Victor Wembanyama

Wembanyama was well on his way to being the best fantasy basketball player not named Nikola Jokic before being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder following the All-Star break last season. The French phenom was shut down for the rest of the campaign and still finished as a top-20 player in eight-category leagues despite only 46 regular-season appearances. Before Wembanyama, no player in NBA history averaged at least three blocks and three made three-pointers per game for an entire campaign. He reached those plateaus in 2024-25, averaging 3.8 blocks and 3.1 threes, and that could be a yearly occurrence for the Unicorn of Unicorns. He was also one of eight players to average at least 11 rebounds per game. As for percentages, Wembanyama shot 35.2 percent on 8.8 3PA/G after shooting 32.5 percent on 5.5 tries as a rookie. He also improved his percentage from the charity stripe to 83.6, but attempted one fewer free throw per game. There isn't a player in the league with a higher upside than Wembanyama, but he comes with considerable risk, even if San Antonio's medical staff is confident they have found the crux of his medical issues and don't have any long-term concerns. The Spurs are expected to take a step forward in 2025-26, but it'll take significant internal growth. Mid-season acquisition De'Aaron Fox should be at his best after a full year adapting to his new squad, plus development from Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, who've won the last two Rookie of the Year awards. However, Devin Vassell has struggled to stay healthy, while Jeremy Sochan and Keldon Johnson have taken steps backward over the past two seasons. If they don't evolve as a team, it'll be difficult for Wembanyama to reach his fantasy potential and surpass Jokic as the consensus No. 1 pick.