2026 Fantasy Basketball Mock Draft: Drafting from the No. 6 pick in a 16-team league

Standard fantasy basketball leagues consist of 12 teams, but there are plenty who compete in larger ones. And in those larger leagues, the task of drafting a team can get tricky. For many, that may mean reaching for a player earlier than you would in a standard league, as there’s a higher likelihood that your desired target won’t be available in the following round. Recently, Rotoworld writer Raphielle Johnson participated in a 16-team mock draft hosted by Menace Podmen’s Steve St-Pierre.

Picking either early or late in a larger draft is preferable to being stuck in the middle, and I held the sixth pick in this mock exercise. Starting with Philadelphia guard Tyrese Maxey, the hope was to put together a team that would only punt on assists. Below are the round-by-round results and some analysis.

Round 1

According to Hashtag Basketball, Maxey currently has an ADP of 16.9 in Yahoo! leagues, which would put him right at the first/second round turn in a 16-team league. While there is clearly concern on the part of some managers about how the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown will affect his production, Maxey is well worth the risk in the middle of the first round. Having two additional offensive weapons should keep defenses from loading up too much to slow Maxey down. Also, he’ll be healthy after a finger injury limited his productivity in the postseason. And the players selected immediately after him in this mock draft, Tatum and Leonard, have some health questions of their own.

Round 2

With 76ers head coach Nick Nurse saying earlier this offseason that LeBron will initiate much of the team’s offense, Maxey may take the biggest hit in assists. Also, adding quality bigs in a 16-team draft is not something that I’m willing to hesitate on. Even with him coming off a season in which he played just five games, Kessler was the second-round pick for me. Given the Lakers’ lack of true big men and the defensive frailties of their starting guards, he could be in for a big debut season in Los Angeles regarding rebounds and blocks. And playing off Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves should positively impact Kessler’s field goal percentage.

Round 3

If you use an early pick on a player with injury concerns, selecting another player who can help compensate for a potential absence is key. And in a 16-team league, the pickings are likely to be slim if you find yourself counting on the waiver wire for help during the season. As a result, I went with Mobley in the third round, and his forward eligibility is a bonus. His 2025-26 numbers were similar to the prior season, with slight increases in assists and blocks. With Mobley and Kessler in the fold, I should be highly competitive in blocks every week.

Round 4

The fourth round is where many managers take a swing, hoping to land a player with significant upside. Among those selected in this mock draft, Joel Embiid would certainly qualify, as he can offer first-round value when on the court. Keyonte George, Matas Buzelis, and Stephon Castle represent fourth-round picks in this draft, where managers are betting on them to step up in a major way. I went with Siakam, betting that Tyrese Haliburton’s return from an Achilles tendon rupture will give Spicy P the playmaker he needs to get back into the top-50 in fantasy basketball.

Round 5

If there’s a 76ers player who stands to see his fantasy value take a hit with the roster changes, it may be Edgecombe. He’s the youngest of the five starters, so assuming that he’ll be the one asked to sacrifice early on is not a wild position to take. However, those additions could make Edgecombe a more dangerous offensive weapon due to increased opportunities to attack closeouts. Also, he averaged 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals+blocks per game as a rookie. Those are categories where Edgecombe can provide added value, regardless of how many shots he gets. I’m willing to bet that will be the case next season.

As for some of the other picks in this round, Turner was the eye-opener, given his struggles during his first season in Milwaukee. With the players acquired in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, the backcourt situation is even more jumbled, and the Bucks also received center Kel’el Ware in the deal. Maybe Turner bounces back, but I’m not convinced, especially considering his limited rebounding numbers.

Round 6

While he does not offer much in the way of three-point production and his free-throw percentage remains poor, Thompson’s ability to fill an entire stat line makes him an asset in category leagues. Last season, the Pistons wing averaged 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks per game, and he made a career-best 73 appearances. I chose him in the sixth round because of his rebounds and defensive stats; I highly doubt Ausar would have been on the board in the seventh.

Round 7

Dosunmu’s fantasy prospects looked better before the Timberwolves signed Jonathan Kuminga, as he could now be relegated to a sixth-man role. However, that’s still a spot in which he can offer quality fantasy value, especially with Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) expected to miss most of next season, if not all of it. Also, Dosunmu averaged nearly 29 minutes per game in his 24 regular-season appearances for the Timberwolves, making nine starts. As he showed last season, Ayo has top-100 potential, whether he starts or comes off the bench.

Round 8

Was Saddiq Bey‘s career year simply a product of the Pelicans’ many injuries? Or can he provide similar value in 2026-27 under a new head coach? I’m better on the latter, even with the rotation even more crowded due to Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones being healthy. Given their respective résumés, DeRozan would have been the safer pick, but what’s the fun in that? And the Pelicans could be a team to watch at the February trade deadline, especially if they aren’t in the mix for a postseason spot, because of the veterans on that roster.

Round 9

McCollum may not be a “sexy” pick at this point in the draft, but I wanted proven offensive production. Once the Hawks moved him into the starting lineup, his production increased and the team played better. I expect that to remain the case in 2026-27, and McCollum has shown in the past that he has a top-100 floor when used as one of his team’s primary offensive options. He averaged just over four assists per game for the Hawks last season, but that isn’t a category that I was too concerned with in this build.

Round 10

So, what should fantasy managers make of Ace Bailey as he goes into his second NBA season? He put up quality numbers after the All-Star break as a rookie, averaging 18.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.1 blocks and 2.8 three-pointers per game. However, much of that production came without key players on the floor, most notably Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. Add in lottery pick Darryn Peterson, and Bailey’s numbers are likely to take a hit. However, the upside can’t be ignored, especially if the Jazz decide to start Bailey as part of a bigger lineup.

Round 11

Portis was a relatively safe pick; in hindsight, I wish I had considered Robert Williams III because of what he can bring as a shot-blocker, even as the backup center in Portland. However, even with the Heat adding Nick Richards to their roster, Portis is someone they’re going to count on consistently to supplement the efforts of Giannis and Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. And his three-point production has increased over the years, with Portis most recently averaging 2.0 makes per game in 2025-26 while making 45.6 percent of his attempts.

Round 12

It’s always fun when the player you wanted to use your final pick on goes off the board one spot before you come up. That’s what happened here, as I hoped to use my final pick on Charlotte’s Hannes Steinbach. Even with the Hornets having Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner, the rookie out of Washington is the best rebounder in this rookie class and can provide immediate value in that category.

With Steinbach off the board, I went with Mathurin, who has been a better option in points leagues than category leagues throughout his career. As noted above, the Pelicans’ rotation is a bit crowded, but Mathurin is a player the team holds in high regard after signing him recently. And one could do far worse than him with their final pick in a draft.

Final Team

G Tyrese Maxey
C Walker Kessler
F/C Evan Mobley
F/C Pascal Siakam
G VJ Edgecombe
G/F Ausar Thompson
G Ayo Dosunmu
F Saddiq Bey
G CJ McCollum
F Ace Bailey
F/C Bobby Portis
G/F Bennedict Mathurin

While assists and free-throw percentage are weaknesses for this team, it has multiple strengths. Points, rebounds, steals and blocks should be strengths for this roster, and turnovers shouldn’t be a major concern. The Kessler pick could determine this team’s ceiling. If he can stay healthy and mesh well with the Lakers’ stars, the 7-footer can be a highly valuable fantasy asset. If not, this group could be in some trouble, even with Mobley, Siakam and Portis all having center eligibility.