SportsLine Model Tabs Cooper Flagg as 2026-27 Fantasy Bust — SkimNews
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- SportsLine's model, which simulates each NBA season 10,000 times and is powered by the same team behind projections for all three major fantasy sites, released its 2026-27 fantasy basketball rankings after correctly calling Kevin Porter Jr. as a sleeper and Jordan Poole as a bust last season.
- Lakers center Walker Kessler (ADP 58) is the model's top sleeper after signing a 4-year, $130 million deal to play alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves; his 2.4 blocks per game rank second among active players, trailing only Wembanyama.
- Kings point guard Darius Acuff Jr. (ADP 48), the No. 7 overall pick out of Arkansas and the first freshman to win the Bob Cousy Award, is tabbed as a breakout with a clear path to minutes after Russell Westbrook's retirement and DeMar DeRozan's departure.
- Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (ADP 10) is listed as a bust despite winning last season's Rookie of the Year; the model cites his adjustment to sharing the ball with Kyrie Irving and to new head coach Dusty May.
- Major offseason moves reshape the fantasy landscape: LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are in Philadelphia, Kawhi Leonard is back in Toronto, Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami, and Kyrie Irving, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard are returning after missing all of last year.
- The top of the 2026-27 fantasy ADP board is led by Nikola Jokic (1.03), Luka Doncic (2.87), Victor Wembanyama (3.14), Giannis Antetokounmpo (3.90), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4.40).
Why it matters: Cooper Flagg is going 10th overall in fantasy drafts after winning Rookie of the Year, but SportsLine's model — which previously called Banchero and Wembanyama's ROTY wins — flags him as a bust at that price. Drafters who follow the call save a first-round pick by fading a consensus top-10 selection.
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