ADP Values For 2025 Fantasy Basketball (Category Leagues)

Max Kulish highlights fantasy basketball players capable of smashing their preseason ADP value in category leagues for the 2025-26 NBA season.

There aren't many things fantasy managers can agree on entering each NBA season. However, we can all agree that drafting players who overperform their draft position is the key to winning leagues. We can also all agree that all drafts this year will start with four international superstars in some order: Victor Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic.

After another offseason full of drama, trades, and changes of all kinds, it's time to figure out who will make up our fantasy basketball rosters.

The key to building a title-winning fantasy basketball team is finding value at all points in the draft. All of the smallest edges pile up throughout a season, and that ultimately comes down to winning some hardware (and/or some cash) or not. This article highlights players capable of smashing their preseason ADP value in category formats.

Early Round ADP Values

Trae Young - PG, Atlanta Hawks

Yahoo ADP: 12

Surrounded by the best roster he's had as a pro, Young could be primed to have the best season of his career from both an individual and team perspective. Young's ADP hovers around 11-12, but I think he has a legitimate claim to be the first American player drafted this fantasy season.

Trae Young is becoming a Point God 🪙 pic.twitter.com/KMukE2W7tG

— Underdog (@Underdog) October 8, 2025

Young is the best passer in the NBA, in addition to being a prolific scorer. The biggest knock on Young throughout his career has been his poor metrics on defense, but the Hawks have solid wing defenders in Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and newly acquired Nickeil Alexander-Walker, which should help prevent teams from incessantly focusing on him on defense.

Young has consistently hovered around a 30% usage rate in his career, and that shouldn't change. Add in the fact that he provides such a massive advantage in assists, and I can easily see him outperforming fellow first-round guards Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards.

Jaylen Brown - SG/SF, Boston Celtics

Yahoo ADP: 30

Sometimes it's simple -- draft the guys who will have the ball a lot. Brown is stepping into the role as Boston's No. 1 option this year, with Jayson Tatum likely to miss the season recovering from his Achilles injury. Additional shooting volume should be exactly what Brown needs to outperform his mid-to-late third-round ADP.

Jaylen Brown is already in mid-season form 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/XSHfIc3lOh

— CelticsMuse (@CelticsMuse) October 9, 2025

Brown is the longest-tenured member of the Celtics roster and will have the opportunity to step up as a leader on the court, a challenge that he's been very open about embracing during preseason media. Brown might not put up eye-popping numbers in any single category, but he's going to play a lot of minutes and be a serious contributor in a plethora of ways.

Middle Round ADP Values

Joel Embiid - C, Philadelphia 76ers

Yahoo ADP: 52

I understand there is some definite risk baked into taking Embiid, but for a player who was a consensus top-8 pick for the last five years, that's a risk I'm willing to take in the fifth or sixth round.

During media day, Embiid said he's "going to come back when he feels ready," suggesting that he's rushed himself back too soon from previous injuries. A more patient approach to his health will only be positive in the long run.

Vintage Joel Embiid one-on-one stuff against Johni Broome here… pic.twitter.com/XirVGLEyJ4

— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) October 12, 2025

The East is wide open this year, and the Sixers could make a run if they get a healthy Embiid. He's going to miss games for rest purposes throughout the year, but if you draft with that in mind, he can legitimately be a league winner.

Michael Porter Jr. - SF/PF, Brooklyn Nets

Yahoo ADP: 70

In one of the bigger moves of the offseason, the Nuggets traded MPJ to the Nets. As a result, he now finds himself as the No. 1 option in Brooklyn (or at worst in 1A/1B situation with Cam Thomas). Unsurprisingly, MPJ has the highest ADP of any Nets player, but what is a bit surprising is that ADP has him as a late sixth to mid-seventh-round pick.

I genuinely think MPJ's, shall we say, interesting offseason media ventures have made drafters forget about his talent and the amount of volume he'll have on a nightly basis in Brooklyn. He was an incredibly gifted scorer and prospect in general coming out of high school and college.

