Fantasy basketball: Sleepers, breakouts and busts for 2025-26

Putting unneurotic a winning fantasy basketball roster starts with a large draft. And to person a large draft, you request to cognize which players to spell aft and which to avoid.

So which players volition out-produce their mean draught presumption (ADP) this season? Who volition instrumentality their crippled to different level? And which players are the biggest hazard to instrumentality a measurement backward?

Our phantasy hoops experts André Snellings, Eric Moody, Eric Karabell, Jim McCormick and Steve Alexander connection their apical sleepers, breakouts and busts for the 2025-26 NBA season.

Sleepers

Sleeper: A subordinate who volition acold surpass his mean draught presumption (ADP) successful modular ESPN leagues.

Stephon Castle, PG, San Antonio Spurs

Karabell: Castle starred successful the last 25 games of past season, averaging 19.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 5.6 APG and earning Rookie of the Year honors, though this happened without PG De'Aaron Fox successful the lineup. These stars tin coexist successful a dynamic backcourt, and for those disquieted astir hotshot rookie Dylan Harper, the teen seems improbable to grip a large relation anytime soon. Castle does not person to crook into an awesome shooter to scope his apical 50 phantasy upside, since helium contributes crossed the board, but determination is small hazard successful drafts arsenic helium oddly falls extracurricular the apical 100 picks.

Alex Sarr, C, Washington Wizards

Snellings: The No. 2 wide prime successful the 2024 NBA draft, Sarr has the highest upside from his people and was further on arsenic a rookie than expected. When I saw him successful Vegas this summer, helium had the prime I look for erstwhile sophomores play: helium was excessively bully for the Summer League. He projects to a nightly double-double menace with large blocks and immoderate extracurricular shooting, giving him upside akin to a young Jaren Jackson Jr. erstwhile healthy.

Kevin Porter Jr., SG, Milwaukee Bucks

McCormick: In the aftermath of the Damian Lillard experiment, the Bucks don't person overmuch defender depth. This pushes Porter into a meaningful on-ball relation for the Bucks. The combo defender thrived successful this capableness portion Lillard was disconnected the level past season, posting an assistance clip person to a constituent guard, portion averaging 19.3 points crossed his 4 starts for Milwaukee. Bucks manager Doc Rivers rides his starters, suggesting Porter could present large minutes and rousing numbers arsenic the team's apical playmaker extracurricular of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Trey Murphy III, SF, New Orleans Pelicans

Alexander: Murphy is reportedly implicit his torn labrum and should beryllium acceptable to rotation successful the play opener for the Pelicans. Yes, Murphy has been cursed by the New Orleans wounded bug, playing successful conscionable 57 and 53 games successful each of the past 2 seasons. But the information he's steadfast entering this 1 is genuinely breathtaking and his per 36 stats past play were 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.8 blocks and 3.1 3-pointers per game. Given Read Entire Article