Fantasy Basketball Rankings 2023-24: Sleepers, breakouts and busts by proven NBA computer model – CBS Sports
After leading the Heat to the NBA Finals twice in the last four years but coming up short, Jimmy Butler had hoped that Miami might add reinforcements this offseason to aid in another title run. However, with Damian Lillard surprisingly landing with the Bucks and Bradley Beal dealt to the Suns, it appears Miami will have to go back to the drawing board. Butler still has Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry in his corner for now, but Fantasy basketball managers might be wary of regression in Miami or that a roster-altering trade is made.
So when should you be targeting Butler and the rest of the Heat in your upcoming Fantasy basketball drafts, and how might Lillard and Beal fare in new uniforms? A reliable set of 2023-24 Fantasy basketball rankings can help you optimize your Fantasy basketball lineups by identifying the Fantasy basketball sleepers, breakouts and busts that will define the upcoming season. Before making any 2023-24 Fantasy basketball picks, be sure to check out the 2023 Fantasy basketball rankings and cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proven model simulates each season 10,0000 times. This model is powered by the same people who powered projections for all three major Fantasy sites. These cheat sheets and rankings, available for leagues on many major sites, are updated multiple times every day. Any time an injury occurs or there’s a change on a roster, the team at SportsLine updates its cheat sheets.
Last year the model called Russell Westbrook a bust, predicting that he would never live up to his seventh-round ADP. The result: Westbrook wound up being traded away from the Lakers before signing as a free agent to finish the year with the Clippers. He had his least productive season since his rookie year, averaging 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game over just 29.7 minutes per contest, and Fantasy basketball managers who avoided the headache were better off for it.
The model also nailed DeMar DeRozan as a sleeper in 2021-22 before he averaged a career-best 27.9 points per game and called Paolo Banchero’s breakout rookie season last year before he went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year honors. Anyone who followed the model’s Fantasy basketball advice on them was well on their way to making a deep postseason run.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NBA season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy basketball rankings 2023-24, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see these 2023-24 Fantasy basketball rankings.
Top 2023 Fantasy basketball sleepers
One of the top 2023 Fantasy basketball sleepers the model is predicting: Bucks center Brook Lopez. After missing 69 games with a back injury in 2021-22, there were some concerns that Lopez might be entering the twilight of his career. However, he bounced back with arguably his best season since coming to Milwaukee in 2022-23.
Lopez played in 78 games last season and averaged 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 53.1% from the floor and 37.4% from the 3-point line. Those are all highs for him since joining the Bucks in 2018 and now he’ll have the added benefit of playing with another superstar in Lillard. Expect Lopez to continue to stretch the floor from the center position to give Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo space to work in the lane.
Top 2023 Fantasy basketball breakouts
One of the 2023 Fantasy basketball breakouts the model has identified: Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. The No. 1 pick in this year’s draft put on a clinic in San Antonio’s second preseason game, scoring 23 points in 23 minutes while building an impressive highlight reel. He went 10 of 15 from the floor and made both of his free throws after scoring 20 points in 19 minutes in the Spurs’ preseason opener.
The 7-foot-4 center from France is one of the top prospects in NBA history, becoming the youngest MVP in France’s top-tier league last year. He led the league in points, rebounds and blocks, averaging a double-double. He has a path to elite Fantasy basketball value due to his ability to post big numbers in many categories, which is why SportsLine’s model has him ranked as one of the best centers in the NBA as a rookie.
Top 2023 Fantasy basketball busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Thunder guard Josh Giddey as one of its top 2023 Fantasy basketball busts. One of Giddey’s largest appeals was his ability to contribute for Fantasy basketball players in points, rebounds and assists. He doesn’t dominate in one category but he produced a steady amount in all three categories, highlighted by becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to record three straight triple-doubles as a rookie in the 2021-22 season.
Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game last season. But the Thunder will get a significant boost in Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft who missed all of last season with a foot injury. The 7-foot-1 center’s presence will take away from Giddey’s scoring and rebound upside. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was fourth in the NBA in scoring at 31.4 points per game, has increased his scoring total in each of his five NBA seasons and there’s no indication he’s hit his ceiling yet. The Thunder should be a better team this year, which could lower Giddey’s ceiling and make him a Fantasy basketball bust based on his current ADP.
How to find proven 2023-24 Fantasy basketball rankings
SportsLine is also has a shocking prediction for one of the league’s biggest names and advises avoiding him in 2023 Fantasy basketball drafts at his current ADP. This bust fails to live up to his second-round ADP, ranking behind players available in the fourth round or later like Brandon Ingram and Darius Garland. You can only see who it is, and the 2023 Fantasy basketball rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2023-24 Fantasy basketball sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade, and which huge name should you avoid? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy basketball cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that’s nailed its Fantasy basketball picks, and find out.
