Meister der Farbe » t I think he has a chance to be a notch under

We fantasy pundits always preach early in the season to not overreact to hot or cold starts. Even the best players have a bad week or two, and some of the worst players will get hot for a fortnight on occasion.That having been said, after speculating and hypothesizing all summer, its not necessarily too soon to draw some conclusions about players now that we have actually seen them in action this fall.Joel Embiid looks every bit like a superstar, but will that continue? Serge Ibaka and Nikola Jokic have looked like busts. Will they turn it around? Who has played well enough to be snagged off your waiver wire? How about expectations for a player we havent seen ball this season: Darren Collison?Dont worry; we have the answers for you.At the start of each week this season, Ill tip things off by posing and seeking answers to five key questions, thus The Starting Five.This weeks contributors are ESPN Fantasys?John Cregan, Jim McCormick and Joe Kaiser.Four games into his NBA career, Joel Embiid is averaging a stunning 18.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.0 BPG, 48.0 FG% and 80.0 FT% in just 22 MPG. Of course, he missed the past two seasons due to injuries, so the risk in owning him is obvious. Where do you put his statistical ceiling for 2016-17?Cregan:?It all depends on his minutes cap and his status for back-to-backs. In terms of a ceiling, for now, youre probably looking at it. His usage rate (35.8) and PER (25.39) are so high that he simply has nowhere else to go. The latest reports have the Sixers reviewing Embiids restrictions in six weeks. So theres a chance he gets ramped up come early 2017.McCormick:?Embiids ceiling is cathedral high, when we consider hes already second in the league in blocks per game and third in usage rate. Blocks prove truly rare and scarce, while the usage rate indicates Embiid is an integral offensive weapon whenever hes on the court. Currently on a minutes restriction hovering around 25 minutes per game, reports suggest increased exposure could begin after Christmas. As a big who doesnt hurt investors in free throws and offers help in points and blocks, Embiid could truly break out as a top-five fantasy center in the second half (hes currently 11th on the Player Rater at the position).Kaiser:?At this point, the only thing Im worried about with Embiid is injury. Hes looked so good throughout the preseason and early part of the regular season that I think the 76ers realize that theyll need to unload Nerlens Noel and/or Jahlil Okafor in the near future, as Embiids minutes restriction disappears. As far as his ceiling goes, I dont think hell put up the numbers Karl-Anthony Towns had as a rookie last season, but I think he has a chance to be a notch under that, as long as he can stay healthy. Remember, Towns played all 82 games as a rookie.After seeing Serge Ibakas block production dwindle each season from his career-high mark of 3.7 BPG in 2011-12 to 1.9 BPG last season, there was hope that we would see a spike in that department after joining the Orlando Magic over the summer. Instead, he is averaging a career-low 0.8 BPG. Is he a buy-low candidate for blocks or are his days of being Serge IBlocka over?Cregan:?It wasnt me! I had no hope for Ibakas block production! Dont put that hope on me! Block production tends to taper off the deeper a player descends into ones career path. There arent many cases of players suddenly rediscovering ones Year 2 block mojo. One and a half to two blocks per game would be a minor statistical miracle.McCormick:?Im not sure of the exact value of this correlation, but Ibakas block rate began to descend when he made a sudden and dramatic surge in 3-point attempts in 2014-15. As hes become a stretch forwar