Voltar
The 2026-27 NBA season tips off on Tuesday night and fantasy basketball will be upon us. 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.
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 ppg last season. On top of that, Giannis Antetokounmpo will likely return to 30 a night, along with Jayson Tatum. Edwards's 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.
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.
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.
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) or injuries that could happen due to age (Steph 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.
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 Wemby 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.
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?