While identifying good value, especially later in drafts, can win a fantasy league, a draft pick bombing can sabotage a season. Below are some of the most disappointing players in fantasy basketball this season, including two on the same team. And we start with a player whose future appears to be up in the air.
Identifying these players in the draft or on the waiver wire likely delivered fantasy managers league titles this season.
F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
While Giannis has dealt with injuries in the past, he appeared in at least 61 games in each of his first 12 seasons. Unfortunately, lower-body injuries limited him to 36 games in 2025-26, and the production dipped when he was on the floor. Antetokounmpo’s averages of 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game certainly look good on paper.
However, only in steals did his per-game production not decrease when compared to his 2024-25 numbers. And that doesn’t take into consideration the constant scrutiny regarding his future in Milwaukee. Given the Yahoo! ADP of 6.2, this was a terribly disappointing season for those who invested a first-round pick in Antetokounmpo.
F/C Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Given how things played out in Sacramento after last season’s trade deadline, Sabonis entering the 2025-26 campaign with a top-20 ADP felt off. Sure enough, the logjam of ball-dominant options did the center no favors before a torn meniscus ended his season in early February. Sabonis played in 19 games this season, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals in just under 30 minutes. The only major statistical category in which his production did not decrease was steals, and few fantasy managers roster Sabonis expecting reliable production in that category.
C Myles Turner, Milwaukee Bucks
After a career year with the Pacers in 2022-23, Turner’s production dipped in each of the two seasons that followed. There was hope that a move to Milwaukee would boost the center’s value, with the Bucks tabbing him to replace Brook Lopez as the starting center. Unfortunately, Turner’s first season in Milwaukee was a struggle, with the center averaging 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.6 blocks and 2.4 three-pointers in 26.9 minutes per game.
Turner’s rebounding average was the lowest of his NBA career, and his scoring average was the lowest since his rookie season. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 74.4 percent from the foul line, the former percentage being a career low. While one can point to his per-game value and argue that Turner was still a top-100 player, this was an underwhelming campaign, especially with rebounding struggles contributing to the decrease in playing time.
G Jordan Poole, New Orleans Pelicans
With Dejounte Murray unavailable to begin the season as he recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon, there were fantasy managers who believed that Poole’s production would not take too big of a hit with the move from Washington to New Orleans. To say that he failed to live up to his Yahoo! ADP of 71.3 (per Hashtag Basketball) would be an understatement.
A quad injury in early November sidelined him for over a month, and Poole would fall out of the Pelicans’ rotation entirely in late January. He would get some run after the All-Star break, but the DNP-CD’s restarted in early March. Poole has appeared in 38 games this season, averaging 13.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 2.5 three-pointers, shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 87.2 percent from the foul line. A player who entered the season with top-75 expectations will finish ranked well outside of the top-200, regardless of league format.
C Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers
After averaging a double-double in each of his first seven NBA seasons, Ayton appeared well-positioned to do the same in his first season with the Lakers. Sure, a lineup with Luka Dončić, LeBron James and Austin Reaves means that Ayton’s scoring output would take a hit. Based on his Yahoo! ADP of 66.5, many fantasy managers bet on the 7-footer doing enough as a rebounder, finisher and shot-blocker to provide solid value.
Unfortunately, Ayton failed to come through for most fantasy managers. With two games remaining in the regular season, he has averaged 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 27.2 minutes per game. The good news is that Ayton shot a career-high 67.2 percent from the field, but that wasn’t enough to salvage what has been an underwhelming fantasy season.
G/F Cam Thomas, Free Agent
Even with his limited production outside of the points category, it felt like Thomas was capable of using the 2025-26 season as a springboard into unrestricted free agency next summer. It didn’t happen. Hamstring issues did Thomas no favors, as an injury in early November sidelined him until after Christmas. With his minutes limited, Thomas’ production took a hit, and the Nets waived him after the trade deadline.
Milwaukee picked him up, and Thomas scored 34 points in his second game with the team. That would be the high point of his time with the Bucks, who waived the one-dimensional guard on March 23. Whether it’s category leagues or points leagues, Thomas’ fantasy value this season was poor. With a Yahoo! ADP of 83.9, fantasy managers who drafted him did not take too big of a hit. However, few expected Thomas to be out of the league entirely.