The Joker was the cream of the crop in fantasy basketball last season and I don’t expect things to be any different next season. Jokic basically posts a 30-point triple-double on a nightly basis and boasts efficient shooting numbers along with over two stocks per game. He also hits threes and genuinely tries to play in every game whether his body is feeling good or not. Enough said, call it in.
Wemby being a consolation prize at number two is the biggest luxury you could have if you’re picking at this spot. Basically, if you have a top-two pick, it’s like getting to choose between the finest caviar and goat cheese crostini at a five-star restaurant. Wemby is good for 25/11 and his blocks-per-game average will likely lead the league by a country mile again. He’s also reliable at the free-throw line and is probably only going to get better at everything going forward, so take him and run.
After claiming his second MVP award, SGA is once again in the driver’s seat to be a top-three pick in fantasy basketball. It just so happens that the two guys above him are fantasy unicorns, but don’t worry, SGA will have your back since he’s automatic for 30 ppg and racks up assists, rebounds, and stocks while being super efficient across the board.
At fourth overall, Luka is the most appealing name on the board and it makes all the sense in the world to scoop him up here. Even though his turnovers are high, Luka will likely lead the league in scoring again and be among the top assist guys in the league. He also rebounds extremely well and makes a ton of threes. Luka feels like a lock to have the highest usage in the NBA this coming season, and that bodes well for his fantasy owners.
If it wasn’t clear before, it is now. Cade Cunningham has ascended to superstar levels, and the best part about him is that he hasn’t reached his apex yet. Cade is coming off a season in which he basically averaged 24 points and 10 assists per game, which was the second-highest mark for assists in the NBA after Jokic. It’s worth noting that dimes are a premium in fantasy basketball, and that could make Cade a heavily sought-after fantasy player in October. Moreover, Cade can rebound at a high clip and his offense is efficient. Oh, and punting turnovers makes Cade even more valuable, so don’t overthink this.
Let’s start with the obvious. Giannis is not a good free-throw shooter, and because of that, you’ll have to punt free-throws for the season if you draft him. Once you decide to punt your free-throws, Giannis becomes a stellar fantasy basketball player. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 27/9/5 on 62% shooting over 34 games. Yes, 34 games is disturbing, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt now that he’s a member of the Miami Heat. Giannis is worthy of a top-10 pick if you don’t care about free-throws. Just make sure to build around him wisely.
Spida is coming off a tremendous season in Cleveland in which he averaged 27 points, five assists and four rebounds. He’s also a pocket-picker thanks to his active hands on defense and he’s a very efficient scorer who hits a ton of threes. I fully expect him to put up similar numbers next season, and as such, another strong finish in 9-cat leagues won’t surprise me.
Jalen Johnson has cemented himself as the primary playmaker and offensive engine in Atlanta, and he’s looking to build on a very impressive season in which he filled the stat sheet regularly. Johnson finished 18th overall in 9-cat leagues after being a triple-double threat on a nightly basis. He culminated his season by ranking top-seven in rebounds and top-five in assists per game, and he shot the ball well. The only areas he won’t excel in are blocks and turnovers, but that’s not a big deal. There’s more to come from Jalen Johnson, and he’s worth a top-10 pick in fantasy leagues this coming fall.
Ant-Man continues to improve in several areas of his game and improves his fantasy value along with it. He had his best finish in 9-cat leagues this past season, finishing 14th in per-game rankings after posting nearly 29 ppg and shooting close to 50% from the floor while racking up over two stocks per night. Ant also knocks down a good amount of threes and provides rebounds and assists too. This is as safe of a pick as it gets if he’s available at this spot.
Scottie Barnes is on the verge of entering his prime and I think he’ll enter next season with a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed from All-NBA team honours. I get that feeling because Scottie rarely goes on social media to tweet about anything, yet the snub was enough to post a gif implying that he’s feeling some kind of way about being robbed by voters. I think he now realizes that in order to make All-NBA teams and get the recognition he deserves, he has to take the regular season as seriously as the playoffs when it comes to offensive production. That’s why I expect Scottie to be above the 20 ppg mark for the first time in his career, and now that he’ll be playing alongside Kawhi, I also think we’ll see an uptick in field goal efficiency and threes made. Needless to say, the rebounds, assists, and stocks are encouraging too.
There are several things Tyrese Maxey can be counted on for. For one, he’s durable. For two, he’s a scoring machine. For three, he’s wildly efficient for a small guard, and he can get you a pair of steals every game. That’s why it’s no surprise that Maxey was the fifth-best player in 9-cat leagues last season. Although the Sixers have a star-studded roster that now includes LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, Maxey will remain a very reliable offensive weapon, even if he spends some time off the ball.
