2026-27 Fantasy Basketball: Bold Predictions – Western Conference

The 2026-27 NBA season is upon us. That means our moments to be bold with respect to preseason predictions are coming to an end. Before that takes place, though, and the 2026-27 NBA season begins, let’s take a spin through the Western Conference and take a look at a bold prediction for each team.

Fantasy Basketball Bold Predictions – Western Conference

Morez Johnson is a Rookie of the Year Contender

Dusty May had his choice of which former Michigan player to select in the first round. The fact that he chose Johnson is telling as he’s clearly expecting the forward to be a vital contributor for Dallas both this season and into the future. After a slow ramp this preseason, it might take Johnson some time to find his footing in the NBA. However, after averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last year with Michigan, it’s coming as there shouldn’t be obstacles to playing time once he earns it.

DeMar DeRozan Will Score 20 Off the Bench

We know the Denver Nuggets will fly up and down the floor and baskets will be flowing. The veteran DeRozan will likely be coming off the bench this season, but he’s going to play and score a lot. At this point in his career, we know what DeRozan is good for, and that’s taking and making shots. Denver will utilize the veteran to generate offense, and we know he’s more than capable. DeRozan might not contribute much else from a fantasy perspective, but he did shoot 49.7% from the field and 86.8% from the free-throw line while averaging 18.4 points per game. It was the first time he fell below 20 since the 2012-13 season. I’d expect him to return to that mark this season while getting Sixth Man of the Year votes.

Gui Santos Continues His Last Three Months

Santos took advantage of injuries towards the end of last season to average 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game over the last three months. He shot just over 50% from the field, wasn’t a liability from the free-throw line, and made more than one three-pointer per game. This season, Santos is being drafted as if a repeat isn’t in the cards. However, Golden State is still thin from a depth perspective, and he’s slated to start at power forward. Why wouldn’t he continue at the same level?

Fred VanVleet Averages 7.5 Assists per Game

After not playing at all last season due to ACL surgery, VanVleet is right back in Houston’s starting lineup. It’s clear the Rockets missed having a legitimate, veteran point guard to lead their offense. Others, Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, did step up to varying levels of success in his absence. The Rockets will be a better team, though, with the veteran handling the majority of the duties with regard to setting up the offense. At this point, there doesn’t appear to be much in the way of rust, but the Rockets will exercise caution at times with the veteran to keep him fresh. In his two seasons in Houston, VanVleet averaged 8.1 and 5.6 assists per game, respectively. Maybe 7.5 is lofty, but what’s the sense of being bold otherwise? We know he has weapons.

Keaton Wagler Wins the Rookie of the Year

You can take this at varying levels of being bold. Wagler was drafted fifth overall in the draft, so it’s not like he’s coming out of nowhere or wasn’t highly regarded. However, the top of the draft was top-heavy, and Wagler was in the tier below. In his one season with Illinois, the guard averaged 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Yes, it’s preseason, but Wagler has looked comfortable to begin the season. The Clippers also have a thin depth chart, so Wagler appears to be entering the season in their starting lineup. It’s well deserved, and he’s going to have plenty of latitude to create offensively. That’s especially true with Brandon Ingram sidelined.

Quentin Grimes Sets a Career High in Scoring

In averaging 14.6 and 13.4 points per game in the last two seasons, Grimes has taken the next step forward in his progression as a true offensive threat. Playing close to 30 minutes a game also helps, and that should be the case again this season. Grimes enters the year in Los Angeles’ starting lineup. The opportunity to shoot, and shoot, should be present, and I’m also expecting him to eclipse his previous career high 2.2 three-pointers per game.

Jerami Grant Plays an Unexpected Role

Grant doesn’t jump off the page from a rebounding or assist perspective, but showing up every day counts. Drafted in 2014, Grant continues to show and be a strong source of production. Grant being sent to Memphis was potentially overlooked this off-season, as the veteran doesn’t exactly have a starting role. However, he’s going to end up playing around 30 minutes a game, and we know he can score. After averaging 18.6 points per game last season with 2.4 three-pointers, there shouldn’t be much of a drop-off this year. He’s only good for a few rebounds and assists, but Grant’s also a strong free-throw shooter and a good player to have at the end of your bench. There’s also not much separating Grant from averaging 20 points per game.

