This is an extremely early look at the minutes per game for certain players this season.  Yes, most of them have played one game, so take some of these MPGs with a grain of salt, but that doesn’t mean some can’t provide insight.  Being active and watchful is a key if you want to win your league.  This sort of piece will tell us more over the course of the season, but it’s good to get our feet wet.

This list below contains some fantasy basketball players you may own or may have thought about owning during the early part of the season (or even considered drafting).  Some players like Kenneth Faried are dealing with injuries or had foul trouble, while others were involved in some blowouts.  I highlighted those whose minutes may be telling or may have have garnered some fantasy interest.  We will discuss some of these names below, but it has been one game, so let’s not try to overreact.

• Andrew Bogut is slowly making his way back into shape.  If the big man can stay healthy, he could help lead the Warriors and your fantasy team deep into the playoffs.
• Andrea Bargnani should get more minutes going forward, but it looks like he may be an inconsistent option for fantasy teams.  He looked better in his second game, so if there aren’t any better options out there on the waiver wire, you may want to hold.
• It looks like all those highlighted between Green and Speights will struggle to make big fantasy contributions in the early going.  Roles are still being established, but most of these players look currently unreliable.  Speights is someone who can provide some nice fantasy lines even in limited minutes, so he is a name to keep an eye on.
• Bismack Biyombo will struggle to get minutes, so I wouldn’t expect him to be a sneaky option for blocks unless something changes.
• Anthony Bennett may get more minutes as the season progresses and he will certainly test the patience of owners.
• Amir Johnson, Maurice Harkless, Tyreke Evans, and Kris Humphries all received disappointing minutes.  You would have to assume Johnson, Harkless, and Evans will get a minutes bump, but I would worry most about Harkless going forward.  Humphries should struggle to find time all season.
• Manu Ginobili received similar minutes to last season and if that continues, he can still provide some nice value to fantasy owners, especially when you consider his draft price.
• Jarret Jack likely needs several more minutes if owners want him to produce last season’s stat line.  I think he will.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up playing more with Irving, risking the minutes of Dion Waiters.
• Evan Fournier surprisingly got some significant minutes in the first game of the season.
• I’m not so certain Jeremy Lamb will break out this season.  My money is on Reggie Jackson taking most of the minutes at both backup guard spots when Russell Westbrook returns.

It is a good idea to look at the minutes played during the beginning parts of the season.  It can give you a jump on your opponents for some important waiver wire finds.  I recommend going to your league and taking some tabs.  If you find anyone interesting or want to discuss the roles of any players, feel free to post in the comments section below.