Picking the right players and knowing when to avoid the landmines are critical factors in building a competitive fantasy basketball team. Yesterday, we covered the guards facing competition or injury concerns; today, we will zero in on three forwards to wither in fantasy basketball.
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Before we jump in, it’s worth noting that I was very close to including Kawhi Leonard on the list. However, with the news that he’s trending for the season opener, I’m back to feeling the way I felt before – his load management is baked into his ADP and I wouldn’t draft him unless he fell to a late fourth-round pick.
Brandon Ingram – SG/SF/PF, Sacramento Kings
Ingram is in an interesting spot entering the 2024-2025 season. He is eligible for a max contract extension, but the Pelicans are unwilling to pay him the reported $200 million deal he is seeking. Opposing teams didn’t jump at the chance to trade for him either. So, from a fantasy perspective, there’s not much to look forward to as he plays out the final year of his deal.
BI’s 26.8 usage rate was the lowest of his four seasons with the Pelicans. His lack of availability is also a worrying trend, failing to play more than 65 games in a season since his rookie campaign. Then there’s the emergence of Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, two contributors to Ingram’s decline in minutes to 32.9 per game last season. Throw Dejounte Murray into the equation, and Ingram’s 5.7 assists per game with a 26% assist rate will definitely drop. He could be motivated to get his next sack, but there are too many cooks in this kitchen to confidently select him in the late fifth or early sixth round, as his ADP suggests.
Keegan Murray – SF/PF, Sacramento Kings
I am high on Murray’s talent; fading him is more about the situation and the arrival of DeMar DeRozan stunting Murray’s growth offensively. He was the Kings’ fourth-leading scorer at 15.2 ppg, improving in seven categories from his rookie season. Murray excels from beyond the arc, and I fear his role with the new-look Kings will remain that of a catch-and-shoot threat.
Murray is essentially a smaller version of Mikal Bridges when he was with the Suns — a guy whose effectiveness should improve with so much attention going to his supporting cast. However, his seventh-round ADP points more to his ceiling. He’s a reasonable pick if you’re looking for 3s and steals, but I’d probably go with the players who offer more scoring stats, like Mark Williams, D’Angelo Russell, or Jabari Smith Jr.
Jerami Grant, SF/PF, Portland Trail Blazers
There are a few reasons why I’m not feeling Jerami Grant. First, he’s turned into a stat-empty, 3-point shooter who plays more like a two-guard than a power forward. Pulling down 3.5 rebounds in nearly 34 minutes a night is bad work. He’s also not racking up shares like he used to, racking up the fewest shares of his career last season, which brings me to my next issue – his availability (or lack thereof).
My man has disappeared in the fantasy playoffs, playing 11 games over the past two seasons in March. Ultimately, Grant is a veteran on a rebuilding team who will likely be dealt at some point. His a lucrative contract is a hindrancebut expect his minutes to dwindle the longer he stays with the Blazers. Grant has a 10-round ADP, so go in another direction with a higher upside – players like Dereck Lively, Collin Sexton, Zach Edey or Onyeka Okongwu.
