Memphis Grizzlies
Up: 2026-27 Fantasy Basketball Encyclopedia
Related: 2026-27 fantasy basketball projection methodology · 2026-27 fantasy basketball evidence and confidence policy
Research cut Evidence is current through 2026-07-18 (America/New_York). Statistics are observed 2025-26 or pre-NBA baselines; every 2026-27 line is this encyclopedia's independent projection. Platform position eligibility and the final roster must be rechecked at draft time.
Coach and system
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo, promoted from interim on 2 May 2025 and retained through the 25-57 season. NBA.com, 2025-05-02 · ESPN, 2025-05-02
Memphis played at a 101.3 pace, 7th in the NBA on the full season (101.2 and 6th at the midseason mark), with a 112.9 offensive rating, 25th, in 2025-26 — down from a league-leading 103.69 the prior year but still firmly top-third in possessions. High pace plus bottom-six efficiency is the textbook profile for inflated counting stats and depressed percentages: trust the volume in the projections below, fade the FG%. Every line on this page assumes pace holds near 101, which is the assumption most likely to move if Iisalo slows the offense around a rookie-heavy roster.
Executive fantasy read
- First Memphis player to draft: Cameron Boozer. The No. 3 pick projects as an immediate 20/9/3.5 producer with positive FG%, and he has the best combination of redraft floor and dynasty ceiling on the roster. He averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists on .554/.476 shooting across six Summer League games and opened as a co-favorite in the 2026-27 Rookie of the Year market. NBC's draft note called him a likely starter and franchise cornerstone; fantasy-community discussion has already framed him as a possible day-one offensive alpha. The latter is sentiment, not a team promise. ESPN Summer League review, 2026-07 · SI betting, 2026-07 · NBC Sports Fantasy, 2026-06-23 · r/fantasybball discussion, accessed 2026-07-18
- Best category specialists: Zach Edey for rebounds, blocks and FG%; Ty Jerome for assists, threes and efficiency; Walter Clayton Jr. for assists and FT%; Isaiah Stewart for blocks; Cam Spencer for threes, assists and elite but low-volume FT%; Quinten Post for center threes.
- Best sophomore bet: Cedric Coward, who made the 2025-26 All-Rookie First Team after 13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Memphis Grizzlies, 2026-05 Update 2026-07-19: Coward put up 28 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 28 minutes in the July 18 Summer League semifinal win over Houston, sending Memphis to the July 19 Vegas final against Golden State; Javon Small added 17-7-6. Sophomore dominance of Vegas confirms rather than changes the secondary-creator projection. HoopsRumors, 2026-07-19
- Best late-round stabilizer: Jaylen Wells. His low turnovers, threes and steals fit nine-category builds, but a low-usage wing role limits the ceiling and he has now had two consecutive seasons ended by fracture — most recently March 2026 right-great-toe surgery, with full recovery expected but no July clearance published. "Stabilizer" describes his category profile, not his availability.
- Largest traps: drafting Edey as though three 2025-26 procedures and an 11-game season never happened; paying for Jerome's 19.7-point small sample at unchanged usage; or assigning minutes to all 21 standard-contract candidates simultaneously.
Roster audit
The official NBA team page, accessed 2026-07-18, displayed 23 players: Jahmai Mashack, Richie Saunders, Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr., Ty Jerome, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Walter Clayton Jr., D'Angelo Russell, AJ Johnson, Jerami Grant, Javon Small, Zach Edey, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Quinten Post, Taylor Hendricks, Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer, Kris Murray, Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Stewart, Karim Lopez, GG Jackson and Taj Gibson. That page is a player pool, not proof of an opening-night contract.
