Latest / Hustle Sports Fantasy Podcast / 2026-27 Fantasy Basketball Boom-or-Bust Picks: 7 High-Risk, High-Reward 9-Cat Targets (BLEAV in Fantasy Collaboration)
Transcript
- 0:05Speaker 1: Whoa, what's going on? It's your boy T-Will.
- 0:07Speaker 2: Look, hey, I'm from the Hustle Sports Fantasy Podcast channel. Look,
- 0:11Speaker 2: we are here today to talk to the nine category
- 0:15Speaker 2: believers out there. Look, I know y'all been wondering, hey,
- 0:18Speaker 2: why nobody ever show nine cats some love?
- 0:20Speaker 1: Here you go today.
- 0:21Speaker 2: Look, here go an episode that's showing y'all boys some love.
- 0:25Speaker 2: Help y'all get some dubs because you already know we
- 0:27Speaker 2: are only here to get a dug. Today, I'm giving
- 0:31Speaker 2: you boom or bust picks. Look, like these picks, you
- 0:37Speaker 2: on your own. If you want them, you want them.
- 0:39Speaker 2: But they boom or bust, I'm telling you where it's
- 0:41Speaker 2: safe to take them. And if you pay more than
- 0:44Speaker 2: what I'm telling you to take them, that's where it
- 0:46Speaker 2: get risky. Look, nine categories, you know, focus on points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, threes,
- 0:53Speaker 2: field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and turnovers. So look,
- 0:56Speaker 2: here's the question I want y'all asking throughout this episode.
- 1:00Speaker 2: Am I buying production or am I buying a player's reputation?
- 1:05Speaker 2: We are evaluating seven players based on a fantasy ceiling.
- 1:09Speaker 2: Biggest risk, draft price, where that risk becomes worthwhile. And look,
- 1:16Speaker 2: stay with me to the last player because we, look,
- 1:18Speaker 2: the last player got incredible skill set, a champion, got
- 1:22Speaker 2: a dub. And as you know, we are here to
- 1:26Speaker 2: get a dub. Without further ado, let's keep it pushing, man.
- 1:30Speaker 2: Let's go get into it. Kawhi Leonard, I had this guy.
- 1:33Speaker 2: I'm a points lead guy, though. But I had this guy.
- 1:36Speaker 2: But for the category players, right now, he's being mocked
- 1:41Speaker 2: in the third. Now, if you could get him in
- 1:42Speaker 2: the fourth, you would be crazy not to take him.
- 1:46Speaker 2: But every mock I've done, he's gone in the third.
- 1:49Speaker 2: But his nine-category profile is attractive. Efficient scoring, strong free throws, three-pointers. steals, rebounds.
- 2:00Speaker 2: He manageable on the turnover side. But look, imagine if
- 2:03Speaker 2: you overspend on somebody like Kawhi and then he ball
- 2:06Speaker 2: out like he did last season. And you're like, damn, bro.
- 2:11Speaker 2: I really went crazy with this Kawhi pick in the second.
- 2:14Speaker 2: Then all of a sudden, he ain't playing back-to-backs no more.
- 2:17Speaker 2: He started to miss games. And now you're watching a
- 2:20Speaker 2: premium draft pick fall by the wayside because of the
- 2:24Speaker 2: reputation that you know him to have instead of drafting
- 2:28Speaker 2: based on the 2026 current version of Kawhi.
- 2:32Speaker 1: Now, don't get me wrong.
- 2:33Speaker 2: The trade to Toronto for Kawhi, I think, is going
- 2:38Speaker 2: to open wonders for this guy. Like, I think he
- 2:41Speaker 2: about to have the craziest season ever. But one thing
- 2:44Speaker 2: I will not do is ignore the fact that Kawhi
- 2:49Speaker 2: will miss games.
- 2:51Speaker 1: He will.
- 2:52Speaker 2: So, look, like I told y'all, in points, leagues, mocks
- 2:55Speaker 2: I've done, He's gone in the third round consistently. My
- 2:59Speaker 2: target price for Kawhi, for you category guys, 35 through 45,
- 3:03Speaker 2: for some of y'all that is third round.
- 3:07Speaker 1: But if you in that.
