2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Breakouts and Busts

The leaves are changing colours, the sweaters are back on, and Halloween decorations are popping up.

The time has come.

It’s Fantasy Basketball draft season for all you die-hard ball fans.

This season brings a new wave of ambiguity that we haven’t seen in years.

Some high-profile trades have reshuffled the decks in both conferences.

A ton of superstar players return from injury ready for a full season.

And Victor Wembanyama looms in the backdrop inspiring one of the boldest tank-a-thons we’re about to witness since the LeBron sweepstakes.

From a fantasy perspective, usage rates and game played will be more of a factor than previous seasons.

Fabio Lucarini and Wesley Cheng give their three breakout and bust candidates organized by tier (early, middle, and late-round).

EARLY-ROUND BREAKOUTS

PG, SF, PF: LeBron James, Lakers (ESPN Rank: 20 | ADP: 9.6)

A breakout in LeBron’s 20th season? The title might not fit, but the principle remains – LBJ is an underrated fantasy option at his current rank and ADP. After three straight seasons outside the Top-15 in fantasy, he had a resurgent year in 2021-22 finishing 4th in 9-cat leagues. While he projects on the low side for games played, there are several other players in the first two rounds who carry the same risk – Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, or Anthony Davis. While LeBron isn’t likely to break the 30 ppg barrier again, he continues to find ways to grow, shooting a career-high 2.9 three-pointers per game and finishing with a 75.6 free-throw percentage, his highest rate since 2012. -Wes

PG: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (ESPN Rank: 14 | ADP: 17.2) 

Calling Lillard a sleeper is a bit blasphemous, but sign me up if he's slipping into the 2nd round. Dame looks fully recovered from an