Fantasy Basketball Rookie Rankings 2025-26: In-Depth Analysis for Redraft Leagues

Learn about the top fantasy basketball rookies for the 2025-26 season, from No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg to hidden gems. Upgrade your draft approach.

August 11, 2025

Fantasy Basketball Rookie Rankings 2025-26: In-Depth Analysis for Redraft Leagues

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August 11, 2025

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Every fantasy basketball season brings a fresh crop of rookies. While dynasty managers can afford to be patient with prospects, redraft leagues demand immediate returns. Getting a feel for who can contribute right away is the key to a successful draft, and this year's rookie class is loaded with talent. From the consensus No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, to sleeper picks who could make a surprising impact, we've broken down the fantasy outlook for the most intriguing rookies entering the 2025-26 season.

Tier 1

Cooper Flagg, Mavericks

Flagg's storybook rise to the NBA started when he became the first freshman ever to be named the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year, leading Nokomis Regional to the state title in 2021. He transferred to a national powerhouse, Montverde Academy, the following year, winning the 2022 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year and the 2024 National High School Player of the Year. The awards kept coming in college, including ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC All-Defensive Team and National College Player of the Year during his lone season at Duke. Flagg has the height, strength and instincts to play down low as a shot blocker, but he also has the quickness and athleticism to lock down on the perimeter. Plus, his motor never wanes on that end of the court. Flagg put up elite offensive numbers at Duke and has immense potential, but is far from a polished prospect. However, the phenom showed vast improvements early at the collegiate level and eventually emerged as Duke's go-to offensive player in clutch situations. There's nothing Flagg can't do on a basketball court, which is why he was the consensus No. 1 overall pick, but he'll have to continue to improve to live up to his lofty expectations. With Kyrie Irving slated to miss at least the first half of the season, Flagg will be forced into uncomfortable offensive situations early in his career, but the Mavericks' new franchise player's ability to stuff the stat sheet makes him an intriguing fantasy option, even if there are concerns about how his offensive game will translate to the NBA.

Tier 2

Dylan Harper, Spurs

Harper was Rutgers' highest-rated recruit in program history. He is a big-bodied, do-it-all playmaker with positional versatility. He puts a ton of pressure on the rim, is creative with his footwork and can finish smoothly with both hands. Harper's jumper in catch-and-shoot situations was elite, but he took too many contested off-the-dribble shots to be a consistent three-point shooter in college. Regardless, with more space and better shot selection in the NBA, Harper still profiles as an above-average three-point shooter. Harper had good defensive production in college and showed a willingness to compete, but he'll need to be more engaged as a pro. In selecting him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2025, the Spurs added to their logjam in the backcourt. Fighting for minutes and touches are Harper, De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell. Fox is an All-Star-caliber point guard, and Castle is coming off a quality Rookie of the Year campaign. At best, Harper will be the No. 3 option on offense behind Fox and Victor Wembanyama. At worst, he could also end up behind Castle and Vassell. He may have to embrace more of a spot-up shooting and cutting role as a rookie compared to his long-term outlook as a primary playmaker. Optimistic fantasy managers can draft him around pick 100, but there's no major obvious upside outside of injuries to teammates and/or a shockingly great debut season.

Tier 3

Kon Knueppel, Hornets

Along with Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, Knueppel spent only one season at Duke, averaging 14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.5 minutes per game. Knueppel posted 48/41/91 shooting splits in his lone collegiate campaign on 9.7 field-goal attempts, 5.3 three-point tries and 3.3 free-throw trips per game. Knueppel was an all-around player at Duke, but his three-point shot was his calling card. He profiles as a sharpshooter at the NBA level who can immediately contribute, while the 19-year-old's playmaking and defense will take some time to develop. Despite a 6-foot-7, 217-pound frame, Knueppel struggled to finish around the rim at an elite level in college, but he plays off two feet, has great patience in the post/paint and gets to his spot more often than not. He's not the quickest or strongest, but he has good defensive instincts and shows the ability to be a solid defender within a structured system. The Hornets drafted him No. 4 overall during this summer's draft. He projects as the team's small forward, but touches won't be easy to come by while surrounded by LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges. Charlotte even has a couple high-usage players coming off the bench in Collin Sexton and Tre Mann. Knueppel showed in college that he can fit in and be a secondary playmaker and connector, so there shouldn't be too many questions about how he meshes. But from a fantasy basketball perspective, will it be enough to drive standard-league value? Possibly, but it could take upwards of 30 minutes per game, which isn't guaranteed.

Tre Johnson, Wizards

Johnson - selected No. 6 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Wizards - started 33 games as a freshman at Texas, averaging 19.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.8 steals in 34.7 minutes per game while posting 43/40/87 shooting splits on 15.9 field-goal attempts, 6.8 three-point tries and 4.2 free-throw trips per game. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-SEC honors. At 6-foot-6, Johnson has the size to get his shot up over smaller defenders whenever he wants, the quickness to blow by anyone sitting on his jumper and the athleticism to finish over help with authority. He loves to face-up, jab and pump fake like Carmelo Anthony when given a 1-on-1, but Johnson really excels off screens and in transition. He's naturally an off-guard and doesn't show point-guard tendencies. However, Johnson can certainly make plays and find open guys when the defense collapses on him. Defensively, Johnson needs to build muscle and be more engaged. In Summer League, Johnson was excellent offensively and looked as-advertised on that end. The biggest question for Johnson as a rookie is where the minutes will come from. The backcourt and wing positions are filled by a combination of veterans and other high-upside young players, not limited to CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, Bub Carrington, Cam Whitmore and Corey Kispert. It's possible, if not likely, that Johnson does most of his damage after the February trade deadline.

