Dylan Harper records 22/5/2/2 line vs. Dallas

Harper scored 18 of his 25 points after halftime, shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line. He finished with a season-high point total, and fantasy managers will also be pleased with his rebounds and assists. Tobias Harris (calf) isn’t expected to make his Spurs debut anytime soon, so any talk of starting lineup changes is irrelevant.

This game had the outline of a monster fantasy performance with the rebounds and assists. Unfortunately he shot 4-17 from the field which puts a dampener on everything else. Once he becomes the established guy, he will be an absolute monster in fantasy. His ability to get to the rim at will is going to be one of the best in the league when he’s at his peak.

Harper was the lone Spurs starter to play 30 minutes in Tuesday’s blowout victory, but his night nearly ended during the first quarter. The second-year wing tweaked his left knee when he landed on a teammate’s foot after converting a tip-in. After a brief moment on the court, Harper returned to the bench under his own power and stayed in the game. Tuesday’s game was the first of two in as many nights for the Spurs, so keep an eye out for Harper’s name on the injury report ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Jazz.

Harris will miss another game with this calf injury, making this three straight to open the season. Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell will both continue to start, delaying head coach Mitch Johnson from having to make a tough decision on his lineup for at least one more game.

Harris, whose calf strain sidelined him for the entire preseason, will miss a second consecutive regular-season game. His absence means Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell will continue to start, and that may remain true even after Harris returns to action.

Harper got the starting nod as part of the three-guard lineup for San Antonio, and he was able to have a productive night in 32 minutes. There were certainly some holes to his fantasy game, most notably the shooting percentage and lack of defensive stats. However, he was able to flash why the organization is so high on him. If Harper remains a starter against the Rockets on Friday, he should be in for another productive night.

Jeff McDonald also reported that coach Mitch Johnson intends to use this starting lineup on Tuesday against the Thunder. The Spurs will use their three guard lineup with Champagnie and Harris coming off the bench. We’ll see if the starting lineup sticks that way beyond this upcoming Tuesday, but you can feel good to draft Vassell to stream him in on opening night.

With Julian Champagnie getting the night off, Harper remained in the starting five despite De’Aaron Fox making his first appearance of the preseason. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Harper has a high fantasy ceiling heading into his second NBA season. The top-100 ADP is reasonable, as Harper will play plenty for the reigning Western Conference champions. With the Spurs playing their final preseason game on Friday, we should get a more definitive answer on Mitch Johnson’s starting lineup then.

De’Aaron Fox was unavailable for Thursday’s exhibition, so Harper started. The second-year guard played well in 19 minutes, shooting well and committing no turnovers. Even if he’s asked to come off the bench again this season, Harper can provide top-100 fantasy value. At a minimum, his playing time should increase, as he averaged 22.6 minutes per game as a rookie.

Harper was San Antonio’s best player in Game 5, and his lack of opportunities in the fourth quarter contributed to the Spurs’ inability to hold off the Knicks. A similar scenario occurred in Game 4, and Harper is the first rookie since Richard Dumas in 1993 to record consecutive 20-point games. After the defeat, teammate Devin Vassell said that there were times during the season when Harper was frustrated with his playing time. Given how well he played during San Antonio’s run to the Finals, minutes should not be a concern for Harper in 2026-27. Don’t be surprised if he breaks out next season.