The 2026-27 fantasy basketball season has begun. We teamed up with RotoWire to give you our bold predictions for the fantasy basketball season. Below, you’ll find some hot takes from Yahoo’s Dan Titus, as well as RotoWire’s Nick Whalen, Alex Barutha and Kirien Sprecher.

Anthony Edwards wins scoring title, finishes top-12 in per-game value

Edwards averaged 28.8 points last year, and Minnesota used him as a full-time point guard in the playoffs, a move Chris Finch admitted was a mistake. The Naz Reid for LaMelo Ball trade puts the offense in Ball’s hands and lets Edwards return to being the natural shooting guard and scorer he embodies.

The case against Ant-Man is real. Edwards has to pass Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both of whom averaged over 31 points per game last season. On top of that, Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely return to 30 points a night, along with Jayson Tatum. Edwards’ 28.8 PPG was a career high, but with a better playmaker in the fold, expect an uptick in efficiency and in field-goal and free-throw attempts. He’s already one of the best 3-point shooters, so adding volume will boost his chances. Keep in mind, Ant’s best finish was 16th in 2024-25. So reaching top-12 status isn’t that far-fetched.

I’m betting on the 25-year-old, on the brink of his prime, that the next step in scoring, plus more stocks and an improved FT percentage, will get Ant his first first-round finish. — Dan Titus

Brandon Miller finishes as a top-20 fantasy value

At this point, my entire fantasy basketball season is essentially staked on Brandon Miller having a true breakout year. I feel like I’m taking him in just about every draft. He’s an easy click in the fourth — and sometimes even fifth — round.

In sending out LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the Hornets — coming off of their best season in a decade — sent a message that they’re more than comfortable building around Miller and Kon Knueppel going forward. I’m a fan of Knueppel, as well, but he profiles more as an elite secondary option, whereas Miller has shown signs of potential superstardom. With Ball out the door, Miller should be free to operate as the No. 1 option, and I expect him to see a significant jump in both usage and minutes after he played only 30.3 per game a year ago.

Because he takes so many 3s, field goal percentage is a concern, but he’s already a strong contributor in virtually every other category — including free-throw percentage, where he landed at 89% a year ago. If Miller can stay healthy and average something like 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.5-4.0 3s and 2.0 steals/blocks per game — realistic, in my opinion — he’ll be knocking on the door of elite fantasy territory. — Nick Whalen, RotoWire

Castle finished No. 170 in 9-cat last year and No. 285 his rookie season, which is why this one is bold. The box score was already strong: 16.6 points, 5.3 boards and 7.4 dimes in 68 games. In points leagues, he’s a star in the making. In 9-cat, it is obviously a different story. His fantasy value tanks because of three categories: turnovers, FT percentage and blocks.

Blocks are excusable because he’s a guard. Shooting 73.4% from the line with 3.2 turnovers a night is the issue unless this is a High Score league. In last year’s playoff run, Castle knocked down 82% of his shots from the charity stripe on high volume (5.9 per game). So if he remains locked in there, that’s one solve. Another ball-handler like Dylan Harper in the starting lineup could also reduce turnovers. Castle is still ascending, and if the stat line stays around 18-5-7, with at least a steal, nearly two 3s and 47/35/80 shooting splits, he could become a top-50 guard. — Titus

Lendeborg, with an ADP of 112.3, has looked even more NBA-ready than advertised. While it is just preseason, the Michigan product averaged 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks.

The Warriors aren’t expected to make the playoffs, largely due to injuries that have already happened (Jimmy Butler III) or injuries that could happen due to age (Stephen Curry and Draymond Green). How much will the organization push someone like Curry to play major minutes and take little rest for this squad? Even when Curry is out there playing a full workload, who is the second option? In theory, it’s Brandin Podziemski, but it’s an open conversation that involves Lendeborg.

The preseason has already showcased it — Lendeborg is a multi-position, multi-tooled player. I’m not sure coach Steve Kerr will be able to leave him off the court for very long. If they’re winning, I think Lendeborg will be a part of it. If they aren’t winning, I think he’ll be out on the court for development. — Alex Barutha, RotoWire

Only four players in NBA history have done it: Nate Thurmond in 1974, Alvin Robertson in 1986, Hakeem Olajuwon in 1990 and David Robinson in 1994. Nobody has touched it in more than 30 years, and Wembanyama has come closer than anyone. He had 23-15-8 with 9 blocks against Denver in 2024, and he’s coming off a No. 2 finish in 9-cat on 25.0 points, 11.5 boards, 1.0 steals, 3.1 blocks and 1.9 3s a night. That’s over four stocks per game, which is a rare tier of fantasy player.

The hard part will be the fourth category — assists or steals. Wembanyama has tallied at least 10 assists three times, though he’s never had more than six steals in a game (he has swiped more than five in four games). Health is probably the only thing keeping Wembanyama from reaching his ceiling. He’s already been shortlisted for MVP and DPOY awards, and accomplishing a feat like this, one only he can do, would be a special moment in his career. — Titus

Fears was excellent to start his rookie year, playing an expanded role while Dejounte Murray was completing the final stages of his Achilles rehab. However, the Oklahoma product hit a wall in mid-January and struggled mightily with efficiency, resulting in fewer opportunities as the Pelicans got healthier. Fears found a second wind late, averaging 23.6 points, 4.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 32.0 minutes per game over his final 10 appearances, including a scorching four-game stretch to end the season when he posted 32.8 points, 6.0 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals a night. Small sample size aside, it’s hard to deny the impact Fears can make when handed a leading role.

Fears won’t have that role to begin 2026-27. Murray is healthy. Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson will command high-usage roles. Saddiq Bey is coming off a breakout campaign. Herbert Jones is a veteran glue guy who’ll play heavy minutes. Jordan Poole and Bennedict Mathurin are ball-dominant reserves who could eat into Fears’ workload if they find a groove. Derik Queen is also a talented playmaker and will need the ball in his hands. That leaves Fears’ fantasy outlook cloudier than last season, so why should we be targeting him at the end of drafts?

The Pelicans’ over/under win total is 28.5. At best, they’re expected to compete for a Play-In spot. Even if they’re flirting with a top-10 seed, I fully expect them to be heavily involved at the trade deadline. If one or more of the aforementioned players vying for high-usage roles gets moved, the runway will be cleared for Fears once again. If Fears is a leading man in New Orleans for the final 30 games, he’ll finish as a top-50 fantasy option, blowing his 121.6 ADP out of the water. — Kirien Sprecher, RotoWire