Ace Bailey, Jazz

In his lone collegiate season at Rutgers, Bailey averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals in 33.4 minutes per game. He posted 46/35/69 shooting splits on 14.7 field-goal attempts, 4.5 three-point tries and 3.6 free-throw trips per game. He earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors and was named Third-Team All-Big Ten. Bailey is an elite shooter from anywhere on the court and used his size to get his shot off whenever he wanted in college. He's great as a spot-up shooter and will attack poor closeouts but settles for mid-range jumpers instead of getting all the way to the rim. He's better at attacking the rim in transition than in half-court settings. Bailey put up strong defensive production in college and has the length to be elite on that end of the court as a pro, but he needs to get stronger to make that happen. He's also a much better offensive rebounder than a defensive one, which will need to change as a pro. Utah selected Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 Draft. The organization proceeded to deal John Collins to the Clippers, clearing the way for Bailey to see more minutes and likely start next to Lauri Markkanen. The latter still projects as the Jazz's No. 1 option, but after that, things get murky. Bailey has upside as a scorer, rebounder and defender out of the gate, but fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if he suffers efficiency issues since defenses will be so keyed in on him. Utah also has two other promising forwards who need minutes in Kyle Filipowski and Taylor Hendricks, not to mention hoping for more development out of Cody Williams. There's a way for Bailey to see minutes in the low-to-mid-30s as a rookie with fairly high usage, but it's not a guarantee, especially before the trade deadline.

VJ Edgecombe, 76ers

In his lone collegiate season at Baylor, Edgecombe averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in 32.7 minutes per game. He posted 44/34/78 shooting splits on 11.5 field-goal attempts, 4.6 three-point tries and 4.3 free-throw trips per game. Edgecombe was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-Big 12 honors. Edgecombe's two-way potential jumps off the screen. His elite athleticism, paired with a strong motor and high effort, makes him lethal on defense and in transition. He has the ability to hit circus shots around the rim, but he'll need to be patient and pick his moments better as a pro. Edgecombe profiles as an off-guard in half-court sets, but he certainly has the potential to be a ballhandling playmaker if he improves his decision-making. Edgecombe's ceiling will be as high as his three-point shot takes him. He was solid at Baylor in that department but needs to make a significant leap to be considered an elite 3-and-D wing in the NBA. The 76ers selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Philadelphia's wing rotation is muddy. Outside of Tyrese Maxey cemented as the starting point guard, there is Quentin Grimes, Jared McCain and Kelly Oubre in addition to Edgecombe. The rookie probably has the inside track to occupy one starting spot, but how much usage is available for him after Maxey, Joel Embiid and Paul George get their touches? Embiid and George will probably get injured enough to give Edgecombe some high-usage opportunities, but will that usage, plus minutes, be consistent enough for Edgecombe to be a standard-league relevant asset in fantasy?

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Tier 4

Egor Demin, Nets

Fantastic passer and crafty around the basket; lacks a reliable three-point shot. Potential floor general. But the Nets' rotation feels entirely up for grabs.

Derik Queen, Pelicans

Frontcourt player with NBA size that excels using his footwork in the paint and in face-up situations from the elbow, but perimeter shooting is a work in progress. Is he too redundant with Zion Williamson to be effective as a rookie?

Khaman Maluach, Suns

Traditional big man who catches lobs and blocks shots. Has shown some shooting upside from distance and is a solid free-throw shooter. Likely to be Mark Williams' backup, assuming he usurps Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro.

Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans

Can he find the necessary usage and minutes to have a great rookie season? Efficiency projects as a Year 1 issue. Undersized score-first guard.

Ryan Kalkbrenner, Hornets

Five-year college player who is already 23 years old. Biggest strength is paint defense. Prototypical big on offense but has flashed shooting and passing upside. May play significant minutes as a rookie due to Charlotte's bad center rotation, but it's unclear.

Yang Hansen, Trail Blazers

Shocking No. 16 overall pick. Rose up draft boards due to size combined with passing vision and post play. Rough around the edges and makes up for defensive mistakes with pure length. Might be able to space the floor. Projects as Donovan Clingan's backup when Robert Williams isn't available.

Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors

Elite defensive prospect on the wing, but he can't shoot. Has shown promising court vision, but sliding into a Draymond Green role is easier said than done.

Cedric Coward, Grizzlies

Riser up draft boards who was limited as a junior due to a shoulder injury. Great size and length for a wing. Has high three-and-D potential. Could develop into a playmaker. Not clear how he factors into Memphis' rotation this season.