Fantasy Basketball Breakouts: Young Players to Watch in 2023
Contract years, expanded roles and young legs. That’s the cocktail that can turn a mid-round fantasy pick into a weekly league-winner in Yahoo’s High Score format.
The 2023 draft class is hitting a crucial checkpoint. The entire first round is now extension-eligible as they enter Year 4. Some, like Victor Wembanyama, already have their money. Others are still playing for it. And that edge, that urgency, is exactly where savvy fantasy managers should be shopping.
Here are six names who suddenly have everything to gain.
Brandon Miller – Hornets’ new alpha in waiting
Currently ranked No. 42 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings
Charlotte has been stripped down. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges are gone, and with them go a massive share of touches and shots. Someone has to inherit that responsibility.
Brandon Miller is first in line.
The 23-year-old wing has already cleared 20 points per game in each of his last two seasons, a scoring profile that usually belongs to established stars, not developing wings. Now he walks into a season where the ball will find him even more often, and where he’ll be asked to do more than just score. Extra creation duties, more rebounding chances, more time as the focal point.
Kon Knueppel will help soak up some of the vacated usage, but Miller is the one with the résumé and the green light. In a High Score format, where a couple of explosive outings each week can tilt matchups, a young volume scorer on an “ascending” Hornets team is exactly the kind of swing you want.
He’s not just a breakout candidate. He’s a potential No. 1 option whose fantasy profile is still climbing.
Keyonte George – Contract on the horizon, keys to the Jazz
Currently ranked No. 60 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings
Keyonte George already had his breakout. Now he’s chasing validation.
The Utah guard is coming off a third season in which he averaged 23.6 points and 6.1 assists per game, firmly claiming the starting point guard job. He’s eligible for a massive contract extension, talks have been reported, but the deal hasn’t landed yet.
So he plays on. And he plays for a lot.
Utah looks ready to make a serious push for the playoffs, which should only boost George’s minutes and responsibilities. Surrounded by Jaren Jackson Jr., Darryn Peterson and Lauri Markkanen, the 22-year-old has the perfect platform to keep climbing as a playmaker. He’s already set a new career-high in assists per game in each of his first three seasons; a fourth straight jump is squarely in play with this supporting cast.
Point guard is thin. Getting a high-usage, still-improving floor general around the sixth round is the kind of edge that wins leagues. If the extension doesn’t arrive early, expect George to treat every night like a contract showcase.
Ausar Thompson – Defense paid the bills, now the offense must follow
Currently ranked No. 82 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings
Amen Thompson cashed in. Ausar Thompson is still waiting.
While Amen exploded statistically in Houston and secured a lucrative five-year extension, Ausar’s numbers in Detroit stayed more modest. The Pistons, though, have quietly set the table for him to do more.
Detroit didn’t bring in a wave of scorers this offseason. Tobias Harris left for San Antonio, John Collins came in, and that was the headline move. The door remains wide open for Ausar to grab a bigger slice of the offense.
His defense is already elite enough to keep him on the floor. That’s the safety net. He’ll guard, he’ll run, he’ll stay in the rotation. What fantasy managers are buying is the chance that his offensive game finally pushes forward with the opportunity still intact.
In the eighth-round range, that’s a gamble worth taking, especially in High Score leagues that don’t penalize his lack of 3-pointers. If the shot volume ticks up even slightly, his all-around profile can quickly look underpriced.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. – From sixth man spark to Bucks’ mainstay
Currently ranked No. 100 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings
Jaime Jaquez Jr. did everything Miami asked last season. Off the bench, he filled every gap, stuffed every box score column, and finished second in the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year race.
Now he’s in Milwaukee, and the assignment is very different.
Shipped to the Bucks in the package for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaquez Jr. walks into his best NBA opportunity yet. He averaged 28.3 minutes per game last year while coming off the bench in 74 of 75 contests. In Milwaukee, he starts camp as the favorite to claim the small forward spot in the starting lineup.
Rebuilding teams still need production. Someone has to carry possessions, someone has to score, someone has to bring some structure to the offense. Jaquez Jr. has already shown he can rebound, create, and finish plays in volume minutes.
If he locks down that starting role, his blend of across-the-board stats and heavy run could turn a 100th-overall price tag into a clear bargain.
GG Jackson – Deep-league lottery ticket in a wide-open Memphis
Currently unranked on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings
Most of the 2023 first round is sorting out extension numbers. GG Jackson is in a different spot entirely.
As a second-round pick, he’s headed toward unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 season. That changes the calculus. Every strong stretch matters a little more. Every role he wins could reshape his market.
Memphis offers him a genuine opening. The rotation heading into training camp is wide open, especially at the forward spots. Jackson closed last season like a player who knows it: over his final 23 games, he averaged 17.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in just 25.7 minutes per night.
Jerami Grant and Cameron Boozer will compete with him for minutes, but there should be enough workload to go around for all three to post solid fantasy lines if the Grizzlies commit to them.
For now, Jackson is a name for deeper leagues, a watchlist staple rather than an automatic draft pick. But if his late-season surge proves real and the minutes follow, that status won’t last long.
Dereck Lively II – Hidden big man with a simple path
Currently unranked on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings
Seven games. That’s all Dereck Lively II gave fantasy managers last season, and that’s all it takes for a young center to disappear from most draft boards.
He shouldn’t.
Dallas is expected to split center minutes between Lively II and Daniel Gafford, and in the right formats that alone makes him relevant. In category leagues, where field-goal percentage can swing standings, Lively II deserves a late-round look. His profile fits the classic efficient big archetype fantasy managers hunt for in the final rounds.
There’s another layer. Both Lively II and Gafford have already built up worrying injury histories in Dallas. That reality turns the center battle into a durability contest as much as a talent one. The big man who stays on the floor will be the one worth holding as the season wears on.
For now, Lively II belongs in very deep leagues and on the radar of anyone punting guard stats and hunting big-man efficiency. One opening, one injury, and he goes from afterthought to asset.
Contract seasons, unsettled depth charts, and young players with something to prove. That’s where fantasy value hides. The question is simple: who’s ready to turn that pressure into points before the rest of your league catches on?
