Fantasy Basketball Trends: Key Warriors, Old And New, Showing Out In The Early Going

The first three weeks of the 2026-27 NBA season have reshaped fantasy basketball rankings. Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is a must-add breakout, Stephen Curry is scoring 30.0 points per game at age 38 and Victor Wembanyama bounced back with a 43-point outing. Walker Kessler is stacking rebounds and blocks in a new offense, while Jalen Johnson's shooting slump raises buy-low questions.

Lendeborg's 113 points through five games and Kessler's 2.5 blocks per game drive waiver wire demand. Our start-or-sit breakdown covers who to buy low, who to sell high and which hot streaks are real for your 2026-27 fantasy basketball lineup.

Yaxel Lendeborg / Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

Lendeborg is off to an incredible start and putting critics to rest with impactful performances that are translating to wins for his squad. He kicked off his NBA career by amassing the third-most points (113) by a player through their first five games since 2000, behind Kevin Durant and Paolo Banchero, and the first player since Shaquille O'Neal (1992) to have 113 points and 46 rebounds through his first five games. He is also the first Warriors rookie to log 25 points in three straight games (his third, fourth, and fifth career games) since Stephen Curry (2009).

Lendeborg has already topped the 30-point mark twice in his eight outings, helping his team to five straight wins. He is getting the job done with efficiency, shooting 50.0% from the field, including a blistering 40.0% from deep (6.3 attempts per game) and 76.9% from the foul line (6.5 attempts per game). The rookie has cemented himself as a key part of the 2026-27 Warriors' identity, playing 31.9 minutes per game and ranking second on the team in points and field goals attempted per game. He is very likely to continue with an impressive trajectory and will surely remain arguably the most important x-factor in his squad's success.

Curry is 38 years old and playing like a star in his prime, delivering a start to the season full of jaw-dropping highlights and historic feats. On October 26, against the Nuggets, he tallied 24 points on 8-for-8 shooting, including 3-for-3 from deep and 5-for-5 from the foul line, marking his second career "perfect" game, but his first with over 20 points. He also started the season shooting 39-for-39 from the foul line to set the record for most makes without a miss through a player's first four games. Additionally, he is on pace to rank as the highest-scoring 38-year-old point guard in history, as he is averaging 30.0 points per game, while the second-highest average belongs to Steve Nash, who averaged 12.7 points at the age of 38.

Curry was bothered by injury issues last season but played at least 70 games in each of the previous two campaigns. If he can stay healthy this season, he could be on pace for one of the most impressive campaigns of his career, as he is shooting 46.8% from the field, including 42.9% from deep, and 98.1% from the foul line through six games played. He is also taking care of the ball with 2.3 assists per turnover, which ties the second-best rate of his career. Curry's dominant play is not only impressive on an individual scale but is helping his team win games, as the Warriors are on a five-game heater, erasing their 0-3 start.

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

Wembanyama opened the season with a modest 12-point, 13-rebound performance, leading to a loss for his team and giving the most imaginative of skeptics reason to question his ability. However, the fourth-year phenom took no time to quiet the chatter, as he bounced back by averaging 31.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.8 blocks over the next five games, including a 43-point outing in the game before last. In that game, he also became the first Spurs player to tally at least 40 points and five blocks in a game since David Robinson (1996), as well as the third player in history (behind Kristaps Porziņģis and Bob McAdoo) with at least 40 points and six blocks in a game before turning 23 years old.

On the other hand, Wembanyama put up another relatively modest stat line in his most recent outing, but he was also limited to just 24 minutes in a 22-point win over the Jazz. He is shooting 46.9% from the field on the season but is definitely showing some struggles from deep, where he is hitting just 26.2% on 6.0 three-point attempts per game. This is a notable dip from his 34.9% shooting from deep last season. Although the long-range shooting has been a highlight of the big man's game, as long as he continues to thrive closer to the basket, it should offset any other issues. The deep shooting will likely even out over a few more games, as he gets into the groove of the season.

Walker Kessler, Los Angeles Lakers

Kessler is looking like a good fit with his new squad, averaging 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.5 blocks per game through eight outings. He is also shooting a brilliant 71.4% from the field, as he stays true to his role and works almost exclusively in the restricted area. His free-throw shooting leaves something to be desired at just 53.6 percent effectiveness, but it is a small price to pay for the efficiency he brings in other areas, including giving up just 1.5 turnovers in his 30.8 minutes of action per game.

Kessler is coming off three straight double-doubles but has not yet recorded a 20-point double-double, despite opening the season with back-to-back 20-point games. He currently ranks sixth in the league in rebounds and third in blocks per game. He is likely to continue to excel in his current situation, with an offense led by top-tier scorers and playmakers Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, and a defense bolstered by feisty forwards Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle.

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Johnson put the league on notice last season, averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.2 steals, while ranking second in the league in triple-doubles (13) and third in double-doubles (49) through his 72 games played. However, things have not panned out with the same luster so far this season, as he is shooting just 42.1% from the field and is averaging just 14.0 points per game over his last three outings. He has shot better than 48.5% from the field over his five seasons, and expectations were high leading into 2026-27, as the Hawks moved on from their previous star, Trae Young, seemingly in part to open the way for Johnson to take the reins.

Although it is early in the season, his struggles from the field bring reasonable cause for concern, as he is intended to lead the charge for a team that should have the highest of goals in mind. He continues to get to the rim and score from close range with efficiency, shooting 66.7 percent in/near the restricted area, but the mid-range and three-ball have not been working out the same, as he has hit just 3-for-25 from mid range and 8-for-31 from deep. On the other hand, concern should not equal panic, as Johnson is also averaging 9.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game and is likely to find his groove sooner rather than later.