Alex Burns's 2025-2026 Fantasy Basketball Rankings (Points Leagues)

Players on the Rise

The following players see their value increase in points leagues.

Zion Williamson, F - New Orleans Pelicans
Alex's Category Rank - 40, Points Rank - 26

Giannis Antetokounmpo, F - Milwaukee Bucks
Alex's Category Rank - 5, Points Rank - 2

Giannis and his sub-70% free throws on high volume limit his upside in category formats. While he's still a top 5 guy for me regardless of format, his value surges in points leagues and places him in contention for the number one overall pick.

He's finished top 3 in usage rate in each of the last three seasons and is locked into a massive role with Damian Lillard no longer in the picture. Don't be surprised if Giannis joins Nikola Jokic in the 60+ FPPG club this season. While his draft position in a category league will likely influence punting strategies, he's a no-brainer top 2 selection for me.

RJ Barrett, F - Toronto Raptors
Alex's Category Rank - 166, Points Rank - 76

It's hard to think of a more polarizing player in terms of league format than Barrett. He goes from a borderline "Do Not Touch" guy in category leagues to an easy top 100 selection in points leagues. While he did finish just inside the top 50 with 35.86 FPPG last season, the addition of Brandon Ingram will make usage tough to trust on a night-to-night basis. Even if another top 50 finish isn't in the works this season, he still profiles as a fine pick in the middle rounds of drafts.

DeMar DeRozan, G - Sacramento Kings
Alex's Category Rank - 63, Points Ranking - 51

DeRozan's value gets dinged in category leagues due to his low volume of threes and his lack of production in the peripherals. In a points league, that stuff doesn't impact his value as much. His 34.98 FPPG last season put him just outside the top 50 and actually inches him closer to the Jimmy Butler/Desmond Bane tier. Once the Kings essentially swapped De'Aaron Fox for Zach LaVine last season, we saw DeRozan take on more of a playmaking role down the stretch. His assists per game jumped to 5.8, and his FPPG jumped nearly a full point.

The addition of Dennis Schroder this offseason will certainly take back some of that offensive playmaking/assist upside, but DeRozan profiles closer to the top 50 in points leagues, and I'd be happy bumping him up a full round as opposed to where he's going in category leagues.

Playing third fiddle behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray has made MPJ more valuable in category leagues over the past several seasons. Now with the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets, his value is poised to take a leap as he becomes the de facto number one option on offense. It remains to be seen how he will fare in that role or if it will even last the entire season, because, well, tanking. But MPJ has an opportunity to see his heftiest usage yet and should breeze past his previous career-high mark of 22.7%.

Last season, he averaged 30.95 FPPG on only 20.2% usage, and with 25%+ on tap, he should routinely flirt with top 50 numbers for as long as he's out there.

Players on the Decline

The Following players see their value decline in points leagues.

Dyson Daniels, F - Atlanta Hawks
Alex's Category Rank - 46, Points Rank - 71

Daniels is coming off an amazing fantasy season, buoyed by a generational steal rate and huge opportunity. This resulted in him being dubbed a unanimous league-winner and top 30 value for much of the season. But as it is with everything in fantasy hoops, context is important. Daniels played 42 games without Jalen Johnson, which certainly helped his production offensively. At the end of the day, he finished with an 18.9% usage rate, and his 35.88 FPPG was good for 48th.

This season, not only does a healthy Johnson return to the lineup, but Atlanta made a big splash in free agency with the additions of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard. All of which are expected to play big roles in the rotation and are big improvements over who the Hawks were running out for much of last season.

Daniels is still an elite target in category leagues, but a reduced steal rate (history tells us it will decline) combined with more competition offensively would place Daniels as more as a mid-round target as opposed to a surefire top 50 guy in points leagues.

Trey Murphy III, F - New Orleans Pelicans
Alex's Category Rank - 47, Points Ranking - 62

Much like Daniels, Murphy benefited from a slew of injuries in New Orleans last year. Zion played 30 games, Dejounte Murray played 31 games, C.J. McCollum played 56 games, Herb Jones played 20 games, and Brandon Ingram only appeared in 18 games before he was shipped off to Toronto at the trade deadline. All of this resulted in Murphy being tasked to carry the offensive load for much of the season. While he was a strong option in category leagues, all of that opportunity amounted to 35.12 FPPG and placed Murphy outside the top 50 in points leagues.

With Zion Williamson healthy and the addition of Jordan Poole this offseason, it'll be tough for Murphy to find himself in a similar situation offensively. Not to mention, Murray is expected back sometime around the new year.

I'm high on Murphy in category leagues, but some of the magic that makes him special doesn't translate as well in points formats. Of course, Zion staying healthy for a full season is never a safe bet, but Murphy may not see an opportunity as golden as he did last year. And if he couldn't sneak into the top 50 last year, then I don't see a world in which it happens this season.

Jalen Suggs, G - Orlando Magic
Alex's Category Rank - 86, Points Rank - 102

Suggs is legitimately one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. And a lot of what he can do on that end of the floor translates really well in category formats. In a points league, his value hovers right around the top 100, finishing 94th a season ago with under 30 FPPG.

While his 16.2 PPG and 3.7 assists marked career-highs for Suggs, 29 missed games for Paolo Banchero helped boost Suggs for stretches during the season. Those numbers will almost assuredly take a hit with Banchero healthy, along with the addition of Desmond Bane. Suggs easily becomes the 4th option on offense, and his peripherals aren't strong enough to make up for the lack of offense.

Amen Thompson, F - Houston Rockets
Alex's Category Rank - 20, Points Rank - 37

Few players possess as much fantasy upside as Thompson does, but his skillset translates much better to category scoring. By all accounts, Thompson 'broke out' last season as he was finally awarded with more than 30 MPG. That resulted in a top 50 fantasy finish and has him being drafted in the second round, according to recent ADP. The contrast is highlighted by how he fared in points leagues, finishing 59th overall with 34.74 FPPG.

While Fred VanVleet's season-long absence should put the ball in his hands a bit more this season, the addition of Kevin Durant essentially wipes away most of his offensive upside, as Thompson should remain the third option offensively behind the aforementioned Durant and Alperen Sengun. He's a no-brainer top 30 guy in category leagues, but he clearly loses a round or two of value in points formats.

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