cycling through, someone in that group posts a big line most weeks. Spencer alone turned 5.6 assists into more than 11 High Score points a night last season. All five are late-round targets, but they’re far more useful late-round targets here than they’d be in a traditional format.

New Orleans Pelicans: Center

The Pelicans had an interesting offseason. Coming off a difficult 2025-26 campaign, they largely ran it back, reportedly adding Bennedict Mathurin and hoping for a full, healthy season from Dejounte Murray. They also brought back DeAndre Jordan on a two-year, $7.9 million deal, betting on his locker-room presence while a young frontcourt still finding its footing.

New Orleans has no shortage of center options. Derik Queen showed real flashes when given extended run last season, Yves Missi remains firmly in the picture, and Herbert Jones handled the starting center job down the stretch. Jones may not be a volume scorer, but he’s a difference-maker on defense. His average of nearly two steals and a block is nine High Score points from defense alone.

For the long view, starting Queen alongside Zion Williamson makes sense to find out whether the duo can grow together and push New Orleans back toward the postseason. Jones opening at center again is a live possibility, though, and Missi should factor into the rotation regardless. Queen carries the most upside and is the one to target. Still, they’ll share minutes, so treat all three as late-round swings, the kind of swings that pay off in a format where a single strong night is all you need like High Score.