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To punt or not to punt: that is the question many category-league managers face when building rosters, regardless of draft format. Do you (in theory) concede a particular category immediately, or is it better to do so later in the process? And if you punt, which players should you target by category?
Below is a look at each of the nine major categories in nine-cat formats, along with some worthwhile options in the early, middle and later rounds of drafts. And what you will find is that, regardless of the category being punted, the trio of Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokić, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will possess elite fantasy value.
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2025-26 Rankings Credit: Basketball Monster
▶ Points
Regardless of the punt build, your elite fantasy options will be the top options. Last season, seven of the eight players with first-round (12-team league) ADPs who appeared in at least 60 games averaged at least 23.9 points per game. The exception was New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who averaged 20.1 per night. In a team build where points aren’t a priority, the best options tend to reveal themselves after the first round.
Wings who defend at a high level and post players tend to get the greatest value boost, such as Houston’s Amen Thompson, Portland’s Donovan Clingan, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, or Detroit’s Ausar Thompson. While Amen merits second-round consideration, Clingan, Daniels, and Ausar are solid options outside the first three rounds of 12-team drafts.
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First-round Targets: Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets), Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Second-round Targets: G Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers), G Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors), Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
Third round and later: Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors), Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder), Dyson Daniels (Atlanta Hawks), Walker Kessler (Los Angeles Lakers), Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers), Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons)
2025-26 Top-12 (minimum 60 games played):
1. Nikola…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-27-fantasy-basketball-punt-182240327.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-07 18:22:00
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