Jonathan Kuminga Makes His Presence Felt

I’m not saying that Kuminga is replacing Julius Randle, but from a starting lineup perspective, he is. The former first-round pick is someone I’ve always liked, so maybe there’s some bias as he enters his sixth NBA season. However, Kuminga is also just 24 years old, and he did average a career high 5.6 rebounds per game last year. Two years ago, the forward played a career-best 26.4 minutes per game and averaged 16.1 points. He’s not an asset on the defensive end, and the shooting percentages aren’t great, but there’s talent present and consistency to be found. Maybe his first full season out of Golden State will get him there?

Jeremiah Fears Gets Sixth Man of the Year Votes

Fears played in all 82 games of his rookie season and averaged 26 minutes per game. Injuries certainly provided an added boost to that playing time, especially as a starter, but the guard was also in over his head a little bit. Now that he enters year two and has a consistent role backing up Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy, Fears should be in a position to excel. He’s going to play more than a traditional backup after averaging 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. The hope is that he’s more at ease with NBA action and he can take advantage of his talent and upside. Plus, neither Murray or Murphy have shown the ability to consistently stay healthy.

Jared McCain Averages Three Three-Pointers Per Game

The Thunder traded away some wing depth this summer, and they’ll need some players to step up to fill the void. One of those players could be McCain, who showed some flashes after being traded to Oklahoma City last season, but he also struggled overall from a fantasy perspective. In 17.3 minutes per game, he averaged 8.3 points, two rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. His value, though, could come from behind the three-point line as he made 1.5 three-pointers per game after 2.2 in his rookie season. The opportunities should be there for McCain to harness his strength and be a one-category contributor.

Khaman Maluach Has a Double-Double with 2.5 Blocks per Game

Maluach is raw, big, athletic, and talented. Last year’s 10th overall pick is very good at his role and what he can do. The Suns took things slow with the big man last season as he averaged three points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks in just over eight minutes per game. With Mark Williams injured once again, I’d expect the Suns to release Maluach a little more. He should be able to find his way into a double-double, and we know that blocking shots aren’t going to be an issue.

Ja Morant Makes the All-Star Team

Morant is a very good player, and he’s made two All-Star games in the past. Going back to 2023 isn’t that long ago. The guard is still 27 years old, and there’s no questioning his talent. Yes, things have been rough as of late for Morant. But he’s now healthy and had a change of scenery over the summer. Nothing against Damien Lillard and Jrue Holiday, but their best days are behind them. The roster construction is a little odd, but Morant can be a game-changing superstar when everything goes right. After all, he has career highs of 27.4 points and 8.1 assists. Even when things were bad last year, Morant averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists per game. Everything looks good to this point, and while playing time could be an issue, if Morant gets back to his game, there’s not going to be a competition.

Dylan Harper Contends for Sixth Man of the Year

The San Antonio Spurs are deep and primed for another deep postseason run. In the regular season last year, Harper averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game in 23 minutes. Once we got to the postseason, the rookie took his game to the next level. Heading into this season, Harper is slated to come off the bench, but he’s also going to play a lot more than he did last season. And now we’ll get to see what he’s fully capable of, as he proved that he can put 20 points up with ease.

Precious Achiuwa Has a Career Year

To be fair, Achiuwa’s best season was last year when he averaged 10.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. This year, he’s going to be one of the first options off the bench for Sacramento, and he figures to play more than 24 minutes a night. Achiuwa has always had success in flashes, but he’s never consistently put it together. This could be the year he puts it together with the opportunity. Maybe 14 points and eight rebounds per game?

Ace Bailey Takes the Next Step

Bailey is coming off a rookie season in which he scored 13.8 points per game in 28 minutes. The performance was inconsistent, but the talent was always clear. Now, in year two, the Jazz will also be better than last season, and Bailey will be one of the main beneficiaries. They have more weapons, welcome Darryn Peterson and Jaren Jackson, and more experience. Bailey made 1.9 three-pointers last season and enjoyed a 21.4% usage rate. Maybe there’s a slight decrease there, but Bailey should also benefit from increased experience.