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
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Breakouts, Busts, And Locks - Memphis Grizzlies 2023 Outlook

The Grizzlies season ended last year in disappointment. They kicked Dillon Brooks to the curb in an attempt to help remake their image, but Ja Morant isn't helping their cause and will start the season suspended as his off-the-court struggles continue. Marcus Smart is now in town, but the rest of the roster looks quite similar. How will things shake out for fantasy this season with Morant suspended, Tyus Jones in Washington, Dillon Brooks in Houston, and Smart now in the Memphis backcourt?

If you play fantasy football, you'll probably recognize the format here as we had a series of preseason NFL articles that followed the same outline. The idea here is to hone in on players from each team that we see as undervalued for the upcoming season or who are possibly being drafted too high this preseason.

In this piece, you'll find a fantasy basketball breakout candidate, a fantasy basketball bust candidate, and a fantasy basketball lock (think steady production and being drafted correctly) for the Memphis Grizzlies based on early ADP for fantasy basketball drafts for the 2023-2024 season. Be sure to follow me on Twitter / X (@Maxadelphia) for more fantasy basketball insight (amongst other things).

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Fantasy Basketball Breakout: Jaren Jackson Jr.

Coming into the season as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and in line to benefit both from Ja Morant's absence and his return, JJJ is an intriguing fantasy option this year.

In Morant's absence, there are 26.2 PPG from last season to be accounted for. Jackson isn't exactly known for his offensive prowess, but after a summer with USA Basketball, I do see him building on his career-high 18.6 PPG average from last season.

The biggest knock against JJJ last year was that he didn't rebound very well for a big man. At media day, he said improving at rebounding is on his mind, which is great to hear. If Jackson develops into a consistent 20/10 player, his fantasy value will go through the roof.

 

Fantasy Basketball Bust: Derrick Rose

Rose is a legend of the game, so I'll be nice here.

Whoever you take in the 16th round (Rose currently has a mid-16th round ADP) probably won't make or break your fantasy team. You probably can find someone with more long-term upside than a guy going into their 15th season who hasn't played more than 35 games in five years and saw career lows in every single statistical category last year.

I understand that Ja Morant is going to miss a bunch of time, but Derrick Rose just doesn't have much left in the tank and isn't likely to have a statistically significant season.

 

Fantasy Basketball Lock: Marcus Smart

Smart is currently sitting at a mid-ninth-round ADP, which I think would be totally fair *IF* Ja Morant wasn't suspended for 25 games. Morant being suspended for roughly 1/3 of the fantasy basketball season is a big deal, and Smart figures to be the Grizzlies' starting PG until Morant returns.

Smart's best fantasy assets have always been steals + assists, and he should have no issue keeping that up in a starting role. With Smart's arrival in Memphis, the Grizzlies' starting five will feature the two previous Defensive Player of the Year winners, and it stands to reason that the Grizzlies will be one of the best defenses in the NBA this season.

When Morant returns, Smart will likely be relegated to a fringe, but nice to have bench option. Until then, enjoy the first 25 games knowing you drafted the starting PG on a playoff team in the ninth round.

 

Conclusion

Ja Morant's 25-game suspension makes the idea of repeating as the West's #2 seed feel like a seemingly impossible task. The Grizzlies should be stout defensively all year, but without Morant, they lack a true alpha scoring option. I predict a slow, but not disheartening, start to the season will ultimately find the Grizzlies in the 6-7 spot by season's end.

This Grizzlies team has seen the public opinion shift on them in a big way after Morant's incident on Instagram Live, and we can't forget about Dillon Brooks' eventful playoff series against the Lakers. For fantasy, the Grizzlies starters look to face big workloads with no major competition behind them.

Thanks for reading and good luck in your leagues this year!



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!

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Precious Achiuwa11 mins ago

Out On Thursday
Mitchell Robinson16 mins ago

Active Against Lakers
OG Anunoby20 mins ago

Ready To Take On Lakers
Jordan Mason26 mins ago

Drawing Trade Interest
Alec Burks30 mins ago

Questionable For Friday Due To Back Issue
Jaime Jaquez Jr.35 mins ago

Questionable To Play On Friday
Kel'el Ware40 mins ago

Not Ready To Return Against Minnesota
Brandon Aiyuk41 mins ago

49ers Unlikely To Trade Brandon Aiyuk?
Andrew Wiggins46 mins ago

Iffy For Friday's Game
Sam Darnold50 mins ago

Vikings Continue To Want Sam Darnold Back
Tyler Herro52 mins ago

Considered Questionable For Friday
DK Metcalf58 mins ago

Seahawks Talking To A "Ton Of Teams" About DK Metcalf
Austin Reaves59 mins ago

Good To Go Thursday
Ben Simmons1 hour ago

Remains Out On Friday
Luka Dončić1 hour ago

Luka Doncic Upgraded To Available Thursday
Washington Commanders1 hour ago

Commanders Re-Sign Bobby Wagner
Derrick Jones Jr.1 hour ago

Returning On Friday
LeBron James1 hour ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Kawhi Leonard1 hour ago

Available For Friday
Rudy Gobert1 hour ago

Questionable For Friday's Game
Zeke Nnaji1 hour ago

Expected To Play On Friday
Mike Conley1 hour ago

Ready To Return Friday
Aaron Gordon1 hour ago

Could Miss Friday's Game
Nikola Jokić2 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Uncertain For Friday
Bradley Beal2 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns2 hours ago

Available Thursday
Oscar Colás2 hours ago

Oscar Colas Exits On Thursday With Wrist Injury
Sean Reid-Foley2 hours ago

Clears Waivers
Carlos Estévez3 hours ago

Carlos Estevez Throws "Best" Bullpen Session
Alec Marsh3 hours ago

Facing Live Hitters On Sunday
Salvador Perez3 hours ago

Set To Return To Lineup On Friday
Evan Engram3 hours ago

Jaguars Release Evan Engram
Tyler O'Neill4 hours ago

Scratched With Rib-Cage Soreness
Curtis Mead4 hours ago

On A Tear In Spring Training
Dougie Hamilton4 hours ago

Remains Under Evaluation
Taylor Ward4 hours ago

Back In Thursday's Spring Lineup
Mattias Ekholm4 hours ago

John Klingberg Out Against Canadiens
Tyler Naquin4 hours ago

Guardians Re-Sign Tyler Naquin As A Pitcher
Brandon Tanev4 hours ago

Will Not Play On Thursday
Atlanta Falcons5 hours ago

Nate Landman Won't Receive Tender Offer From Falcons
Colton Parayko5 hours ago

To Miss Rest Of Regular Season
Cincinnati Bengals5 hours ago

Bengals Grant Trey Hendrickson Permission To Seek A Trade
Nico Sturm5 hours ago

Picked Up By Panthers
Christian Kirk5 hours ago

Texans Acquiring Christian Kirk From The Jaguars
Reilly Smith5 hours ago

Returns To Vegas
Jack Leiter5 hours ago

Showing Increased Velocity
Sean Burke5 hours ago

Expected To Be Part Of Rotation?
Junior Caminero5 hours ago

Probably "Day-To-Day"
Justin Steele5 hours ago

Scratched With Illness
Jac Caglianone6 hours ago

Could Play Outfield To Accelerate His MLB Debut
Grayson Rodriguez6 hours ago

Dealing With Triceps Soreness
Zebby Matthews6 hours ago

Leaves Outing On Thursday With Injury
Jordan Westburg6 hours ago

Returns To Spring Lineup
Seattle Seahawks7 hours ago

Seahawks Re-Sign Josh Jobe
Junior Caminero7 hours ago

Leaves Early With Back Tightness
Atlanta Falcons7 hours ago

Cornerback Dee Alford Will Hit The Open Market
Cristopher Sánchez7 hours ago

Cristopher Sanchez Adds Cutter, Throwing Harder
Minnesota Vikings7 hours ago

Theo Jackson Agrees To Two-Year Extension With Vikings
Tennessee Titans7 hours ago

Mike McCoy Joins Titans Coaching Staff
Sandy Alcantara7 hours ago

Will Be On Innings Limit Early On
Buffalo Bills7 hours ago

Mitch Morse Announces Retirement After 10 Seasons
Durham Smythe7 hours ago

Bears Officially Sign Durham Smythe
Matt McLain8 hours ago

Generating Buzz In Camp
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen8 hours ago

Starting on Thursday
Mackenzie Blackwood8 hours ago

Facing Former Team On Thursday
Pittsburgh Steelers8 hours ago

Steelers, Cole Holcomb Agree To Revised Contract
Josh Manson8 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Zane Gonzalez9 hours ago

Commanders Re-Sign Zane Gonzalez
Jason Zucker9 hours ago

Not Playing On Thursday
Michael Bunting9 hours ago

Not Expected To Play This Weekend
Brian Dumoulin9 hours ago

Traded To New Jersey
Tutu Atwell10 hours ago

Back With Rams On One-Year Deal
Tommy DeVito11 hours ago

To Sign His Tender This Weekend
Tee Higgins11 hours ago

Bengals Telling Teams Tee Higgins Isn't Available Via Trade
Deshaun Watson12 hours ago

