NHLs Minnesota Wild.With boards covering the arenas ice

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. Anthony Rizzo Jersey . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Kyle Hendricks Jersey . Only three players drafted by NHL clubs were included on the Czech selection camp roster on Wednesday. Those players were Dallas Stars 2012 first-rounder Radek Faksa, Winnipeg Jets 2013 fourth-rounder Jan Kostalek and Phoenix Coyotes 2012 seventh-rounder Marek Langhamer. https://www.cheapcubs.com/1730t-xavier-cedeno-jersey-cubs.html . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Victor Caratini Jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. Ryan Dempster Cubs Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Coach Cheryl Reeve and the Minnesota Lynx were not leaving any doubt: nearly two weeks between games was beneficial for the defending WNBA champions.Maya Moore scored 31 points, including 15 in the second quarter, as Minnesota opened its title defense with a 113-95 win over the Phoenix Mercury in the first game of the WNBA semifinals Wednesday night.Lindsay Whalen added 19 points and seven assists as Minnesota broke the WNBA record for points in a regulation playoff game. Center Sylvia Fowles scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Lynx, who hadnt played since Sept. 17 as the top seed in the WNBAs new playoff format.I think put to rest that narrative that you guys enjoy talking about when a team has 10 or so days off, Reeve said. That rest was good, preparation was good. Thats just kind of what we do.Diana Taurasi scored 25 points for the Mercury, who have lost each of the four games between the two teams this year. Brittney Griner added 16 points for Phoenix but was held to just two rebounds.Minnesota shot 63.9 percent from the field and outrebounded the bigger Mercury 38-20.Pretty hard to get defensive rebounds when theyre scoring 64 percent, Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. Got to play better defense, make more shots contested and be in a position to rebound. We have to play a bit more physical. Fowles, shes a beast on the boards.The Lynx started a bit slow as the Mercury led 14-8 early with Taurasi hitting a pair of 3-pointers.Minnesota went to its bench with Moore, Whalen and Seimone Augustus taking their first rest. The bench combined with Fowles and Rebekkah Brunson to spark a 12-3 run. Moore, Whalen and Augustus were the centerpieces as the Lynx took control in the second quarter, beginning the period on a 19-4 run.You try to throw different things at them, Taurasi said. Obviously you want to stop Maya, you saw what happened. You want to limit Seimone and Syl and then, oh wait, you have Lindsay Whalen running it down your throat. So, theres a lot of things that we have to kind of prioritize, aand we didnt do any of those today.ddddddddddddMinnesota led by as many as 25 and Phoenix sat Taurasi, Griner, Penny Taylor and Candice Dupree for the entire fourth quarter.BACKUPS FOR THE BACKUPSBoth teams are dealing with injuries to their backup centers.Reeve announced after the game that Janel McCarville was unavailable Wednesday because of back spasms. Reeve said the team is working to relieve the spasms but she was unsure of McCarvilles availability for Game 2.Mercury center Kelsey Bone left the game in the fourth quarter after being down on the court with an apparent injury. Bone walked off under her own power and went immediately to the locker room holding her left elbow.Brondello said Bone was still being evaluated.HOME AWAY FROM HOMEWith scheduling conflicts at Target Center, Minnesotas home playoff games were moved across town to St. Pauls Xcel Energy Center, the home of the NHLs Minnesota Wild.With boards covering the arenas ice surface, the two teams played on the Lynx court. Minnesota tied the WNBA record with 13 road wins this season, including winning all eight road games against Western Conference opponents.The Lynx will also play the 2017 season at the Xcel Energy Center.TIP-INSMercury: Marta Xargay started her second playoff game for Phoenix after making only six starts in the regular season. Xargay was limited to seven minutes in the first half after picking up three quick fouls. ... The Mercury had won four straight games, including two in the playoffs as the eighth seed.Lynx: Minnesotas 113 points broke the mark of 108 scored by Chicago in the second round. The overall WNBA record for points in a playoff game is 120, set by Phoenix in 2009 in overtime against Indiana. ... Minnesotas .689 win percentage all-time (31-14) and .880 percentage at home (21-3) are WNBA playoff records.UP NEXTThe two teams play Game 2 of the best-of-five series on Friday, Sept. 30 at the Xcel Energy Center. ' ' '