All rankings and comments are for nine-category head-to-head leagues unless otherwise noted. All player positions are taken from Yahoo Fantasy Basketball. These rankings are not meant to predict the final nine-category league rankings. They are meant to predict how useful a player will be in a nine-category H2H league. When putting together these rankings, I considered overall value, value in the various punting strategies, durability, team outlook, ceiling, floor, and category scarcity.
1) Nikola Jokic (C) – If Spencer Jones hadn’t stepped on Jokic’s foot in late December, there wouldn’t be much discussion around who should go first this season. If Jones’ foot had landed beside Jokic’s foot instead of on top of it, this blurb would be about how the three-time (or maybe four-time) MVP was coming off the greatest fantasy season of the modern era. That’s the type of season Jokic was on pace for before suffering a knee injury that led to him struggling through the remainder of the regular season and Denver’s first-round matchup against the Wolves. From the start of the season until December 27th, Jokic was 35 percent more valuable than SGA, who himself, at that time, was about 26 percent more valuable than the next-best player in nine-category leagues. In eight-category settings, Jokic was a whopping 56 percent more valuable than the Canadian at that point in the year. A gap like that at the top of the category-league rankings is unheard of. The center managed to create that gap by averaging a historic 29.9 PPG on 60.4 FG% and 85.5 FT%, 2.1 3PG, 12.4 RPG, 11.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, and 3.6 TOPG over his first 31 games. After returning from a month-long absence due to his hyper-extended knee, Jokic averaged “just” 25.8 PPG on 53.3 FG% and 81.0 FT%, 1.4 3PG, 13.5 RPG, 10.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.9 BPG, and 3.9 TOPG. Those are numbers only a handful of players in history could match, but they do represent a sharp decrease in production for the big man. If you think the Jokic we saw over the second half of the season is going to be the Jokic we get going forward, you should pass on him at one. However, that feels unlikely. The drop in production was clearly due to the injury, and it is not an issue that should impact the Serbian going forward. While it ruined Jokic’s and the Nuggets’ season, a knee hyperextension is not a multiple-season injury. He might not quite match what he was producing during the first half of the 2025-2026 campaign, but he doesn’t need to in order to be the correct pick at one. A repeat of his 2024-2025 numbers would likely be enough. The Nuggets’ fantasy playoff schedule strengthens the argument that Jokic should still be the first player taken on draft day. Jokic and the Nuggets have 11 playoff games in leagues that start their playoffs on either March 1st, March 8th, or March 15th. Both Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have an 11-game schedule in just one of those setups. The Spurs will play 10 games during the fantasy playoffs in leagues that begin their playoffs on March 1st or March 8th. The Thunder will play 10 games during the fantasy playoffs in leagues that begin their playoffs on March 1st or March 15th. The two best punting strategies to pair Jokic with are punt threes and punt blocks. Punt threes is usually the best spot for Jokic in nine-category leagues. It tends to be a stronger strategy than punt blocks because it shakes up the rankings more. When we punt threes, it will be easier to find players who can significantly outproduce their draft position. In eight-category leagues, punt blocks holds a slight edge due to that format favoring small-ball builds.
Best Builds: Punt Threes, Punt Blocks
2) Victor Wembanyama (PF/C) – The 2025-2026 campaign was a tale of two seasons for Wembanyama. He started the year in surprisingly bad form and wasn’t coming even close to matching Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s production, who were two players that he was selected before in many drafts. He was still a clear first-round asset, but it looked like Wembanyama’s third year in the association was going to be a disappointing one. Then February hit, he flipped a switch, and proceeded to lap the field for the rest of the regular season before leading the young Spurs to the finals. Over the final two months of the regular season, Wembanyama averaged an alien-like 26.0 PPG on 51.4 FG%, 2.0 3PG, 12.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 3.8 BPG. We can’t draft the Frenchman with the expectation that he’ll post numbers like that for the entire season, but it does give you an idea of what his ceiling looks like. Jokic is the safer bet on one, but if you do want to bet on another leap from Wembanyama, taking him at the top of the draft is fine. From a per-game production standpoint, that is a move that carries minimal downside. If Wembanyama’s development stalls, or Dylan Harper starts eating into his touches, he may not be as productive as Jokic, or even SGA, but he’ll still be a clear top-three asset. Wembanyama’s ceiling is very, very high, and so is his per-game floor. Due to the strides Wembanyama has made in the efficiency categories, which build to pair the center with is a trickier decision than it used to be. He’s still the dream starting point for punt FG%, but his improvements from the field make him just as strong of a starting point in punt assists. The dip in his 3PAr, which has helped boost his efficiency, also makes him a great option for teams opting to punt threes. In eight-category leagues, punt FG% will likely be the best option, as that scoring format heavily favors small-ball builds. However, in nine-category leagues, the options are almost endless. Map out the various strategies using the Team Building Tool before deciding on the build to pair the future Hall of Famer with. Those with early playoff start dates should pair Wembanyama with players with strong playoff schedules. The Spurs’ playoff schedule is fine if you start your playoffs on March 15th, but if you start a week earlier, San Antonio will play just 10 times during the fantasy playoffs. In leagues with a March 8th playoff start date, you will need to win multiple matchups during which Wembanyama will have a three-game schedule to bring home the championship.
Best Builds: Punt FG%, Punt Assists, Punt Threes
3) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG) – There won’t be too many drafts where SGA goes first, but in nine-category leagues, that is a completely reasonable move. The Canadian has been arguably the best pick in nine-category leagues for three straight seasons. In 2023-2024, he finished second in the nine-category per-game rankings behind Joel Embiid, who played just 39 games. In 2024-2025, Nikola Jokic topped him in the per-game rankings, but the gap wasn’t huge, and unlike Big Honey, Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t miss a full week during the fantasy playoffs. Last season, he finished slightly behind both Jokic and Victor Wembanyama in the per-game rankings, but he played the most of the three and was easily the most consistent of the trio. If you are finding it easier to build a championship-level squad around SGA than the top two bigs—and you might—as the back-to-back MVP produces a line that is incredibly easy to build a contender around—pick Shai. Your leaguemates might call you a name or two, but you might be the one laughing at the end of the season. Last year, I took SGA at two over Wembanyama, which was against the consensus. When putting together my draft strategies, my Gilgeous-Alexander teams felt stronger than my Wembanyama teams, so I picked SGA. My leaguemate who took Wembanyama third was thrilled and talked some smack. In March, when my SGA-led team beat his Wembanyama-led team 9-0, he was awfully quiet. Gilgeous-Alexander is the most productive guard since Michael Jordan. During his second MVP campaign, the all-timer averaged an incredible 31.1 PPG, 1.7 3PG, 4.3 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, and 2.2 TOPG. He managed all that while almost matching Jokic’s FG% impact (55.3 FG%) and leading the association in FT% impact (87.9 FT% on 9.0 FTA). SGA is a dream starting point for every build, but punt threes is usually the best build to pair him with. That build will have no problem winning the big man categories consistently but will usually struggle to find enough points and FT% impact. When Shai is a punt threes team’s centerpiece, neither of those categories will be an issue. Punt threes teams built around Gilgeous-Alexander have the potential to be above average in eight categories.
Best Builds: Punt Threes, Punt Assists, Punt Blocks
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