Fantasy Basketball 2025 Top NBA Player Rankings and Underrated Sleepers

We made it, folks.

Opening night of the 2025-26 NBA season is here in all of its net-shredding, alley-ooping, rim-rattling glory. The 82-game marathon starts now.

Fantasy basketball managers are probably taking a thought-out plan of attack into the campaign, and they might have their rosters already assembled. Still, plans are always subject to change, and there are surely some later-to-arrive leagues that haven't held their talent grabs just yet.

In other words, this is very much still the right time to assess the player pool with rankings of the elites and a couple of overlooked sleepers.

Rankings

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Top 30

1. Nikola Jokić, C, DEN
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, OKC
3. Victor Wembanyama, C, SA
4. Luka Dončić, PG, LAL
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C, MIL
6. Anthony Edwards, SG/SF, MIN
7. Cade Cunningham, PG/SG, DET
8. Trae Young, PG, ATL
9. Anthony Davis, PF/C, DAL
10. Devin Booker, PG/SG, PHO
11. Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, NYK
12. Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG, PHI
13. James Harden, PG/SG, LAC
14. Jaylen Brown, SG/SF, BOS
15. Ivica Zubac, C, LAC
16. Stephen Curry, PG, GSW
17. Josh Giddey, PG/SF, CHI
18. Pascal Siakam, PF, IND
19. Jalen Brunson, PG, NYK
20. Domantas Sabonis, PF/C, SAC
21. Jalen Williams, SF/PF, OKC
22. Bam Adebayo, PF/C, MIA
23. Alperen Şengün, C, HOU
24. Donovan Mitchell, PG/SG, CLE
25. Ja Morant, PG, MEM
26. Kevin Durant, PF, HOU
27. Franz Wagner, SF/PF, ORL
28. LeBron James, SF/PF, LAL
29. Paolo Banchero, SF/PF, ORL
30. Amen Thompson, PG/SG/SF, HOU

Kevin Porter Jr., PG/SG, Milwaukee Bucks

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Once Porter joined Milwaukee in February, the stars almost immediately aligned.

His minutes were held in check by the presence of Damian Lillard—an obstacle that has since been cleared—but Porter consistently made borderline great things happen. In 30 games after the trade, his per-36-minutes averages included 21.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 three-pointers, to go along with a 49.4 field-goal percentage and 87.1 free-throw percentage.

His shooting rates might have been unsustainable, but the stat line might be more doable than you'd think. Back in 2022-23, he gave the Houston Rockets nightly contributions of 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 triples and 1.4 steals.

If he is heavily featured, he usually maximizes his opportunities. And Milwaukee may not have any choice but to have him significantly involved. Outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo, there really isn't another top scoring or creating threat on the roster. Porter could—and arguably should—be in line for a big season.

Cam Whitmore, SF/PF, Washington Wizards

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Few players saw their team outlook worsen to a greater degree than Whitmore, who was sent from the championship-chasing Houston Rockets to the top-to-bottom rebuilding Wizards.

Conversely, few players saw a bigger spike in their potential individual responsibilities than the bouncy swingman. In Houston, he was an afterthought who wasn't guaranteed nightly action. In Washington, there's a non-zero chance he'll be the team's go-to option on offense.

He might be a scoring specialist, but his scoring could be special. Over those two seasons in Houston, where his pecking-order position always felt precarious, he averaged 22.3 points per 36 minutes. He might better that number with his actual output this season, especially if rookie Tre Johnson and sophomore Alex Sarr aren't ready to lead this attack.

Whitmore could be relatively helpful with his rebounds, threes and steals, but if you're buying his sleeper potential, you're doing it for the points. And there should be plenty of them.