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Basketball

Fantasy basketball: Eric Karabell’s ‘Do draft’ list

Three qualified players averaged at least 18.9 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 5.0 APG last season, and fantasy managers will need a first-round pick (or the very first pick) to secure any of the trio of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Domantas Sabonis this season.

Atlanta Hawks PF Jalen Johnson might have joined them had he not torn the labrum in his left shoulder in January. Johnson emerged in his fourth NBA season to deliver fantastic fantasy statistics, but his season ended after 36 games.

The fantasy basketball “Do Not Draft” article is mainly about fading players based on their average draft position (ADP), and the “Do Draft” list is the inverse, to a degree.

If I truly believe a player is going to produce outstanding numbers, I might jump a round or more to acquire him. Johnson was among those players last season, when I featured him in this space, and he sure came through with terrific numbers. Perhaps this season will be even better, for health and statistics.

Whether one participates in ESPN’s standard points format or in a rotisserie or categories format, it is critical to look for draft-day value. This might mean different things for different people. I prefer to invest in durable, veteran players likely to contribute across several statistical categories, especially if they fall under the proverbial radar, and often these players are centers and point guards.

Johnson, a forward who accrues assists, was a top-20 fantasy option before the injury. His current fifth-round ADP isn’t near that mark. Thus, he is a solid value, and he is not alone.

  • James Harden, PG, LA Clippers (ADP: 20.2): The No. 3 option on last season’s final player rater turned 36 this summer, but there is little reason to suspect a marked decrease in production. Harden is back to being a fantasy building block, without the ADP to show it.

  • Alperen Sengun, C, Houston Rockets (ADP: 26.9): Sengun hasn’t averaged all of 20 PPG, 10 RPG and 5 APG in the same season, but he came close in each of the past two. Could this be the year? The addition of Kevin Durant shouldn’t negatively affect his numbers.

  • Nikola Vucevic, C, Chicago Bulls (ADP: 32.3): His ADP is higher than it usually is, as fantasy players finally realize the numbers are always there. Vucevic is soon to turn 35, but it shouldn’t stop this being his 12th double-double season with solid shooting.

  • Evan Mobley, PF, Cleveland Cavaliers (ADP: 34.3): Mobley still falls short of 20 PPG and 10 RPG, but this is the season he gets there. This defensive stalwart started hitting 3-pointers last season, and he will continue to improve.

  • Jaren Jackson Jr., C, Memphis Grizzlies (ADP: 46.7): Jackson isn’t much of a rebounder, despite standing at 6-foot-10, but it is hard to find a player contributing his combination of steals, blocks and 3-pointers. Jackson has been doing this for years.

  • Austin Reaves, SG, Los Angeles Lakers (ADP: 54.2): He wasn’t LeBron James, but Reaves made strides in scoring, assists, steals and 3-pointers, and the numbers went up when star Luka Doncic arrived. Reaves finished as the No. 24 option on the final player rater, and he is a steal at this ADP.

  • Julius Randle, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves (ADP: 70.2): We knew Randle’s numbers would slip upon leaving the Knicks, and they sure did, but a previously overrated fantasy option has become quite underrated with this lowly ADP. Randle still provides ample assists, and he cut down on the turnovers and shot better. He has become quite a bargain.

  • Darius Garland, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers (ADP: 79): Three other Cavaliers are top-50 picks, but Garland slips, presumably as he recovers from offseason toe surgery. I usually avoid players who are likely to sit out the start of the season, but a point guard who scores and shoots well falling this far in ADP is a bit too much.

  • Jakob Poeltl, C, Toronto Raptors (ADP: 86.6): Poeltl’s ninth NBA season saw him average career highs in scoring and rebounding, and we cannot overlook the added steals and vast improvement in free throw shooting. Center feels like a deep position after the early rounds.

  • Brandon Miller, SF, Charlotte Hornets (ADP: 98.4): Miller’s second season was progressing quite nicely, as he averaged 21 PPG and 3.9 3PG before a torn wrist ligament ended things in January. Miller could easily perform as a top-50 player in Year 3.

  • Anfernee Simons, SG, Boston Celtics (ADP: 99.6): Shots shouldn’t be a problem for Simons as he moves to a depleted Boston lineup. Don’t expect his rate of assists to suddenly blossom, but 20 PPG and a ton of 3-pointers aren’t usually available this late.

    Later-round choices to target

  • Mark Williams, C, Phoenix Suns (ADP: 103.5): Williams hasn’t appeared in more than 44 games in any of his three NBA seasons, but it is quite clear what he can do when he is healthy. Williams scores, rebounds and shoots well. It is OK to take a chance or two this late on major statistical upside.

