News » hopefully we can stay involved with the team.Im stil

The ink on Giannis Antetokounmpos new four-year, $100 million contract extension with Milwaukee hadnt even dried yet when the news came out on Sept. 21 that his teammate, Khris Middleton, had torn his left hamstring and would likely be out for six months.What a crushing blow to the Bucks, losing one of the games most underrated players for the majority of the 2016-17 NBA season.To me, all this did is drive home how much every players fantasy value is directly tied in with those around him. Losing Middleton, who quietly averaged 18.2 points and 1.8 3-pointers per game last season while shooting 88.8 percent from the free throw line, dishing out 4.2 assists and swiping 1.7 steals, means teammates like Antetokounmpo must step up to fill his void.For a player like Antetokounmpo, who already set career highs in just about every statistical category last season, the expectations suddenly rise to a whole new level. Hell likely play more than the 35.3 minutes he averaged last season, and theres a good chance his 21.8 usage rate will also rise. Thats why we have bumped the Greek Freak up two spots from No. 14 to No. 12 on our rankings. Keep in mind, too, that if Antetokounmpo adds a 3-point shot to his already impressive repertoire this season, hes a top 5 fantasy player for years to come.The ripple effects from Middletons injury dont stop there, however, as players like Michael Beasley -- acquired from Houston after Middleton went down -- and Mirza Teletovic, acquired as a free agent over the summer, now have a chance to see expanded roles with the Bucks. Beasley jumped from No. 173 to No. 141 and Teletovic from No. 134 to No. 118 in the rankings.Losing Middleton in fantasy this season also thins out the two positions he qualifies at, shooting guard and small forward, making players like Carmelo Anthony, Nicolas Batum, DeMar DeRozan, Evan Fournier and Trevor Ariza more valuable in that 30-50 range of the draft.As we move ahead, with the NBAs regular season set to tip off on Oct. 25, here are some of the other big changes to the ESPN fantasy basketball rankings since our last update on Sept. 1.Uncertainty with Chris Bosh: We already ranked Bosh fairly low in our previous rankings, putting him at No. 120, but he drops to No. 160 following the news of his failed physical with Miami. Heat president Pat Riley already came out and said that the team views Boshs career with Miami as over. Whether Bosh ever plays again for another team remains to be seen, but at this point theres a very real chance that his recurring blood clot issues in recent years could keep the 32-year-old off the court for good.Jrue Holidays situation: Shortly after our last rankings came out, which pegged Holiday No. 53 overall, the New Orleans point guard announced that he would miss the start of the season to be with his wife, Lauren, who faces brain surgery. My family comes before basketball, Holiday told The Times-Picayune. Im obviously blessed to play this game and be in the position I am in, but my wife is the most important thing in the world to me. She comes before anything else. Lauren has since given birth to a healthy baby girl, which is wonderful news, but now must prepare for surgery to remove a tumor. We wish her and the whole Holiday family well throughout this difficult time.The rise of Myles Turner and DAngelo Russell: In the dozens of mock drafts I took part in throughout September, no two players were consistently drafted well above their listed ranking than Turner and Russell. Its clear that both were listed too low in our earlier rankings, and therefore an adjustment is order for each of the talented second-year players. Turner moves up from No. 101 to No. 72, while Russell goes from No. 81 to No. 66.Biggest fallers: Aside from Middleton, Bosh and Holiday, who each slid in the rankings for very separate reasons, several others moved down because they were simply ranked too high. Notables from that list include Klay Thompson (27 to 32), Andre Iguodala (93 to 122), Dwyane Wade (57 to 64) and Bradley Beal (59 to 75). These adjustments are more in line with where these players are being drafted in most ESPN drafts.Hardens new position: You will find many players now qualify at multiple positions, but there is no bigger one to take note of than James Harden, who has moved to point guard. Ive mentioned over the past few weeks how important it is to draft a point guard in the top 30 picks of the draft, and with Harden now qualifying at both point guard and shooting guard -- and Rockets coach Mike DAntoni scheming to get the ball in Hardens hands more than ever before -- an argument can certainly be made for drafting Harden first overall ahead of Oklahoma Citys Russell Westbrook. Patrick Mahomes Chiefs Jersey . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. Tyreek Hill Womens Jersey . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-Larry-Johnson-Chiefs-Jersey/ . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Marcus Allen Womens Jersey . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Harrison Butker Chiefs Jersey . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game.Alexander Rossi is still in talks to continue working with the Manor F1 team despite losing his driving seat for the Banbury-based outfit. Rossi wants to stay involved with F1 while seeking a seat in other branches of motor-racing as he sets his sights on regaining an F1 drivers berth for the 2017 season.Manor finished the 2015 campaign with Britains Will Stevens and American Rossi as their drivers. This week, however, the team confirmed Indonesian Rio Haryanto would join German Pascal Wehrlein to complete their new line-up, having previously secured Mercedes engines to power their cars.Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ on Friday, Rossi refused to be downbeat about being dropped by the Manor team after racing for them in five of the last seven races last year.I was very satisfied and I was very thankful to Manor for the opportunity and I feel we did everything that we could in those five races, he said.Ill be honest, Im disappointed that we werent able to stay in the seat for 2016 but sometimes thats the way the sport works.We were never promised anything but we were very close [to getting a drive] - Id say it was down to the last day. Will Stevens locks up as he leads Alexander Rossi during the 2015 season Theres a lot of different things that go into it and at the end of the day, the teeam has to make the decision that best suits them.ddddddddddddHaving said that, the relationship with Manor is very strong and were looking to put something together for the future and hopefully we can stay involved with the team.Im still in discussions with Manor and I want to keep my foot in the door in terms of staying in Formula 1, thats still the ultimate goal.Rossi said he is also looking at the possibilities of staying on the racing track, competing in the World Endurance Championship, Indycar or GP2 this year. Rossi is in talks over seats in Indycar or GP2 He said: I obviously need to be racing this year so were talking to the teams in WEC and Indycar as well. Im looking to still be involved in Formula 1 as much as I can and hopefully return to racing in 2017.The 24-year-old was bullish about his efforts to continue boosting F1s growing popularity in the USA.He said: Weve seen a bit of growth in the States in terms of the Formula 1 viewership - since obviously Austin has been a race on the calendar and my presence in the final five grands prix last year also increased it.But for it really to make an impact on America there needs to be a full-time driver and thats whats missing. Were doing our best to make it happen and we have seen the sport grow in the States but theres still quite a long way to go. ' ' '