Kevin Durant's Rockets debut showcased immediate offensive impact, with 20 points on 7-of-10 and a clean two-man flow with Alperen Şengun that hints at Houston's ceiling once Fred VanVleet returns. Giannis Antetokounmpo hedges on his Milwaukee future, six-to-seven months out, leaving Bucks fans cautious. Ace Bailey shines for Utah, while Keonte George and Nurkic provide rookie upside and veteran floor. San Antonio's Wembanyama flashes playmaking; Celtics push pace in preseason, and a wave of lineup tinkering across the league creates fresh fantasy angles as games tip off the regular season.

Across the night, teams leaned into rapid style and spacing, with Durant immediately elevating Houston's halfcourt function and a wave of young Jazz and Spurs players offering bulletproof upside for dynasty and DFS. The episode stitches these threads into a practical fantasy lens: monitor early usage, two-man combos, and how each team balances minute-to-rotation wealth as the calendar flips to the real games.

Fallers dominate the Yahoo board: Isaiah Jackson drops 219 spots to 419, turning a late-round flyer into a scavenger hunt. Fred VanVleet falls 108 spots to 203 and is out for the year, a tough blow for Raptors backcourt plans. Al Horford dives to 211 after signing, making him a punt-points center option rather than a stable value. MPJ, Cam Johnson, Jaylen Green, and De’Aaron Fox slide as teams recalibrate roles and minutes. LeBron, Zion, and Lowry Markkanen drift into safer, lower-end spots while new team dynamics create fresh bargains. The board is volatile, but savvy managers can still mine value from these fallers with careful roster-building and targeted late-round bets.

Two themes emerge: role uncertainty and punt-leaning strategies. Players who can secure meaningful minutes or a clear path to increased usage, even in a crowded roster, can rebound into top-60 value. For nine-cat leagues, the emphasis shifts toward players with steady peripherals (rebounds, assists, defensive stats) and acceptable shooting. The shifts also increase the importance of late-round targets who fit specific roster builds—punt FG, punt FT, or punt turnovers—without chasing risk beyond reason.

Old Man Squad’s preseason session leans into an efficiency-first fantasy blueprint, weighing Anthony Davis as a high-upside first-round bet despite injury risk and pairing him with Evan Mobley for a dominant, efficient backbone. Desmond Bane emerges as a safe third-round floor, while OG Anunoby and Deni Avdija offer upside at reasonable costs. The duo also roams through Thompson twins Amen and Ausar, plus promising late-round flyers such as Jalen Suggs, Shane Sharp, Scoot Henderson, D’Angelo Russell, Cam Johnson, Bruce Brown, and Donovan Clingan to craft versatile rosters.

The conversation centers on punting a few categories strategically, optimizing field-goal and free-throw efficiency, and leveraging defense-heavy tracks to win turnovers and blocks. Mock drafts fuel their planning, but the core takeaway is to build around efficient contributors who can shoulder multi-category loads, while keeping explosive upside in reserve for late-round swing bets.