- 3:09Speaker 2: 30, 25 to 30 range, you probably overspend it. Now
- 3:13Speaker 2: you need everything to go right. Now I ain't saying
- 3:16Speaker 2: it won't go right, but you just don't want to
- 3:18Speaker 2: put that kind of pressure on your squad because you
- 3:21Speaker 2: As you know, if you overspend on somebody and they
- 3:24Speaker 2: don't produce in the way that you expect them to
- 3:26Speaker 2: or that you hope they will, that's going to come
- 3:29Speaker 2: back to bite you towards the end of the season.
- 3:31Speaker 2: So Kawhi, the risk is worth it from 35 to 45.
- 3:36Speaker 1: Third round.
- 3:38Speaker 2: Some mocks got him going fourth, but I ain't going
- 3:40Speaker 2: to lie. I haven't seen a mock yet where he
- 3:42Speaker 2: made it to the fourth. So third round is appropriate
- 3:45Speaker 2: pricing for Kawhi Leonard. I'm going to be honest. I
- 3:52Speaker 2: ain't even going to lie to y'all. I'm going to
- 3:53Speaker 2: keep it a buck with y'all. I'm not drafting this guy.
- 3:57Speaker 2: I am not drafting this guy. But that does not
- 4:00Speaker 2: mean that he is not one of them ones.
- 4:04Speaker 1: Look, he a former MVP. His fantasy production is crazy.
- 4:09Speaker 2: Even last, look, look, the numbers up there last, bro,
- 4:11Speaker 2: he averaged 27 last season and he didn't even.
- 4:15Speaker 1: Play that much.
- 4:17Speaker 2: So the, he going to take care of you When
- 4:20Speaker 2: it comes to scoring, rebounds, blocks, some assists. I ain't
- 4:24Speaker 2: crazy about his playmaking, but he can do it. Exceptional
- 4:29Speaker 2: free throw production from the center position. See, but my
- 4:32Speaker 2: question is, what good is elite per game production if
- 4:36Speaker 2: you're constantly trying to replace it? And that's the question
- 4:40Speaker 2: when it comes to Joel Embiid. You built your roster
- 4:44Speaker 2: around Embiid, scoring and rebounding, and then availability comes next.
- 4:49Speaker 2: becomes uncertain. Now you got to go grab his handcuff
- 4:53Speaker 2: as they use in football.
- 4:56Speaker 1: Now you got to go grab MB's backup center.
- 4:59Speaker 2: And honestly, you don't have to grab his backup center
- 5:02Speaker 2: because there are going to be some starting centers that's
- 5:04Speaker 2: on the waiver wire for you. You just got to
- 5:06Speaker 2: be early to the punch. Never be sleep because you
- 5:09Speaker 2: will get beat. Look, this is why drafting MB solely
- 5:13Speaker 2: on what he can do and what he can average,
- 5:16Speaker 2: this is why it gets dangerous. Because I'm evaluating on
- 5:19Speaker 2: what's realistically going to happen. Look, Embiid is the only
- 5:25Speaker 2: MVP in NBA history to never play 70 games in
- 5:33Speaker 2: an NBA season. And that is including his MVP season.
- 5:39Speaker 2: So look, Embiid, we know the talent is there. What
- 5:44Speaker 2: we will not do is overspend on Embiid. So if
- 5:49Speaker 2: you can grab Embiid on pick 60 through 72, I
- 5:52Speaker 2: think that is fair for most people that's round six.
- 5:56Speaker 2: You can establish a reliable production fantasy floor in the
- 6:01Speaker 2: first three to four rounds without overspending on Embiid just
- 6:07Speaker 2: to try to get elite center production.
- 6:08Speaker 1: And then think about it.
- 6:09Speaker 2: If you get him in the six, that is elite
- 6:13Speaker 2: center production in the sixth round. For me, Personally, I
- 6:17Speaker 2: started off, I'm not drafting Embiid. But I ain't going
- 6:21Speaker 2: to sit in and lie to y'all and act like
- 6:23Speaker 2: Embiid is not valuable at the right price. That's why
- 6:27Speaker 2: 60 to 72 is the right price for Embiid because
- 6:31Speaker 2: you're getting MVP level production in round six or later.
