Wembanyama Tops HoopSplit's Top 100 as the 2026-27 Season Opens
Wemby lands at No. 1 ahead of SGA and Jokic, but the fantasy story runs deeper — think Kyrie at No. 29 and Josh Hart at No. 90.
No. 29 overall coming off injury — his draft cost is suppressed by the absence risk.
- Wembanyama ranked No. 1 ahead of SGA and Jokic
- Kyrie Irving sits at No. 29 (#13 among guards)
- Josh Hart lands at No. 90, averaged 30.4 FPTS/G in 2025-26
- Six analysts submitted ballots for the 2026-27 list
- Season tips off one week from the ranking's release
Victor Wembanyama opens the 2026-27 season as the best player in basketball, at least according to our top 100 rankings, which slot him at No. 1 ahead of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Six of our analysts turned in ballots, and the players were graded on how we expect them to perform this season — meaning injuries were baked in for guys returning from long layoffs (Kyrie Irving, Tyrese Haliburton) and those opening the year on the shelf (Jimmy Butler). The season tips off in exactly one week.
Here's the part fantasy managers should internalize: the top of the list isn't where championships — or titles in your league — are actually decided. The modern NBA champion isn't built from three stars and a prayer. It's built with role players scattered across the entire board: your Josh Harts, your Alex Carusos, your Al Horfords. The same math applies to your roster.
Where the Fantasy Value Hides
Take Kyrie Irving at No. 29, good for 13th among guards. He's coming off injury, which drags his ranking down, but remember what he did the last time he was healthy: 24.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists across 50 games in 2024-25, worth 40.6 fantasy points per game. That's top-20 production being drafted at a discount because of the recovery question mark.
Then there's Josh Hart, sitting at No. 90 overall (45th among guards). His 2025-26 line — 12 points, 7.4 boards, 4.8 assists over 66 games — translated to 30.4 fantasy points per game, which is quietly excellent for a guy you can grab late. The catch: his last five games of 2025-26 ran 9.7 fantasy points below his season average, so the form trend wasn't pointing up heading into the break.
The deeper names tell the same story in reverse. Al Horford (now in Golden State) lands at No. 171 and posted just 22.6 fantasy points per game across 45 games in 2025-26, trending down 9.9 points over his final five. Alex Caruso, at No. 272, is a real-NBA difference-maker whose 16.5 fantasy points per game in 2025-26 make him close to unrosterable in standard formats. Winning in real life and winning in fantasy are not the same sport.
The verdict: buy low on Kyrie Irving. A No. 29 overall tag undersells the ceiling of a guard who was pumping out 40.6 fantasy points per game when healthy, and his draft cost is being suppressed entirely by games-missed fear. If he slides in your draft, pounce — just set your games-played expectations accordingly.