JT played 16 games for the Celtics last season due to time off from a torn Achilles, but still managed to be a top-30 fantasy player in that short span. With a full offseason to rest and get right, nothing should stop him from regaining top-15 form in 9-cat leagues. Barring another fluky injury, he should average around 25/8/5 next season while being efficient, making a bunch of threes and racking up steals.
Cooper Flagg was everything we expected him to be and perhaps more in his rookie season. At just 19 years of age, he already has a 50-point game under his belt. He wrapped up the 2025–’26 season averaging 21/6/4 and was the first rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. From the All-Star break until the end of the regular season, Flagg was a top-30 fantasy player in 9-cat leagues. Did I mention he was doing all this at the age of 19? The thought of what’s to come is scary for both opposing NBA teams and fantasy owners. Look for Coop to improve on most, if not all of his numbers from last season and finish among the top-15 players in fantasy hoops.
Tyrese Haliburton has reportedly fully recovered from both a torn Achilles and a bout with shingles and is now ready to compete with no restrictions. The last time Hali was healthy, he was a top-five player in 9-cat leagues because he was averaging close to 19 points and 10 assists per game while shooting efficiently, getting steals, taking care of the ball, and making threes in bunches. He may sit out back-to-backs this season, so consider yourself warned, but Hali is the engine in Indiana, and he shouldn’t fall much further than here.
Although Steph is getting up there in age, he’s still performing at a very high level and remains the best shooter in all of basketball. The Warriors are determined to get back into the playoffs next season, and Steph will do everything in his power to make that happen after the injury-riddled campaign he’s coming off of. Since Jimmy Butler probably won’t be back until 2027, Steph will have to carry the offensive load for the Dubs, so it’s easy to see him being an elite fantasy player once again. As long as he’s available, you can count on Steph to make a boatload of threes and average around 25/5/3 on solid efficiency.
KD is another player getting up there in age, but to his credit, he’s seemingly aging like wine. He ranked 15th overall in 9-cat leagues last season and I expect him to end up in a similar range by the end of next season since he’s automatic for 25/5/5 every night and remains one of the most efficient players in the league.
KAT rarely disappoints in fantasy basketball. You can always count on him to give you around 20/12, efficient shooting, a few dimes, and some three-pointers sprinkled in for good measure. KAT is also durable, and durability is the name of the game, so you can draft him in the second round with confidence.
Kawhi Leonard is the definition of a high-risk, high-reward guy, and by extension the type of player who could make or break your fantasy season if taken early. Last season, he played 65 games for the Clippers and rewarded his owners with top-five fantasy value in 9-cat leagues thanks to his PRA, steals, and stellar efficiency. That said, 65 games isn’t quite the norm for Kawhi now, and it’s important to keep in mind that the Raptors could opt for load management during back-to-backs, so if you’re his next fantasy owner, cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Coming off a season in which he finished as the 27th-best player in 9-cat leagues, Austin Reaves is primed for a career year now that LeBron is off to Philly. He averaged 23/5/4 and a steal per game on solid efficiency last season, and now his usage should be higher along with his 3PM totals, which is great news for his future fantasy owners.
Jamal Murray is coming off an outstanding season for Denver, one in which he finished as the eighth-best player in 9-cat leagues. Do I think he can replicate the exact year he just had? No, I do not; he’s only a one-time All-Star after all and last season might’ve been his peak as a player, but I still think he’ll have a strong enough season to warrant a second-round selection by scoring at least 21 ppg, dishing out six or seven dimes a night, and being efficient across the board while adding rebounds and a bevy of threes.
Chet is coming off a career year in OKC, one which saw him average 17/9 and a pair of blocks. Now getting ready to enter his fourth year, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll average similar numbers, if not even slightly better numbers next season, and since he’s efficient, he’s worthy of a top-25 selection on draft day. For what it’s worth, it’s hard to find great shot-blockers who are durable and do more than just block shots in fantasy hoops, and that’s why it’s easy to like a versatile guy like Chet.
TM3 has been a stud in New Orleans for the past two seasons and counting. The Pelicans have even gone on record saying they refuse to trade him unless they’re going to get a king’s ransom back for him. As long as he’s on the Pels, TM3 will be a key contributor within the team’s offense and he’ll continue to be a fantasy darling who scores over 20 ppg, racks up steals, hits threes galore, and shoots at a high level of efficiency. Oh, and he chips in boards and dimes too. TM3 was the 11th-best player in 9-cat leagues last season, so he shouldn’t fall much further than this spot on draft day.
