The NBA season starts in just three weeks, and fantasy basketball season is in full swing! While prepping for your fantasy drafts, it’s critical to examine rankings across multiple platforms. That’s where you can gain a decisive advantage over your competitors.
Some managers will draft using “best available” from their preferred platform’s default rankings list. These default rankings can and often do vary wildly, so identifying outliers from one to the next can be quite a helpful pre-season exercise.
We’ll be going through that exercise in this article, trying to “hack the default rankings” by comparing fantasy basketball rankings from ESPN, Yahoo, and Fantrax to our own here at Rotoworld.
Below you’ll find some of the biggest variations among notable players.
Nikola Jokić headlines Rotoworld’s Preseason Top 200, but key injuries across the league make this one of the most unpredictable fantasy seasons in years.
G/F Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
Ours: 15
ESPN: 23
Yahoo: 31
Fantrax: 44
Thompson’s 2024-25 season started out slowly but quickly gained momentum. He ended his sophomore campaign with a full head of steam after earning a starting gig and making the most of his opportunities.
Thompson averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 boards, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocked shots for the season, but those numbers rose to 15.9 points, 8.8 boards, 4.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.4 blocks across his final 44 games – all starts. His ability to stuff the stat sheet was evident by his 18 double-doubles and three triple-doubles, and he’s already drawing praise from new teammate Kevin Durant.
Thompson’s only deficiency is his shooting ability, but he is a hyper-athletic point forward who can rack up stats in bunches, and with Fred VanVleet out for the season, there should be no shortage of minutes for Thompson, who could operate as Houston’s starting point guard.
The Rotoworld crew is all in on Thompson taking another step forward and producing fringe first-round value. If you’re playing on Yahoo or Fantrax, Thompson’s ranked at least two rounds lower, making him a tremendous value on those platforms.
G Jalen Green (Phoenix Suns)
Ours: 79
ESPN: 42
Yahoo: 59
Fantrax: 33
Green was featured in this article last season, and some things never change. The young offensive-focused guard has been a polarizing fantasy option since he joined the league thanks to his “empty calorie” stats that lean heavily on high-volume, low-efficiency scoring. For that reason, we’re the lowest on him at Rotoworld, and if fantasy managers in your league want to bite in Rounds 3-5, let them!
Drafting Green in that range is taking him at his absolute ceiling, though he hasn’t come close to approaching that value thus far.
G Immanuel Quickley (Toronto Raptors)
Ours: 59
ESPN: 80
Yahoo: 83
Fantrax: 104
The Rotoworld crew is bullish on IQ due to his strong stat-stuffing abilities, but rankings from other platforms – not so much. Taking Toronto’s starting PG after Pick 75 presents a ton of value for a player with fifth-round upside. If you’re playing at ESPN, Yahoo or Fantrax, he’s worth targeting as a mid-round sleeper. That’s a “high IQ” strategy.
F Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans)
Ours: 54
ESPN: 71
Yahoo: 32
Fantrax: 79
If you’re reading this article, you already know about Zion’s storied NBA career. He’s had trouble staying on the court due to numerous injuries, and the media has criticized him relentlessly about his diet and work ethic.
Based on his appearance heading into the 2025-26 campaign, it’s safe to say that the media won’t be offering many criticisms.
Williamson looks slim in his media day photos, and he says he feels great. His upside is tremendous thanks to his elite athleticism, scoring, rebounding and passing abilities.
F LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
Ours: 29
ESPN: 15
Yahoo: 14
Fantrax: 42
“Father Time is undefeated.”
“The dropoff is imminent.”
“No one in NBA history has played 23 seasons.”
Blah, blah, blah. We’ve been hearing similar tropes about Bron’s age for over a decade now, and he has yet to make good on any of them. James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.1 triples last season. He’s played at least 70 games in back-to-back seasons, and fantasy managers can target him in the early-to-mid third round.
Despite posting strong numbers at age 40, James is getting older and has a lot of tread on the tires. Luka Doncic should be the focal point of the offense this season, and drafting James with a top-15 pick is a bit ambitious. If you’re playing on ESPN or Yahoo, you can sit back and watch fellow managers reach.
