At the top of the rankings there is Cooper Flagg and then there are four elite talents that could be listed in any order. Those next four, Edgecombe, Knueppel, Harper and Queen are all special in their own ways and all are potentially elite fantasy assets. And it’s really hard to rank one over the others.
It would be really hard to pass on Edgecombe, even with the elite shooting talents of Kon and the awesome talents of Harper and Queen. VJ looks like the second coming of Dwayne Wade and should be star in the league for the next decade+.
Overall this is a really strong draft class, one of the best we’ve seen in recent years. Flagg could end up as one of the best players in the league before too long and the rest of the top 10 guys on this list are potential fantasy studs.
| # | Updated 2/16/26 |
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| 1 | Cooper Flagg – PF – Dallas Mavericks – Flagg is a bona fide superstar, both IRL and in fantasy. He’s a special, special talent that will become one of the faces of the league for the next 15 years. If you have him don’t entertain any offers. Just hold tight and many good things will come. |
| 2 | VJ Edgecombe – PG/SG – Philadelphia 76ers – VJ starts off the second tier of talents that, as I mentioned above, could come off the board in any order. He has been awesome out of the gate, looking extremely comfortable on the floor and demonstrating his clutch gene and fearless competitiveness. Some might favor Kon or Dylan here but for me VJ’s dynamic athleticism and big play ability give him the slight edge over the others. |
| 3 | Kon Knueppel – SG – Charlotte Hornets – Kon has one of the most pure jumpers in the known universe and is one of the best non-athletic players we’ve seen in a decade. It’s truly amazing what he can do with his skill level and BBIQ, while lacking traditional NBA speed and athleticism. He’s built like a tank, which certainly helps but really its about that sweet, sweet jump shot. |
| 4 | Dylan Harper – PG/SG – San Antonio Spurs – Harper hasn’t had the biggest role on this very strong Spurs team but even so he’s starting to put up really nice numbers and showing why he was selected no.2 overall in a very strong draft. And his stats should keep trending up from here as he gains experience and earns more minutes. |
| 5 | Derik Queen – PF/C – New Orleans Pelicans – Queen fits the mold of one of these modern bigs who can bang in the paint, score from inside and out and also initiate the offense. He’s a very advanced ball handler and passer for a young center and looks like a future star. He’s had some bumps along the way but overall his rookie season has been extremely impressive so far. |
| 6 | Jeremiah Fears – PG – New Orleans Pelicans – Another Pelican having a strong rookie season, Fears flashes big time scoring and foul-drawing ability and already looks like he belongs in the league, which is impressive for such a young point guard. I’d but him just below the second tier listed above but he does have tremendous upside and should be a fantasy stud. |
| 7 | Egor Demin – PG – Brooklyn Nets – Demin is f*&$ing awesome. Some people had questions about his outside shot and if he was really a point guard etc. but the fact is he’s just a damn good basketball player with elite positional size and a very high level feel for the game. It doesn’t matter if he runs the point or plays on the wing. He’s going to be really good in the NBA for a really long time. |
| 8 | Collin Murray-Boyles – SF/PF – Toronto Raptors – Man, I really want to have CMB higher than this. He’s the type of all around talent and stat stuffing machine that doesn’t always get the All Star votes but can put your fantasy team on his broad shoulders and carry it to glory and greatness. He’s a steals and blocks machine while also racking up assists and rebounds, and scoring the ball at a nice level. He’s a stud. |
| 9 | Ace Bailey – SF – Utah Jazz – This might end up being too low of a ranking for Bailey and for those willing to wait long enough the payoff could be big. He’s an incredible talent but still very young in terms of his basketball development. I like what the Jazz are doing with him and how he’s responded to playing this simplified role. Someday he’ll be more of a first option offensive creator type but right now playing off of others while learning the finer points of the game is good for his long term development. |
| 10 | Tre Johnson – SG – Washington Wizards – This feels really low for Johnson but there are just so many good players from the 2025 draft – some who have more well rounded games and some who have higher upside than Johnson, that he barely makes the top 10 on this list. He’s a professional scorer who could end up as one of the top scorers in the league at the height of his career. The question for his fantasy value is if he can provide a well rounded stat line beyond the great shooting numbers. |
| 11 | Cedric Coward – SG – Memphis Grizzlies – Coward came out of the gates fast and showed that he can be a very high level shooter on the wing with great efficiency and a solid all around game. He’s fallen off a bit but still projects as a high level fantasy player who gives you upside on both ends of the court. |
