My Favorite Late Fliers in 12-Team H2H ESPN Fantasy Basketball Points Leagues (ADP 130+)

Your Last Pick? Go for it.

Oct 15, 2025

Jaden Ivey is going far too late in fantasy drafts for what he has already shown, and is someone to be excited about for this upcoming NBA season. In his first 21 games last year, he played 31.9 minutes, averaging 19.4pts/4.4reb/4.1asts on promising efficiency. Ivey’s season ended abruptly when he broke his left fibula in January, but he is a full-go for Pistons training camp and has already started shaking off the rust in the preseason. I am comfortable saying that Ivey has a top-100 floor when the minutes are there. With the departure of Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr., his elite shooting is that much more valuable.

Zach Edey (134.6)

Edey was very hyped going into the NBA draft last year, and I personally think he is being underrated going into the season due to his injured status (Due to return in November). At the surface level, his season averages of 9.2pts/8.3reb/1.0asts/0.5stl/1.3blk might not conjure much excitement, but these numbers came on 21.5 minutes per game in his rookie campaign. In his 12 games played in December and April, Edey averaged 28.3 minutes, putting up 10.4pts/13.1reb/1.6asts/0.7stl/1.6blk. While this is a limited sample size, it certainly demonstrates the tremendous upside that the 7’4” center is capable of. Edey has shown his worth as the defensive anchor for the Grizzlies, taking pressure off of Jaren Jackson Jr., as well as being an elite screen setter for Ja Morant. With that said, I strongly believe that the new Memphis Grizzlies coach will grant Edey 25+ minutes per game, thus providing full rounds of value from where he’s drafted.

Jonathan Kuminga (138.6)

Golden State’s lingering headache has finally been resolved. Kuminga got his short-term $25m/year deal, and the Warriors now have a talented, young asset at their disposal to deal at the trade deadline. As it stands, Kuminga might not even be a starter in Golden State’s deep rotation, let alone play enough minutes to warrant anything more than last round pick consideration in a Standard 10-Team Points league. However, in deeper formats, Kuminga might be productive enough to justify a long-term stash in advance of the trade deadline. I’m inclined to believe that not only is Kuminga a likely trade candidate, but wherever he ends up should present more opportunity overall for him than the Warriors are willing to offer. Kuminga has shown he can be a 20-point scorer and a respectable rebounder when given ample minutes.

Bub Carrington (138.1)

Carlton “Bub” Carrington is coming into this season fresh off a stellar 2024-25 season worthy of 2nd-Team Rookie Team honors. As the season went on, Bub built an intriguing case for his projected future success. As expected of rookie point guards, Carrington shot relatively inefficiently from the field. The aspects of his game oozing with potential were his high volume of 3-pointers taken, consistent rebounding, and his impressive 2.58 assist-to-turnover ratio. Bub especially earned a fantasy playoff roster spot in the month of April, averaging an incredible 17.6pts/4.9reb/7.1asts on 39% from 3-point land on eight attempts. Starting out the season, expect the Wizards’ veteran players to eat up significant usage and minutes, but when Washington inevitably shifts into tanking mode, Bub is sure to shine.