Fantasy Hoops: Week 1 Planner; The Adventure Begins

The NBA's regular season kicks off on Tuesday night with the Boston Celtics welcoming to town some under-the-radar team from Miami. With your multiple fantasy teams drafted and awaiting your lineup decisions, I figured I would put together a little post on what to look for in Week 1 of the NBA season.

As if we haven't heard enough about the Miami Heat already this summer, they happen to be the only team in the league who plays four times in this opening week (@BOS, @PHI, ORL, @NJN). Well played, Mr. Stern. With the Heat on the docket for four, your early-round selections on LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are really going to pay off this week. Matchup-wise, the Heat should split the week with tough games against the Celtics and Magic, and two relatively favorable ones against the 76ers and the Nets. But aside from the 'Big 3' there are really no other must starts on the Heat, especially with Mike Miller injured. The one player I would keep an eye on in daily leagues, however, is Mario Chalmers. He and Carlos Arroyo are slated to split time at the point guard position, but I can see Chalmers winning out the job and becoming the more effective fantasy player. At the center position you are basically looking at three guys who are going to do their best fill the job of one player. Nothing more to see here.

Udonis Haslem could be a sneaky start with a four-game week. He's nothing more than a bulk rebounder, but if you were deciding between four games of Haslem off the bench or two games of Taj Gibson you might want to think about starting Haslem.

Week 1 Notes

- The Bulls, Magic, Spurs, Raptors and Wizards each play only twice in the opening week. You obviously have to start fantasy studs like Dwight Howard, Andrea Bargnani, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Tim Duncan, etc. However, the upside talents like Amir Johnson, Tiago Splitter, and JaVale McGee, to name a few, should get consideration to be benched this week.

- If you're thinking about starting Yao Ming this week, note that the Rockets start the season with a back-to-back set against the Lakers and the Warriors. Not sure he's going to get more than two games worth of minutes this week.

- The Lakers start off the season against Houston, but finish the week off with everyone's favorite defensive derelicts from the 2009-10 season, Phoenix and Golden State. The Lakers should get off to a good start this week.

- I expect the Trail Blazers to start strong with a home game against the Suns and road games against the Clippers and the Knicks. The Clippers should be an improved defensive team this season, but I still look at the Suns and Knicks as highly favorable matchups. I would definitely start Nicolas Batum this week.

- Sacramento is on the road for three games, but with matchups against the Timberwolves, Nets and Cavaliers I would be pretty excited about plugging in any one of their starters. Donte Greene could be a nice pick-and-plug play this week. You can't read into the Cavs numbers from last season, obviously. I expect them to be among one of the more favorable matchups this year, and while the Nets shouldn't be terrible on defense, they will still likely give up a bunch of 3-pointers. You can also start DeMarcus Cousins this week with Samuel Dalembert likely to miss at least the opener against the T-Wolves. Remember, too, that Tyreke Evans has been suspended for the start of the season. Even though that makes him a two-gamer this week, I would still plug him into my lineup.

- In case you haven't been paying attention, the following fantasy-worthy players should be put on your bench in Week 1 due to injury or suspension: Carlos Boozer, Andrew Bynum, Marc Gasol (ankle, doubtful), Mike Miller, Roddy Beaubois, Ed Davis, Jonas Jerebko, Troy Murphy, Mehmet Okur, Kelenna Azubuike, Kenyon Martin, Chris Andersen, Brandon Rush (suspension), Jonny Flynn, Martell Webster, and Josh Howard.

We'll probably have more to talk about next week once we get a good idea of rotations and early season trends. I'll update with posts throughout the week, so remember to check back. And with any questions feel free to leave them in the comment section. The NBA season is upon us. Take some time to say goodbye to your loved ones. And remember it's OK for your facial hair to run a little wild. You have more important things to do.