Fantasy Basketball Draft Steals in the First 10 Rounds: Cade Cunningham, James Harden and More

The NBA regular season kicks off later this month, so fantasy basketball drafts are really starting to ramp up now.

I wanted to point out some draft steals, so I'm falling back on an idea I've used in other sports in the leadup to the season. I'll pick a draft steal in each of the first 10 rounds and then give reasoning why.

I'll base things off of the FantasySP Average Draft Position list. I'll be approaching things from a total fantasy points view, although I'd choose a similar list in a category-based league. Let's get right to it!

Check out fantasy basketball Average Draft Position data on FantasySP as you prepare for the 2025-26 NBA season!

Round 1 - Cade Cunningham

Cunningham is going at pick 9.18 on average so far. I feel that's too low, and that he could be a draft steal despite being a first-round pick.

Across 70 regular season games and 35 minutes a contest, Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.8 blocks per game. He shot 46.9% overall and 35.6% from 3-point land.

Detroit has been building over the past several seasons, and might have its best roster in recent memory going into the 2025-26 season. Cunningham is the clear leader of the bunch, so he'll have no troubles leading the team in scoring again.

Better teammates will make his job a bit easier, and probably lead to a better fantasy season, whether that be from more assists, or maybe even more points per game if his percentages increase.

I love taking Cunningham in the first round and building around him.

Round 2 - James Harden

Harden is going at pick 16.18 on average so far. I think that's too low, as last year, Harden was the No. 4 overall fantasy player.

Now, healthier seasons from others could lead to him not finishing that high in 2025-26, but with several other top-end players hurt and out for the year, or really long, I see another possible top-10 finish for Harden. At the very least, I see him finishing higher than the pick he's going at, if he himself stays healthy.

Across 79 games last year, Harden averaged 35.3 minutes, 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. He shot 41% overall and 35.2% from deep.

He'll be the leading scorer (most likely) for an improved Clippers' team. The health of players around him will possibly set Harden back a bit, but he's shown he can still lead a team, so I think he's a safe pick in round 2, and likely going to be looked back on as underrated coming into the season.

Round 3 - Bam Adebayo

Adebayo is going around pick 30.55 so far. I think he's going to finish higher than that by the end of the season.

He'll open the season as the clear leader in Miami, as Tyler Herro will be out several weeks. Adebayo could be the leading scorer for that timeframe.

In 78 games last season, he averaged 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks across 34.3 minutes a night. Adebayo shot 48.5% overall and 35.7% from 3-point land.

Miami's lineup/roster doesn't look great without Herro, but that means you should get improved numbers from Adebayo in that timeframe. Even when Herro is back, Adebayo could finish with higher averages than in past seasons because of the lack of talent overall on the roster.

I think he's a draft steal near his ADP, and would be a fantastic big man to target after the first two rounds go by.

Round 4 - Josh Hart

Hart is going around pick 39.82 on average so far. He was a top-20 fantasy player in points leagues last season, so even if he regresses a bit, he's still likely to outperform his ADP.

Across 77 games, he averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks. He shot 52.5% overall and 33.3% from deep.

The Knicks' roster looks similar to past years, so I wouldn't expect Hart to suddenly drop off. Sure, he could play less than 37.6 minutes a night, which could mean his averages drops off, but again, I don't see it being drastic enough to have him finish below his ADP.

Scoop him up near that ADP and you have a versatile wing player who should outplay his pick by a decent bit.

Round 5 - Ivica Zubac

Zubac is going near pick 41.73 on average right now. He was the No. 12 overall fantasy player in points leagues last season, so the ADP is simply far too low.

In 80 regular season games, he averaged 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals across 32.8 minutes. He shot 62.8% overall.

The Clippers added Brook Lopez, but I don't think his presence is going to suddenly take away a ton of Zubac minutes. Even a slight decrease in points and rebounds should see Zubac deliver far greater than his current ADP.

If you miss on a big man early, getting Zubac would be a massive consolation prize. Well, him, and a couple of the guys we are about to get into.

Round 6 - Jarrett Allen

Allen is sitting at pick 54.45 on average as the season draws closer. He was comfortably inside the top 50 in points leagues last season, so again, this seems like plenty of bang for your buck.

He played in every regular season game, averaging 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals and blocks across 28 minutes a night. Allen made 70.6% of his field goal attempts.

You really can build a points team around big men who are nightly double-double threats. Allen is one of them, and offers a sky high shooting percentage, if your league also counts makes/misses.

Getting him after missing on some earlier bigs would help solidify the center spot, and has a good chance of becoming a draft steal if he can stay healthy.

Round 7 - Jalen Duren

May I interest you in another big man? He's going around pick 67.36 on average.

He averaged 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.7 steals over 26.1 minutes in his 78 games played. Duren shot 69.2% overall.

Even though that was a step back from his previous season, he was a great nightly option as a double-double threat. Duren should be in line for a similar season with the team the Pistons have assembled, and if he produces similarly and stays healthy, he has draft steal written all over him.

Round 8 - Darius Garland

Garland is sitting at pick 74.64 on average. He's banged up to start the year, and should miss some time, but I still see plenty of value in Garland after that.

He averaged 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.1 blocks across 30.7 minutes in his 75 games played. Garland shot 47.2% overall and 40.1% from 3-point land.

I don't know if he's going where he is due to uncertainty over his injury, but his current ADP is just too late. Period. He's worth an earlier pick, so if you land him near this ADP, stash him until he's back and then enjoy a top-25 points player from last season.

Round 9 - Christian Braun

Braun rounded out the top 50 last season, so to see him at pick 85.55 on average should signal draft steal to you.

In 79 games (77 starts), he averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks across 33.9 minutes a night. Braun shot 58% overall and was 39.7% from deep.

There's enough good in those numbers to take him near his ADP, or even a round or two earlier. I expect better averages from him in his fourth NBA season, and with Denver needing some others to step up around Nikola Jokic.

Round 10 - Jaden McDaniels

McDaniels was one of the surprise fantasy players in 2024-25. He's going at pick 100 on average as the 2025-26 season approaches.

In 82 games, he averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks over 31.9 minutes a contest. He shot 47.7% overall and 33% from 3-point land.

He might not be great at any single thing, but a well-rounded game has him as a really good fantasy asset every night. McDaniels was just outside the top 50 last year, and he's going nearly double that so far. Even if he regresses, he has draft steal potential.