Credible July 9 roster reporting instead described 20 standard contracts and three two-ways, identified the two-ways as Carson Cooper, Small and Mashack, omitted Gibson, and projected that Memphis must remove five standard players before opening night. The report's leading departure candidates were Johnson, Russell, Caldwell-Pope and Murray, plus one of Jerome, Pippen or Clayton. Sports Illustrated / Memphis On SI, 2026-07-09 The G League confirms the regular-season limit of 15 standard and three two-way contracts. NBA G League FAQ, accessed 2026-07-18
That count is one short. Gibson is under contract for 2026-27 on the non-guaranteed second year of the two-year, $4.78 million deal he signed in February 2026, so the standard-contract pool is 21, not 20, and six standard players must go rather than five. Because his 2026-27 salary is non-guaranteed, he is also the cheapest of those six to release. ESPN, 2026-02-26 · Hoops Rumors, 2026-02
| Bucket | Players | Working interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| High-confidence standard core | Cameron Boozer, Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart, Cam Spencer, Jaylen Wells, Walter Clayton Jr., GG Jackson, Quinten Post, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Taylor Hendricks, Karim Lopez | Thirteen strongest roster bets based on draft capital, recent acquisition, new contract or developmental priority. Clayton and Hendricks both arrived in the February 2026 Jaren Jackson Jr. trade. |
| Guard battle / unresolved | Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr. | Reporting expects one guard-resolution move. Jerome owns the base lead-guard role here because his healthy 2025-26 rate was strongest; Pippen is the more exposed of the two on both health and contract. |
| Leading exit candidates | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, D'Angelo Russell, AJ Johnson, Kris Murray | Projected for zero Memphis base minutes pending trade, waiver or buyout resolution. Conditional lines are retained below. |
| Reported two-way | Jahmai Mashack, Javon Small, Carson Cooper | All three are outside the representative NBA rotation but have injury-path minutes. |
| Medical rookie | Richie Saunders | Standard-contract candidate rehabbing a February 2026 ACL tear. He has told The Athletic he expects to be ready at the start of the season; no team clearance has been published, so he carries no base minutes but a substantial conditional role. |
| Rostered, non-guaranteed | Taj Gibson | Under contract for 2026-27 on the non-guaranteed second year of his February 2026 deal. He is a rostered body and the cheapest available cut, not a free agent; he receives no base role at 41. |
Functional depth chart
| Role | First | Second | Development / emergency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead guard | Ty Jerome | Walter Clayton Jr. | Scotty Pippen Jr. / Javon Small |
| Off guard | Cedric Coward | Cam Spencer | Jaylen Wells / Jahmai Mashack |
| Wing | Jaylen Wells | Jerami Grant | Richie Saunders / Olivier-Maxence Prosper / GG Jackson |
| Power forward | Cameron Boozer | Jerami Grant | GG Jackson / Taylor Hendricks / Karim Lopez |
| Center | Zach Edey | Isaiah Stewart / Quinten Post | Carson Cooper |
This chart is an analytical hierarchy, not a reported starting five. It assumes Memphis resolves the four leading veteran/guard exit candidates and prioritizes development around Boozer, Coward and Edey.
Reconciled 240-minute base rotation
These are minutes in a representative competitive regulation game. Deep-reserve and transaction-contingent minutes are not active simultaneously.
| Player | Primary slot | Base minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Boozer | PF | 32 |
| Cedric Coward | SG/SF | 30 |
| Zach Edey | C | 26 |
| Jerami Grant | PF/SF | 24 |
| Jaylen Wells | SF/SG | 24 |
| Ty Jerome | PG | 22 |
| Walter Clayton Jr. | PG/SG | 20 |
| Isaiah Stewart | C/PF | 15 |
| Cam Spencer | PG/SG | 15 |
| Quinten Post | C | 14 |
| Scotty Pippen Jr. | PG | 8 |
| GG Jackson | PF/SF | 4 |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | SF/PF | 3 |
| Taylor Hendricks | PF/C | 3 |
| Total | 240 |
Correction 2026-07-18 The base rotation was rebuilt. Clayton enters at 20 minutes: he was previously given zero base minutes despite playing 24 games for Memphis after the February trade at 25.0 MPG with 9.7 points and 5.7 assists, including a franchise rookie-record-tying 14-assist game. Wikipedia game log, accessed 2026-07-18 · ClutchPoints, 2026-03-02 Boozer rises 30→32 and Grant 20→24, the latter because Grant did not have declining minutes — he played 29.7 MPG for Portland in 2025-26. Post rises 9→14: a team does not pay $30 million for a nine-minute third center, and Edey's 57-game projection opens real backup-center work. Those 33 added minutes come from Pippen (17→8, two sesamoidectomies and a 10-game season), Spencer (19→15), Jerome (24→22), Wells (26→24), Stewart (18→15), GG Jackson (9→4), Prosper (7→3) and Hendricks (5→3). Total still sums to 240.
Contingent, not additive: Lopez, Mashack, Small, Cooper and Saunders enter through injuries, development nights or a surviving roster branch. Caldwell-Pope, Russell, Johnson, Murray and Gibson require a Memphis roster-status change before receiving team minutes.
