X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Dynasty League Targets at Forward - 2021-22 Fantasy Basketball Preview

Antonio Losada looks at fantasy basketball players at the Forward positions from the 2020-21 NBA season who you should target if you are part of any type of Dynasty League for the upcoming 2022 campaign.

As we approach the start of the 2021/22 regular season the fantasy stakes get higher. That's why it's time to start unveiling all of our cards, make masterful plays, and edge the competition. And when that competition is part of a dynasty league, that means you not only have to count on present-day data but also projections for future performance with youth coming at a premium.

In order to find potential targets and fades for those of you continuing/starting your dynasty leagues, I have filtered data to give me only players who played last year at 23 years of age or younger. As I explored in my researching column, players aged 21 years old put up the best FP averages among all "young" players in the NBA, then most either leave the league or hit a sophomore-wall, and finally those who make it past age-23 enter a steady stage of improvement until the peak is reached at around 27/28 years of age.

You need to get some shares of super-young players (19-to-21 years old) to sell them high once they explode, or get some seemingly "declining" guys on the 22-to-23 clip to exploit their still-ahead best days. Obviously, the same goes in the opposite direction, avoiding risky players not looking good in terms of future upside. Today, we're exploring some young targets to consider in dynasty leagues at the Forward positions. Let's get to it!

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Dynasty Fantasy Basketball Targets - Forwards

Marvin Bagley III, PF/C - Sacramento Kings

Controversial pick of the column right to kick it off, folks. Bagley's infamous career was marked the very day he was drafted by the Kings above the likes of Trae Young and Luka Doncic. Yes, you read that right. There is no point in comparing those two to Bagley three years into their careers, as much as it might pain you. Doncic is already a yearly MVP candidate, and Trae was this close to throwing his Hawks into the NBA finals. Bagley, well, has played for a three-years-and-running lottery team. Ugh.

But I haven't given up on Bagley yet. Call me stubborn, but the kid just has everything to become at least a viable/good NBA player in the next couple of seasons. While Bagley could only play 43 games last season and that limited his season-long fantasy upside (he finished as the 19th-best third-year player and was only the 64th-best forward leaguewide), the truth is that he performed quite nicely on a per-minute basis. Bagley's 1.03 FP/min were obviously below the marks of both Doncic and Trae, but they were on par with Ayton's (1.06) and Wendell Carter's (1.04) marks as members of the same draft class.

Bagley already had a rough season in 2020 when he could only log 6 starts in 13 GP all year. His averages have been similar this past three seasons at a 14-7-1 per-game line from 2019 to 2021. The dual F/C eligibility works in Bagley's (and his fantasy GMs) favor, and so does the fact that the Kings aren't precisely loaded at the interior positions with Richaun Holmes the only viable starter among the franchise's group of big men. If Bagley truly explodes and reaches his potential, he might do so in another place as he's entering his contract year this season. He's a restricted FA next summer, so Sacto could still pony up to retain him for longer, and I'm of the opinion he'll have his best breakout year in 2022 while trying to prove his worth before hitting the open market; obviously, with steady improvement still to come, making him an appealing dynasty target.

Saddiq Bey, SF - Detroit Pistons

It can't be said that Saddiq Bey came absolutely out of left field for the Pistons last season--he was the 19th draft pick of the 2020 class--but the truth is that no one was expecting such a productive debut as that of Bey last year. There surely were some growing pains, of course, but that doesn't take from his rookie exploits. Bey became one of only 12 F-eligible rookies since 1990 to put up an average 12-4-1 per-game line while logging a usage rate below 20%, and the only player to do so in fewer than 30 MPG.

You might think it's a stretch to say that Bey was at, for example, Jayson Tatum's rookie levels of play, but that's actually the truth. Tatum, playing and starting 80 games his first year as a pro, was always going to finish above Bey on the overall FP leaderboard, but their per-minute production was virtually the same (0.85 FP/min) while Bey edged rookie-Tatum in TOV% and TRB% while finishing on par when it came to AST% (7.6 percent to 8.3).

Knowing what we know about Tatum now, it's a little bit uncautious to say Bey will follow his path toward stardom, but there will be nothing blocking him from doing so as he should retain the starting SF nod in 2022 and going forward while growing next to the likes of Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, and (to a lesser extent) Jerami Grant in Motown.

John Collins, PF/C - Atlanta Hawks

Collins is on the older side of things here, and his early-dynasty days are over as he enters his age-24 season. But he's still young enough to prove a more than a valuable asset in such formats. As expected, the addition of Clint Capela to the lineup this season obviously cut into Collins' numbers (mostly his rebounding stats) although that also helped Collins take on a very clear PF/floor-stretching role as his 3PA per game stayed high at 3.3 compared to his 3.6 from 2020.

