What the preseason has shown about the rookies' roles so far

The rookie rankings we published before camp were built on college numbers, draft position and a projection of minutes, and the first two weeks of the preseason are the first evidence of whether those minutes are real. What matters for a fantasy roster is less how many points a rookie scored in an exhibition than whether he started and how long he stayed on the floor, because a role carries into the regular season. Preseason minutes run short for almost everyone, so a rookie playing 23 minutes in October can still be on course for the 30 we project.

We collected the starts and minutes for six rookies from game reports, confirming each line in at least two outlets, and set them against our projected minutes and ranks. Ranks are from our points board under ESPN's default scoring and our 9-cat board, beside the analysts' points consensus. Our earlier pieces on the top four rookies and the rookies after them explain the projections themselves; this one is about what has changed since.

Caleb Wilson, the heaviest workload

Wilson scored 15 points in 29 minutes in his debut against Phoenix on October 7, as Yahoo Sports and Heavy reported, and then 21 points in 32 minutes against Memphis two nights later, with five three-pointers according to RotoWire and RotoBaller. That is already more minutes than the 30.2 we project, in only his second professional game. The five threes stand out because we project him for 1.05 a game, and a big night in an exhibition is not enough to move that number. He is 96th on our points board and 109th on 9-cat, where a projected 71% from the free-throw line holds him back. The risk is that two exhibition games are a small sample, and a rookie forward's minutes often settle lower once the full rotation is healthy.

AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, starters on rebuilding teams

Dybantsa has started both of Washington's preseason games and played 23 minutes in each, scoring 11 points with four steals against the Knicks on October 8 and 14 points with seven rebounds against Detroit on October 10, as NBC Sports, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report reported. Peterson has started both of Utah's games, going 1-for-5 for three points in 22 minutes on October 4 and then scoring 23 points in 30 minutes two nights later, according to CBS Sports and RotoBaller. Both roles look secure, which supports the 31.5 and 30.1 minutes we project. Neither changes our view of their efficiency, which is why Dybantsa sits 113th on points and Peterson 145th, both below the consensus. The risk for anyone drafting them early is that a secure role on a losing team can still come with a poor shooting percentage.

Cameron Boozer, the rookie we rank highest

Boozer had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 18 minutes in his debut against Atlanta on October 5, according to NBC Sports and Yahoo Sports, and scored 10 points against Chicago, as CBS Sports and Bleacher Report reported. His debut minutes were the lowest of the four top picks, though Memphis still has a preseason game left. We project 30.7 minutes, 17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists, which puts him 63rd on our points board, the highest of any rookie and level with the consensus at 62nd. The risk is that his preseason minutes stay near 20 once the games count, which would cost him a large share of his projected value.

Darius Acuff Jr. and Kingston Flemings

Acuff started Sacramento's opener against the Lakers and scored 19 points in 27 minutes, according to RotoBaller and Yahoo Sports, then shot 4-for-15 for 12 points in the rematch, as Yahoo Sports and A Royal Pain reported. We project 29.1 minutes and rank him 147th on points, so the role matches and the shooting is the question. Flemings is the rookie whose preseason most outruns our projection. He started Atlanta's opener in place of the injured CJ McCollum, as CBS Sports and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, and came off the bench against San Antonio for 15 points, five assists and three steals, according to Yahoo Sports and Locked On Atlanta. We project only 20 minutes, which puts him 307th, outside every standard league. The risk with Flemings is that his opening start depended on McCollum's injury, and his minutes may shrink once McCollum returns.

What to do

Draft Boozer as the first rookie off the board in points leagues, around the 60th pick, and take Wilson in the 90s, where his minutes look the most secure of the group. Leave Dybantsa and Peterson to managers drafting on their draft position, since the preseason has not changed the efficiency concerns behind our ranks. Flemings is not a draft pick in a twelve-team league, but he belongs on your watch list, and if he keeps playing 25 minutes after McCollum returns, he is a waiver pickup in the first week. Our projections will move each rookie's minutes once real games are played.

Every player in this story is on the fantasy basketball rankings and the 2026-27 projections, and the NBA depth charts show where each one stands in his team’s rotation tonight.