Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn Nets utility man Ben Simmons will start in Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks. Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will suit up. However, head coach Jordi Fernandez indicated he would be on a minutes restriction. Simmons struggled last season. Yet, there's no denying his triple-double upside, so he could easily surpass his fantasy expectations now that he's in the starting lineup.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) will play fewer minutes than usual in Wednesday's matchup versus the Hawks. The 25-year-old missed the entire preseason with a hamstring injury, so head coach Jordi Fernandez wants to play it safe. Still, Claxton is worth starting in all fantasy setups, even with a cap on his minutes. But with Day'Ron Sharpe (hamstring) sidelined, Noah Clowney could spend more time in the middle. There's also a chance the Nets go small, with Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons handling things underneath the basket.

Brooklyn Nets forward Bojan Bogdanovic (foot) will not be available for Wednesday's season opener versus Atlanta. We will miss out on the battle of the Bogdanovics, with the Nets forward still nursing a foot injury. Bogdanovic reportedly hasn't even been cleared for five-on-five contact, so it might take a while until he's ready to make his season debut. The Croatian veteran will be a good secondary scoring option off the bench for the Nets this season. With him out, Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson have a chance to see more minutes in the rotation. However, they likely still won't make a big enough contribution to warrant fantasy consideration.

Brooklyn Nets forward/center Trendon Watford (hamstring) will not play against Atlanta on Wednesday. Watford was ruled out for two weeks on Oct. 7 but hasn't recovered in time to be ready for the season opener. His next chance to play will come on Friday versus Orlando, although it's unclear if Watford is even close to being game-ready. With Day'Ron Sharpe (hamstring) also unavailable, Noah Clowney will join Claxton in an attempt to outbattle Atlanta's one-two punch of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu in the paint.

Brooklyn Nets center Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) isn't listed on the injury report ahead of Wednesday's matchup against Atlanta. This strongly indicates that he will be ready to play in the season opener despite missing the preseason with a hamstring injury. Claxton should be out to prove his worth right away after getting a four-year, $100 million contract from the Nets in the summer. However, considering he's just back from injury, the team could elect to limit Claxton's minutes in the opener. This would put Noah Clowney in a good position to perform, as the Nets lack alternative frontcourt options.