Over the coming weeks, we at FanSided will do a team-by-team breakdown of each NBA franchise’s fantasy prospects for the 2017-18 season. Let’s continue today with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Few teams are as top-heavy as the Milwaukee Bucks when it comes to fantasy basketball this coming season. Outside of two early-round studs, few Bucks players deserve your attention in the middle to later rounds.
Because Milwaukee mostly stood pat during the summer, it’s fairly easy to project each player’s outlook in 2017-18. Giannis Antetokounmpo will continue being a destroyer of worlds. With his hamstring injury in the rearview mirror, Khris Middleton will reassert himself as one of the league’s most promising three-and-D wings. Malcolm Brogdon will look to build upon his stunning Rookie of the Year campaign.
The biggest wild card in Milwaukee is Jabari Parker, who is working his way back from his second ACL tear in three years. According to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Parker “still can’t do much more than dribble and shoot when it pertains to basketball-specific skills” six months after the injury. Since he’s expected to return no earlier than February, fantasy owners in leagues without injured reserve slots should ignore Parker on draft day, although his eventual return could cut into the fantasy value of his teammates right as the fantasy postseason gets underway.
Which Bucks players should fantasy owners target with early-, mid- and late-round picks, and who should be left on the waiver wire? Let’s take a look.
Early-round picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF: In his first full season as the Bucks’ de facto point guard, Antetokounmpo erupted to the tune of 22.9 points on 52.1 percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals in 35.6 minutes per game. Though he hit only 49 3-pointers on the year, the Greek Freak still managed to finish as the fifth-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues. He’s one of the few players this season worth considering at No. 1 overall, as even a minor uptick in long-range shooting efficiency will make him an all-around fantasy dynamo. Under no circumstances should Antetokounmpo slip past the first few picks.
Khris Middleton, SF: A preseason hamstring tear sidelined Middleton for much of last season, but he quickly asserted himself as a league-swinger upon his return in early February. Over his 29 appearances, the Texas A&M product averaged 14.7 points on 45.0 percent shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.6 triples and 1.4 steals in just 30.7 minutes, finishing as the 63rd-raned player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues. With his playing time likely to expand this year now that the hamstring injury is further behind him—he averaged 36.1 minutes the year prior, for what it’s worth—owners should give Middleton a look in the fourth or fifth round of drafts.
Mid-round picks
N/A
Late-round picks
Malcolm Brogdon, SG: As an unheralded rookie second-round pick, Brogdon entered last season completely off the fantasy radar, but he finished it just outside of the top 100. With per-game averages of 10.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.0 triples in 26.4 minutes, Brogdon ranked 114th overall in nine-category leagues, despite not cracking the 30-minute plateau until late December. Now that he’s an established member of Milwaukee’s rotation, he should hit the ground running as a sophomore, making him a sneaky bet to finish with top-100 value despite ranking 139th in average draft position in early ESPN.com leagues.
Greg Monroe, C: While it’s easy to project roles for Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Brogdon, it’s anything but for Monroe, who played a career-low 22.5 minutes per game last season while coming off the bench for all 81 of his appearances. He finished as the 97th-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues after averaging 11.7 points on 53.3 percent shooting, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks, but his lack of a consistent role is troubling. Owners who grab Monroe with a late-round pick must be willing to embrace uncertainty, as the Bucks are still “actively trying to trade” him, according to longtime beat writer Gery Woelfel. Even if he stays on the roster, he’ll face plenty of competition for playing time from John Henson, Mirza Teletovic and Thon Maker.
Waiver-wire fodder
Matthew Dellavedova, PG
Gary Payton II, PG
JeQuan Lewis, PG
Rashad Vaughn, SG
Sterling Brown, SG
Jabari Parker, SF
Tony Snell, SF
John Henson, PF
Mirza Teletovic, PF
Thon Maker, PF
D.J. Wilson, PF
Sleepers/Busts
Sleeper: Malcolm Brogdon
Bust: Jabari Parker
Next: 30 richest players in the NBA
Other team breakdowns
Atlanta Hawks | Boston Celtics | Brooklyn Nets | Charlotte Hornets | Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Dallas Mavericks | Denver Nuggets | Golden State Warriors | Houston Rockets | Indiana Pacers | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | Memphis Grizzlies | Miami Heat
All average draft position info via FantasyPros. All rankings via Basketball Monster are based on nine-category leagues.