Fantasy NBA Fantasy: Sophomores to Target in Drafts
The best second-year players to grab in your fantasy basketball drafts ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.
Steve Inman, NBA.com
August 31, 2026 9:19 PM
Former Duke teammates Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are expected to be the top NBA sophomores in fantasy basketball to start the season.
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Some of the best draft values we have seen over the last few years in fantasy basketball are with young players taking the leap between their first and second years in the NBA. Just last season alone, we saw Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan and Alex Sarr experience huge jumps in fantasy production from their freshman NBA seasons to their sophomore campaigns.
Here are five players that could easily follow that track and become more valuable than their current draft projections are showing by the end of the 2025-26 season.
Cooper Flagg – DAL
2025-26 stats: 21.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.5 APG in 70 games. Currently ranked No. 12 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall rankings.
Cooper Flagg lived up to the lofty expectations in his rookie season after being drafted No. 1 overall out of Duke. Those expectations are sky-high at the moment, with a case to be made that he can be taken towards the end of your first round this draft season. Over his final 11 games of the season, Flagg averaged 26.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 4.4 APG and 1.6 SPG. In just his rookie season alone, Flagg had four 40+ point games, making him ideal in High Score formats for his ability to erupt for a huge fantasy total any given night.
With Kyrie Irving back healthy, Flagg will have a running mate to help take away some of his ballhandling responsibilities, which should help him limit turnovers more. The key for Flagg ascending into an All-Star or greater will be his 3-point shot. He only shot 29.5% from 3 last season but with Irving back, he should get better looks. In formats where 3-pointers don’t ding you like High Score, Flagg is absolutely worth taking with a top 10 pick. With several first-round talents coming off major injuries, taking Flagg this high is worth thinking about.
Kon Knueppel – CHA
2025-26 stats: 18.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.4 APG in 81 games. Currently ranked No. 42 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall rankings.
While everyone expected Flagg to reach stardom right away, few projected the same for his college teammate Knueppel. On a rising Hornets team, Knueppel started 80 of the 81 games he played in and had a breakout season. Knueppel will be an excellent source of 3s in category leagues and with the Hornets having moved LaMelo Ball to Minnesota, the backcourt is a little less crowded for this sophomore to have the ball in his hands more along with Coby White. Expect a boost in PPG and APG for Knueppel in his sophomore season.
Derik Queen – NOP
2025-26 stats: 11.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.7 APG in 81 games. Currently ranked No. 92 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall rankings.
The Pelicans believed enough in this big man to trade an unprotected 2026 first round pick to Atlanta for the draft rights to Queen back during the 2025 NBA Draft. That idea might turn fruitful after a promising rookie year where Queen had some big moments when given an opportunity, including a 30-22-4 game in the season finale in Minnesota. Queen was highly effective as a starter. In 48 games in the starting lineup, the 21-year-old averaged 13.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG and 4.6 APG. Not bad for a player you could likely get around the ninth round in your drafts. With a frontcourt that has struggled to stay healthy over the last few seasons, Queen could be the first big ready to jump into the starting lineup and take advantage of those minutes.
Cedric Coward – MEM
2025-26 stats: 13.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.8 APG in 62 games. Currently ranked No. 105 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall rankings.
Coward had an up-and-down rookie season but certainly showed flashes of being a premiere fantasy wing. With the Grizzlies in a rebuild, plenty of minutes and shots should be available for Coward in his sophomore campaign. The Grizzlies backcourt is a lot less crowded than their frontcourt is. He already has the ability to stuff the stat sheet as an efficient shooter, making him ideal for points leagues, as well as High Score.
Collin Murray-Boyles – TOR
2025-26 stats: 8.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.9 APG in 57 games. Currently ranked No. 117 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall rankings.
Murray-Boyles was able to grab a role with the Raptors and look like a solid two-way contributor with Jakob Poeltl dealing with injuries. For deep leagues only, Murray-Boyles could be a solid five category contributor in category leagues, especially if Poeltl suffers another injury.
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