André SnellingsNov 17, 2025, 01:05 PM ET
- Dr. André Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. André has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a writer and analyst for Rotowire.
The NBA season will reach the one-month mark this week, and the action keeps rolling along. Players continue to get unexpected opportunities and are taking full advantage of them.
This week’s players of interest contain some veteran starters that are settling into their roles, some players getting added minutes due to injury and making them most of the opportunity, and some very young players who are already showing they have the game to produce at the NBA level.
Let’s identify a group of lightly-rostered players that deserve more attention and can help your fantasy squads.
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Point guard
Daniss Jenkins, PG, Detroit Pistons (11.7% rostered in ESPN leagues): Jenkins ended last week in the convergence of improved play of late and increased opportunity due to the injury absence of Cade Cunningham. Jenkins had picked it up before Cunningham went out, scoring 24 points with 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 3-pointers and 3 assists in 34 minutes last Monday. Then, in the two games Cunningham was out, Jenkins averaged 18.5 PPG, 10.0 APG and 2.5 3PG. Cunningham is questionable to play on Monday, but either way Jenkins is producing well enough to be on the fantasy hoops radar.
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Vit Krejci, PG, Atlanta Hawks (4.4%): Krejci took advantage of extra opportunity while both Trae Young and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were sidelined, turning in 45 total points and 10 3-pointers over a two-game span. Even though Alexander-Walker came back, Krejci maintained his rhythm and continued to knock down threes. Even coming off the bench, he has mid-teens scoring and multiple 3-pointer expectations on a nightly basis.
Davion Mitchell, PG, Miami Heat (42.9%): Mitchell is a low-volume scorer, but his all-around game makes him valuable. He has made at least one 3-pointer in six straight games, a stretch over which he is averaging 11.3 PPG, 7.5 APG and 1.8 SPG. In his last outing, he notched his second points-assists double-double against the Knicks.
Shooting guard
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF, Chicago Bulls (27.6%): Huerter has been a strong producer off the bench all season as a low-mid teens scorer with 3-4 assists and rebounds and at least one each of steals, blocks and 3-pointers. But in the two games Josh Giddey was sidelined last week, Huerter showed that he has upside whenever called upon as a starter. In those two games, he dropped at least 20 points in each game with his usual strong peripherals. He’s worth rostering in deeper leagues on the regular, but when he’s starting he’s worth rostering universally.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG/SF, LA Clippers (6.1%): Bogdanovic has found his shot as his role has increased this season. With Bradley Beal out for the season and Kawhi Leonard in and out of the lineup, Bogdanovic has started getting significant minutes. When he’s getting 25-30 minutes, he is a mid-teens scorer with a handful of assists, a few boards, about three 3pointers and between one and two steals per game.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Atlanta Hawks (32.8%): Alexander-Walker missed a couple games last week with a back issue, but he returned and picked up right where he left off. With Young sidelined, Alexander-Waker is an upper-teens scorer with a few each of assists and rebounds, from 1-2 3-pointers and about a steal and a block per game.
play
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Nickeil Alexander-Walker shows off the range on 3
Nickeil Alexander-Walker shows off the range on 3
Small forward
Naji Marshall, SF/PF, Dallas Mavericks (16.7%):Marshall has had a larger role lately with Anthony Davis sidelined, and he tends to produce solid numbers most nights with a 28 to 30 point explosion once every few games. That averages out to close to 20 points, more than six boards, almost two 3-pointers and more than a steal per game when he’s getting around 30 minutes on the court.
Duncan Robinson, SF, Detroit Pistons (9.1%):Robinson is one of several Pistons on this list, in part because of the series of injuries to their starters of late. But Robinson has the game to contribute even when the other starters are healthy because of his ability from behind the arc. Robinson has averaged 17 PPG, 4.3 3PG and 1.8 SPG in his last four games, and makes a good 3-point role player in category leagues.
Ace Bailey, SF/PF, Utah Jazz (33.4%):Bailey moved into the starting lineup for the Jazz last week and has really stepped up his game. The rookie has shown he has 20 PPG potential right now, and the Jazz are already starting to feature him as a primary scorer. Bailey was considered one of the most talented players in the 2025 NBA draft, and if he continues to develop he could be a true fantasy hoops impact player as the season goes along.
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0:18
Ace Bailey gets the basket plus the foul
Ace Bailey gets the basket plus the foul
Power forward
Kyle Kuzma, PF/SF, Milwaukee Bucks (27.4%):Kuzma is maddeningly inconsistent. You need to know that before you consider rostering him. With that said, Kuzma has moved into the starting lineup for the Bucks and could score 25 or more points on any given night. He did that twice in the last four games, including a 29-point, 10 rebound, 5-assist, 4-steal, 2 3-pointer, 1 block masterpiece on Friday night. On the other hand, on Saturday he followed that up by scoring 1 point with 1 rebound in 20 minutes. Mad inconsistent, but very high highs to potentially even it out.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
Jabari Smith Jr., PF/C, Houston Rockets (45.0%): Smith is the starting power forward on a talented Rockets team that doesn’t always need him to produce big point totals, but he’s a consistent mid-teens scorer with 20-point upside. He also contributes on the boards and is a true 3-and-D threat to boot. Throw in the dual forward-center eligibility, and Smith is worth a roster spot in most fantasy leagues.
Center
Daniel Gafford, C, Dallas Mavericks (49.0%):Gafford was battling an ankle sprain the week before last, but last week he got through it and really stepped up his play. In those three games, he averaged 15.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG and 1.0 SPG. Gafford is getting the lion share of the center minutes for the Mavericks right now with Anthony Davis out and Dereck Lively II on a minutes restriction (and likely sitting out Monday on the second half of a back-to-back).
Moussa Diabate, PF/C, Charlotte Hornets (21.0%): Diabate is a double-double threat every night even though he comes off the bench. He is one of the main energy sources on the Hornets, adding a steal and almost two blocks to that points-rebounds double-double potential.
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