- 6:36Speaker 2: So I risk it with pick 60 through 72. Tyrese Halliburton.
- 6:45Speaker 2: I'm going to be honest. He's going in the second
- 6:48Speaker 2: round in a lot of the mocks I've done. He's
- 6:50Speaker 2: the assist advantage for the non-category players. Tyrese Halliburton offers
- 6:56Speaker 2: some extremely difficult to replace in non-category leagues, and that
- 7:01Speaker 2: is elite assist, three-pointers, steals, efficiency, and then he's pretty
- 7:09Speaker 2: favorable on the turnover profile than many high-usage guards. And
- 7:13Speaker 2: he's a double-double machine. Don't underestimate Tyrese Halliburton. Look, you
- 7:19Speaker 2: cannot find Tyrese Halliburton's production later in the draft. But
- 7:25Speaker 2: because he's returning from major injury, I get it. People
- 7:29Speaker 2: are a little nervous about trying to, you know, take
- 7:32Speaker 2: the risk on Tyrese. Nah, to hell with that. Draft
- 7:36Speaker 2: Tyrese Halliburton. We already know Rick Carlisle, trust him. The
- 7:40Speaker 2: Pacers go as Halliburton go. I don't know about y'all,
- 7:46Speaker 2: but the stuff I've seen Halliburton do in the preseason,
- 7:50Speaker 2: he's back. He's back. He's back. But don't overspend on nobody.
- 7:59Speaker 2: Like I said, in the mocks I've done, he's consistently
- 8:02Speaker 2: going in round two.
- 8:04Speaker 1: So I'm willing to pay.
- 8:07Speaker 2: Picks 20 through 28 when it comes to Tyrese Halliburton.
- 8:12Speaker 2: I'm comfortable investing that. I've seen the work in preseason.
- 8:16Speaker 2: He's a year removed from the injuries. He missed all
- 8:20Speaker 2: of last season. He is fully healthy. You know he's
- 8:25Speaker 2: going to get the roster involved, but you've got to
- 8:28Speaker 2: surround Halliburton around other category staples to make sure that, look,
- 8:34Speaker 2: that's two categories. Halliburton for the assists, and whoever you
- 8:38Speaker 2: pick in your first round, definitely going to have points
- 8:41Speaker 2: locked down and whatever else they do. You got Wimby, Jokic,
- 8:45Speaker 2: you got rebounds. With Wimby, you got blocks. So look,
- 8:51Speaker 2: round two for Halliburton, you definitely risk that. Picks 20
- 8:56Speaker 2: to 28. Don't overspend on nobody. But round two is
- 8:59Speaker 2: not an overspend on Tyrese Halliburton. Hey, let me move
- 9:04Speaker 2: out the way because y'all see. Let me go.
- 9:06Speaker 1: Yeah, there we go. Right there.
- 9:09Speaker 2: MFFL forever, for life. I was a Finn doll guy
- 9:16Speaker 2: to just throw that out there. But look, I'm biased
- 9:19Speaker 2: when it comes to Kyrie Irving, but don't pay for
- 9:22Speaker 2: the player that you remember. Kyrie Irving, over the course
- 9:25Speaker 2: of his career, has had many major injuries.
- 9:30Speaker 1: Don't forget that. However, we know Kyrie Irving is tough.
- 9:35Speaker 2: And when he's healthy, he's an outstanding nine-category player. You
- 9:40Speaker 2: talk about efficient scoring, threes, absolutely an immaculate free throw shooting.
- 9:47Speaker 2: Some assists, he's not at the top, top end of assists,
- 9:52Speaker 2: but he can get you six, seven steals. Look, he
- 9:55Speaker 2: finished the preseason game the other day with two steals.
- 9:57Speaker 2: So you think about Kyrie he's elite when it comes
- 10:01Speaker 2: to nine category production. But here's the trap. You remember
- 10:05Speaker 2: the scoring nights. You remember the efficiency. You remember what
- 10:09Speaker 2: he accomplished at his best. And suddenly you convinced that
- 10:13Speaker 2: this is the version that's going to show up for you.
- 10:15Speaker 1: He's 34 now. That's nostalgia. Be smart.
