Hunting Season for Guards: Top Fantasy Picks
The NBA calendar says preseason. Fantasy managers know better. It’s hunting season for guards.
This year’s board is split in two: the big names with fading buzz, and the playmakers about to walk into massive roles at a discount. Ignore last spring’s noise, lean on the numbers, and the value at guard is everywhere.
Darius Garland, LAC – The New Engine in Los Angeles
The Clippers have ripped up the old script. James Harden and Ivica Zubac went out at last year’s deadline, Kawhi Leonard is expected to follow, and what’s left is simple: the ball belongs to Darius Garland.
He’s not stepping into a bigger role from nowhere. Over the last five seasons, Garland has quietly put up a pristine 9-category line: 20.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.6 threes in 33 minutes, with 46% from the field, 39% from deep and 87% at the line.
That’s elite before you even factor in the usage spike that’s coming.
The best hint of what this version of Garland looks like came with Leonard off the floor last season. Per 75 possessions: 27.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.2 steals on a 34% usage rate. That’s a primary option’s workload and production.
In High Score formats where assists count double, that kind of playmaking isn’t just helpful. It’s a weekly swing factor.
Dejounte Murray, NOP – The Comeback That Matters
Dejounte Murray’s last two years were defined by recovery, not regression. Forty-five games across two seasons after an Achilles tear, and then, finally, a familiar sight down the stretch: the old Murray starting to reappear.
Since 2021-22, his baseline has been that of a former top-25 fantasy pick: 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.9 threes.
The key is what he did at the end of last season. Over his final 13 games, he averaged 17 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.7 steals in around 28 minutes. Essentially his five-year production, shaved down by six minutes a night. The burst is back. The activity is back. The workload is almost certain to rise.
New Orleans gives him a proper stage. Jeremiah Fears, Jordan Poole, Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III – scorers everywhere, possessions to organize, passing lanes to jump. In High Score scoring, those 1.7 steals alone are worth more than five points a night. Murray doesn’t need to hit his old ceiling to pay off. He just needs to stay on the floor.
Fred VanVleet, HOU – A Proven Anchor at a Clearance Price
Fred VanVleet has lived in the top-50 fantasy range for most of his career. This year, he’s sitting at the back of drafts with a 35-minute starting point guard job waiting for him in Houston.
He tore his ACL in September 2025, but reports say he’s fully healthy again. The long view is steady and strong: over the last six seasons, VanVleet has averaged 18.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.6 blocks and 3.1 threes.
Even if you only trust his two-year Rockets sample, the value holds. In Houston colors he has posted 15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks on solid shooting. That’s his “floor” scenario, and it’s still a bargain at his current cost.
Houston’s postseason run underlined his importance. The Rockets missed his control, his late-game decision-making, his ability to calm a possession. That role doesn’t show up in a box score, but the minutes and touches it creates do. Fantasy managers get the benefit.
De’Aaron Fox, SAS – Don’t Let the Spring Fool You
De’Aaron Fox is paying the price for San Antonio’s spring storyline, not his own résumé.
Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle exploded in the playoffs. Fox, battling a significant ankle sprain, never looked like his usual blur. For a player whose game leans on speed and lift, that combination was brutal. It also wasn’t permanent. He turns 29 just before Christmas.
Even in what’s being framed as a “down” year, Fox still averaged 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals.
That’s the production you’re getting around pick 85. And history says that might be closer to his floor than his ceiling. Over the previous six seasons, Fox’s baseline sat at 24.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.5 steals.
Durability helps the case. He has played at least 72 games in three of the last four seasons. In High Score formats, where one explosive night can flip a matchup, Fox’s big games don’t just pad totals – they decide weeks.
Immanuel Quickley, TOR – Garland-Type Upside at a Discount
Immanuel Quickley looks a lot like Darius Garland on paper. The 40-pick gap between them comes down mostly to Toronto’s deeper rotation.
That’s not a deal-breaker. Players like Scottie Barnes tend to lift their point guards, not suppress them.
Across two full seasons with the Raptors, Quickley has averaged 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.6 threes, while shooting nearly 44% from the field, 38% from three and 84% at the line.
He did all of that in just 30.6 minutes per game.
This season, 30 minutes looks more like his floor than his ceiling. Behind him, only Jamal Shead and Ja’Kobe Walter are in the mix. The path to a stable starting role is clear, and his track record of availability backs it up: at least 64 games in five of his six NBA seasons.
If Garland is the headline, Quickley is the same story in a smaller font.
Scotty Pippen Jr., MEM – The Quiet Gold at the Back of Drafts
Memphis has an open competition at point guard after trading Ja Morant. That kind of uncertainty usually scares drafters. It shouldn’t here.
Every time Scotty Pippen Jr. has been handed the job, he has produced.
Across three seasons with the Grizzlies, he has averaged 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 threes in 22 minutes.
The bigger sample as a starter came two years ago, when he filled in for Morant. Over 21 starts, he put up 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists. Last season he appeared in just 10 games, but he finished the year in the starting lineup again.
Past production. Clear roster fit. A 155 ADP. That combination rarely lasts into the late rounds. This year, it does.
Keon Ellis, BKN – Defensive Menace on the Verge
Keon Ellis sits outside the top 200, but he doesn’t need much to matter.
Brooklyn’s guard rotation is wide open heading into the season. If Ellis grabs a 30-minute role, his defensive profile alone can turn him into a fantasy staple.
Across his career, he has averaged just under 20 minutes per game, yet still delivered 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per night.
Stretch that out with a modest bump in minutes, and you’re looking at elite defensive counting stats from a late flier. In High Score leagues that pay three points per steal and block, those numbers are not a bonus – they’re a foundation.
Draft boards will chase the shiny new names and the loudest playoff memories. The managers who win will chase something else: usage, minutes, and proven production hiding behind last year’s headlines. This guard class offers all three. Who’s brave enough to ignore the noise?
