12 veterans to avoid reaching for in 2026-27 fantasy basketball drafts

Age and injury eventually catch up to everyone in the NBA, and this group of veteran players is no exception. Their 2025-26 Yahoo ADPs are out of sync with their current outlooks heading into next season. Whether it’s persistent health issues, reduced roles or contract situations that could land them in less favorable spots, all 12 of these players are likely to be drafted much later — or not at all — in 2026-27 fantasy basketball leagues. Here’s why.

Anthony Davis — Washington Wizards, Yahoo ADP: 10

Anthony Davis was drafted eighth overall on Yahoo this season, but he turned out to be one of the most disappointing picks in fantasy basketball. With uncertainty about whether he’ll play for Washington or request a trade, and having played at least 60 games only once in the past six seasons at age 33, managers can no longer depend on him.

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He’s no longer a first-round option, and I expect him to drop into the mid-to-late second round moving forward.

Domantas Sabonis — Sacramento Kings, Yahoo ADP: 18

A perennial top-20 pick heading into this season, Sabonis was on pace to put up the lowest number of points, rebounds and assists in seven seasons. While I’m not concerned about Sabonis’s health, it’s more about the situation. Sacramento’s crowded offensive ecosystem — with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk all demanding touches — was already compressing Sabonis’s usage before a knee injury cost him 63 games.

He’s on an expensive $48 million expiring contract, so he’s unlikely to get traded and coming off a torn meniscus at 29 years old, Sabonis’ fantasy value won’t be worthy of a top-20 pick. Still, he’s one of the best passing bigs in the league, so I expect he’ll slide into the fourth round at least.

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Joel Embiid — Philadelphia 76ers, Yahoo ADP: 47

At this point, drafting Joel Embiid is simply a bet on luck. His Yahoo ADP of 47 already reflects several years of discounting, and it’s only going to continue to fall as he finished this past season playing in just 38 games.

Missing almost 50 games per year has become his baseline, so…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/article/12-veterans-to-avoid-reaching-for-in-2026-27-fantasy-basketball-drafts-142823338.html

Author : Dan Titus

Publish date : 2026-05-28 14:28:00

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