Walker Kessler has a huge opportunity ahead of himself. Last year, Kessler was having a breakout season in Utah before going down with a season-ending injury. Now he’ll be joining superstar playmaker Luka Doncic in Los Angeles, and all signs point to Kessler being the go-to big man on the Lakers this coming season. As long as he’s healthy, I think his fantasy outlook is very positive since he’ll notch points, rebounds, steals and blocks and be highly efficient, plus he can pop out and make threes! I might be higher on Kessler than most with this ranking, but since Luka will be determined to get him the rock and some easy scoring opportunities, I’m trusting the process, especially after JJ Redick said he wants to expand Kessler’s offensive role.
James Harden may not have an NBA ring, but he’s gotten his fantasy owners plenty of rings in the past and will look to continue that trend next season. Harden is generally durable, makes it rain from three, and should be able to average around 22 points, eight dimes and five rebounds for the Cavs next season. If you don’t care about turnovers, Harden should be high on your draft board.
Do you trust Anthony Davis to be healthy and play more than half the season? That’s really the only question you have to ask yourself entering draft day. Now a Washington Wizard, AD claims that he’s ready to play 82 games, but we all know there will come a time when he needs to sit out with something. When AD is available, he should comfortably return top-20 value for your team since he’s efficient and evidently scores, rebounds, and blocks shots at a high clip. That being said, he’s the ultimate boom-or-bust pick due to his health, and you’d be wise to not let your entire season depend on him.
Evan Mobley didn’t quite develop into the dominant fantasy basketball player most of us expected him to be, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s reliable. There will surely be a time when Mobley averages 20/10 over the course of a season, and hopefully that will be the next one, but regardless, Mobley is good for at least 18/9 and will throw in dimes, blocks, and solid efficiency while taking care of the ball, making him worth drafting in the top-30.
The last time J-Dub played most of the season was in 2024-’25, when he averaged 21/5/5 and 1.6 steals per game. J-Dub is also efficient, makes threes, and takes care of the basketball. Now that he’s healthy, he probably shouldn’t fall outside of the top-30 on draft day.
LaMelo ranked 44th in 9-cat leagues last season after averaging 20/7/4 in Charlotte. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, and frankly, we have a large enough sample at this point to know that his FG% isn’t a strong suit in fantasy hoops, but he’s a gifted playmaker who will rack up dimes (Gobert loves him some lobs!), steals, and hit tons of threes for your fantasy team. LaMelo should be able to maintain an average of at least 20 ppg while playing alongside Anthony Edwards, who will likely help him get easier looks at the rim and from outside as he slides into a number-two role on offense. I think the move to Minnesota is great news for his fantasy outlook, and remember, dime-machines are scarce in 9-cat leagues.
Amen Thompson has improved on each season he’s played in since entering the league, and even though he’s not much of a three-point threat, he can still stuff the stat sheet with points, assists, rebounds and steals. He’s also very efficient from the floor and his free-throws are improving. Amen is durable too, and he becomes instantly more valuable if you punt threes. Amen averaged close to 20/8/5 and two steals per game post-all star last season, and he did that while shooting 59% from the floor.
Although D-White struggled from the floor last season, there’s too big of a sample to suggest he’s going to fall off a cliff as a shooter. White just likes to let the threes fly and had a down year from deep. Now that Jaylen Brown is a Sixer, he has a big opportunity ahead of him as Boston’s secondary playmaker and I think his fantasy outlook is very positive as a result. Grabbing D-White in the third round is a good idea since he will help fantasy owners with their PRA needs while being a stocks machine who takes care of the ball and shoots over 90% at the free-throw line.
Josh Giddey has proven himself as an asset for both the Bulls and fantasy owners. Last season, he averaged 17 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while chipping in just under two three-pointers per game. It would be nice to see Josh take a leap in terms of efficiency from the floor and free-throw line (he shot 44% and 76% from each area last season), and in a perfect world he cuts down his turnovers to under three per game, but either way, his PRA contribution is too strong to ignore, and I think the best of Josh Giddey is yet to come now that ball-dominant guards like Coby White and Collin Sexton are off to other teams.
