Reed Sheppard, Andrew Wiggins, Zach Edey, Alexandre Sarr and Harrison Barnes

A player at every position who is underserved in fantasy basketball.

When it comes to fantasy drafts, value is what matters most. Anyone can draft or be at the top, but the best fantasy basketball drafters are the ones who can find production in the later rounds from players who exceed expectations based on their draft status.

People who go undrafted tend to come from one of several categories: rookies who excel right out of the box, veterans who move on to a better situation, players with expanded roles on their current teams, and old-school ones out of nowhere coming outliers.

It could be elaborated a little more finely, but that only vaguely illustrates why we underestimate the players coming into the season. Knowing that standout players get drafted in later rounds or not at all in fantasy drafts drives us to work hard to find early fantasy production from a late-round pick.

Let's look at a fantasy player at each position that I believe is undervalued due to one of the situations mentioned above. I used our FantasySP ADP numbers to determine draft value at a player's position. Some of these guys are available at multiple positions, but I've listed them by the position we evaluated them at and their rank within that group (with one exception).

Point guard

Houston Rockets – 36. PG

Sheppard was the third overall pick, a player considered an analytics darling in the draft community. Analytics are very helpful when evaluating players, but they are not the whole story when it comes to determining basketball value. In order to end up among the stars, the boys have to step onto the pitch and perform at a high level and with a high commitment rate.

Houston obviously saw something they liked in Sheppard by ranking him so high. Like last year, there was no can't-miss No. 1 pick this year, so teams drafted based primarily on need and preference. Sheppard should be able to secure a spot in his rookie season.

Sheppard's 3-point shooting is currently his biggest asset; His pre-draft profile pegged him as a guy who could be a defensive pest, capable of steals and deflections even if overwhelmed by veterans at times. He is also a good playmaker, allowing him to rack up assists when driving past defenders who push him away from the 3-point line.

The rookie's stats will add up and make him a valuable fantasy player. Sheppard won't be an immediate star, but he's worth picking up in fantasy drafts down the road because he has at least one NBA-ready skill.

Rifle Guard

Golden State Warriors – N/A

I'm cheating a little here because the first two shooting guards I selected ultimately didn't meet my expectations. We listed Wiggins as a small forward, but he is also available as a shooting guard in many leagues.

This is about an expanded role that Wiggins could assume by default due to his departure to Dallas. There are young guys who inevitably soak up possessions: and both are first-round picks who are 22 or younger.

However, if this team wants to contend for the playoffs, the experienced Wiggins will need to take on a larger role more consistent with his status as a former No. 1 overall pick. Wiggins was fourth on the team last season, one spot behind Thompson.

With a larger role, Wiggins can become a more impactful player in all areas, especially scoring. He can be selected late in fantasy drafts and may have the second-highest usage rate on the team.

Small striker

San Antonio Spurs – 33. SF

Barnes was one of the most hyped players to attend college in my lifetime. Before his first season at UNC, he was a Preseason All-American, the first freshman to ever earn that honor. After two years in college, he was drafted seventh overall by the Warriors in 2012.

This is still a great draft position, but it doesn't reach the level of the best high school prospect of his generation. You could say the same thing about his entire career: Barnes was always worthy of his place, but he never quite reached the next level.

His best seasons were spent on losing teams and he was a backup player on the championship team he played on in Golden State. There's nothing wrong with that. About 98% of players would probably trade for Barnes given the money he's made and the success he's achieved. However, he never became THE guy.

He doesn't have to play that role in San Antonio, where the team has signed to take over the starting point guard duties and already has Wembanyama as a front-runner, ready to develop into a superstar at any moment (if he hasn't already). . ). Barnes will stand still, shoot 3s and focus on defense.

Availability is also a calling card for Barnes: He has played 77, 82 and 82 games over the last three seasons. Barnes is a guy you can pick late in the draft and rely on to be available at both forward positions.

Power Forward

Washington Wizards – 28. PF

The 19-year-old Sarr, the second pick in this year's draft, needs plenty of experience before he becomes an impact player in the NBA. The good news for him is that he plays on one of the most desolate teams in the league and there aren't many players blocking his path to minutes and shots.

Any newcomer needs time to adjust, let alone a teenager from another country. Sarr is a 7-foot athlete who is expected to be a defensive presence as a freshman, dunking around the rim on pick-and-rolls in hopes of eventually reaching 3-point range.

That means rebounds and blocks will likely add up, and Sarr will get easy balls around the rim, throw down alley-ups and score offensive rebounds. If he achieves long-term success straight away, that's just a bonus. Sarr can also be played at center, adding value in the hardest fantasy position to fill.

This is about a guy who will probably get a long leash on a Washington team without much hope. He will be able to put up stats even when he struggles and is a valuable fantasy player to add late in drafts.

center

Memphis Grizzlies – 28th Century

Big boys get stats; That's just how it works. A 2.10 meter tall, 135 kilogram beast will have to accept rebounds, blocks and dunks simply because it takes up so much space. Edey is the betting favorite for rookie of the year, which happens when a player racks up a lot of stats.

Injuries and conditioning are an issue with any player this big, but Edey should be productive on the pitch. At the toughest fantasy basketball position to find production at, a guy like Edey is a high-value player later in fantasy drafts.

Memphis' ability to win right away could lead to Edey being benched while he improves his defensive strategies, particularly pick-and-rolls. It's unlikely he'll be a top-five fantasy center.

However, the Grizzlies drafted him ninth overall, and they will certainly throw him into the fire to prepare him for playoff minutes. Over the course of a long season, Edey will get so much run against opponents that he simply outsizes that he will get easy stats in short sprints.

#2024 Fantasy Basketball