2026-27 projection board
FG% (FGA) and FT% (FTA) preserve ratio volume. GP and MPG are expected games and minutes when active, not the 240-minute table's season-share accounting. The rough bands describe 12-team, nine-category per-game value among the usual rosterable player pool; no punt is assumed.
| Player | GP | MPG | FG% (FGA) | FT% (FTA) | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | 9-cat read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Boozer | 72 | 32 | .510 (14.4) | .790 (4.7) | 1.5 | 19.9 | 8.7 | 3.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 45-80 |
| Zach Edey | 57 | 26 | .610 (8.8) | .735 (2.8) | 0.1 | 13.5 | 10.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 65-105 per game; totals risk |
| Cedric Coward | 70 | 30 | .470 (12.0) | .845 (3.2) | 1.8 | 15.6 | 6.3 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 80-120 |
| Ty Jerome | 58 | 22 | .475 (10.8) | .875 (2.8) | 2.1 | 14.8 | 2.5 | 5.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 80-125 if retained |
| Jerami Grant | 60 | 24 | .450 (10.8) | .815 (4.2) | 2.1 | 15.2 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 110-150 |
| Jaylen Wells | 68 | 24 | .432 (9.3) | .790 (2.0) | 1.8 | 11.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 145-195 |
| Walter Clayton Jr. | 68 | 20 | .405 (7.0) | .880 (1.8) | 1.1 | 8.4 | 2.0 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 150-200; assists/FT% |
| Isaiah Stewart | 64 | 15 | .545 (4.8) | .750 (1.5) | 0.4 | 6.8 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 165-215; blocks build |
| Cam Spencer | 68 | 15 | .468 (5.0) | .920 (1.1) | 1.4 | 7.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 175-225 |
| Quinten Post | 64 | 14 | .445 (5.3) | .790 (0.7) | 1.1 | 6.4 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 180-235; threes/blocks |
| Scotty Pippen Jr. | 55 | 8 | .455 (3.3) | .760 (0.9) | 0.3 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 240+ |
| GG Jackson | 56 | 9 | .455 (4.2) | .740 (1.2) | 0.6 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 240+; dynasty stash |
| Olivier-Maxence Prosper | 58 | 7 | .520 (2.5) | .740 (0.8) | 0.4 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 240+ |
| Taylor Hendricks | 55 | 5 | .455 (2.0) | .700 (0.4) | 0.4 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 240+; stocks stash |
Correction 2026-07-18 Boozer's line moves from 18.3/8.3/3.5 in 30 minutes to 19.9/8.7/3.6 in 32. Two reasons. First, the old cell was arithmetically wrong: .510 on 14.0 FGA with 1.4 threes plus .790 on 4.6 FTA computes to 19.3 points, not 18.3. Second, the market moved — six Summer League games at 18.8/6.5/3.5 on .554/.476, ESPN's No. 2 post-Summer-League rookie ranking, and co-favorite ROY odds. ESPN, 2026-07 Grant moves from 13.3 in 20 minutes to 15.2 in 24 on the corrected 2025-26 baseline of 18.6 points in 29.7 MPG. Post moves from 3.9 in 9 minutes to 6.4 in 14 on the three-year, $30 million offer sheet Golden State declined to match. Hoops Rumors, 2026-07 Clayton enters the board at 20 minutes; Pippen falls out of the standard pool. Wells drops from 72 to 68 games on the toe surgery noted below.
