Fantasy Basketball: 6 Make-or-Break Players (2026)

The biggest moves of the summer are in the rearview, and the groundwork for the upcoming fantasy basketball season has been laid. With new faces in new places and billions handed out in free agency, fresh expectations will be made for the NBA’s best and brightest.

Let’s discuss some players with plenty to prove heading into next season.

Fantasy Basketball Make-or-Break Players

Jayson Tatum (F – BOS)

Had Jayson Tatum not returned from injury so quickly last season (the reason for his missing Boston’s first-round Game 7 loss in May) and Jaylen Brown not been traded, he’d be nowhere near this list. A recent champion and clear top-10 player, Tatum has already cemented his stardom. Though a question that often beckons the brightest stars of the NBA has leaped to the forefront: Can he win alone?

Doing so is certainly a tall order with the Achilles injury in mind. If Tatum cannot improve upon his numbers from last season (21.8 points per game in the regular season and 23.3 in the playoffs), it could call into question his recovery and legitimacy as Boston’s top dog.

The 28-year-old will be the Celtics’ primary engine, leading a unit of Paul George, Payton Pritchard, Derrick White and intriguing role players. The expectation of Tatum will be considerable improvement from last season and a superstar level of play that he has yet to reach.

Brandon Miller (F – CHA)

The LaMelo Ball trade (who we’ll discuss later) has thrust Brandon Miller into the starring role of a burgeoning Charlotte squad.

As far as league discourse is concerned, Miller seems… underdiscussed, no? The 6-foot-7, 23-year-old is entering his fourth season and has averaged 19 points, 4.6 rebounds, three assists and one steal per game through 166 career contests. Miller possesses a special blend of athleticism, length and offensive acumen. Charlotte brass feels he’s ready to lead the team — and, better yet, that he has yet to reach his full potential.

All of these factors combine to make Miller an incredibly intriguing fantasy player next season. He is bound for a career year with new responsibilities and plenty of shot opportunities up for grabs.

Luka Doncic (G – LAL)

Just 51 days separated the Lakers’ playoff exit at the hands of the Thunder and the complete remaking of its roster. Taking into account all of the Lakers’ free agency acquisitions and Austin Reaves‘ extension, the team spent north of $450 million during and since that time. LeBron James was nudged out the door, too.

The Lakers have been reborn in the image of Luka Doncic’s 2024 NBA Finals runner-up team. In the same vein, Doncic will be asked (begged?) to solely lead the NBA’s most iconic franchise to the promised land once again. That’s pressure.

There’s no denying that he’s headed for another astronomically productive season; Doncic’s ninth overall and second as a Laker. Counting stats only get you so far in a loaded Western Conference, though.

Joel Embiid (C – PHI)

Just. Stay. Healthy. The anchor and longest-tenured player of the hottest team in the NBA, Joel Embiid is facing the same challenge as always. With LeBron James and another Finals MVP in Jaylen Brown in town, the stakes are at their highest.

The 2022-23 MVP has missed a whopping 148 games since he hoisted the Michael Jordan Trophy. Embiid has also experienced a steep decline in mobility. Even still, Embiid averaged 26.9 points last regular season and 24 in the playoffs. He certainly has some juice left. Whether or not he’s able to squeeze out the rest will loom large over the organization all season.

From a fantasy perspective, don’t anticipate Embiid to live up to his career numbers on a consistent basis. A 44.5 fantasy points-per-game scorer last season, the big man now plays alongside three other All-NBA talents. As a trade-off, you may be looking at more games played because of lesser in-game demands.

Trae Young (G – WSH)

The newly minted $248 million man has an opportunity to remake his image next season in the nation’s capital. Trae Young was traded to Washington in January in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Bluntly put, he was salary-dumped.

Joined by fellow former All-Star Anthony Davis and a bevy of young talent, Young will be the hand that stirs the pot for the Wizards. Davis and Alex Sarr will rely on Young to conduct an effective pick-and-roll game and feed them at the basket. The members of the young stable, which includes first-overall pick AJ Dybantsa, are putting a hefty share of their development in Young’s hands as well. They’ll look to him as a mentor and an elite exhibit of passing ability.

The 27-year-old Young is coming off of a rocky season in which he posted just 32.7 fantasy points per game, by far a career low. In Washington, though, he’s an interesting bet to improve on that number in a big way because of what’s being asked of him.

LaMelo Ball (G – MIN)

For the first time in LaMelo Ball’s career, reaching the playoffs isn’t the goal, but a given. That in and of itself, for a player entering his seventh season, accounts for a huge deal of demand. In Ball’s case in particular, he’s been traded into this situation.

While he won’t be the headliner in Minnesota like he was in Charlotte, Ball is in a co-starring role with all-encompassing offensive responsibilities. Ball and Anthony Edwards need to make the fit work. Most of the onus is on Ball as the new guy in town.

How Ball performs on a shoo-in playoff team is completely unpredictable. Though because of his unselfishness with the rock, Ball, in theory, is a great bet to gel with his new teammates. With that will come huge fantasy performances. Ball will experience the best of both worlds as an offensive engine and complementary distributor in any given game.