Embiid Looks Spry at Sixers Scrimmage, But Edgecombe Is the Fantasy Story
A trimmer Embiid was hedging and dunking in Philly's Blue x White scrimmage — but rookie VJ Edgecombe, 32.9 FPTS/G last season, might be the real draft-day value.
Rookie looked rotation-ready next to MVPs; cheap source of points everywhere.
- Edgecombe: 16 pts, 5.6 reb, 4.2 ast in 2025-26
- Edgecombe averaged 32.9 FPTS/G last season
- Up +4.7 FPTS over his last 5 games
- Our rank: #68 overall, #32 at his position
- Embiid at every practice, no load management so far
Philadelphia's Blue x White scrimmage gave us our first real look at the Sixers' expensive new trio in uniform, and the early returns were loud. A noticeably trimmer Joel Embiid was hard-hedging on defense — something he almost never did a year ago — and still had the pop to dunk down the lane and contest a VJ Edgecombe block attempt. For a player who spent recent summers rehabbing instead of training, showing up healthy with no maintenance days is the single best thing he could do for his fantasy outlook.
LeBron James, who turns 42 soon and missed time last season with back sciatica, looked like the version of himself that's still an All-NBA-caliber player — filling lanes and finishing in transition. That matters, because a Sixers team running the floor with this much talent is going to generate the kind of pace and easy buckets that inflate everyone's numbers. The health question hasn't vanished, but the sight of it in practice beats any press-conference promise.
The Rookie Who Stole the Show
Here's the name managers should actually be circling: VJ Edgecombe. The rookie didn't look the slightest bit out of place sharing the floor with former MVPs, flashing smooth handles, defensive instincts and a clean-looking jumper. The write-up out of camp suggests he could force his way into the rotation from day one — and in Philadelphia, day-one minutes are not something you get to take for granted.
The counting stats back up the hype. Edgecombe posted 16 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists across 75 games last season (2025-26), good for 32.9 fantasy points per game. He sits at #68 overall in our rankings and #32 at his position, and he's trending the right way — up 4.7 fantasy points over his last five games versus his season average.
Why This Is a Buy-Low Window
The obvious concern is touches. With Embiid healthy and LeBron commanding the ball, there's a real argument that a young guard gets squeezed. But the scrimmage painted the opposite picture — an unselfish group working two-man games and hunting mismatches, exactly the environment where a guard who can create and defend keeps earning minutes.
The actionable move: buy Edgecombe now, before the rotation locks in and the price climbs. He's being drafted as a speculative rookie, but a borderline top-70 fantasy profile with a positive form trend and a clear path to the floor is a steal at that cost. Grab him while managers are still fixated on the stars.
