NBA Fantasy: Guard risers and sleepers to target in your drafts

Fred VanVleet is expected to be back fully healthy for the Houston Rockets as their starting point guard this season.

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The NBA regular season is just over a month away, and draft season has arrived with it. Guard is the position where price and projected production separate most this year, and the board is full of value for managers willing to look past last spring’s headlines.

Guard Risers

Darius Garland, LAC

Garland steps into the primary playmaking role for a Clippers team entering a new chapter. With James Harden and Ivica Zubac traded at last year’s deadline and Kawhi Leonard expected to move on, the offense will run through this multi-time All-Star.

Over the last five seasons, Garland has averaged 20.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.6 3-pointers in 33 minutes a night, shooting 46 percent from the field, 39 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the line. That is an elite 9-cat line, and he may see the highest usage of his career. His work with Leonard off the floor last season supports the projection: 27.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.2 steals per 75 possessions on a 34 percent usage rate. Assist volume like that plays in every format, and it carries extra weight where dimes are worth two points apiece, like High Score.

Dejounte Murray, NOP

Murray appeared in 45 games over the last two seasons while recovering from an Achilles tear, and he looked fully like himself down the stretch. That is the key data point for a former Top-25 fantasy pick, who since the 2021-22 season has averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.9 3-pointers.

Murray has yet to turn 30, and Achilles recoveries have improved dramatically over the last few years. His final 13 games offered proof: 17 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.7 steals in around 28 minutes per game, matching his five-year production in six fewer minutes. Alongside Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole and scorers like Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III, he has a clear runway back to a featured role. Those steals are worth more than five points a night on their own in High Score scoring.

Fred VanVleet, HOU

VanVleet has been a Top-50 fantasy contributor for most of his career, yet he is available at the back of drafts with a 35-minute starting point guard job waiting for him in Houston.

He tore his ACL in September of 2025 and has reportedly looked fully healthy. Over the last six seasons, VanVleet has averaged 18.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks and 3.1 3-pointers. Even his two-year Houston baseline of 15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks on solid shooting is a bargain at this cost. The Rockets’ postseason run underlined how much they missed the 32-year-old’s ball-handling and leadership.

Guard Sleepers

De’Aaron Fox, SAS

Fox’s price reflects an eventful spring in San Antonio more than his own body of work. Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle were excellent in the playoffs, and Fox was managing a significant ankle sprain, a tough combination for a player whose game is built on speed. He does not turn 29 until just before Christmas.

Even in a down year, Fox averaged 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals, which is strong production from projected pick 85. That may be closer to his floor than his ceiling, as his previous six-year baseline of 24.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.5 steals suggests. He has also played at least 72 games in three of the last four seasons, and his explosive nights are the kind that decide a matchup when only one game per week counts in High Score.

Immanuel Quickley, TOR

Quickley’s profile closely resembles Garland’s, and the 40-pick gap comes down to a deeper Toronto rotation. That is manageable, because players like Scottie Barnes can elevate teammates, particularly a starting point guard.

Across two full seasons with the Raptors, Quickley has averaged 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.6 3-pointers while shooting nearly 44 percent from the field, 38 percent from 3-point range and 84 percent from the line. He did that in just 30.6 minutes a night, and 30 minutes looks like his floor this season, with only Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter behind him. He has appeared in at least 64 games in five of his six NBA seasons.

Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM

Memphis has an open competition at point guard following the Ja Morant trade, and Pippen Jr. has produced every time he has been handed the role.

Over his three seasons with the Grizzlies, Pippen Jr. has averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 3-pointers in 22 minutes. As a starter two seasons ago filling in for Morant, he posted 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists over 21 games. He appeared in just 10 games last season but closed the year in the starting lineup. Past production, roster fit and a 155 ADP make him one of the draft’s best values.

Keon Ellis, BKN

Ellis is a bonus name worth monitoring outside the Top 200. His defense has long made him a fantasy favorite, and Brooklyn offers his clearest runway yet toward a 30-minute role with a wide open guard rotation for the Nets heading into the season.

That is all it would take. For his career, Ellis has averaged just under 20 minutes a game for his career but has produced 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game. Those defensive numbers alone make him worth a roster spot with his expected increase in minutes, and they are worth significantly more in leagues that pay three per steal and block like High Score.