Mid-Round Values To Target In 2025 Fantasy Basketball Drafts

October 2, 2025

Thunder Dan Palyo shares his favorite players to target in the middle rounds of 2025-2026 fantasy basketball drafts.

The first three rounds of fantasy basketball drafts are pretty predictable for the most part, with very few surprises as managers snag the best, well-established fantasy players to build their teams around.

I'm a firm believer that the middle rounds of the draft are where you can do the most work to get a leg up on your opponents. This range is littered with players who could end up being values at their ADP, and the sharp drafter will be able to snag those players with upside, while avoiding those players who don't move the needle as much.

In this article, I will spotlight some of my favorite mid-round players to target in fantasy basketball drafts this season. I'll be using Yahoo ADP for each player.

Best Mid-Round Values To Target In Fantasy Basketball

OG Anunoby, SF/PF - New York Knicks
Current ADP - 67.3

I find myself clicking on Anunoby's name anywhere between the sixth and seventh rounds if he's still on the board and wondering to myself, "Why is he still on the board?"

OG finished inside the top 40 last season, and his game is perfect for 9-cat Roto or H2H. It's not like guys who can hit 2.3 threes, get 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game grow on trees, you know?

Anunoby's scoring ticked up to 18 per game last season, which could come down a few ticks if he does have a small minutes reduction that many are anticipating as the Knicks enter their post-Tom Thibodeau era. But you're not drafting him for points. You're drafting him for great production in the peripheral categories.

He was efficient last year, shooting 47.6% from the floor and 81% from the line while turning it over only 1.4 times per game.

I'm not sure if there is a more mispriced player in the middle rounds than Anunoby. He fits well in any build and brings a high ceiling and floor with his superb fantasy skill set.

Payton Pritchard, PG - Boston Celtics
Yahoo ADP - 76.9

The Celtics are going to be a source of value and fantasy production this season with Jayson Tatum recovering from his Achilles injury and out of the lineup all year. Jrue Holiday is now in Portland, too, paving the way for the diminutive sharpshooter to perhaps move into the starting rotation this season.

Pritchard averaged 28 minutes per contest last year, finishing with a career high 14.3 points per game while also shooting 47% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc.

ready for the year ahead 👊

payton pritchard pic.twitter.com/UX3ZcvOcFx

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 29, 2025

Whether he starts or comes off the bench, we can pencil Pritchard in for around 30 minutes a night, and he could see even more usage this year as Boston has to replace Tatum's production (and assists).

He's not much of a thief (just 0.9 steals per game last year), but he's been an uber-efficient player in his NBA career with a 45.4% career shooting mark and only 1.3 turnovers per 36 minutes. He's an underrated fantasy player and could be ready to take another leap in production this year.

Onyeka Okongwu, PF/C - Atlanta Hawks
Yahoo ADP - 92.6

We finally got a taste of Okongwu's potential last season when the Hawks finally moved Clint Capela to the bench, opening up the starting center position and the additional minutes that fantasy managers have been waiting for Okongwu to get for several seasons.

Capela is now back in Houston after being dealt there this summer. However, the Hawks brought in Kristaps Porzingis and will get Jalen Johnson back from injury.

In 40 starts for Atlanta last season, Okongwu played 31.2 minutes per game and averaged 15 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks while shooting 58% from the floor and 76% from the free-throw line.

We aren't going to get those minutes for O.O. this season, as he's probably heading back to the bench to back up Porzingis and Johnson at center and power forward, respectively. But we know that Porzingis often has his minutes monitored due to his extensive injury history, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Hawks kept him in the 28-minute range.

Okongwu's fantasy game is so strong and well-suited for 9-cat that I think he's still going to be a very productive player even if he ends up in a 25-to-28-minute role off the bench. He was inside the top 75 last season, even while playing just under 28 minutes. If Porzingis or Johnson goes down with an injury at any point, Okongwu could flirt with top-50 value.

Ausar Thompson, SF/PF - Detroit Pistons
Current ADP - 94.2

Thompson is getting a ton of buzz around the industry, but for good reason. Despite some clear offensive struggles in his first two NBA seasons, he's emerged as one of the best young defenders in the game.

Thompson's role early last year was very much in flux, but he saw his minutes tick up for the Pistons in the second half. He's an elite rebounder at his position, averaging over five boards per game despite playing just 22.5 minutes per game on the season. His potential in steals is massive, too, as he averaged 1.7 swipes per contest.

“I felt like I improved my game a lot. Great summer.”

