When it comes to preparing for your fantasy basketball draft(s), it is incredibly important to identify players who could be headed for a breakout campaign. Those types of players offer plenty of upside with the potential to provide tremendous return on investment for managers. In this article, we'll highlight some of the guys you should consider drafting who have the talent and opportunity to take a leap during the 2025-26 season.
Matas Buzelis, F - Chicago Bulls
Buzelis has been a popular choice as a potential breakout candidate for his hometown Chicago Bulls after a strong Summer League. The 20-year-old continued that momentum in his two preseason outings so far, posting averages of 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 1.0 blocks on 55.6/40.0/75.0 shooting splits in 18.6 minutes. He didn't start a game until after the All-Star break last year as a rookie, but Buzelis is expected to take over as a full-time starter in Year 2.
Over his final 27 games in the first unit in 2024-25, Buzelis put up 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in just 26.8 minutes a night. He should certainly see an increase in playing time as a sophomore, and in an up-tempo offense with Josh Giddey at the helm, Buzelis' speed and athleticism will be on full display. With a year under his belt and growing self-confidence, he'll get every opportunity to improve upon his preseason success as a two-way difference-maker.
Evan Mobley, F/C -
When it comes to preparing for your fantasy basketball draft(s), it is incredibly important to identify players who could be headed for a breakout campaign. Those types of players offer plenty of upside with the potential to provide tremendous return on investment for managers. In this article, we'll highlight some of the guys you should consider drafting who have the talent and opportunity to take a leap during the 2025-26 season.
Matas Buzelis, F - Chicago Bulls
Buzelis has been a popular choice as a potential breakout candidate for his hometown Chicago Bulls after a strong Summer League. The 20-year-old continued that momentum in his two preseason outings so far, posting averages of 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 1.0 blocks on 55.6/40.0/75.0 shooting splits in 18.6 minutes. He didn't start a game until after the All-Star break last year as a rookie, but Buzelis is expected to take over as a full-time starter in Year 2.
Over his final 27 games in the first unit in 2024-25, Buzelis put up 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 blocks in just 26.8 minutes a night. He should certainly see an increase in playing time as a sophomore, and in an up-tempo offense with Josh Giddey at the helm, Buzelis' speed and athleticism will be on full display. With a year under his belt and growing self-confidence, he'll get every opportunity to improve upon his preseason success as a two-way difference-maker.
Evan Mobley, F/C - Cleveland Cavaliers
It might be difficult to think of Mobley as a breakout candidate after he won the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year award, but the forward-center is ready to make another jump at both ends of the court as he enters his fifth season as a pro. Through his first four years with the Cavs, he's never averaged more than 12.8 field goal attempts a night. In 2025-26, coach Kenny Atkinson, Mobley and Donovan Mitchell have talked extensively about the 24-year-old demanding the ball on offense while making a concerted effort to run more offense through the big man.
In limited preseason action, Mobley has been on-ball a bit more, recording a 27.9% usage rate in 44 total minutes across two outings. The sample size is small, but with Cleveland expected to be missing two-time All-Star Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot) for extended periods, Mobley will be tasked with more offensive responsibilities than in previous years. After averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 boards, 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks over 71 appearances last season, it wouldn't be surprising to see him eclipse 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while chipping in a steal and at least one block per contest.
Neemias Queta, C - Boston Celtics
Now that Al Horford is no longer in Beantown, Queta is set to be the starting center for the Celtics in 2025-26. The Portugal native represented his country in EuroBasket 2025 this past summer, posting a stellar 23-point, 18-rebound outing in an upset victory over the reigning European champions Spain.
This isn't to suggest Queta will be going off with similar performances in the NBA this season. What it does prove, however, is that he's a talented seven-footer who will earn the most playing time of his young career as he enters his fifth season. In 13.9 minutes per game last year, Queta averaged 5.0 points, 3.8 boards and 0.7 blocks, numbers that jump to 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes. He probably won't see that much time on the court every night, but averaging a double-double with some defensive stats while shooting north of 60% from the field should absolutely be in the cards for the 26-year-old.
Brice Sensabaugh, G/F - Utah Jazz
Sensabaugh is entering his third season in the NBA. Historically speaking, players experience a breakthrough as a pro at this time in their careers. After suiting up for only 32 games as a rookie in 2023-24, he appeared in 71 contests for the Jazz last year and impressed over the final two months of the season. In 27 games after the All-Star break, Sensabaugh tallied 14.1 points, 3.7 boards, 2.1 assists and 0.7 steals on 47.4/47.5/86.7 shooting splits in just under 25 minutes per night.
Utah made several moves in the offseason to make way for their young talent in 2025-26, and Sensabaugh stands to benefit as the starting small forward for coach Will Hardy in Year 3. During his lone preseason outing against Houston on October 8, Sensabaugh dropped 24 points (9-15 FG) with six made 3s, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 26 minutes.
Amen Thompson, G/F - Houston Rockets
Much like Evan Mobley on this list, some readers may take umbrage with Thompson's placement as a breakout on this list after he seemingly did so last season by averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 boards, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks across 69 games as a sophomore. In Year 3, Amen is poised for another big jump, one that should land him firmly in the All-Star and Most Improved Player conversations.
With the unfortunate news that Fred VanVleet could miss the entire 2025-26 campaign after tearing his ACL in late September, Thompson has the chance to earn heavy minutes as the lead ball-handler on a team featuring Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith. As one of the most explosive athletes in the NBA, Thompson is a dynamic two-way force that will wreak havoc for the Rockets and provide stellar production in nearly every statistical category for fantasy managers. He may not necessarily help in terms of three-pointers or free-throw percentage, but his positional versatility, defensive stats and all-around game are too juicy to pass up.
Kel'el Ware, C - Miami Heat
Heading into Year 2, Kel'el Ware looks ready to make an impact at both ends of the floor for the Heat. In somewhat of an up-and-down rookie season, the seven-footer started to show signs of growth over the last two months that he carried into Summer League and now the preseason. Over his final 26 contests in 2024-25, Ware averaged 10.3 points, 9.7 boards, 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes, compiling nine double-doubles in the process.
Across three preseason appearances in 2025-26, Ware has recorded two double-doubles while scoring in double figures in each outing, and he's gone 6-for-12 on three-point attempts overall. In a loss to the Spurs on October 8, he erupted for 29 points (12-19 FG, 3-6 3Pt), 12 rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 26 minutes of action. Targeting Ware towards the latter stages of drafts could pay huge dividends for managers, regardless of his status as a starter or reserve in Miami.