- 10:19Speaker 2: Don't overspend for Kyrie Irving. And you see that Mav
- 10:22Speaker 2: sign back there. Look, if Kyrie Irving fall to me
- 10:27Speaker 2: in my draft, I am taking Kyrie Irving. However, the
- 10:32Speaker 2: target price for Kyrie Irving is picks 55 through 70.
- 10:36Speaker 2: I think that's what it costs. The upside of it
- 10:39Speaker 2: becomes attractive. Now, you will have some players in your
- 10:42Speaker 2: league that overspend for Kyrie.
- 10:44Speaker 1: Let them do that. And I ain't going to lie
- 10:46Speaker 1: to you. I've mocked.
- 10:47Speaker 2: A lot over this off season. And Kyrie consistently has
- 10:50Speaker 2: gone in the fourth round. If you in a, you know,
- 10:54Speaker 2: anything over 12, you probably cool with that. Me in
- 11:01Speaker 2: a 12 man league, I don't know if paying for
- 11:05Speaker 2: Kyrie in the fourth round is really worth it when
- 11:07Speaker 2: there's other talent on the, or not other talent. Cause
- 11:10Speaker 2: the talent for Kyrie ain't the question. It's the reliability.
- 11:14Speaker 2: It's the availability. So look, I'm not reaching. And if
- 11:18Speaker 2: you've been tapping in with me all offseason, do not
- 11:23Speaker 2: overspend on anybody.
- 11:25Speaker 1: I don't care who they are. Do not overspend.
- 11:28Speaker 2: So, look, the verdict is I'm risking it with Kyrie
- 11:32Speaker 2: when it comes to picks 55 through 70. So, as
- 11:35Speaker 2: you know, like I say, don't overspend. But 55 through
- 11:40Speaker 2: 70 is appropriate pricing for Kyrie Irving. Now, I've talked
- 11:46Speaker 2: about this guy all offseason as well. And this is
- 11:50Speaker 2: a guy that I probably would overspend on. I like
- 11:54Speaker 2: the opportunity up there in Minnesota. When you talk about
- 11:57Speaker 2: the mellow ball, the fantasy upside is obvious.
- 12:01Speaker 1: Points, threes, assists, steals. He can do all that.
- 12:04Speaker 2: And for nine category guys, that's two categories that he's
- 12:08Speaker 2: going to hold you down in. That's going to help
- 12:11Speaker 2: you get a dub because you know what? We are
- 12:13Speaker 2: here to get a dub. He can feel the box score.
- 12:16Speaker 1: In a hurry.
- 12:17Speaker 2: But we ain't playing for the highlights. We know what
- 12:20Speaker 2: LaMelo can do. He can pull a half-court three-pointer. Flashy passing.
- 12:25Speaker 2: He been doing that since he was a high schooler.
- 12:27Speaker 2: We know what the talent is like. But we're playing
- 12:32Speaker 2: nine categories. And LaMelo brings concerns when it comes to
- 12:36Speaker 2: field goal percentage and turnovers and availability. He's another one.
- 12:41Speaker 2: But then you think about his role in Minnesota today.
- 12:44Speaker 2: He's being asked to do something that he has not
- 12:48Speaker 2: had the luxury to do while he was here in Charlotte.
- 12:51Speaker 2: When he was in Charlotte, a lot of everything went
- 12:56Speaker 2: as he went. That's not the case when it comes
- 12:59Speaker 2: to Minnesota. How much time will he spend controlling the
- 13:02Speaker 2: offense up there in Minnesota? What happens to his uses? Me, personally,
- 13:06Speaker 2: based on what I've seen in preseason, I have.
- 13:09Speaker 1: No worries about this guy.
- 13:11Speaker 2: No worries.
- 13:12Speaker 1: No worries at all.
- 13:13Speaker 2: LaMelo, If you want to reach around early on a player,
- 13:19Speaker 2: LaMelo's that player, especially non-category leagues. Look, so you assuming
- 13:25Speaker 2: that he going to do what he done in Charlotte,
- 13:28Speaker 2: that's a mistake.
- 13:30Speaker 1: I will say this.
