The 2024 NBA season is finally here and the basketball action kicks off with a doubleheader on Tuesday night that pits the defending champion Boston Celtics against the new New York Knicks featuring Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. In the nightcap, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’ve got everything you need to know to build those fantasy basketball lineups and make your best bets for Tuesday’s opening night.

ESPN’s daily fantasy and betting basketball cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you decide your lineup for that night’s games. Here’s our top advice for tonight, including a selection of players to stream, as well as match-by-match injury reports and player projections.

Four bets to be made on Tuesday

Anthony Edwards more than 26.5 points. Edwards is having his best season, averaging 25.9 PPG. He is now the clear leader in Minnesota with Towns in New York. Against the Lakers last season, he averaged 27.3 PPG over four games. More importantly, he took 21.3 shots per game. If his jumper doesn’t fall, he isn’t afraid to drive to the rim. The Lakers struggled to contain shooting guards last season, giving Edwards a big advantage here.

Karl-Anthony Towns over 35.5 points, rebounds and assists. Towns will be busy as a scorer, rebounder and facilitator against the Celtics in his first regular season game with the Knicks. New York’s frontcourt depth is decimated with Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa out. Cities should get all the minutes he can handle. He has averaged 22.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 3.6 APG over the past three seasons.

Derrick White has over 1.5 steals and blocks. He played a key role in the Celtics’ defensive identity and earned a spot on the Olympic team this summer. White achieved this goal in 67% of his games last season, including five times against the Knicks. He’s in a great position for success on opening night. White averaged 1.0 SPG and 1.2 BPG last season.

Sam Hauser over 2.5 rebounds. Hauser will get more minutes against the Knicks with Kristaps Porzingis ruled out. Last season he averaged 3.5 RPG in 22.1 MPG. In seven home games in which he played more than 25 minutes without Porzingis, he cleared this line six times. Hauser is a key part of the Celtics’ rotation following his contract extension this summer. He should cross this line with ease.

Top players to stream in your fantasy lineup

Mike Conley, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves (recorded in 48.7% of ESPN leagues): Conley was reliable for fantasy managers last season as the Timberwolves’ starting point guard, appearing in 76 games. He averaged 11.4 PPG and 5.9 APG, while also contributing steals and triples. Conley won’t blow you away with huge scoring performances, but his steady production in the aforementioned statistical areas makes him a solid streaming option for opening night.

Rui Hachimura, PF/SF, Los Angeles Lakers (16.6%): Hachimura played 68 games last season, averaging 13.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 26.8 MPG. He is expected to start this season after coming off the bench for most of last year. Hachimura will have an expanded role under new head coach JJ Redick, with an emphasis on offensive rebounding and more three-point attempts. He missed the past two preseason games due to calf issues but is expected to be ready for Tuesday night’s game.

Payton Pritchard, PG, Boston Celtics (recorded in 8.0% of ESPN leagues): Pritchard was the leading scorer for the Celtics’ second unit last season and should continue to flourish in that role. He averaged 9.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 3.4 APG in 22.2 minutes per game. We can expect similar numbers per game this year. Pritchard could see more field goal attempts in the near future with Kristaps Porzingis out. Porzingis’ 13.2 shot attempts per game should be shared. He is a reliable streamer for managers in deeper formats, even against a tough Knicks defense.

Luke Kornet, C, Boston Celtics (listed in 1.1% of ESPN leagues): With Porzingis out and Al Horford slowly getting going, Kornet is in line to start for the Celtics. He played a key role in the preseason with three spot starts. Kornet averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 15.7 minutes last season, but in four preseason games he increased that to 9.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Kornet showed more energy in those games, finishing on the edge and protecting the paint well. Like Pritchard, he’s a solid streaming option in deeper formats.

Projections and injury reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Damage aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
All players in italics are available in at least 50% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
7:30 PM ET on TNT

Line: Knicks 5.5 (-105) | Celtics -5.5 (EVEN)
Moneyline: Knicks 160 | Celtics -235
Total: 221.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI projection: Knicks with 5, up 66%, 220.7 points total.