Maybe I’ll be wrong, but I don’t buy the idea that Trae Young is going to have some explosive bounce-back season in Washington. Trae is appealing as a distributor, and may average double-digit assists next season, but he lacks efficiency and he averages a ridiculous amount of turnovers when he plays a full season. He’ll give you little to nothing in terms of stocks and rebounds, and he only makes a couple of three-pointers a game now. If he’s available in or just outside the third round, sure, it makes sense to scoop him up because dimes come at a premium in fantasy hoops, but he’s going to be a liability in multiple categories. If you decide to draft Trae, I strongly recommend punting FG% and turnovers. If you don’t plan to punt, it might be best to stay away all together.
At least for the start of next season, MPJ should still be a Brooklyn Net, and that’s a perfect situation for him since he’s clearly the team’s best player and offensive engine. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged 24/7/3 and ranked among the top-four fantasy hoopers in 3PM value. MPJ is efficient and he’ll remain a high-usage guy, so a top-40 selection makes sense, but a trade could be on the horizon, so be cautious.
Jalen Brunson is fresh off an NBA championship and ready to help you win a fantasy league championship if he’s still available in this range. I say that because his ADP is historically higher than this spot. Coming off yet another season in which he averaged 26 points, six assists, and three rebounds on solid efficiency, Brunson is as reliable as it gets, especially because he doesn’t miss many games.
35th overall feels like a low draft spot for a talent like Kyrie, who’s been a model of consistency throughout his career and generally ranks high in fantasy basketball rankings any time he’s available. The problem is that he’s not available very often, hence his spot here, which is risk-adjusted. I do love the idea of Kyrie being the secondary playmaker on a team led by the young phenom Cooper Flagg though. Both of them will benefit from each other's gravity and playmaking, and if Kyrie can play most of the season, you can expect him to return solid value for you since he can score, rebound, get assists, steals, and flirt with 50/40/90 shooting splits. Just keep in mind that what I said about AD applies just as much to Kyrie. Draft him at your own risk.
Cling Kong is preparing to enter his third year as the go-to big in Portland. After the All-Star break, he averaged 13/11 along with two dimes and two blocks per game. He was also efficient from the floor and chipped in a three-pointer per game. These are the kind of numbers Clingan should be able to produce while catching dimes from Ja Morant and Damian Lillard next season, making him a valuable fantasy asset. For what it’s worth, Clingan becomes even more valuable if you intend to punt free-throws.
In his contract year, Jalen Duren put it all together last season when he averaged close to 20/10 along with two assists per game. He was also very efficient, shooting 65% from the floor, and averaged close to a steal and block per game while taking care of the ball. It’s actually unfortunate that he’s not a stocks machine, because that would take his fantasy value to a whole new level, but as Detroit’s main play-finisher around the rim and second-best offensive player, Duren should be productive enough next season to warrant a top-40 selection.
Bam Adebayo was forced to carry most of the load last season. That led to being the focus of opposing teams’ scouting reports and that may have affected his shooting numbers. With Giannis now joining him in Miami, I expect Bam to be more efficient while averaging around 18/8, dishing out a few dimes and taking care of the ball. Bam can usually get you a couple of stocks per game, and I think that coach Spoelstra will tell him to take and make more threes to help out with spacing, so his fantasy outlook will remain positive and he should be able to return top-40 value again.
It’s hard to believe that Devin Booker ranked 65th in 9-cat leagues last season but he indeed did. Despite being a scoring machine, Book simply did not do enough in other areas to return strong dividends for his owners. That said, he did rank 33rd the season prior, so this feels like a fair spot for him. The hope is that he can get back to making more threes, increase his rebounds and be a little more efficient across the board.
Now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks post-Giannis trade, Tyler Herro seems poised for a career year since he’ll likely be his team’s primary playmaker and he’ll be coming into the season with a chip on his shoulder. The only issue with Herro is durability, as he’s only played 70+ games a single time in his career and only 60+ games twice. If he can manage to stay healthy, I predict he’ll average at least 22/5/5 with a bunch of threes on solid efficiency. Keep letting it fly, Tyler!
There’s nothing complicated about Desmond Bane. If you’re looking for someone who can score, be efficient, make a ton of threes, chip in some dimes and boards, and play in every single game for you, he’s your guy. In 9-cat leagues, Bane consistently ranks in the top-40 every season, meaning that for a late third or early fourth-round guy, he’s as reliable as it gets.
