De'Andre Hunter

Expectations were relatively high for Hunter last season after coming off a promising 2020-21 season that was cut short (23 games) by injury. However, Hunter failed to meet those expectations, and his numbers decreased across the board. Over 29.8 minutes, the forward averaged 13.4 points on 44/38/77 shooting, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists. The most encouraging part of his campaign was his career-high efficiency from beyond the arc, though it came on reduced volume. He didn't even hold much value in deep leagues, ranking 231st in per-game fantasy production. The No. 4 overall pick in 2019 has flashed as a three-and-D option, but it's not translating to fantasy production. Some of his fantasy struggles relate to the low usage rate brought on by the ball-dominant ways of Trae Young, and the Hawks have a potent offense outside of Young as well, meaning Hunter can sometimes get lost in the shuffle. That may be the case again this year, with Atlanta trading for Dejounte Murray to bolster the roster. It's understandable if fantasy managers want to take a flier on Hunter, given his age (24 years old), but he'll need to make massive strides to be worth rostering in standard leagues.

Hunter was on his way to being one of the best steals of 2020 fantasy drafts, but he suffered a knee injury Jan. 29 that kept him out nearly for the rest of the season. The sophomore forward ended up playing just 23 games, but he made major strides. Before the injury, he saw 33.4 minutes per game and averaged 17.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 combined steals-plus-blocks. His shot was excellent, as he went 52/38/89. Leading up to his injury, he ranked as the 50th-best player in fantasy on a per-game basis. Hunter is expected to be ready for training camp, and he'll be a great selection in drafts this season for informed fantasy managers. He could easily slip in drafts due to lack of name recognition and the significant injury, but considering how well he was playing, there will be some managers targeting him as high as the fifth round. Hunter should open the 2021-22 season as Atlanta's starting small forward and see usage similar to what he was garnering before his injury.

The 2019 lottery pick enjoyed a solid rookie campaign, averaging 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 dimes and 1.7 threes. He started all but one game and logged 32.0 minutes per contest, seeing immediate playing time for the Hawks. On the season, he provided eight games with 20 points, including a season-high 28 on Dec 10 against Miami. He also notched three double-doubles. Hunter's playing time and role is in jeopardy this season, however, as the Hawks signed Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic to sizeable deals. Gallinari is expected to come off the bench, but Hunter will still be battling for playing time with him, Bogdanovic, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter. Hunter ranked just 197th in per-game production last season, so he should only be drafted as a flier in deep leagues this time around.

Hunter, selected by the Hawks with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 Draft, is arguably the most versatile defensive player in the rookie class, and he helped lead Virginia to a National Championship as a sophomore last season. He projects as a three-and-D forward who can be relied upon as a spot-up shooter and defend multiple positions, notably shooting 46-for-105 (43.8 percent) from three and averaging a combined 1.2 steals/blocks in 2018-19. Hunter figures to slot in as Atlanta's starting small forward, completing a young presumed lineup of Trae Young, Kevin Hurter, John Collins and Alex Len. Hunter doesn't have huge upside as a fantasy asset considering he was a low-usage player in college (10.4 FGA and 2.0 APG), but he has the potential to provide value in the three-pointers, rebounding and defensive categories.