Fantasy Basketball Rankings 2022: Top breakouts, sleepers, busts from proven NBA computer model – CBS Sports
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Even though Ja Morant won Rookie of the Year, it wasn’t until last season that he truly broke out. Morant was named Most Improved Player and he was just one of a number of third-year players who had career seasons last year, joining the likes of Darius Garland, Tyler Herro and RJ Barrett. So, naturally, when searching for 2022 Fantasy basketball breakouts, one would look at players entering their third NBA seasons this year.
Tyrese Haliburton, Desmond Bane and Tyrese Maxey are already knocking on the 20 PPG threshold, and that alone brings them Fantasy basketball value. But they also contribute in other areas which gives them a high floor as 2022 Fantasy basketball picks. Who else could you expect a Morant-like leap from in this NBA season? Before making any 2022 Fantasy basketball picks, be sure to check out the 2022 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. And that same group is sharing its 2022 Fantasy basketball cheat sheets.
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 was extremely high on DeMar DeRozan even though he was being drafted in the fifth round on average, predicting he’d outperform small forwards being drafted ahead of him like Khris Middleton and Brandon Ingram. The result: DeRozan had a resurgent year where he finished fifth in the NBA in scoring (27.9 ppg) and wound up being a top-10 player overall in Fantasy basketball.
The model also called past Fantasy basketball sleepers like Lauri Markkanen and Aaron Gordon in 2018-19 and warned about Zach Randolph being a bust that same year. 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 2022, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
One of the top 2022 Fantasy basketball sleepers the model is predicting: Jazz SG Collin Sexton. Sexton was dealt to the Jazz this offseason as part of a sign-and-trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cavaliers. Sexton played in only 11 games last season for the Cavs due to a torn meniscus, but he’s expected to be fully healthy for the start of the 2022 NBA season.
In 2020-21, Sexton enjoyed a career year, recording 24.3 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.6 3-pointers per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. And with Mitchell and Rudy Gobert now on different teams, Sexton has the opportunity to be Utah’s No. 1 scoring threat this season. That’s a big reason why the model ranks Sexton (10th-round ADP) ahead of fellow shooting guards like Klay Thompson (8th-round ADP), Tyler Herro (8th) and Josh Giddey (8th)..
One of the 2022 Fantasy basketball breakouts the model has identified: Magic forward Paolo Banchero. The No. 1 overall pick earned that honor after averaging 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his lone season at Duke. He now steps into a situation that is dying for that type of production as Orlando ranked 29th in points per game last season.
Wins and losses don’t matter when it comes to Fantasy so you should have no qualms about drafting Banchero, given the state of the Magic. The team isn’t expecting to compete this season, so it will give its prized rookie every opportunity to show what he can do. He showed a glimpse of that when he averaged 20 points, six assists and five rebounds during Summer League, and look for Banchero to be in the Rookie of the Year running at the end of the year.
As for players to avoid, the model lists Celtics center Robert Williams III as one of its top 2022 Fantasy basketball busts. Williams has been dealing with injuries throughout his career, which has capped his Fantasy potential. He played 61 games last season, averaging 10 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.
Now we know he’ll miss at least the first couple months of the 2022-23 season after undergoing another knee procedure. And while Boston hopes he’s healthy somewhere around the holidays, that lost time will be costly to Fantasy players and there’s certainly no guarantee he’ll return to old form once he is back. SportsLine’s model does not trust Williams at his current ADP, listing him as one of the 2022 Fantasy basketball busts.
SportsLine is also extremely high on a forward to make a big leap and advises you target him in 2022 Fantasy basketball drafts. This youngster is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant. You can only see who it is, and the 2022 Fantasy basketball rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2022 Fantasy basketball sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which forward shocks the NBA with a top-five performance at the position? Visit SportsLine now to get 2022 Fantasy basketball cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that’s nailed its Fantasy basketball picks, and find out.
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