High Efficiency Players To Target in Fantasy Basketball (2026-27)

September 8, 2026

Andrew Ball lists his category studs for efficiency stats (FT%, FG%, turnovers). Target these players to help with shooting percentages and low turnovers in your 2026-2027 fantasy basketball leagues.

Basketball efficiency is quite the tightrope. But failing to pay attention to efficiency statistics such as field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and turnovers can have dire consequences in category leagues.

The rim-running centers rarely miss from point-blank range. The turnovers are generally low, too, but most are poor shooters at the charity stripe. The league's best true shooters score at will, but higher usage often leads to more turnovers.

When the Venn diagram overlaps, who lands in the middle? Here are several players who will boost your chances of winning in field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and turnover categories this season.

Early and Middle Round Fantasy Basketball Efficiency Studs

Chet Holmgren, PF/C - Oklahoma City Thunder

• Last Season 9-CAT Per-Game Value: 19
• Current Yahoo Rank: 19
• Strongest Categories: BLK, REB, FG%

Dunk on him all you want (Victor Wembanyama sure did) for shrinking in the postseason and not being worthy of a $47M AAV, but Chet Holmgren is, at the very least, a defensive stalwart. He just doesn't have the offensive workload of other All-Stars across the association.

The Defensive Player of the Year runner-up averaged 11.3 field goal attempts per game, right in line with his three-year career average. That's well into the 100s, behind names like Jeremiah Fears, P.J. Washington, and Aaron Nesmith -- guys who aren't sniffing an All-Star nod. What Holmgren lacks in volume, he makes up for in efficiency.

Opposing defenses, rightfully so, zero in on slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, setting up open looks for Holmgren, whether that's as a rim-runner or on the perimeter, although he's still roughly a 37% shooter from deep. Speaks even more volumes that he's a 53% career shooter, even with the lower outside conversion rate.

CHET HOLMGREN IS A MENACE ON BOTH ENDS ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/yNH0cg7aWN

— NBA Philippines (@NBA_Philippines) May 6, 2026

Of course, the big prize for drafting Holmgren is the edge in blocks. He trailed only Wemby and Alex Sarr in that department. He's top 20 in the rebounding ranks (8.9 per game, a career high). Fantasy managers are sacrificing assists and points, to an extent, with a mid-second-round pick on Holmgren.

Lauri Markkanen, SF/PF/C - Utah Jazz

• Last Season 9-CAT Per-Game Value: 8
• Current Yahoo Rank: 44
• Strongest Categories: PTS, 3PM, FT%

Jazz fans have reached the light at the end of the tunnel. The long, blatant tanking effort is essentially over.

Utah flipped several players and future first-round picks for Jaren Jackson Jr. (who promptly played three games for the team) at the trade deadline and landed its point guard of the future with second-overall pick Darryn Peterson. That does create some speculation about Keyonte George's long-term future in Salt Lake City, but this is more or less the roster Utah will carry into contention.

Lauri Markkanen is the "mainstay", entering his fifth season with the ball club. The 29-year-old had a 26.9% usage rate per 100 possessions last season. Only Kristaps Porzingis and Jonas Valanciunas (out of the league) had a per-100 usage rate greater than 25% and a lower turnover rate than Markkanen.

With the new additions, it's fair to expect Markkanen's usage to slip, but the efficiency won't. He's an 87% free-throw shooter, which rose to 89% in two of the last three seasons. He's averaged 5.3 attempts since joining the Jazz.

More offensive initiators lead to more open looks. I still project Markkanen to be a 20-point-per-game scorer (or very close to it), a plus in three-point makes, and above average on the glass.

And, hopefully, fantasy managers will no longer need to have a tab open for Utah's nightly injury report. The days of Markkanen playing half of the season with tanking-induced "injuries" have come to a close.

Later Round Fantasy Basketball Efficiency Studs

Mark Williams, C - Phoenix Suns

• Last Season 9-CAT Per-Game Value: 73
• Current Yahoo Rank: 96
• Strongest Categories: FG%, REB, TO

Khaman Maluach's All-Summer League performance has some eager to see the 19-year-old get extended minutes in his second season. But let's not forget about Mark Williams just yet.

