Vanderbilt has appeared in only 65 regular-season games over the past two seasons. He ended the 2024-25 campaign healthy and will have a role in 2025-26, but given the injury concerns, it's safe to assume Vanderbilt will be used cautiously. With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton the likely starters, Vanderbilt will compete for reserve minutes with Marcus Smart, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia and Maxi Kleber. Due to Vanderbilt's defensive prowess, he always finds himself in the rotation when healthy. However, it's hard to imagine him playing 20-plus minutes consistently when everyone is available. That doesn't mean he won't have any value. Vanderbilt has averaged 1.1 steals in 20.7 minutes per game over the past five seasons, and his elite per-36 defensive production is enough for fantasy managers to monitor his role throughout the season.