Fantasy Basketball: 5 Bounce-Back Players to Target (2026)

Every Season comes with its twists and turns, with various factors contributing to a player’s rankings or game time. Often, these factors aren’t reflective of how good the player is, but they can still contribute to the player falling 30 or even 50 picks past their average draft position (ADP).

This article focuses on players who cost way less than they should because of injuries, trades or a bad shooting year and are primed for a bounce-back campaign. We will also discuss which league type is best suited for them.

Fantasy Basketball Bounce-Back Candidates

These are solid players on their day, but don’t be too eager to splurge on them. Their value is in the difference between their current valuation and their worth last season. The caveat here is that you can only enjoy that value if you draft them at or near their current cost.

Domantas Sabonis (C – SAC)

For a player of his caliber, it is rather odd to see Domantas Sabonis fall from being the 10th player overall drafted last season to now having an ADP of 25.5.

When you factor in injuries, however, you begin to see the method behind the madness. Last season, Sabonis played only 19 games. A meniscus tear in his left knee led to season-ending surgery. That injury cut short what was shaping up to be a very productive season. Across the two seasons prior, Sabonis recorded 36 triple-doubles, a number only bested by Nikola Jokic (59).

Sabonis is best suited for category leagues, as he is the type of center who brings in rebounds and assists while maintaining a high field-goal rate. The downside is that age isn’t on his side. Factor that in with his knee worries and incessant trade rumors, and you see how his ADP is fair.

Derrick White (G – BOS)

The Boston Celtics point guard dipped 10 spots in ADP. That may come as an irony to some, considering he averaged a career-high 16.5 points per game last season. There was also an increase in several of his per-game stats. He set career highs in steals (1.3) and blocks (1.1), and his 5.4 assists per game was his best average since 2021. White has played at least 73 games every season since 2021.

White’s ADP dropping from 37 to 47 is largely driven by a sharp drop in his three-point shooting, which fell from 38.4% in 2024 to 32.7% last season.

Just like Sabonis, White is more suited for category leagues, as he provides you with an elite catalog of steals, blocks and threes. With Jaylen Brown leaving Boston for Philly, expect White to have no problem filling in the second scoring spot behind Jayson Tatum.

Coby White (G – CHA)

Going from an overall ADP of 53 to 73.5 is something, but having played 21 games in Charlotte without starting any, you can see why Coby White’s ADP crashed a whopping 20 slots.

White was impressive in 2024, averaging a career-high 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game. While in Chicago for the first part of last season, he averaged 18.6 points per game, but that average dropped by three points to 15.6 in the 21 games he played for the Hornets.

With a new three-year, $74 million contract as well as LaMelo Ball moving to Minnesota, the road has been paved for White to be the Hornets’ main ball-handler next season.

You should consider him in points league and lock-in formats. While you would be right to consider him a liability in defense, he certainly makes up for it with his scoring and three-point shooting.

Jalen Green (G – PHX)

Fifty. That’s the number of games Jalen Green missed due to injury last season, resulting in an ADP drop from 62 overall last season to 93.5 this season.

Green sat out the first eight games of the season after hurting his hamstring during training camp. When he returned on November 6th for his Phoenix debut, he reminded the league of his quality by dropping 29 points. That was the second-highest scoring mark in any Suns debut, behind only Charles Barkley’s 37 points in 1992.

The euphoria in Phoenix was rather short-lived as he picked up another injury two days later. Coming off two seasons prior to last, in which he played 82 games in both, Green definitely has a lot of tread on his tires for a 24-year-old player. He went on to play 32 games during last season, averaging 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 threes in 25.9 minutes per game.

Green’s field-goal rate is the strongest indicator that he should be a points league target rather than someone to consider in category leagues. As solid as a player that he is, Green’s field-goal rate has never been above 42% and, as such, would be detrimental in category leagues. With Miles Bridges now in Phoenix, you might want to monitor Green’s minutes in training camp.

Christian Braun (G – DEN)

Christian Braun is no slouch. Despite that, his ADP dropped from 77 to 126. Braun absolutely thrived as a first-time starter in 2024, averaging career highs in points (15.4), field goals (6.0), three-pointers made (1.1), free throws (2.2), assists (2.6), rebounds (5.2), steals (1.1) and blocks (0.5) per game.

Those numbers secured him a five-year, $125 million extension in October. Braun played 44 games last season and averaged 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while shooting a career-low 30.1% from three.

DeMar DeRozan is now a Nugget, and that alone might discourage people from drafting Braun. However, his ADP discount is appealing. As is the fact that he plays alongside the league’s best passer.

Braun is best suited for deep category leagues, as his steals and threes will definitely come in handy.