Ausar Thompson speaks on the skills he prioritized during his offseason training this summer. #Pistons pic.twitter.com/xpcIaFmiMV

— Coty M. Davis (@CotyDavis_24) September 30, 2025

An increase in minutes would push Thompson into the mix for 2+ steals and 1+ blocks a game. He doesn't shoot threes and is a bad free-throw shooter, but his 64% from the line came on just 2.4 attempts per game, so it's not a huge anchor on your FT%, either.

Thompson's game is still raw, but his athleticism and defensive prowess are going to make it hard for J.B. Bickerstaff to keep him off the floor this year. He's oozing upside and seems ready to make a big jump in his overall productivity this year with a more consistent role in the Detroit rotation.

Shaedon Sharpe, SG/SF - Portland Trail Blazers
Current ADP - 96.2

Sharpe is the rare case of a player who isn't all that efficient or multi-skilled, but I have a lot of interest in him for fantasy purposes. What he can do pretty darn well is score the basketball, as we saw him average nearly 20 points a game in 52 games as a starter for Portland last season.

The Trail Blazers are going to need scoring, as Anfernee Simons has departed to Boston and Deandre Ayton is now in L.A. While Deni Avdija is a popular pick in the earlier rounds, he can't do it all himself, and Jrue Holiday is not really a scorer anymore at this stage of his career.

Just recently, we found out that Scoot Henderson, who was going to be the main guard off the bench, is out for a while, too. None of the Portland centers (Donovan Clingan or rookie Yang Hansen) is going to eat up much usage, either.

I think we could see a scenario where Sharpe averages closer to 25 points a game than 20 this season. He's got game and gets buckets from anywhere on the floor. While he lacks in defensive stats, he could be a real asset as a scorer.

Matas Buzelis, SF/PF - Chicago Bulls
Current ADP - 99.9

Buzelis is rising quickly up draft boards and getting a lot of hype as we draw closer to the season. I want to let you know that I am here for it! I have been responsible for some of that hype as I viewed Buzelis as one of my favorite rookies coming out of the draft last year.

I was excited to see him get a taste of being a starter at the end of last season, and I think what he showed last year at the age of 19 is just the tip of the iceberg.

Over his last 15 games, Matas Buzelis was highly involved in CHI's offensive outcomes (24.4% of plays) and he played winning ball...

Tantalizing 3P accuracy, 6'10 in shoes, legit ball-handling + down hill scoring flashes, obvious competitive spirit, only 20yo. Hyped for year 2! pic.twitter.com/VOlIfES3Z0

— NBA University (@NBA_University) September 27, 2025

In 31 starts, Buzelis averaged 13 points, 4.5 boards, 1.9 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.7 threes in roughly 26 minutes per game. He's very athletic for his size and has some ball-handling skills that should help him facilitate more often this year.

He'll likely still be pretty raw offensively, but his game is going to be very fantasy-friendly as he can knock down perimeter shots and get to the rim. On a team that has played very little defense the last two years and thus has been drawn into high-scoring shootouts often, Buzelis could improve dramatically on his output from last year, especially when we can safely project him for another three to five minutes per game.

I have been preaching that you'll need to reach for him in drafts because I think he will be going ahead of ADP quite often.

D'Angelo Russell, PG/SG - Dallas Mavericks 
Current ADP - 111.4

Russell is in a unique situation as his ADP is depressed only by the fact that Kyrie Irving should return to the Dallas lineup and send him back into a reserve role at some point.

What we don't really know is how many games we are going to get from D-Lo as the starting point guard before that happens. Irving could return as early as January or as late as March, but it feels like he's set to miss at least the first half of the season for Dallas.

Russell is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro, but it's hard to really count his time in Brooklyn after he was dealt there by the Lakers midseason. He shot just 39% from the field, but is typically a much better shooter and is a good bet for six or more assists as one of the only guards on the team with much NBA experience.

As long as you know what you're getting here (a half-year of top-75 production), Russell makes for a fine selection after pick 100.

Bobby Portis, PF/C - Milwaukee Bucks 
Current ADP - 116.2

The acquisition of Myles Turner from the Pacers in the offseason threw some cold water on any hopes that we might see Portis start at center for the Bucks this year. However, he should continue to have plenty of value as their sixth man, and that role has suited him just fine in recent years.

Portis offers some great rebounding (8.4 boards per game in just 25 minutes) while also adding 1.3 threes, solid percentages, and low turnovers. We know Turner has never played big minutes and that Giannis Antetokounmpo has had his share of injuries, too. So anytime Giannis or Turner are out of the lineup, Portis is going to put up some big games.

He's a solid option in this range that won't hurt you in any category and is a great big man to pair with guard-dominated teams.

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