Fantasy Basketball: Risk vs Reward players in 2024 will include Jordan Poole and Josh Giddey as top performers.

One of the key points when building your team should be understanding all possible outcomes for every player. Sometimes we know exactly what an individual player can offer us while other times there can be surprises waiting. Your next pick may prove decisive or immensely disappointing; these 10 players each possess potential home run hits but may also let you down, so make your selection according to what feels right to you and draft accordingly. Drafting these players requires carefully considering both risks and rewards. Smart drafters should consider including these players on their draft teams; it just may not be wise to draft too many at once. Jordan PooleEveryone knows his struggles from last season were evident, yet you could easily miss his transformation this season had you stopped following him closely enough. Poole averaged 21.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.1 threes per game over his final 14 games of the season without Tyus Jones (now in Phoenix). Malcolm Brogdon will miss the initial month of this season due to injury, so the Wizards have named Poole their point guard in Poole’s absence. While Poole could potentially return from injury soon enough, anything is still possible should something go awry with that plan. Poole and his Wizards team became infamous during last season due to an array of rookie players on board; with no change expected this time around. Poole may struggle anew on another tanking team and we saw first-hand just how early last season it got out of hand. Josh Giddey became an unhelpful liability with OKC; perhaps starting fresh will do him good. Chicago was willing to part ways with Alex Caruso to acquire him, and it appears likely that he will handle much of the ball early on for them. No word yet as to his starting lineup status but still extremely young and an excellent source of rebounds and assists! On a rebuilding team, he could flourish quickly and be worth selecting in the middle rounds. Yet what if his Thunder team-related issues follow him to Chicago? Donovan Mitchell won’t quickly transform into an elite shooter or defender overnight, especially with other guards such as Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball all competing for minutes; his playing time could even decrease below last season’s 25.1 minutes per game total. Giddey may find his fortunes worse with a new team. With Mikal Bridges now gone, there is the expectation that Cam Thomas will step right in and average 25 points per game immediately. Last season he averaged 22.5 shots per game; that figure should easily increase now that Bridges needs his 15.8 shots each game filled. Thomas has proven an elite source of points and 3-pointers. Now that he is the primary scoring option, however, Thomas must increase his scoring production or risk losing relevance in category leagues. What would happen if his scoring struggles to keep up when subjected to more defensive pressure? Thomas may just become an effective field goal percentage killer without some upgrades in his game. Walker Kessler Everyone recognizes how valuable Kessler can be as an addition to fantasy lineups; yet Will Hardy wasn’t particularly keen on including him for most of his first two seasons as an option in starting lineups. Kessler started Utah’s opening two preseason games – which bodes well for fantasy managers! Kessler should see enough minutes under Hardy for him to shine in fantasy leagues with his elite block rate and fantasy points potential. Unfortunately, starting him doesn’t guarantee more minutes; even so. Though most starting centers tend to play over 30 minutes a game, Hardy may elect a less traditional frontcourt setup in which guards are protected when needed. Kessler will still be good, but could prove costly at his ADP if not playing starter level minutes. Onyeka Okongwu: Could This Be His Year To Finally Break Through in Atlanta? If that happens, expect an immediate rebound to his production levels. Clint Capela has found great success catching passes from Trae Young. Even before Capela arrived on the scene, Alex Len had experienced success making plays from Young. Okongwu has proved far more dynamic offensively and, should he play over 30 minutes per game on an ongoing basis, could propel this team towards an eventual top-50 finish, perhaps better. Maybe Capela continues starting or Okongwu shares time. There’s also the risk that he doesn’t improve as a rebounder, compromising team success. Since becoming a rookie himself, OO has been expected to have his breakout year; unfortunately it might just have to wait another year. Scoot HendersonPlaying point guard in the NBA can be difficult; many rookies struggle at it initially. Henderson made quite an impression upon first entering, and may live up to it by building on that momentum in year two. He excelled as an emergency fill-in role during high volume times; with experience will come greater efficiency. Scoot can provide elite points and assists late in drafts, and should make his expected year two jump to outperform his ADP. Yet we cannot ignore how disappointing Scoot was as a rookie. At 38.5% from the floor and with 3.4 turnovers per game, Henderson’s numbers were particularly disappointing given that he only averaged 5.4 assists per game on average. Anfernee Simons will still see plenty of touches with Anfernee receiving most of them himself while Henderson may once more struggle when given opportunities to contribute meaningfully. Simply stated, his inefficiency can be difficult to manage. Christian Braun: With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope now playing for Orlando Magic instead of Denver Nuggets, their starting shooting guard position remains open in Denver. Braun got first shot at it and may serve as perimeter defender to fill in KCP’s absence by keeping opposing shooters away from scoring lanes. He may not be known for shooting, but his versatility will allow the team to flourish. Many small details combined will enable him to shine in category leagues. Of course, we’re talking about someone who has yet to place in the top 250 in 9-cat leagues during his career. Julian Strawther could experience his numbers increase due to an expanded role or provide them with floor spacing services. Braun could become totally irrelevant again for fantasy hoops purposes.Matas BuzelisIt’s an intriguing situation for rookie Matas Buzelis to find himself. An outstanding high school shooter who had some difficulties shooting well in the G-League is quite compelling for fantasy basketball purposes. Still, Buzelis put up impressive defensive numbers before joining an uncertain franchise looking to find its identity. Buzelis should play an instrumental role early on despite experiencing growing pains; this might just be his chance to shine as an impressive rookie player. Buzelis could make waves as an Rookie of the Year candidate despite dropping to Pick 11. Like almost every rookie, Buzelis may face numerous difficulties transitioning from G-League Ignite players who’ve failed their NBA tryout. Buzelis may outweigh his advantages as a rookie significantly.Gradey DickIt appears that Dick will start, which could open the floor up significantly for this young Raptors squad. Over his rookie season, Gradey posted numerous points and 3-pointers while expanding his role – no evidence to suggest otherwise in year two! Dick could be in for an outstanding season thanks to Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes providing him with open looks; however, his 3-point shooting may remain his primary contribution, though nothing indicates otherwise yet. Keon Ellis: After Kevin Huerter went down last season, Ellis proved why he should become his team’s starting shooting guard. Ellis was an exceptional source of steals and blocks at guard position, not to mention some impressive performances from three point range. While no clear decision has been made regarding starting lineup, I believe Ellis should start. If he gets that opportunity, Huerter could make an even greater impactful contribution due to his defensive prowess in 9-cat leagues. But there’s always the risk that another quarterback could steal Huerter’s starting spot from him. If that happens, Ellis may not receive enough minutes to deliver significant fantasy value as Malik Monk will become the primary reserve guard, with Devin Carter eventually returning healthy; in such an instance Ellis could become an unnecessary pick.