Injuries reshape the 2025-26 fantasy basketball landscape as the Rotoworld top-200 pivots around risk and opportunity. VanVleet’s ACL tear thrusts Amen Thompson, Alperen Şengün, and Reed Sheppard into bigger roles in Houston, lifting their ceilings. Lillard, Tatum, and Haliburton suffer Achilles injuries, widening gaps and prompting new adoptions from Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and others stepping up in Boston and beyond. With LeBron out early, Jokic remains the steady anchor atop the rankings.

Cooper Flagg dominates the NBA GM survey before taking the court for Dallas, with 97% of GMs naming him Rookie of the Year and 93% projecting him as the top player from the 2025 draft class five years down the line. Edgecombe and Harper pick up rookie votes in the mix, while the broader rookie chatter hints at a rising pipeline around the Mavericks era. Across the league, Durant is seen as the biggest immediate impact addition, and Wembanyama leads interior defense chatter, even as Dallas is pegged to finish eighth in the West and Kyrie Irvin battles return timing.

Dallas opens Oct 22 against San Antonio as the sport stews on the cost and payoff of a high floor rookie paired with a veteran core. The preseason chatter underscores Flagg as a franchise centerpiece and a careful fantasy target whose ascent may outpace his early role, while roster moves around Banton and Cleveland frame a volatility heavy Mavericks season.

Houston’s title bid encounters a major obstacle as Fred VanVleet’s season-ending ACL tear shifts the offense into a by-committee rhythm led by Kevin Durant. Durant remain a focal point, but the Rockets must lean on Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Alperen Sengun to initiate and organize play. Depth behind the star trio is tested, with defensive versatility and ball-handling risk as the team recalibrates around Durant’s gravity.

Houston eyes internal development and midseason shuffles rather than quick fixes, hoping Durant’s scoring while others grow into initiators can sustain a competitive West run. The organization could pursue a disabled-player exception, but cap constraints and trade-fuelled openings are tight. Fantasy angles now hinge on how quickly Thompson, Sheppard and Sengun lock in roles and how the defense absorbs VanVleet’s absence.