Injury report:
Knicks: Mitchell Robinson, (OUT – Single)
Celtics: Kristaps Porzingis, (OUT – Foot)

Knicks projections:

• Jalen Brunson, PG: 47.2 FPTS (32.0 pts, 3.8 reb, 6.1 ast, 14.5 3:00)

• Mikal Bridges, SG/SF: 37.5 FPTS (25.2 pts, 4.4 reb, 3.4 ast, 14.8 3:00)

• Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C: 32.7 FPTS (19.9 pts, 8.1 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.8 3:00)

• OG Anunoby, SF/PF: 28.9 FPTS (17.4 pts, 4.1 reb, 2.2 ast, 14.0 3:00)

• Josh Hart, SG/SF: 26.0 FPTS (11.4 pts, 8.0 reb, 3.2 ast)

• Cameron Payne, PG/SG: 12.8 FPTS (6.7 pts, 1.5 reb, 1.8 ast)

• Jericho Sims, C: 9.8 FPTS (3.6 pts, 4.7 reb, 0.7 ast)

Celtics projections:

• Jayson Tatum, SF/PF: 49.5 FPTS (30.0 pts, 8.4 reb, 5.6 ast, 3.0 3pm)

• Jaylen Brown, SG/SF: 39.3 FPTS (26.3 pts, 5.5 reb, 3.5 ast, 1.9 3pm)

• Jrue Holiday, PG/SG: 33.3 FPTS (15.3 pts, 5.5 reb, 6.7 ast, 1.8 3pm)

• Derrick White, PG/SG: 26.3 FPTS (14.1 pts, 3.9 reb, 2.6 ast, 14.6 3:00)

• Xavier Tillman, PF/C: 23.9 FPTS (10.9 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.6 ast)

• Al Horford, PF/C: 20.3 FPTS (8.1 pts, 6.7 reb, 1.9 ast)

• Baylor Scheierman, SG: 9.4 FPTS (5.6 pts, 1.1 reb, 0.8 ast)

Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
10pm ET on TNT

Line: Timberwolves -1.5 (even) | Lakers 1.5 (-120)
Moneyline: Timberwolves -120 | Lakers EVEN
Total: 221.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI projection: Lakers by 1, up 53%, 225.2 points total.

Injury report:
Timberwolves: Julius Randle, (NA – Shoulder)
Lakers: Cam Reddish, (NA – Undisclosed); Christian Koloko, (OUT – Illness); Jarred Vanderbilt, (OUT – Foot); Christian Wood, (OUT – Knee)

Timberwolves projections:

• Anthony Edwards, SG/SF: 39.5 FPTS (24.1 pts, 4.9 reb, 4.4 ast, 14.1 3:00)

• Julius Randle, PF: 34.7 FPTS (20.8 pts, 7.5 reb, 4.3 ast)

• Rudy Gobert, C: 28.4 FPTS (13.6 pts, 11.6 reb, 2.0 ast)

• Mike Conley, PG: 22.5 FPTS (8.6 pts, 2.5 reb, 4.4 ast)

• Donte DiVincenzo, SG: 19.8 FPTS (8.7 pts, 2.6 reb, 2.4 ast, 14.1 3:00)

• Naz Reid, PF/C: 15.9 FPTS (8.6 pts, 3.3 reb, 1.2 ast)

• Rob Dillingham, PG: 15.1 FPTS (8.1 pts, 2.5 reb, 2.2 ast)

Lakers projections:

• LeBron James, SF/PF: 48.4 FPTS (24.8 pts, 8.3 reb, 8.1 ast)

• Anthony Davis, PF/C: 43.3 FPTS (25.1 pts, 13.0 reb, 3.0 ast, 2.1 blk)

• Austin Reaves, SG/SF: 32.7 FPTS (18.4 pts, 4.5 reb, 4.6 ast, 14.1 3:00)

• D’Angelo Russell, PG/SG: 31.5 FPTS (17.5 pts, 3.3 reb, 4.5 ast, 14.7 3:00)

• Rui Hachimura, SF/PF: 17.8 FPTS (10.7 pts, 3.7 reb, 1.0 ast)

• Cam Reddish, SG/SF: 16.0 FPTS (8.4 pts, 2.4 reb, 1.1 ast)

• Gabe Vincent, PG: 14.5 FPTS (7.5 pts, 1.8 reb, 1.4 ast)