The 2025 fantasy basketball season delivered another year of unforgettable performances and seismic shifts across the league. From MVPs who propelled their teams to victory to the notable busts and the less thrilling, yet practical, rookie class, each moment made an impact. As front-office decisions and load management altered the season’s narrative, it’s time to recognize the standout players — not just for their stats, but for how they shaped the fantasy landscape.
Here’s the breakdown of the season’s biggest winners and losers.
🏆 Fantasy MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
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Nikola Jokić deserves a nod, while Josh Hart and Dyson Daniels also have a case since they were the best values relative to ADP this season. Still, from start to finish, SGA delivered more consistently than any other player in fantasy.
SGA leads the league in scoring and despite being top-echelon in volume and usage, he has a ridiculous 52/37/90 shooting split through Monday. He’s racked up the third-most stocks this season (207) and is one of 11 players to average at least a steal and a block per game. He was the most rostered player on the top 500 head-to-head public leagues on Yahoo (32.0%) and if I had a vote, he’d be the MVP in real life, too.
😭 Biggest Fantasy Bust: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
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Brandon Ingram was a close option, but given the draft capital tied to the former MVP, Embiid is the right choice. After chronic knee issues and other ailments sidelined him longer than fantasy managers intended, the highly drafted player failed to live up to his MVP-like expectations.
Fantasy managers wasted a pick because he played in just 19 games and even when he did play, his efficiency dipped to a career-low 44%. He also saw a drop-off in minutes, rebounds, blocks, assists and steals from last season.
He is reportedly undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery later this week. I would ignore this situation, no matter the discount going into next fantasy season.
✋ Fantasy Defensive Player of the Year: Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks
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No one is more deserving of fantasy DPOY than the “Great Barrier Thief.” Daniels has amassed a ridiculous 222 steals through Monday, the most since the 2008-2009 season. On the steals front, he can crack the top 20 all-time for steals in a season.
Daniels leads the league in total stocks (273), so the only player who would’ve come close to Daniels for this award was Victor Wembanyama. The soon-to-be First-Team All-Defense honoree will emerge as an early-round pick next season.
🥇 Fantasy Rookie of the Year: Kel’el Ware, Miami Heat
In real life, I favor Stephon Castle, yet I give Ware a slight advantage in fantasy. Ware holds a better ranking in 9-cat leagues (143 versus 260) while they are pretty even in points leagues. Ware appeared on 13.0% of the top teams in Yahoo public leagues, whereas Castle was unranked.
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While one could argue for Castle, who was rostered in more leagues than Ware (77% to 55%), Castle’s value mainly stemmed from his scoring and assists. Ware surpasses Castle due to his greater efficiency, higher stocks (102 compared to 89), and significantly fewer turnovers.
It was a tight race, but Ware’s value was four rounds better than Castle’s over the last month in the fantasy playoffs.
😎 Fantasy Comeback Player of the Year: Tyler Herro, Miami Heat
A series of ankle and foot injuries cost Herro 39 games last season. However, he came back with a vengeance in ’24-25, becoming an All-Star for the first time in his five-year career and on pace to put up career-bests in points per game (23.9), assists (5.6), steals (0.9), FG% (46.9), 3s (3.3) and true-shooting % (60.3).
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From a fantasy perspective, he went from a seventh-round value in 9-cat leagues in 2023-2024 to a third-round value this season. Before this season, the most games Herro played in a campaign was 67 and he’s already blown past that, playing in 74 contests through Monday.
🦸♂️ Waiver Wire Hero: Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets
Braun went undrafted in 92% of Yahoo leagues this season, but his numbers skyrocketed as a starter thanks to the Jokić stimulus package. He transitioned from a fringe waiver player to a sixth-round value in 9-cat leagues after posting an impressive 15/5/3 line with a fantasy-friendly 57/39/82 shooting split in his third NBA season.
Additionally, he’s averaging 28 fantasy points per game, positioning him around a top 100 player in points leagues. The low turnover rate also gave him a boost. As long as he plays alongside Jokic, Braun will be a valuable fantasy asset for teams prioritizing efficiency.
😴 Steal of the Draft: Amen Thompson – Houston Rockets
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Thanks to Thompson’s all-around contributions, he has significantly exceeded his ADP during his second NBA season. He is on pace to finish among the top 10 in total stocks this year, and like SGA, he is one of 11 players averaging at least one block and one steal per game. Thompson’s rare athleticism and versatile, two-way skill set make him a coveted fantasy asset managers want to invest in next season.
According to Shot Creator, he ranks in the 90th percentile for rebounds, blocks and steals, and in the 81st percentile for assists. At 6-foot-7, he is just beginning to unlock his full potential. Since joining the starting lineup after Jabari Smith’s injury, Thompson has performed at a level comparable to a second-round pick, helping many fantasy teams bring home a championship.
🚀 Fantasy Breakout Star: Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
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Reaves finished last season ranked 88th in 9-cat leagues, making his ADP fair and reasonable entering this season. However, this year’s version of Reaves has been breakout-worthy for the Lakers and fantasy managers alike. He is providing early fourth-round value in 9-cat leagues and performed exceptionally during the fantasy playoffs, ranking in the top 10 in 9-cat leagues and top 20 in fantasy points per game in points leagues.
Reaves appeared on 18.6% of the top-500 rosters on Yahoo, and his significant scoring improvement, along with gradual increases in rebounds, assists, steals, 3-pointers and free throw percentage, has driven up his value this season. Remarkably, he flourished after Luka Dončić’s arrival. He’s underrated both in real life and in fantasy, but that is likely to change heading into next year.
📈 Most Improved Player: Ivica Zubac, Los Angeles Clippers
Zu went from finishing outside the top 100 last season to becoming a top 45 player in 9-cat and points leagues. The prime factors in Zubac’s growth were his chemistry with James Harden and his ability to play for more minutes.
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The Clippers’ frontcourt was barren outside of Zu, but he came into the season prepared to step up. Unsurprisingly, Zubac’s points went up by nearly five per game. Having Harden as your point guard equals easy buckets and through Monday, Harden assisted Zubac 181 times, the most in the NBA. Zubac is also averaging a career-best 12.5 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in the league.
There were several options here, but I saw the most growth in fantasy production compared to the previous season in Zubac.
🎉 Fantasy Playoff MVP: Deni Avdija – Portland Trail Blazers
From March 17 to April 6, Avdija has been on an absolute heater, averaging 26.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3.0 3s, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks on 51% shooting from the field and 82% from the line. Even with giving the ball away four times per game during that span, he’s been a first-round player in 9-cat and points leagues. Yes, you read that right, in both formats.
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