| 12 | Ryan Kalkbrenner – C – Charlotte Hornets – An excellent defensive player and potential long term starter, Kalkbrenner doesn’t have the upside of some of the other players in this range but he’s just such a solid NBA-ready player that he deserves this high ranking. |
| 13 | Danny Wolf – PF/C – Brooklyn Nets – I think his ultimate upside could be a bit higher than this but early teens feels about right for Wolf at this point. He’s a super fun player and could have some fantasy appeal beyond just the stats, as a highlight reel guy. If he can lift his 3pt percentage to the high 30’s or low 40’s he could be a real fantasy stud. |
| 14 | Carter Bryant – SF – San Antonio Spurs – This is an upside play. He’s not going to a top 3 option on his team for a long time (if ever) but he’s a really talented player who should see his minutes take a big jump in year two or three. |
| 15 | Maxime Raynaud – C – Sacramento Kings – Raynaud has had some nice scoring outbursts and looks like a clear first round talent who somehow fell into the second round on draft day. He’s also a solid rebounder who looks like a guy who can hold down a starting position over the coming years for the depleted Kings franchise. |
| 16 | Kasparas Jakucionis – PG/SG – Miami Heat – KJ isn’t a flashy player but is just a really good all around guard who should earn consistent minutes in his career, either as a starter or first guard off the bench. There area few players in this range that could go in any order but I’d take KJ over some of the others as he feels like more of a sure thing. |
| 17 | Walter Clayton Jr. – SG – Memphis Grizzlies – For a relatively NBA-ready type of pick Clayton Jr. has had an unremarkable rookie season so far. I think the move to Memphis and earning consistent playing time could unlock his potential and we could see him put up some big games over the back half of the season. I’d be inquiring about him to see if you could buy low. |
| 18 | Nique Clifford – SF –Sacramento Kings – Nique is another King getting big minutes recently, a trend that should continue through the rest of the season. Long term he projects as a rotation player who contributes on both ends and could be a solid stocks guy if the minutes are there. Hitting open 3pt shots will key to him earning minutes and to his fantasy value. |
| 19 | Joan Beringer – C – Minnesota Timberwolves – Beringer is a rare athlete with a very raw game but a ton of upside. I think he can eventually be a stud and should be held onto tight in all deeper leagues. |
| 20 | Khaman Maluach – C – Phoenix Suns – There’s plenty of upside here but not a lot of minutes on a surprisingly solid Suns teams. He’d be a good buy-low candidate who could have a breakout season next year. |
| 21 | Drake Powell – SF – Brooklyn Nets – His athleticism really pops and allows him to impact both ends and make a lot of plays in transition. He’s gotten good minutes for this tanking Nets team and looks to be a part of their long term plans. |
| 22 | Asa Newell – PF – Atlanta Hawks – Asa looks like a solid rotation player who should carve out a long NBA career. Whether he can be more than that and provide real fantasy value remains to be seen but I think he’ll earn bigger minutes eventually and has some sneaky high potential. |
| 23 | Noa Essengue – PF – Chicago Bulls – There’s a chance he gets some minutes during the upcoming silly season for a Bulls team that finally realized they need to do a full rebuild. Noa doesn’t look very NBA ready but is an impressive athlete with intriguing upside. Don’t give up on him just yet. |
| 24 | Thomas Sorber – C – Oklahoma City Thunder – (OUT FOR THE YEAR WITH AN INJURY) Although we won’t see Sorber this season he deserves a mention on this list for his long-term upside. He could be a solid rotation piece next season for the Thunder, especially if they loose Hartenstein to free agency. |
| 25 | Hugo Gonzalez – SG/SF – Boston Celtics – Hugo has shown some nice things in limited minutes for a very good Celtics team. He’s a hold in deeper leagues and has fantasy upside if/when the minutes are there. |
| 26 | Yang Hansen – C – Portland Trail Blazers – This is still just an upside projection. He’ll give you approximately zero value this year and might not bring much value next year but as a long term play he could be worth a stash. |
| 27 | Will Richard – SG – Golden State Warriors – Richard had a hot streak earlier in the season and showed that he can be a viable long term NBA player. If the minutes are there going forward, or in the near future, he’s worth a hold in deeper leagues. |
| 28 | Sion James – SG – Charlotte Hornets – James has been a really solid player for the Hornets during his rookie year. His solid play doesn’t always translate to the box score and I’d say he’s a better NBA player than a fantasy guy. |
| 29 | Jase Richardson – PG/SG – Orlando Magic – Jase probably isn’t going to be a starter in the league but could develop into a first guard off the bench type and if his efficiency is there could provide some mid round fantasy value. |
| 30 | Liam McNeeley – SF – Charlotte Hornets – The resurgant Hornets don’t have a lot of minutes available for yet another rookie but longer term I think he can earn consistent playing time and show why he was a first round pick. |
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Thanks for reading!
Here are the full 2025 NBA Draft results and a look at the 2026 draft class.