Non-base and conditional lines
| Player | Memphis base | Conditional active-game projection | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karim Lopez | 0 | 35 GP, 10 MPG; .440 FG, .720 FT, 0.4 3PM, 4.3 PTS, 2.2 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.4 BLK, 0.6 TO | Development nights or frontcourt injury. |
| Jahmai Mashack | 0 | 28 GP, 12 MPG; .410 FG, .600 FT, 0.3 3PM, 3.4 PTS, 1.7 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.3 BLK, 0.9 TO | Two-way call-up for perimeter defense. |
| Javon Small | 0 | 30 GP, 14 MPG; .445 FG, .820 FT, 1.0 3PM, 6.4 PTS, 2.1 REB, 2.6 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.1 BLK, 1.0 TO | Guard injuries or post-deadline development. |
| Carson Cooper | 0 | 18 GP, 8 MPG; .590 FG, .740 FT, 0.0 3PM, 2.8 PTS, 2.3 REB, 0.3 AST, 0.1 STL, 0.4 BLK, 0.4 TO | Two-way call-up after center injuries. |
| Richie Saunders | 0 | 40 GP, 16 MPG; .430 FG, .800 FT, 1.1 3PM, 6.4 PTS, 2.4 REB, 0.9 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.2 BLK, 0.8 TO | Cleared at or near opening night, as the player himself expects. |
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 0 | 45 GP, 12 MPG; .415 FG, .880 FT, 0.7 3PM, 4.2 PTS, 1.5 REB, 1.4 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.1 BLK, 0.7 TO | Retained after roster cut; low-use veteran role. |
| D'Angelo Russell | 0 | 40 GP, 15 MPG; .410 FG, .760 FT, 1.0 3PM, 8.0 PTS, 1.8 REB, 3.3 AST, 0.4 STL, 0.1 BLK, 1.5 TO | Retained and used as second-unit creator. |
| AJ Johnson | 0 | 20 GP, 8 MPG; .350 FG, .800 FT, 0.3 3PM, 3.1 PTS, 1.0 REB, 1.0 AST, 0.2 STL, 0.1 BLK, 0.6 TO | Survives cut and receives development games. |
| Kris Murray | 0 | 30 GP, 10 MPG; .450 FG, .680 FT, 0.3 3PM, 2.8 PTS, 1.7 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.5 STL, 0.2 BLK, 0.4 TO | Retained after wing consolidation. |
| Taj Gibson | 0 | 8 GP, 6 MPG; .500 FG, .750 FT, 0.0 3PM, 1.7 PTS, 1.8 REB, 0.3 AST, 0.1 STL, 0.2 BLK, 0.2 TO | Non-guaranteed second year is kept through the roster cut and center injuries follow. |
Format map
Nine-category redraft
Boozer, Edey and Jerome are the only draftable 12-team names before camp, with Coward a defensible upside selection and Grant/Wells/Clayton/Stewart/Spencer/Post better suited to specialist streaming. Edey rises sharply in punt-FT%; Clayton rises in assist-scarce builds; Stewart and Post rise whenever blocks are scarce. Grant's category value still trails his scoring name — the rebounds and defensive rates are weak for a forward and Memphis has an explicit reason to cap his workload — but the constraint is role competition and a possible deadline move, not decline: he averaged 18.6 points on 45/39 shooting in 29.7 minutes for Portland in 2025-26 before the trade.
Points leagues
Boozer's volume and double-double equity make him the safest Memphis pick. Jerome's assists and Grant's scoring play better than in nine-cat, while Wells loses ground because low turnovers are usually less valuable. Edey benefits in systems rewarding double-doubles and offensive rebounds but carries the same availability risk.
Dynasty
- Foundation: Boozer, then Coward and Edey. Boozer is the roster's only plausible elite dynasty asset today.
- Young holds: Wells, Clayton, Spencer, GG Jackson and Hendricks; each needs a clearer high-minute path before receiving premium valuation.
- Long-horizon stashes: Lopez, Saunders, Small, Mashack and Cooper. A July dynasty-community rookie draft placed Lopez at 3.04, a useful market datapoint but not a performance forecast. r/dynastybb, accessed 2026-07-18
- Veteran liquidity: Grant, Jerome and Stewart are useful contenders' assets but have limited value insulation; Caldwell-Pope, Russell and Gibson should not be valued as Memphis dynasty pieces until roster resolution.
