Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Top Forwards for DraftKings NBA Best Ball 2025-26

Since you’ve clicked on this article, both ball and fantasy are life for you. We are five weeks into the NFL season. Geez, where did the time go? And the NBA season begins once again on October 21st. Life is good. Until then, we have plenty of time to add more fantasy leagues into the portfolio, but don’t fret, this article is about best ball, which means all the benefits of drafting with no in-season management. It’s like eating a cake fed to you by a robot arm that wipes your mouth, washes the dishes and bakes more cake!

Here is the 411 before you dive into the rankings:

Drafts are 16 rounds with 12 teams in each league. While we still have time, there are two options for drafting: a 30-second clock and an eight-hour clock. As it gets closer to opening night, drafts will all have 30-second clocks.

Lineups will consist of two G, two F, one C, two UTIL and nine BENCH (G/F/C). The highest-scoring players are automatically chosen by our bot overlords.

Scoring is a points format. Each point is worth 1 point. A three-pointer is 0.5 points. A rebound is 1.25 points. An assist is 1.5 points. A steal is 2 points. A block is 2 points. A turnover is minus 0.5 points. A double-double is 1.5 points. A triple-double is 3 points.

As for the tournament format:

Round 1 starts October 21st and ends on February 22nd. The NBA Cup championship game on December 16th will not be included. Top two teams advance.

Round 2 starts February 23rd and ends March 8th. Top team advances.

Round 3 starts March 9th and ends March 22nd. Top team advances.

Round 4 starts March 23rd and ends April 5th. This round consists of 34 teams with every team receiving a payout.

These rankings are skewed towards the playoff weeks.

Now to the rankings:

Kevin Durant won’t be found in the player pool right away unless you scroll down, which makes me smile because Houston plays 23 games during the playoffs, with eight games in each of the two final rounds.

Zion Williamson projects out well for me, despite New Orleans having a poor playoff schedule. The Pelicans only play 20 games with six games in the final round. If he falls, I’ll take him but this shows just how great of a player Zion is in a points format and when healthy. But when is he healthy?

Lauri Markkanen is tough because of the recent injury history and tank shenanigans in Utah. The Jazz do have a decent playoff schedule with 22 games and all rounds with at least seven games. There is a chance that he gets traded.

Kawhi Leonard has a history of not playing. Over the past few years, he has been playing in some back-to-backs and if the Clippers are in contention down the stretch this season, he could provide plenty of fantasy goodies. The Clippers play 23 games during the playoffs with eight games in rounds 2 and 3.

Chet Holmgren projects much lower for me than the default rankings. The Thunder playoff schedule isn’t great with only 20 games and Round 3 with only six games.

Draymond Green projects much higher than the default rankings. The Warriors have 21 games during the playoffs with six games in Round 2. After that, though, Golden State plays eight and seven games.

Isaiah Jackson is one of the players that will make me either look like a genius or a fool. Probably a fool, and it wouldn’t be the first time, but at least there is some logic to my madness. I have Jackson starting and playing 28 mpg with Jay Huff at 20 mpg. Huff stretches the floor, which makes him the guy in many people’s eyes, but Jackson provides more defense and is way more athletic despite recovering from an Achilles injury. Indiana doesn’t have a great playoff schedule with 20 games, but the six-game stint happens in Round 2 and the acquisition cost is very low.

Santi Aldama will have plenty of opportunities early in the season due to all the injuries in the front court for Memphis. If he performs well, that could earn him more playing time down the stretch. Regardless, he will likely play around 26 mpg at worst while Memphis has a great playoff schedule with 22 games and eight during the final round.

Kyle Kuzma is so gross for fantasy, but more so for category leagues due to the low shooting efficiency and lack of defensive stats. He can provide plenty of points and rebounds, though. He was flat out awful last season, but he was traded midseason from a tanking team to a contending team with a superstar. That’s a difficult adjustment. With that experience and a full offseason, I’d expect Kuzma to be a little more comfortable and have a better awareness of what is required of him. Milwaukee plays 22 games during the playoffs with at least seven games in every round including eight games in Round 2.

Kristaps Porzingis projects so well because he’s a per-minute monster. He was the only player that I moved heavily in the rankings. One is health but the other reason is the horrid playoff schedule for Atlanta. The Hawks play only 19 games with five during Round 2.

Mikal Bridges has a huge negative spread compared to the default rankings, primarily due to the 20 games during the playoffs with only five during the final round.

Jeremy Sochan seems to be a little too low in the default rankings. I have him projected for 24 mpg and the Spurs playoff schedule is good with 22 games and eight games in Round 2.

Ace Bailey seems a little too high in the default rankings for me. I’m usually not too high on rookies to begin with, but I do have him projected for 28 mpg and the Jazz have a good playoff schedule with 22 games and eight during the final round.

Khris Middleton is a tough one. I only have him projected for 22 mpg but the Wizards have a good playoff schedule with 22 games and eight during Round 3. Will he be a Wizard all season, though?

Gregory Jackson is completely buried in the default rankings. Jackson started 18 of 48 games his rookie season and averaged 25.7 mpg. Memphis dealt with a ton of injuries that season. Last season, he started three of 29 games and averaged only 15.8 mpg. He is a bucket getter and injuries in the front court could allow him to shine early on and earn more playing time down the stretch. Memphis plays 22 games during the playoffs with eight during the final round.

Guerschon Yabusele is also buried in the default rankings. I hate Knicks players due to the 20 games during the playoffs and five during the final round, but as the last pick in the draft, Yabusele is fine because I have him down for 24 mpg backing up both the power forward and center positions.