Fantasy leagues are picking up pace as action in the 2024–25 NBA Season continues to heat up. That’s why you need to step up with your drafting strategies if you want to rack up the points and win your leagues or head-to-head matchups. This weekly guide helps you do just that, as we list down notable players from each team that you need to be including in your fantasy squads right now.
We started with the NBA Roster Insider series by breaking down the Atlanta Hawks. Now, we are putting the defending champion Boston Celtics under the microscope to see which players have fantasy potential.
Your Main Man: Jayson Tatum
You probably won’t go wrong with either of the Js—Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—as your main fantasy stud, but we’ll go with JT here over JB.
Tatum is almost guaranteed to give you a lot of scoring—at least 30 in most games, with 40 or more always a distinct possibility—and a little bit of everything. For the season, in fact, JT is doing it all for the Celtics, norming 30.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks.
There’s also this other matter of Tatum playing with a chip on his shoulder, as he continues to prove he didn’t deserve the benching he got at the Olympics. A man on a mission is always a great pick.
Surefire Studs: Derrick White, Al Horford
White is the ultimate glue guy, the kind who makes the winning plays for a winning team. He can also be an under-the-radar stat sheet-stuffer, the kind who can give you some points and lots of stocks (steals + blocks).
Besides, the dependable White is having his best season yet, on pace to have career year in scoring (19.2 PPG) and rebounding 4.4 RPG). He is also averaging 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Like White, the ageless Horford is as dependable as ever and remains a solid contributor, both to winning basketball and in fantasy leagues. He isn’t as prolific as White in terms of stuffing the stat sheet, but he can give a little of everything, like 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks. In other words, you won’t be getting zeros from Big Al.
Low Cost, High-Value Picks: Peyton Pritchard, Neemias Queta
Pritchard is so far the leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year this season, largely because of his lights-out shooting. That scoring will be his chief contribution to any fantasy team, with his 16.4 PPG a value pick at a reasonable cost in most leagues. He can also contribute 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals a game.
Queta, meanwhile, has come out of nowhere to become the Celtics’ primary backup big, bringing elite athleticism and unbridled energy for the defending champs. For the season, the 7-foot-big man is averaging just 5.7 points and 4.6 rebounds but has been picking up as of late with increased minutes—including a 14-point, 8-rebound, 2-block outing against the Golden State Warriors.
Best to use Queta now with Kristaps Porzingis still out and his cost still low.