  • T.J. McConnell, PG, Indiana Pacers (ADP: 113): Similar to the Celtics, there is a need for production from unexpected options with star Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) out for the season. McConnell is a limited player statistically, but he might be in line for career bests in scoring, assists and perhaps minutes.

  • Stephon Castle, PG, San Antonio Spurs (ADP: 114.9): The defending Rookie of the Year may never become a great outside shooter, but he thrives in getting to the rim, and there is upside for scoring and defensive numbers. Do not assume rookie Dylan Harper gets in the way.

  • Bobby Portis, PF, Milwaukee Bucks (ADP: 120.2): A steady veteran who generally comes off the bench to score and rebound, the Bucks might need a bit more production this season. Portis, 30, should be able to provide it.

  • Zach Edey, C, Memphis Grizzlies (ADP: 130.2): His rookie season went fine, and Year 2 might be delayed as he works his way back from ankle surgery, but again, a potential double-double guy with blocked-shot upside shouldn’t be on the draft board this late.

  • Dennis Schroder, PG, Sacramento Kings (ADP: 131.6): Annually underestimated, Schroder joins his ninth franchise just during this decade, and whether or not he starts for the Kings, expect enough scoring and assisting to warrant late-round interest. I laugh when I see fantasy managers fade grizzled veterans such as Schroder for high draft picks. How did Minnesota’s Rob Dillingham or Houston’s Reed Sheppard work out?

  • Kel’el Ware, C, Miami Heat (ADP: 132.7): Ware started 36 games as a rookie, averaging a double-double alongside Bam Adebayo while doing so, and he can block a shot. Don’t expect 15 PPG, but it is hard to find a double-digit rebounder after the 10th round.

  • Kyle Kuzma, PF, Milwaukee Bucks (ADP: 134.9): An overrated fantasy option for most of his career, Kuzma’s ADP is near rock bottom now, making him a stellar value. We know what we’re getting at this point, and it is mainly Kuzma scoring 16 or so PPG, but that’s enough this late.

  • Matas Buzelis, SF, Chicago Bulls (ADP: 136.1): Buzelis averaged 13 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.1 BPG as a rookie, with solid shooting, and his minutes and production should continue rising in Year 2. Pass at pick No. 100 as he is going much later in drafts.

  • Isaiah Collier, PG, Utah Jazz (ADP: 139.4): Collier isn’t a strong shooter, though he should make strides in his second season. Anyone potentially starting for an NBA franchise at point guard is worth a late/last pick.

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    Basketball

    NFL Icon Eric Dickerson ‘Wishes’ Shedeur Sanders Was Cut Because Browns Are ‘Horrible’

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    NFL legend Eric Dickerson feels going to the “horrible” Cleveland Browns was one of the worst things that could have happened for Shedeur Sanders at the start of his career.

    “He goes to a team like the Browns, that’s not a good football team,” Dickerson said during an interview with TMZ Sports (2:10 mark). “I hate to see him there, I wish they would have cut him. Let him have another opportunity with a better football team.”

    Cleveland selected Sanders with a fifth-round pick and ended a shocking draft slide for the Colorado quarterback who was once seen as a surefire first-rounder. He is now third on the depth chart behind Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel, who was a third-round pick in this year’s draft.

    And that spot as the third-stringer may change as well if Deshaun Watson eventually returns from an Achilles injury.

    “I don’t think he’ll get a fair shot there because I don’t think they really wanted him,” Dickerson said. “… I’m not a Browns fan at all, I could care less. But I’m a Shedeur fan. I’m a Deion Sanders fan.”

    He also wasn’t happy that Sanders fell to the fifth round after he was the 2024 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

    “I know they don’t care for his dad, and I think Deion is a great guy,” the Hall of Famer said. “… I just feel like it was wrong what they did to him. I mean, look, Mel Kiper said in 30 years he’s never seen nothing like this. There was something to that.”

    His comments come after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Baltimore Ravens planned to select Sanders with a fifth-round pick at No. 141 overall but decided not to because the quarterback made it clear he didn’t want to be stuck behind Lamar Jackson on the depth chart.

    The mindset is understandable for someone who was looking for early playing time, as the only way Sanders would have played meaningful snaps on his rookie contract behind one of the league’s best players was if Jackson suffered an injury.

    Still, it also would have meant learning from a two-time MVP inside a Baltimore franchise that has experienced plenty of success. The Ravens seem like exactly the type of franchise Dickerson wanted Sanders to go to, but the former running back told TMZ Sports he doesn’t believe the report.

    Alas, Sanders is now with a Browns franchise that has won one playoff game since the 1994 campaign and is off to an 0-2 start in 2025.

    If Cleveland loses a handful of more games early in the season and drops out of playoff contention, the possibility of Gabriel or Sanders receiving playing time will become one of the most intriguing storylines surrounding the AFC North team.

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