The 24-year-old inked a new three-year, fully-guaranteed deal this offseason and should serve as Phoenix's starting center as long as he stays healthy. For those worried about the crowded center room eating into his minutes, he only played 23.6 minutes per game last season. There aren't many minutes left to lose.

Williams was your traditional above-the-rim center in those half games. He converted 64.4% of his attempts from the field (62.9% for his career). Limited touches led to a low turnover rate (1.1 per game).

What really stands out, however, is Williams' free-throw percentage. Generally, the centers that are above average at the line expand their range outside the restricted area. The typical paint-only centers (Rudy Gobert, Mitchell Robinson, Jakob Poeltl, etc.) aren't strong free-throw shooters. Williams shot 77% from the line and over 80% two seasons ago on roughly three attempts per game. Yet, about four percent of his field goal attempts came outside of the paint. He took one three last season and, funny enough, made it.

More like the traditional center, Williams supplies roughly eight rebounds and a block per game.

Ty Jerome, PG - Memphis Grizzlies

• Last Season 9-CAT Per-Game Value: 38
• Current Yahoo Rank: 87
• Strongest Categories: FT%, 3PM, AST

There's value to be mined out of the Memphis backcourt. Ty Jerome and Cam Spencer deliver outstanding success at the free-throw line, a respectable 47% apiece from the field last season, dish over five assists per game, and limit turnovers. Scotty Pippen Jr. is a similar distributor. While he's top 10 in steals per game, he is looser with the basketball and not an efficient scorer.

Jerome, who is making significantly more money than Pippen and Spencer, should have the first crack at the starting job, assuming he's healthy. The veteran played in just 15 games due to injuries in his first season with the Grizzlies. By the time he returned, JJJ was traded, Zach Edey was sidelined, and Jerome was playing alongside the likes of Jahmai Mashack and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

Unsurprisingly, the Memphis coaching staff cranked up Jerome's usage. In his limited action, he had a higher usage rate than SGA and Wemby. He's the only player in the top 24 with a positive turnover value.

With a massive jump in shot attempts (8.8 in 2024-25 to 14.3 in 2026), Jerome's conversion rate slipped, but didn't tank: 47% from the field, 42% from three, and 87.5% from the stripe on 3.7 attempts per game.

Fully healthy full-time starting PG season from Ty Jerome is an MIP waiting to happen https://t.co/OXOVfHswAh pic.twitter.com/ZqHqUydvep

— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) September 4, 2026

With a healthy Edey, a promising prospect in Cedric Coward, and the new face of the franchise, Cameron Boozer, Jerome's volume is likely to revert to his final season in Cleveland. Still, he was producing an ultra-efficient rate then: 51-43-87.

Jerome dished out 5.7 dimes in just 22.6 minutes. The ball may not be in his hands as often, but if he's playing the lead guard at ~28 minutes with a better supporting cast, the assist averages could stay consistent. With roughly 50 spots between his Yahoo rank and his 9-cat value last season, Jerome is one of my favorite picks in drafts this fall.

Tre Jones, PG - Chicago Bulls

• Last Season 9-CAT Per-Game Value: 83
• Current Yahoo Rank: 173
• Strongest Categories: FG%, AST, STL

We know exactly what Tre Jones is: An efficient shooter who plays within his means and boasts an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio. When he's played over 27 minutes per game, he's finished inside the top 10. He's also averaged one takeaway in those three seasons. It was his M.O. in San Antonio, and now as a backup with the Bulls.

Jones posted outstanding numbers as a starter on a tanking Chicago team at the end of last season. He now shifts back to a bench role behind Josh Giddey. The counting numbers may not be as pristine when the 26-year-old is playing roughly half of the game versus starter minutes, but the efficiency never wanes.

Giddey has missed, on average, 16 games per season. Jones' time running the offense will come.

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