Michael Porter Jr. will put up 20 + points per game this year 👊🏽 This Nets situation will show more of his ability. pic.twitter.com/GoRwgEF42L

— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) October 5, 2025

Now that he's more than just a floor spacer, I fully expect him to light it up. The Nets are seemingly one of the worst teams in the league, so efficiency might not be a strong suit, but anytime you can draft someone with the scoring upside MPJ has at this point in your draft, it's hard to ignore.

Shaedon Sharpe - SG/SF, Portland Trail Blazers

Yahoo ADP: 91

Getting some buzz for his preseason performances already, Sharpe is primed for a breakout season. Sharpe has had a world of opportunity open up in Portland's backcourt with the departure of Anfernee Simons, an injury to Scoot Henderson, and the arrival of Jrue Holiday, who is a pass-first PG at this point in his career.

Shaedon Sharpe tonight:

▫️22 PTS
▫️9/15 FG
▫️4/8 3PT
▫️6 REB
▫️2 AST
▫️23 MIN

The breakout season has begun pic.twitter.com/zwpUEE8yi7

— Blazers Lead (@BlazersLead) October 9, 2025

Portland is staring down the barrel of another rebuilding year, and with the former top-10 pick heading into Year 4, Portland has to find out what exactly it has and how he fits in its future. Sharpe provides much more upside than other similar options in this range, such as CJ McCollum and Andrew Wiggins.

Late Round ADP Values

Kevin Porter Jr. - PG, Milwaukee Bucks

Yahoo ADP: 112

With Damian Lillard out for the year, Porter is in line to be Milwaukee's starting PG and has a massive opportunity in front of him. In his three seasons in Houston (2020-23), he played in 146 games and started all but three of them. During that span, he averaged 17.2/4.7/6. Last year, he was backing up James Harden on the Clippers before being dealt to the Bucks, where he averaged 11.7/3.9/3.7 on 49/41/87 shooting splits.

Regression shooting wise was always expected after Kevin Porter Jr shot 49/41/87 during his time with the Bucks last year

But you love to see him positively affecting the game with his passing even when his shot is not falling

8 assists to 0 TOs today pic.twitter.com/ctqscwPmAy

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) October 13, 2025

Granted, those Rockets teams were bad and borderline tanking. Playing with Giannis Antetokoumpo, his light won't be nearly as green, but if you get production somewhere in the middle of those two tenures from a guy you draft in the 10th-11th round, you'd be ecstatic with that.

Aaron Nesmith - SG/SF, Indiana Pacers

Yahoo ADP: 136

In the wake of losing Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 of last year's NBA Finals, I think all of the Pacers' backcourt options are slightly undervalued heading into this year. At cost, I like Nesmith the most in the group. Haliburton leaves a lot of production to be filled by his teammates, including his 7.7 attempts from deep per game.

Nesmith shot over 43% from three last year (best on the team) on 4.3 attempts per game (third most behind Haliburton and Myles Turner), and he should comfortably lead the Pacers in both attempts and makes from three this year.

WHAT A NIGHT FOR AARON NESMITH ‼️

🎯 30 PTS (20 in 4Q)
🎯 8 3PM (6 in 4Q)
🎯 2 BLK

At his best when the lights were brightest 😤 pic.twitter.com/cbX3q8Ned2

— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2025

Nesmith has shown the ability to take over games, as we saw in Game 1 of last year's Eastern Conference Finals. It's hard to find any starters in the 13th round where Nesmith's ADP currently sits, let alone one with a floor/ceiling combo like Nesmith can provide.

Others to Consider Before Their ADP

• Ja Morant, PG (45)
• Josh Hart, SG/SF/PF (64)
• Tyler Herro, PG/SG (70)
• Andrew Nembhard, PG/SG (75)
• Mark Williams, C (84)

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