The best fantasy basketball sleepers come from situations that just changed, and the 2026-27 forward class is full of them. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo headlined an offseason that reshuffled rotations league-wide, and the ripple effects run deep into the frontcourt — vacated usage in Milwaukee, a rebuild in Brooklyn hunting for shot creation, and a Lakers roster with an open power forward spot.
That churn is where draft value lives. Below are the forwards trending up after landing in better roles, followed by the true sleepers going outside the top 100 in ADP. Each one has a clear path to more minutes than the market is pricing in, and a few could return top-75 value in nine-category leagues.
Fantasy Basketball Forward Risers
Naz Reid, Charlotte Hornets 
While Reid had a lucrative contract with the Timberwolves, he wasn't fully unleashed during his tenure with the franchise. With Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle in the fold, Reid spent most of his time coming off the bench. He never averaged more than 28 minutes a game for a season and only averaged 26 minutes per contest last season. That left him with modest averages of 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 three-pointers.
Reid was traded from the Timberwolves to the Hornets during the offseason, which was an ideal landing spot for him. The Hornets desperately needed to add size, which Reid finally provides them. They also dealt away Miles Bridges, who averaged at least 17.1 points in each
The best fantasy basketball sleepers come from situations that just changed, and the 2026-27 forward class is full of them. LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo headlined an offseason that reshuffled rotations league-wide, and the ripple effects run deep into the frontcourt — vacated usage in Milwaukee, a rebuild in Brooklyn hunting for shot creation, and a Lakers roster with an open power forward spot.
That churn is where draft value lives. Below are the forwards trending up after landing in better roles, followed by the true sleepers going outside the top 100 in ADP. Each one has a clear path to more minutes than the market is pricing in, and a few could return top-75 value in nine-category leagues.
Fantasy Basketball Forward Risers
Naz Reid, Charlotte Hornets
While Reid had a lucrative contract with the Timberwolves, he wasn't fully unleashed during his tenure with the franchise. With Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle in the fold, Reid spent most of his time coming off the bench. He never averaged more than 28 minutes a game for a season and only averaged 26 minutes per contest last season. That left him with modest averages of 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 three-pointers.
Reid was traded from the Timberwolves to the Hornets during the offseason, which was an ideal landing spot for him. The Hornets desperately needed to add size, which Reid finally provides them. They also dealt away Miles Bridges, who averaged at least 17.1 points in each of the last four seasons. Not only does Reid have the potential to average at least 30 minutes a night for the first time in his career, but he could also see an increased usage rate. In 77 career starts, he averaged 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 three-pointers, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks. Reid has an ADP of 65 on Yahoo, and he could be well worth that selection in nine-category leagues.
Julius Randle, Brooklyn Nets 
Reid wasn't the only big man that the Timberwolves moved on from this summer. They also traded away Randle, who had spent the last two seasons with the team. He was moved to the Nets, who are still in the early stages of their rebuilding process. Other than Michael Porter Jr., the team didn't have many viable scoring options last season.
The Nets drafted Mikel Brown to add some punch at guard, but the team is still lacking scorers. Enter Randle, who has averaged at least 20.0 points per game in five of the last six seasons. We have seen him thrive in a leading role before, like during the 2022-23 season when he averaged 25.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Knicks. That season, his usage rate was 29.5%. He never had a usage rate above 26.5% with the Timberwolves. With a ton of minutes and a hefty usage rate likely coming his way, Randle's fantasy value is on the rise.
Andrew Wiggins, Miami Heat 
The Heat altered the trajectory of their franchise by acquiring Antetokounmpo from the Bucks. Tyler Herro left town in the deal, as well as a lot of their young depth. In win-now mode, the Heat will lean heavily on Giannis and Bam Adebayo to lead the way. The question is, where will the rest of their scoring come from? Davion Mitchell is known more for his passing and defense. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson are in the later stages of their career, so expect them to mostly just provide three-point shooting and floor spacing.
Wiggins has the potential to be the third scoring option on this team. Despite an underwhelming 19.7% usage rate last season, he still averaged 15.4 points and 2.0 three-pointers to go along with 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Prior to that, he had never finished a season with a usage rate lower than 20.9% in his career. When he had a 24.5% usage rate two seasons ago with the Warriors and Heat, he averaged 18.0 points and 2.2 three-pointers. While he's not a flashy name, Wiggins has the potential to outproduce his current ADP of 110.
Fantasy Basketball Forward Sleepers
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Milwaukee Bucks 
Jaquez showed a lot of promise as a rookie, then disappointed in a big way during his sophomore campaign. He got back on track last season, averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists over 28 minutes per game with the Heat. He shot 50.7% from the field, which was up from 46.1% the season prior. That performance helped increase his value across the league, which resulted in him being moved to Milwaukee as part of the package for Giannis.
The Bucks have a lot of question marks as they enter the post-Giannis era. Tyler Herro should be their leading scorer, while Ryan Rollins could also be someone that they build around. Behind those two is a rag-tag group that includes Kevin Porter Jr., Kyle Kuzma and Myles Turner. They hope Brayden Burries will be a big part of their future, and Nate Ament is a bit of a wild card at forward. While they work on developing their young players, Jaquez has the potential to be a stabilizing force and play a lot of minutes. Don't expect a lot from Jaquez in terms of three-pointers and defensive stats, but don't be surprised if he sets career highs in points, rebounds and assists per game.
Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors 
If the Raptors could do things over again, they probably wouldn't have signed Jakob Poeltl to the extension that pays him through the 2029-30 season. In each of the next three seasons, he will make at least $27.3 million. Injuries limited him to 46 games last season, which gave Murray-Boyles a chance to shine. Over the 22 games that he started, the rookie showed his versatility with averages of 9.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks.
Poeltl and his hefty contract will likely prevent Murray-Boyles from being a starter right now. However, Poeltl hasn't been a picture of health, appearing in 57 or fewer games in each of his three full seasons with the Raptors. Also helping Murray-Boyles is that Sandro Mamukelashvili, who played 22 minutes per game up front, is now on the Lakers. In nine-category leagues, the potential for an increased role off the bench still makes Murray-Boyles appealing at his ADP of 122.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Los Angeles Lakers 
Prior to last season, Mamukelashvili had never averaged more than 15 minutes per game for a season. The Raptors made him a critical part of their second unit, playing him 22 minutes a night across 80 games. He rewarded them with averages of 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 three-pointers. He shot 38.9% from behind the arc, as well as 52.3% from the field overall.
In need of size and three-point shooting, the Lakers signed Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million contract. With James no longer in town, the team has a gaping hole at power forward. Jake LaRavia is still in town, but he didn't do much while playing 25 minutes a game last season. Even if Mamukelashvili doesn't start, it's not difficult to envision him setting a new career high in minutes per game again this season. His ADP checks in at 114, making him someone to target in the later rounds.