It's been back-to-back seasons of 40% three-point shooting for Collins, and three years in a row in which he has posted PPG marks of 17+ (from 19.5 to 21.6 to 17.6) while grabbing at least 7.4 RPG in each of those campaigns (from 9.88 to 10.1 to 7.4). The Hawks faced the decision of extending Collins this past offseason or letting him go, and you bet they did the intelligent thing bringing him back to the ATL.

The Hawks are one of the best young teams in the league, and the Capela-Collins partnership works fantastically together--let alone how they fit with a point as great as Trae Young manning the floor. Collins averaged the fifth-highest FPPG mark among F-eligible players aged 23-or-younger in 2021, and he ranked 15th-best F in FP/min (no age restrictions) last year with a 1.08 mark--right above him: Tobias Harris, Pascal Siakam, Khris Middleton, and DeMar DeRozan averaging 1.14 FP/min or fewer. Bonafide star with seasons of production still to come and in theory three/four years away from reaching his true peak.

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nolan Schanuel

Makes Early Exit On Saturday
Cam Smith

Heading To The Bench
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 4
Logan Evans

To Make MLB Debut On Sunday
Jarred Kelenic

Takes A Seat On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Won't Play On Sunday

Dolphins Select Quinn Ewers In Seventh Round
Logan Gilbert

Heading To 15-Day Injured List
Emmanuel Clase

Available As Closer For Game 2
Brenden Dillon

Out On Sunday
Mitchell Robinson

Questionable For Game 4 Versus Detroit
Luke Hughes

To Remain Out On Sunday
Michael Porter Jr.

Available On Saturday Night
Aliaksei Protas

Practices Fully On Saturday
Russell Westbrook

Won't Suit Up For Game 4
Gabriel Vilardi

A Game-Time Decision For Sunday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back A Game-Time Call On Saturday
Ross Colton

Unavailable Saturday
Miro Heiskanen

Remains Out Saturday
Riley Leonard

Drafted By Colts Saturday

Steelers Select Will Howard In Sixth Round Of NFL Draft

Eagles Add Kyle McCord To Quarterback Room

Miami Adds Ollie Gordon II To Backfield

Chargers Add KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Oronde Gadsden II To Offense

Colts Add DJ Giddens To Backfield
Michael Busch

Sitting On Saturday Versus Southpaw
Brandon Woodruff

"Really Tired" After Latest Rehab Start
Tyler Fitzgerald

Scratched On Saturday
Lawrence Butler

Absent From Lineup On Saturday
Ezequiel Tovar

Still A Week Or So Away From Return From IL

Dallas Cowboys Draft Jaydon Blue In Fifth Round

49ers Add Jordan Watkins To Offense
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Catches Bullpen Session On Saturday

Browns Trade Up To Select Shedeur Sanders In The Fifth Round
Dylan Carlson

Recalled By Baltimore
Sam Howell

Seahawks Trade Sam Howell To Vikings

Titans Continue To Address Offense, Select Elic Ayomanor
Jalen Beeks

Avoids Serious Injury

Chiefs Bolster Receiver Room With Jalen Royals
Lucas Giolito

Starting On Wednesday Vs. Toronto

Commanders Add Jaylin Lane To Wide Receiver Room

Browns Select Dylan Sampson With 126th Pick
Tyler O'Neill

Heading To The IL

Titans Use Fourth-Round Pick On Gunnar Helm
Jarquez Hunter

Rams Select Jarquez Hunter In Fourth Round
Mike Trout

Blasts His Ninth Home Run Of The Season

Texans Trade Up For Woody Marks

Jets Select Arian Smith In Fourth Round
Ryan Mountcastle

Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle Not In Game 1 Lineup

Panthers Select Trevor Etienne 114th Overall
Edwin Díaz

Edwin Diaz Wasn't Available Friday Due To Recent Usage

Giants Take CFP Darling Cam Skattebo
Darius Garland

Won't Suit Up For Game 3
Ha-Seong Kim

Targeting June/July Return
Darius Garland

Unavailable For Pregame Warmup
MLB

Yankees and Blue Jays Postponed On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Classified As "Day-To-Day"
Jacob Markstrom

Ends Losing Spell Friday
Cole Caufield

Collects Two Points In Friday's Win
Connor McDavid

Totals Three Points In Game 3 Win
Johnathan Kovacevic

Exits Early Friday
Sam Montembeault

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Friday
Logan Thompson

Exits Loss With Injury
Brandon Hagel

Suspended For Game 3
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF