Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander never reached 25 points per game during his first four seasons in the league, but he took a huge step forward last year, averaging 31.4 points. Gilgeous-Alexander shot 90.5% from the free throw line and played in 68 games, making him one of the top Fantasy basketball picks. However, his 3-point attempt rate (12.2%) is still very low, which could be a cause for concern at the top of 2023-24 Fantasy basketball drafts. Should you use one of your first picks to add Gilgeous-Alexander to your 2023 Fantasy basketball lineups?
Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane is trying to make a similar jump this season after averaging 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists last season. Memphis is going to be without star Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the campaign due to a suspension, which could turn Bane into one of the Fantasy basketball sleepers. Before making any 2023-24 Fantasy basketball picks, be sure to check out the 2023 Fantasy basketball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine's proven model simulates each season 10,0000 times. This model is powered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. These cheat sheets and rankings, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day. Any time an injury occurs or there's a change on a roster, the team at SportsLine updates its cheat sheets.
Last year the model called Russell Westbrook a bust, predicting that he would never live up to his seventh-round ADP. The result: Westbrook wound up being traded away from the Lakers before signing as a free agent to finish the year with the Clippers. He had his least productive season since his rookie year, averaging 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game over just 29.7 minutes per contest, and Fantasy basketball managers who avoided the headache were better off for it.
The model also nailed DeMar DeRozan as a sleeper in 2021-22 before he averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game and called Paolo Banchero's breakout rookie season last year before he went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Anyone who followed the model's Fantasy basketball advice on them was well on their way to making a deep postseason run.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NBA season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy basketball rankings 2023-24, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see these 2023-24 Fantasy basketball rankings.
Top 2023 Fantasy basketball sleepers
One of the top 2023 Fantasy basketball sleepers the model is predicting: Bucks center Brook Lopez. After missing 69 games with a back injury in 2021-22, there were some concerns that Lopez might be entering the twilight of his career. However, he bounced back with arguably his best season since coming to Milwaukee in 2022-23.
Lopez played in 78 games last season and averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 53.1% from the floor and 37.4% from the 3-point line. Those are all highs for him since joining the Bucks in 2018 and now he'll have the added benefit of playing with another superstar in Lillard. Expect Lopez to continue to stretch the floor from the center position to give Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo space to work in the lane.
Top 2023 Fantasy basketball breakouts
One of the 2023 Fantasy basketball breakouts the model has identified: Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson. The rookie has a tall task in front of him, as Portland needs Henderson to replace franchise star Damian Lillard. Henderson is only 19 years old, but he has the skills needed to be a long-term solution for the Trail Blazers.
The No. 3 overall pick logged a team-high 19 minutes in the first preseason game of the year, scoring seven points and dishing out six assists. While Anfernee Simons may be the team's top scoring option, Henderson could take over as the most impactful player on the roster. SportsLine's model has identified him as one of its top Fantasy basketball breakout picks this season.
Top 2023 Fantasy basketball busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Suns guard Bradley Beal as one of its top 2023 Fantasy basketball busts. The three-time All-Star will likely need to significantly alter his game after being traded from Washington to the Suns. Beal goes from one of the worst to one of the best teams in the NBA. Beal basically had the freedom to do whatever he wanted on the court in Washington with limited surrounding talent. He was the centerpiece of the offense in Washington, averaging 23.2 points on 17.6 field goals per game last year after averaging at least 19 shots per game over the previous three seasons.
Beal will be playing alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, forming one of the best three-player combinations in the NBA. But that can hurt all of their Fantasy basketball productions and with Beal being the new player in the system, he'll likely need to do the most adjusting. Fantasy basketball players drafting Beal looking for the player who averaged at least 30 points per game in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons may be disappointed by a decreased usage.
How to find proven 2023-24 Fantasy basketball rankings
SportsLine is also has a shocking prediction for one of the league's biggest names and advises avoiding him in 2023 Fantasy basketball drafts at his current ADP. This bust fails to live up to his second-round ADP, ranking behind players available in the fourth round or later like Brandon Ingram and Darius Garland. You can only see who it is, and the 2023 Fantasy basketball rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2023-24 Fantasy basketball sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade, and which huge name should you avoid? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy basketball cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that's nailed its Fantasy basketball picks, and find out.
