Markelle Fultz

Fultz missed nearly all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered early in 2020-21. He made his debut in late February and appeared in 18 games (three starts). The team remained cautious, not alloting him more than 29 minutes in any contest. He averaged 10.8 points on 47/24/81 shooting, 5.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20.0 minutes. While those numbers don't jump off the page, they translate to an impressive 19.5 points, 9.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per 36 minutes. There's only so much stock you can put into a small sample at the end of the season when many opponents are tanking, but it's encouraging play from Fultz, whose career has been marred by injury and a bizarre change in his shooting form. While his three-point stroke may never recover, he's proving to be a good finisher around the basket and an adequate mid-range shooter. His passing ability and defense will keep him productive even if his shot fails. More importantly, he's hit 75.6 percent of his free throws over his past 98 games, so teams can't resort to hacking him when he gets in close. This season, Fultz should take over as the Magic's starting point guard while Jalen Suggs slides over to shooting guard and Cole Anthony comes off the bench. Fultz will have to share the ball with No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, but the rookie shouldn't dominate the rock. All things considered, the pieces are in place for Fultz to potentially produce the best season of his career. He's starting off injured, however, as he broke his toe before the year and could miss the first few weeks.

Fultz appeared to be on the right track after his first year in Orlando, posting career-high scoring and assist numbers while playing in 72 of 73 games in 2019-20. However, the 2017 No. 1 overall pick then tore his ACL just eight games into the 2020-21 campaign. It is unclear how much time the 23-year-old will miss at the start of next season, but it is likely to be at least a month as Fultz suffered the injury in January of 2020. With that in mind, Fultz may be available late in drafts or may even go undrafted in some formats. Before the injury, the Washington product was averaging 12.9 points, 5.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals across 26.9 minutes per game. If he can return from injury with this type of production he may become the steal of the draft, but the point guard's health is far from a sure thing as he has only played 20-plus games once in his four-year career. Another concerning factor from Fultz's fantasy perspective is the Magic's investment into their 2021 No. 5 overall pick Jalen Suggs. In an ideal world, Orlando would likely prefer to play the two guards in the same backcourt to maximize their talents. With all things considered, Fultz is worth a late-round flier -- particularly in deeper leagues -- as he will command a large portion of the play-making duties when he is healthy.

Fultz came off the bench for the first five games to kick off his first season in Orlando, but he secured a role as a full-time starter the rest of the way and finished with a career-high 27.7 minutes per contest. His production responded accordingly, as he posted 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and a team-high 5.1 assists per game while hitting 46.5 percent of hits shots and 26.7 percent from distance. Most notably, Fultz stayed healthy and played all but one game in the shortened season after logging just 35 contests over his first two years with the Association due to shoulder injuries. He'll be 22 years old at the start of the 2020-21 season, affording the former No. 1 overall pick (2017) a reasonable hope of returning to his pre-injury form. That upside should warrant a late-round flier for fantasy managers with a chance to cash in on major production.

Seemingly in an attempt to build Fultz's confidence, Sixers' coach Brett Brown started the point guard for the first 15 games of the season, despite Fultz still dealing with the shoulder issues that plagued him throughout his rookie season. While he averaged a solid 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 24.4 minutes as a starter, he posted just 9.0 points per game on 41.2 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from distance and 57.6 percent from the charity stripe. Following those 15 starts, Brown had Fultz come off the bench for the next four games, where his workload was reduced to 15.3 minutes per contest. Those were the last games he played for the 76ers. He was eventually diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and dealt to the Magic, who were in a better position to take on the inherent risk that Fultz presents. Since then, it's essentially been radio silence on Fultz's recovery, and there has been quite literally no indication as to whether or not he will be ready for the start of the 2019-20 season. A true best-case scenario would involve Fultz returning to his pre-draft form and playing up to the level of an elite talent, but that seems unlikely at this point. Fantasy owners have justification to select the point guard with the final pick in a standard draft, hoping Fultz can at least play at a starting-caliber level.

A stellar freshman season at Washington earned Fultz the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft and immediately made him one of the more intriguing rookies to consider drafting for Fantasy leagues. However, the season didn't turn out like most had hoped and a handful of different issues kept Fultz off the floor for all but 14 games. Most notably was a sore right shoulder, which impacted his ability to shoot consistently and make plays for his teammates. Adding on to that, those issues also impacted Fultz's confidence and that mental hurdle itself was also a contributor in the youngster's extended stay on the sidelines. While it was essentially a lost season, there were at least a few things put on tape that Fultz will be able to build on, including a surprising 13-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double that he notched in the final game of the regular season. With an offseason to clear his mind and essentially start over, look for Fultz to become a regular contributor in the Sixers' rotation. He's reportedly rebuilt his jumper from scratch, which is always concerning for those considering taking a risk on him before seeing the final product. That said, the Sixers don't necessarily have a ton of quality depth in the backcourt, so Fultz seems likely to take over backup point guard duties right away if T.J. McConnell doesn't somehow hold him off. Look for Fultz to be a late-round flier in most Fantasy formats due to his overall upside, but there's definitely concerns about him staying on the court and having any sort of consistency while debuting a brand new shooting stroke.

Fultz played just one season at Washington, during which he finished sixth in the country in scoring with 23.2 points per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from deep. He was a lone bright spot for team, as they won just nine games, and posted 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in addition to his great scoring. One of the main reasons Fultz makes for an intriguing prospect is due to his size, boasting a 6-foot-9.75 wingspan as a 6-foot-4 point guard. Questions still remain about whether or not he can become a transcendent player, but when paired with the full potential of the 76ers, he should become a contributor from Day 1. In the past, the Sixers have stated that Ben Simmons will play point guard -- a plan that may or may not change with Fultz's selection, as he’s a capable off-ball player. Regardless, it seems like he could see a 30-plus minute workload during his rookie campaign and should make for an intriguing Fantasy option. As it stands, he should probably be worth a look in the mid rounds of most Fantasy leagues. Out of all the rookies, however, he may be one of the few worth reaching for considering his projected role, workload and usage.