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C Mark Williams (Phoenix Suns)
Ours: 67
ESPN: 94
Yahoo: 81
Fantrax: 167
Injuries have been the hallmark of Williams’ brief NBA career, and he’s played in no more than 44 games in any of his three seasons. The big man posted career numbers in 2024-25, finishing with 15.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.2 swats. Phoenix was hurting at center so bad last season that they traded for Williams and selected Khaman Maluach in this year’s draft.
The former should open the season as the starter and, assuming he can stay on the court, a big season is in store. We’re the highest on him at Rotoworld and expect him to be a strong value in fantasy drafts.
F/C Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies)
Ours: 106
ESPN: Outside top-150
Yahoo: 112
Fantrax: 159
The Rotoworld team has the highest expectations for Aldama as he gets set for what could be the best season of his career. With Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey set to miss time to start the 2025-26 campaign, Aldama could be in line for substantial minutes.
Aldama posted career-best numbers in 2024-25, averaging 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 triples across 25.5 minutes. The Grizzlies inked him to a three-year, $52.5 million deal in the offseason, highlighting their confidence in him.
G Cam Thomas (Brooklyn Nets)
Ours: 80
ESPN: 92
Yahoo: 66
Fantrax: 119
Heading into the new season, Thomas finds himself being talked about for all the wrong reasons, and he’s looking to flip the narrative.
The young guard broke out at the end of the 2023-24 season, averaging 26.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.6 dimes across his final 18 appearances. In 2024-25, he averaged a career-best 24 points per game, though injuries limited him to just 25 contests.
Thomas went through a tumultuous offseason with the Nets regarding his contract, but he ultimately picked up his $6 million qualifying offer to return for the 2025-26 campaign.
Asked Cam Thomas about his response to Zach Lowe and the “empty calories, ball hog” narrative around the league:
“It gets frustrating, whether you want to admit it or not, that people keep trying to spread these narratives and lies about you that just aren’t true without… pic.twitter.com/exEXj9TKRR
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) September 23, 2025
He also addressed criticism from the media that he’s an “empty stats” player. Thomas is going to be playing pissed off this season, fueled by his desire to silence the critics and prove to Brooklyn’s front office that it undervalued him.
If you’re playing on ESPN or Fantrax, Thomas is vastly undervalued – just as he’s been in real life with the Nets.
F/C Naz Reid (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Ours: 103
ESPN: 66
Yahoo: 92
Fantrax: 57
Drafting Reid around Pick 100? Naz-ty.
Drafting Reid in Rounds 6-7? Nasty.
The 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year should continue to provide instant offense off the bench for Minnesota while chipping in boards, blocks and treys, but he’s not an elite contributor in any of those categories.
Reid’s career-best 2024-25 season saw him finish 96th in per-game fantasy value, and taking him at least two rounds earlier than that for the 2025-26 campaign would be irresponsible.
C Myles Turner (Milwaukee Bucks)
Ours: 28
ESPN: 26
Yahoo: 74
Fantrax: 53
Indiana’s longest-tenured player finally left the team that drafted him after nearly a decade of trade rumors. After an unexpected run to Game 7 of the Finals, Turner felt like he wasn’t given the respect he deserved in Indy and left for the Central Division rival.
In Milwaukee, Turner should see plenty of playing time and usage as the clear No. 1 option at center. He should pick up right where he left off as a three-point and shot-blocking specialist, perfectly filling the void left behind by Brook Lopez.
Depending on the category you’re willing to punt, players like Giannis Antetokounmpo will have greater fantasy value.
Other notable comparisons
ESPN
Dejounte Murray: 46; Ours: 135
Dyson Daniels: 91; Ours: 35
Miles Bridges: 39; Ours: 77
PJ Washington: 62; Ours: 157
Fantrax
Cade Cunningham: 22; Ours: 7
Lauri Markkanen: 23; Ours: 50
Keegan Murray: 58; Ours: 99
Chet Holmgren: 67; Ours: 31
Yahoo
Jalen Suggs: 96; Ours: Outside top-200
Jeremy Sochan: 132; Outside top-200
Toumani Camara: 105; Ours: 126
RJ Barrett: 63; Ours: 159
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