2023 NBA Draft Class: Fantasy Players to Watch

The first round of the 2023 NBA Draft has reached a familiar crossroads. Extension talks, big money on the horizon, and for fantasy managers, a chance to cash in on players with everything to prove. Some, like Victor Wembanyama, already have their deals. Others are still playing for them. That urgency is exactly what you want when you’re hunting for upside in the middle and late rounds.

Below are six names from that class (plus one notable second-rounder) who could tilt fantasy matchups in High Score and points formats this season.

Brandon Miller – Hornets’ new alpha-in-waiting

Currently ranked No. 42 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings

Charlotte has been blown open. With LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges traded out, the ball has to find a new home, and Brandon Miller is standing right in the middle of that offensive vacuum.

He’s already shown he can handle a heavy scoring load, averaging over 20 points per game in each of his last two seasons, still only 23 and still learning how to bend defenses. Now he gets more touches, more on-ball reps, and more responsibility alongside Kon Knueppel.

The numbers hint at another jump. His points should climb with the extra volume, and his rebounds and assists have room to follow. In High Score formats, where one or two explosive outings a week can swing a matchup, a young wing who can drop big lines as he grows into a No. 1 role is exactly the profile you chase.

If the Hornets really are an ascending team, Miller isn’t just part of the rise. He’s the one driving it.

Keyonte George – Utah’s engine with something to prove

Currently ranked No. 60 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings

Keyonte George just put together the kind of third season that gets front offices talking numbers. Twenty-three point six points per game. Six point one assists. Clear command of the Utah offense.

He’s now eligible for a massive extension. Talks have been reported, but the signature hasn’t landed yet. That’s a powerful motivator for a 22-year-old guard who already grabbed the starting point guard job and doesn’t look interested in giving it back.

Utah appears ready to push toward the playoffs, and that usually means more minutes for the players who can actually create something out of nothing. Surrounded by Jaren Jackson Jr., Darryn Peterson and Lauri Markkanen, George is set up to pile up assists again and threaten another career high in that category for the fourth straight season.

A young, high-usage point guard in the sixth-round range at a thin position is the kind of swing that can define a draft. If the contract doesn’t come early, expect him to play like he’s determined to force the issue.

Ausar Thompson – Defense first, upside waiting in Detroit

Currently ranked No. 82 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings

Ausar Thompson watched his twin brother, Amen, explode statistically in Houston and cash in with a five-year extension. His own leap never quite matched that arc last season, and his payday hasn’t arrived. That contrast lingers.

Detroit, though, has quietly set the table for him. The Pistons didn’t load up on scorers this offseason. Tobias Harris is gone to San Antonio, replaced by John Collins, but there was no star wing added to push Thompson aside. The lane is still open for him to grow offensively.

His defense guarantees him minutes. He stays on the floor, he guards, he covers mistakes. That’s the foundation. The question is whether he layers enough scoring and playmaking on top of that to break out.

In the eighth-round range, especially in High Score or formats that don’t punish his lack of 3-pointers, he becomes an intriguing gamble. If the offense catches up even slightly to the defense, that price will look cheap by midseason.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. – From sixth man spark to Milwaukee focal point

Currently ranked No. 100 on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings

Jaime Jaquez Jr. spent last season in Miami doing a little bit of everything. He came off the bench in 74 of 75 games, logged 28.3 minutes a night, and filled box scores well enough to finish second in the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year race.

Then came the trade. Shipped to Milwaukee in the deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaquez Jr. suddenly finds himself on a team that needs production, not polish. This is his cleanest runway yet.

He enters camp as the favorite to start at small forward for a Bucks side that is firmly in rebuild mode. Rebuilding teams still need someone to score, someone to soak up possessions, someone to take the shots when the clock is bleeding out. Jaquez Jr. fits that mold, with the versatility to rebound, pass and defend enough to keep his minutes safe even on off shooting nights.

For fantasy managers, that shift from high-end bench piece to likely starter is gold. Volume is king, and he’s walking into more of it.

GG Jackson – Memphis wildcard with real scoring juice

Currently unranked on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings

GG Jackson doesn’t have the safety net of restricted free agency. As a second-round pick in that loaded 2023 class, he’s heading toward unrestricted free agency after the 2026-27 season. That reality sharpens every possession.

Memphis offers him a real opening. The rotation heading into training camp is wide open, roles are there to be grabbed, and Jackson is coming off a strong finish that demands attention. Over his final 23 games last season, he averaged 17.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in just 25.7 minutes per night. That’s serious per-minute production.

He still has to fight for minutes with Jerami Grant and Cameron Boozer at the forward spots, but there should be enough playing time for all three to post respectable fantasy lines if the Grizzlies commit to a broader rotation.

Right now, he’s more of a deep-league stash than a standard-league lock. But if that late-season surge turns into a full-season role, his name won’t stay off the rankings for long.

Dereck Lively II – A forgotten big with sneaky category value

Currently unranked on RotoWire’s top 150 overall points rankings

Seven games. That’s all Dereck Lively II gave Dallas last season, which makes it easy for fantasy managers to move on and forget the profile. They shouldn’t.

He’s expected to split center minutes with Daniel Gafford, and while that timeshare caps his ceiling in points formats, it keeps him firmly on the radar in very deep leagues. The key is his efficiency. In formats where field-goal percentage carries real weight, Lively II deserves late-round attention.

Both he and Gafford have already built up worrying injury histories in Dallas. That uncertainty cuts both ways. It makes them risky, but it also means that if one of them stays healthy while the other doesn’t, the survivor instantly becomes a priority fantasy piece as the season wears on.

Lively II won’t be the headline name on draft night. But for managers who plan ahead, he might be the big man who quietly patches the back end of a roster when it matters most.