Murray-Boyles and Derik Queen Headline the 2026-27 Sophomore Breakout Class
CMB posted 21.8 fantasy pts/game as a rookie; Queen is already our No. 19 center after an 81-game debut. Both are draft-day value plays.
Late-round big with per-36 numbers screaming for more minutes.
- CMB: 21.8 fantasy pts/game as rookie (2025-26 actual)
- Queen: our #103 overall, #19 at center for 2026-27
- Queen's last 5 games: +13.4 fantasy pts vs season avg
- CMB per-36 as rookie: 14 pts, 8.2 reb, 1.5 stl, 1.5 blk
- Queen played 81 games, 2 triple-doubles as a rookie
Forget the sophomore-slump cliche. The 2026-27 draft board is loaded with second-year bigs ready to graduate from flier status to real fantasy contributors, and two names top our list: Toronto's Collin Murray-Boyles and New Orleans' Derik Queen. Both put up usable rookie lines, and both are walking into bigger opportunities.
Murray-Boyles sits at No. 189 in our rankings (67th among forwards) after averaging 8.5 points, 5 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 57 games in 2025-26, good for 21.8 fantasy points per game. The raw totals undersell him — his per-36 numbers were 14 points, 8.2 boards, 3.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks, and he capped a January 11 overtime win over Philadelphia with a 17/15/3/3/3 stat sheet. That's the kind of across-the-board stuffing fantasy managers hunt for in the late rounds.
CMB will see time at both power forward and center this year, occasionally sharing the floor with Jakob Poeltl in jumbo lineups. With Toronto's frontcourt thin behind Poeltl, the minutes should follow. His form is trending the right way too — he's up 3.3 fantasy points over his last five games versus his season average.
Queen Is the Safer Bet
Derik Queen is the more polished fantasy asset right now, ranked No. 103 overall and No. 19 among centers. As a rookie he logged 81 games, averaging 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, a steal and nearly a block while dropping two triple-doubles — including the first 30-point triple-double by a rookie center in league history, in a December 8 loss to San Antonio. In his 48 starts, those numbers jumped to 13.4/8.1/4.6 with 29.2 fantasy points per game on the season.
The catch is the Pelicans' frontcourt math. If Zion Williamson is healthy, the two could coexist, but Queen may slide to the bench. Even so, his recent surge is impossible to ignore — he's a staggering +13.4 fantasy points over his last five games versus his season average. That's a player trending up, not a role player getting squeezed.
The bottom line: both are strong value picks, just at different price points. Queen is the one to target aggressively given his playmaking floor and the center eligibility that makes him a weekly asset. Draft him as a buy-low at his current No. 19 center tag and you're getting someone playing like a top-tier option. Murray-Boyles is the dartboard swing in your final rounds — if he wins meaningful minutes, that per-36 profile cashes in fast. Grab him late and stash.