If you were to guarantee me that Lauri would play all or most of next season, he would be much higher on this list, and rightfully so, he was the eighth-best player in fantasy basketball last season on a per-game basis. Lauri is a scoring machine who can rebound at a high clip and make threes in bunches. He’s also efficient and does a great job of taking care of the basketball. Unfortunately, Lauri has played in 55 games or less in SIX of his last EIGHT seasons. If you think I’m joking, look it up and see for yourself. It’s shocking how much time he misses every year because of injuries, and since he has a knack for being unavailable during the fantasy playoffs, he belongs in this range rather than in the top-20.
In terms of scoring, Onyeka Okongwu has improved every year since his rookie season back in 2020. He started by averaging four points a game back then and is now up to 15 ppg, so if the trend continues, even by a marginal amount, Onyeka could be in for a season in which he averages at least 16 ppg, seven rebounds, three assists, and over two stocks per game while being efficient from the floor. Okongwu will even chip in a couple of three-pointers, making him a sneaky-good fantasy hooper and worthy of a top-50 selection.
The last time Franz played 60+ games was the 2024-’25 season, when he ranked 37th in per-game value. As long as he’s healthy, I fully expect him to get back to that level since Franz is a good source of PRA, takes care of the ball, and can get steals. I’m confident that his scoring average will be higher than it was last season, when he averaged 20 ppg in just 34 games, and ideally Franz will get back to averaging around four assists per game, which will give your team that extra boost.
NAW may have been the biggest surprise of the past NBA season. The Hawks brought him in and allowed him to take more shots than ever before and that uptick in volume translated to a career-high in scoring. He averaged 20 ppg in Atlanta after only averaging 9 ppg in Minnesota. He was also efficient and made way more threes than ever before while becoming significantly better at the free-throw line. I don’t think any of this was a fluke. NAW seized the opportunity and he doesn’t plan on letting it go. He should be a major part of the Hawks offense once again, and will hopefully return top-50 value for his owners next season.
The 2025-‘26 campaign was an unfortunate one for Domas, who only played 19 games due to a torn meniscus, but the good news is that he’s one tough Lithuanian and is expected to be ready in October. In 2024-‘25, Sabonis was a double-double machine (points + rebounds), and thanks to his dimes and high efficiency, that translated to him being the 18th-best fantasy hooper in 9-cat leagues that season, but I do wonder how his assists and overall efficiency will look on a Kings team that is focused on rebuilding and could be the worst team in the NBA. Also, what happens if the Kings move him before the trade deadline? There’s some uncertainty around him, but Sabonis shouldn’t have a problem getting back to being a dominant rebounder.
Alpy is coming off a season in which he averaged 20 points, close to nine rebounds, six assists, and over two stocks per game. He’s also efficient from the floor, however, he’s a poor free-throw shooter and he won’t make many threes, which makes him somewhat of a polarizing fantasy hooper. That said, when punting free-throws, Sengun suddenly becomes much more valuable. In fact, he ranked 22nd overall in 9-cat leagues with free-throws turned off. You might want to consider pairing him with Giannis if you execute a punt strategy.
A healthy Dejounte Murray is now the lead guard in New Orleans with ample opportunity to shine. His fantasy outlook is positive since he’ll be handling the ball most of the time, and he gave us a glimpse of what to expect from him back in March, a month in which he averaged close to 18 points per game along with six assists and five rebounds. Dejounte can even get you a couple of steals on most nights. Since he’s also fairly efficient and can knock down threes, that’s enough to warrant a top-50 selection in 9-cat leagues.
Deni Avdija was a gem for the Portland Trail Blazers last season. He had a breakout campaign that saw him average 24 points, just under seven rebounds and six assists per game. He was also decent in terms of efficiency from the floor and the charity stripe; however, his turnovers were a red flag at nearly four per game. Moreover, Portland’s depth chart has changed significantly with the additions of Ja Morant and Dame Lillard to the fold. That said, I still believe Avdija has top-50 upside because of his strong PRA contribution and a potential reduction in turnovers due to lower usage.
JJJ only played three games for the Jazz last season, so we don’t have much of a sample to lean on, and Utah is going to look much deeper than they did in years past thanks to the arrival of Darryn Peterson and the growth of younger talents like Keyonte George, Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh. When Lauri Markkanen is on the floor, he’s usually the team’s go-to creator followed by Keyonte, so that doesn’t give JJJ much room to go bonkers from a statistical standpoint. That said, JJJ is usually good for at least 18 ppg, five rebounds and a couple of assists. He’s also pretty efficient as someone who shoots around 50% from the floor and 80% at the free-throw line, plus he’s a reliable source of stocks. Jaren could end up being a steal in your league if he’s available in the fifth round or later.