Injury and transaction fault lines
- Edey: the club said he should fully recover from left-ankle surgery before 2026-27, then announced a March elbow procedure with the same expectation. He played only 11 games, so “expected full recovery” is not evidence of a full workload. Memphis medical update, 2025 · Memphis medical update, 2026-03-24
- Pippen: toe surgery disrupted the start of 2025-26 and a later procedure ended the season. September availability and burst must be verified. NBA/AP, 2025-10-18
- Jerome: a calf injury cost the first 46 games and limited him to 15 appearances. His rate projection is much more certain than his games projection. Official Grizzlies game notes, 2025-26
- Wells: he sustained a tendon avulsion fracture in his right great toe at Atlanta on 23 March 2026 and underwent season-ending stabilization surgery on 29 March, the fifth Memphis player to have season-ending surgery that year. The procedure was reported successful with a full recovery expected for the start of 2026-27, and no July clearance statement was recovered. This is his second consecutive season ended by a fracture after the April 2025 broken right wrist. A great-toe tendon avulsion affects push-off and landing, so the first few weeks of shooting rhythm and closeout defense are the specific risk; the games projection is haircut to 68 accordingly. Hoops Rumors, 2026-03
- Saunders: his February 2026 ACL tear leaves him without a published team clearance, but he told John Hollinger of The Athletic that he expects to be ready at the start of the season, and Memphis used the No. 32 pick on him with that timeline known. The desk therefore carries a real conditional role rather than treating him as development-only. Deseret News, 2026-06-24 · NBA draft prospect file, accessed 2026-07-18
- Lopez: July reporting agrees that he missed early Summer League with a leg issue but conflicts between right calf and left hamstring. The model records the uncertainty rather than selecting a diagnosis. Claro Sports, 2026-07 · El Imparcial, 2026-07-04
- Jaren Jackson Jr. trade: on 3 February 2026 Memphis sent Jackson, John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr. to Utah for Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-rounders — the Lakers' 2027 (top-four protected), the most favorable of Cleveland's, Minnesota's and Utah's 2027, and Phoenix's 2031 unprotected. Anderson took a buyout and signed with Minnesota; Clayton and Hendricks remain. The pick haul left Memphis with 12 first-rounders over seven seasons, behind only Oklahoma City and Brooklyn, which is the strongest available evidence for a deliberate multi-year teardown and for post-deadline veteran shutdowns. ESPN, 2026-02-03 · NBA.com, 2026-02
- Roster churn: Post signed a three-year, $30 million offer sheet that Golden State declined to match, while Grant/Murray arrived in the Ja Morant trade and Stewart/Russell/Johnson arrived in the multi-team Santi Aldama transaction. Those moves are official; the projected cuts are not. NBA.com on Post, 2026-07-09 · NBA.com on Morant trade, updated 2026-06-30 · NBA.com on Stewart transaction, updated 2026-07-09
- Deadline shutdown risk: with Bane, Jackson, Morant and Aldama all traded inside 13 months and a projected 29-win outcome, Memphis has both the pick incentive and the roster incentive to reduce veteran workloads after February. That is a direct games-played risk for Grant, Jerome, Stewart and — through load management rather than tanking — Edey.
Team outcome range
| Scenario | Wins | West range | Fantasy consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floor | 24-27 | 14th-15th | Edey and Jerome remain unavailable, the rookie offense struggles, veterans are moved, and the final two months become a broad development audition. |
| Base | 28-32 | 12th-15th | Boozer is immediately productive, Coward progresses, but lead-guard creation and half-court efficiency remain bottom-tier. |
| Ceiling | 33-35 | 11th-13th | Edey anchors the defense, Jerome stays healthy, Boozer is a near-star immediately and the young wings shoot well enough to remain in the Play-In fringe. |
Model center: 29-53, 14th in the West, no playoffs. Memphis went 25-57 in 2025-26 while setting an NBA record with 564 man-games missed and using 48 starting lineups, so simple record extrapolation understates the healthy ceiling. Official end-of-season Grizzlies game notes But the current market still prices a bottom-tier outcome: CBS ranked Memphis 27th on July 13 and BetMGM ranked it 29th on July 8. CBS Sports power rankings, 2026-07-13 · BetMGM power rankings, 2026-07-08
A July 17 community transcription put FanDuel's opening win total at 28.5. Because the underlying sportsbook page was not recoverable, that is secondary market evidence only. Reddit transcription, 2026-07-17
Source trail
- Official Memphis roster — accessed 2026-07-18; identity and displayed position labels, not final contract proof.
- Official Grizzlies 2025-26 game notes — historical roster, season record, availability and lineup context.
- NBA.com 2026 offseason tracker — transaction cross-check.
- RotoWire fantasy basketball landing page — accessed 2026-07-18; current fantasy guide/video discovery, not used as official roster evidence.
- NBA Boozer prospect file and official Memphis draft release — rookie baseline and draft status.
- Official Memphis Lopez transaction — draft rights and NBL baseline.
Open questions
- Which five standard-contract players are removed, and does Memphis keep Jerome or Pippen as the lead guard?
- Is Edey cleared for unrestricted camp work after the ankle and elbow procedures?
- Is Pippen fully recovered from the toe/sesamoid procedures?
- Does Boozer immediately lead the team in usage, or does Grant retain a larger early-season scoring role?
- Which of Post and Stewart receives the first backup-center shift, and can either play alongside Edey?
- Does Memphis protect development minutes for Lopez and Saunders, or keep them mostly in the G League/rehab program?