Derrick White, Jaren Jackson Jr. and the 9-Cat Targets Winning Drafts

Championships aren't won on Jokić, Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — those picks make themselves. They're won in the murky middle rounds, where format matters more than name recognition. And this season, the most interesting mid-round target in 9-category leagues wears Celtic green: Derrick White, who averaged 16.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 2025-26.

That stat line already makes White a category darling — threes, dimes, steals and blocks all in one guard. The twist for 2026-27 is that Jaylen Brown is now in Philadelphia, which clears a lane for White to handle a heavier offensive load. A path to the Celtics' No. 2 role ahead of Paul George is genuinely on the table, and White's floor rarely dips below useful on any given night.

Defense Travels in Category Formats

Jaren Jackson Jr. is the other name to circle, with one obvious caveat: health. He suited up for just 48 regular-season games in 2025-26 and has cleared 70 games only twice in eight seasons. When he's upright, though, he's a category machine — 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 threes and a combined 2.5 steals-plus-blocks in 2025-26. The modest rebounding is easy to paper over with the right roster build.

If you'd rather chase steals than blocks, Dyson Daniels is your guy. He put up 11.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.0 steals across 76 games in 2025-26, and steals are the single toughest category to stockpile consistently. Any uptick in his scoring or three-point shooting only raises the ceiling on a profile that already stuffs the sheet.

The Points-League Pivot

Standard points leagues reward volume over efficiency, which reshapes the board. Paolo Banchero (22.2/8.4/5.2 in 72 games during 2025-26) and Josh Giddey (career-best 17.0/8.3/9.1 in 2025-26) both thrive here because their shaky percentages and defensive gaps simply don't count against them. Domantas Sabonis belongs in the conversation too, posting 36.2 fantasy points per game in 2025-26 — but across only 19 games. His last fully healthy campaign (2024-25) delivered 19.1 points, 13.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

Bottom line: in 9-cat formats, White is the buy-low of the bunch. Brown's departure gives him real upside on usage, and his multi-category base makes him close to injury-proof as a draft asset. Jackson is the higher-ceiling gamble if you can stomach the 48-game risk, and Sabonis is a points-league steal only if you trust his body — grab him a round late and let someone else pay full freight.