- 13:31Speaker 2: Him being in Minnesota, I believe, increases that efficiency, field
- 13:37Speaker 2: goal percentage, assists, points. It increases all of that. just
- 13:43Speaker 2: because of the situation that he has found himself in
- 13:47Speaker 2: in Minnesota. So look, like I said.
- 13:51Speaker 1: My logic, I will reach around on LaMelo.
- 13:55Speaker 2: But the realistic target for LaMelo are picks 45 through 60.
- 14:02Speaker 2: That's not an overspend for LaMelo. And I promise you,
- 14:05Speaker 2: in some leagues, he ain't going to go that far.
- 14:08Speaker 2: I've seen it in the mocks with the automated draft picks.
- 14:11Speaker 2: He ain't go that far. But if LaMelo fall to
- 14:15Speaker 2: you and picks 45 through 60, you better grab him
- 14:18Speaker 2: because you're going to be kicking yourself if you don't.
- 14:21Speaker 2: Here's a guy, another guy that I'm excited about. But
- 14:25Speaker 2: I think when you look at the roster construction for Utah,
- 14:31Speaker 2: I think Larry going to have a big year, especially
- 14:33Speaker 2: the quiet gamble. Look, you look at Larry marketing. He
- 14:37Speaker 2: ain't always generate the same excitement as some of these
- 14:39Speaker 2: other names. But think about it. He was the centerpiece
- 14:42Speaker 2: in that Donovan Mitchell trade. And we've seen what Spider
- 14:46Speaker 2: has done since he went to Cleveland. So you think
- 14:49Speaker 2: about what Cleveland gave up to get Spider. But Laura
- 14:54Speaker 2: to be the centerpiece of a trade like that, he
- 14:59Speaker 2: got to have something to him. And the something to
- 15:02Speaker 2: him are the scoring, three-pointers, rebounding, free-throw percentage. You know,
- 15:07Speaker 2: he ain't going to have a lot of turnovers. And
- 15:10Speaker 2: you might get some blocks here and there.
- 15:11Speaker 3: Look.
- 15:12Speaker 1: Is it elite on the defensive side? No.
- 15:15Speaker 2: But the weaknesses you should cover elsewhere. Larr is going
- 15:20Speaker 2: to help you score, rebound. He's going to do his thing.
- 15:24Speaker 2: He's going to lead them in scoring pretty much 90%
- 15:26Speaker 2: of the time. I get it. They got Jaron. You
- 15:31Speaker 2: know what I'm saying? But understand this. When it comes
- 15:34Speaker 2: to Larr, uncertainty is not the issue when it comes
- 15:41Speaker 2: to Larr. The issue when it comes to Larry is availability.
- 15:45Speaker 2: And if he's healthy, which I think he is because
- 15:48Speaker 2: he missed a good bit, if he's healthy, the points, rebounds,
- 15:52Speaker 2: the production is going to be there. And I'm willing
- 15:55Speaker 2: to spend on him in those middle rounds in these
- 15:58Speaker 2: nine category leagues. Any round between four through six, Larry
- 16:03Speaker 2: marketing is worth that price. It is not an overspend
- 16:07Speaker 2: at that price. And I told y'all the last person
- 16:11Speaker 2: on this list was a champion.
- 16:13Speaker 1: He was worth the stash.
- 16:15Speaker 2: Chris Stapps, look, his nine category profile offers exactly what
- 16:21Speaker 2: we're looking for as fantasy managers, right? Points, rebounding, threes, blocks,
- 16:27Speaker 2: a little bit of everything, right? He won a chip.
- 16:30Speaker 2: He's a vet. He's a veteran's vet, right? That combination
- 16:34Speaker 2: is difficult to replace. But the line, when it comes
- 16:38Speaker 2: to Chris Stapps, is availability. He don't have a return timeline.
- 16:44Speaker 2: So that's what makes him a stash, right? Don't overspend on,
- 16:49Speaker 2: I'm going to say this in.
- 16:51Speaker 3: The end, right? Don't overspend on anyone. I don't care
- 16:57Speaker 3: who they are. Do not overspend on anybody. All right,
- 17:05Speaker 3: now that we got that out of the way.
- 17:07Speaker 1: Kristaps Porzingis.
- 17:09Speaker 2: The availability is what you're concerned about, but the reason
- 17:13Speaker 2: why I put him on this list is because he's
- 17:14Speaker 2: a great stash spot. We don't have a definitive return.
- 17:17Speaker 2: I see here he got November 19th. You can stash
- 17:21Speaker 2: him for a month, bro. That's crazy.
- 17:22Speaker 1: You know what I mean?
- 17:23Speaker 2: Like, to have that type of production in your IRR
- 17:26Speaker 2: slot for a month.
- 17:27Speaker 1: Would be crazy.
- 17:28Speaker 2: That means you're probably one of the best players in
- 17:31Speaker 2: the league. But the real price when it comes to
- 17:36Speaker 2: Christoph Spazingas is pick 120.
- 17:40Speaker 1: Or later. Nothing earlier. 120 or later. Right?
- 17:47Speaker 2: And the reason why, as I told you, I'm not
- 17:50Speaker 2: comfortable spending highly on a pick like Chris Stapps when
- 17:56Speaker 2: he's going to miss the first month of the season.
- 17:58Speaker 2: That's just this date here on ESPN. Who's to say
- 18:01Speaker 2: how often that date changes? And when he does come back,
- 18:05Speaker 2: he probably won't play many back-to-backs. We've seen this time
- 18:08Speaker 2: in and time out. when it came to Chris Stapps.
- 18:10Speaker 2: But the production is always there. He's a late round
- 18:16Speaker 2: stash only. 120 or later. Do not overspend on Chris Stapps-Prazingas.
- 18:24Speaker 2: Do not overspend on anyone in the NBA league, in
- 18:30Speaker 2: the fantasy league. Do not overspend on anyone. Look, That's
- 18:37Speaker 2: been my seven players, man. Boom or bust. Look, I
- 18:40Speaker 2: got a couple of rules for you before we get
- 18:42Speaker 2: out of here.
- 18:42Speaker 1: Look, let's go.
- 18:45Speaker 2: First rule, separate per game value from total season value.
- 18:53Speaker 2: Top 15 production across 40 games isn't automatically more valuable
- 18:58Speaker 2: than top 45 production over the course of 75 games.
- 19:02Speaker 2: The numbers are not the same.
- 19:04Speaker 1: And as you know, I always say numbers, over narratives.
- 19:07Speaker 2: Number two, know which categories you are buying. Alabama can
- 19:13Speaker 2: anchor the assists and B can anchor the points. Kawhi
- 19:17Speaker 2: can anchor efficiency and steals. B can also get you rebounds.
- 19:22Speaker 2: LaMelo can get you points and assists. Understand this. Where
- 19:26Speaker 2: you're drafting, understand which categories you're buying.
- 19:31Speaker 1: Number three, create a risk budget.
- 19:35Speaker 2: Your first three selections all carry major availability concerns. You
- 19:41Speaker 2: exposing your entire roster. Balance it, bro. Especially especially on
- 19:47Speaker 2: the first three picks do not don't draft injury prone
- 19:51Speaker 2: guys in the rear of the picks because look y'all
- 19:56Speaker 2: know if you've been rocking with me you know we
- 19:58Speaker 2: are here to get a dub if you're always out
- 20:03Speaker 2: the lineup i can't get a dub with you that
- 20:06Speaker 2: automatically eliminates you from what i'm trying to do Because
- 20:10Speaker 2: I'm here to get a dub. And if you can't
- 20:11Speaker 2: help me get a dub, then you're not worthy to
- 20:13Speaker 2: be on the squad. Number four, never pay full price
- 20:19Speaker 2: for uncertainty. But I'm going to scratch that. Never pay
- 20:23Speaker 2: full price for anybody.
- 20:27Speaker 1: Anybody.
- 20:28Speaker 2: Look, you found this helpful. Make sure y'all check out
- 20:32Speaker 2: all of my videos I've done on the Believe in
- 20:34Speaker 2: Fantasy channel. I want to shout out the believers out there,
- 20:37Speaker 2: especially the nine category believers out there. Also, if you
- 20:41Speaker 2: found this helpful, check out my Fantasy Basketball 2026-2027 playlist
- 20:47Speaker 2: on the Hustle Sports Fantasy Podcast channel on YouTube.