Welcome To The 2026-27 Fantasy Basketball Season!
As I just spoiled, we’re back after another wild NBA offseason. Some say the wildest! Who are “they”? Probably Rich Paul. Maybe even Uncle Dennis. Perhaps even the Giannis aggregators! But I know who you want to hear from, that’s right, what did Jay think? Yeah, my expert (lol) opinion is that it was… pretty darn wild…? I would say the wildest, but in those cases, I think you always just bet the field (insert future Kalshi ad tie-in), but when you include such scientific factors like recency bias and the good ole’ emotional litmus, then yes, I would probably give it a “top-3 wild” rating, just like your grandmother. Hey, for those of you who know, you know…
But if you don’t know (the offseason, not your grandmother), do not fret, over the next several weeks, we’ll be reviewing the news from the offseason; the NBA Draft from a few months ago, Summer League, Free Agency and all the trades (completed and even the aspirational ones too) and of course our usual rankings and 2026-27 preseason content along the way. And with the mention of rankings, that provides myself with a convenient segue to present our Way Too Early Top-10. So without further ado, consider this a beginning framework for the rest of the rankings that will be soon arriving.
While changes will occur as we move closer to the season, unlike previous years, I feel that this season’s first 10 picks are less noisy than ever, where outside of the top tier (say top-5?), you won’t find too much argument of where to pick a certain player from a certain cluster. OR MAYBE IT’S COMPLETELY OPPOSITE. Maybe this is the hardest top-10 to set ever, who knows… but be sure to let us know your preliminary top-10 below in the comment section!
- Victor Wembanyama (SAS – F/C)
- Nikola Jokić (DEN – C)
- Luka Dončić (LAL – G)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC – G)
- Anthony Edwards (MIN – G/F)
- Cade Cunningham (DET – G)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIA – F/C)
- Jayson Tatum (BOS – F)
- Jalen Johnson (ATL – F)
- Scottie Barnes (TOR – G/F)
Honorable Mentions: Tyrese Maxey (PHI – G), Donovan Mitchell (CLE – G), Cooper Flagg (DAL – G/F), Tyrese Haliburton (IND – G)
Since these aren’t locked in and a lot can change over the next month, I want to emphasize that generally, this feels kinda right. Here are just some random thoughts I had…
- Yeah, you can go Joker first, I don’t really care. I just think in like 90% of the leagues, Wemby will go first no matter what, and the other 5% will take Jokic and try and argue it’s the safe/cerebral pick and then you’ll have the other 5% take Luka because they’re Laker-stans. It’s just science folks. Like I alluded to earlier in the post, you do you, to me, the top-3’ish’ don’t necessarily matter to much and “BPA” are pretty clumped.
- I’m digging the LaMelo Ball dynamic in Minnesota for now. I think if there’s one thing that’s easy to pick up on about ANT’s game is that he absolutely loathes double-teams. True, most stars do, but it would be nice to see Edwards completely unleased, and in that sense, Ball is perhaps the closest thing that could unlock that. Health is always a huge factor here with Ball, but ANT was already a top-10 guy to me, adding this new dynamic just amplifies my love.
- The back end of the top-10 offers your typical pickings that you would most likely find in previous year’s drafts. You know what I’m talking about, the interesting concept guys I guess, for example; in the past, you’d usually draft guys like Trae Young, or Domantas Sabonis here, maybe an Anthony Davis from a few years back, etc., players who can generate first round value in different ways than guys picked before them, or guys who can be an additive to multiple categories, or guys with very high ceilings, but some risk and anxiety. This season, you have much of the same in players like Tatum, Giannis, Jalen and Barnes.
- Finally, I’m still ruminating on the Sixers and Maxey’s value. With LeBron looking to be a point forward when on the floor, Maxey’s role and two-man game with Embiid and VJE will undoubtedly shift. While ultimately we will probably see Edgecombe suffer the most, essentially becoming a corner shooter and slasher, Maxey has the ability to make up the loss in usage with transition baskets and savvy activity around the court on set defenses. I honestly like him and how he fits, but even optimized, he’ll have the ball less and something that pushes him out of the top-10 for now.
Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell, who is totally alive and well. Trust me.