Browns Restructure Deshaun Watson's Deal, Clear $35.8 Million In Cap Space
Vincent Desharnais15 hours ago

Shipped To San Jose
Adin Hill15 hours ago

Extends Winning Streak To Four Games
Luke Schenn15 hours ago

Thomas Novak, Luke Schenn Traded To Pittsburgh
Michael Bunting15 hours ago

Traded To Nashville
John Gibson15 hours ago

Exits Early On Wednesday
Thomas Chabot15 hours ago

Exits With Illness
Mattias Ekholm1 day ago

Iffy For Thursday Due To Illness
Steven Lorentz1 day ago

Back In Action Wednesday
Oliver Bjorkstrand1 day ago

Lightning Acquire Oliver Bjorkstrand
Sahith Theegala1 day ago

Looking To Keep Spark From Last Event Alive At Bay Hill
Robert MacIntyre1 day ago

An Interesting Play At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Max Homa1 day ago

Hoping His Course History At Bay Hill Can Help Turn Season Around
Tommy Fleetwood1 day ago

Looking To Get Back Into Good Graces At Bay Hill
Michael Kim1 day ago

One Of The Hottest Players In Golf Heading To Bay Hill
Xander Schauffele1 day ago

Making Long-Awaited Start Since Rib Injury At Bay Hill
Sepp Straka1 day ago

Needs Accuracy At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Collin Morikawa1 day ago

Looking For Better Form On And Around The Greens At Bay Hill
Justin Rose1 day ago

May Be Worth Avoiding This Week
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

Tries To Go One Step Further At Bay Hill
Shane Lowry1 day ago

Has Potential To Contend At Bay Hill
PGA1 day ago

Sungjae Im Trying To Snap Out Of Golfing Funk
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Looking To Build Off Momentum At Arnold Palmer Invitational
Joe Highsmith1 day ago

Steps Up After Cognizant Classic Win
Max Greyserman1 day ago

Be Wary Of Max Greyserman At Bay Hill
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Very Iffy For Arnold Palmer Invitational
Tony Finau2 days ago

And Bay Hill Could Be A Battle
Cam Davis2 days ago

A Question Mark Heading To Arnold Palmer
Sam Burns2 days ago

Could Stick Around At Arnold Palmer
J.J. Spaun2 days ago

Could See Success At Bay Hill
PGA2 days ago

Byeong Hun An Seeks Answers And May Not Find Any
MMA3 days ago

Asu Almbayev Gets TKO'd At UFC Vegas 103
Manel Kape3 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC Vegas 103
Julian Marquez3 days ago

Loses Fourth Fight In A Row
Kyle Busch3 days ago

Falls Short Of Victory At COTA While Finishing Fifth
Kyle Larson3 days ago

Has A Day To Forget At COTA On Sunday
Cody Brundage3 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Continues His Top-10 Streak At COTA With Third-Place Finish
NASCAR3 days ago

Bubba Wallace Has An Eventful Day At COTA That Ends In 20th-Place Finish
Esteban Ribovics3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 103
Noah Gragson3 days ago

Scores His First Career Road Course Top-10 Finish At COTA
Nasrat Haqparast3 days ago

Extends Win Streak At UFC Vegas 103
William Gomis3 days ago

Takes Split-Decision Loss
Hyder Amil3 days ago

Remains Undefeated
Sam Patterson4 days ago

Extends Win Streak To Three
Danny Barlow4 days ago

Suffers First Career Loss At UFC Vegas 103
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Wins At COTA, Ready To Keep Adding To It
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Finishes Seventh At COTA, Sees Room For Improvement
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Nabs First Top-10 Finish Of Season After Bumpy COTA Race
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Recovers From Lap 1 Spinout To Finish Fourth
William Byron4 days ago

In Battle Between Last Two Race Winners, William Byron Comes Up Short
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Dominates First Two Stages But Fades In Third Stage
AJ Allmendinger4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Runs Well At Austin Until Late-Race Collapse
Alex Bowman4 days ago

Recovers From COTA Penalty To Finish Ninth
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Wins Pole At COTA, Looking To Become First Repeat Winner
Chase Elliott5 days ago

Will Be A Top Threat For The Win At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen the Favorite to Win at COTA
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Will Be A Fantastic DFS Play For COTA Lineups
AJ Allmendinger5 days ago

Struggling At COTA Despite Strong Practice Speeds
Austin Cindric5 days ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Recommendations For COTA Lineups
Connor Zilisch5 days ago

Making Cup Series Debut This Weekend
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF