Jayson Tatum Eyes Return, Celtics' Players Have Fantasy Basketball Sell-High Status

The Celtics sent Jayson Tatum to rehab with the Maine Celtics. Any week now, he can return to action, benefiting fantasy basketball stockholders.

Oct 27, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum reacts during introductions during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Jayson Tatum is working his way back into the headlines this week. This is given his assignment to the Maine Celtics as he rehabs from injury. This will surely be a welcome sight for all Celtics fans as they surge toward the playoffs and aim to mount another title run. In the world of fantasy basketball, this also has huge implications. He can be a buy-low candidate, but we will give you a rundown before you pull any trigger.

Fantasy Basketball Impact

If Tatum returns soon, it will have a very large impact on this Celtics team. Tatum is widely considered one of the best players in the NBA. He will not be playing to his best form right off the bat, but he can reach it within 2-3 weeks of being back.

Tatum will be a player who reaches a >30% usage rate. This will mostly affect Jaylen Brown. With a 36% usage rate, no NBA player other than Luka Dončić has a higher usage rate. The Celtics can't support two players at 35%. Once Tatum is fully back, we can expect Brown to head back down to 30%, and the duo would both likely be somewhere around that range.

Flashing back to 2024-25, we get a better view of this Celtics offense with Tatum. That showed Tatum at a 30% usage rate while Brown sat at 28%. Again, we should expect this. Brown may be a great sell-high candidate at the moment.

Jayson Tatum Eyes Return

There was some talk that Tatum could miss the entirety of this season. Luckily, that will not be the case. Per Tatum, he hopes to return to the Celtics post-all-star break, on Feb 27. This would follow a four-game road trip. It will be vital to see how Tatum fares in his Maine Celtics rehab starts.

Nobody should ever expect Tatum to be back to his MVP-caliber form immediately. In fact, it could take a long while. Returning midseason is no easy task, as the team is in form and Tatum is working to find his. He very well could not see his peak at any point this year. Nonetheless, Tatum would still be an elite forward in fantasy basketball.

Stock Watch

Jayson Tatum is a buy-low candidate right now. Even with his return, he has risk. You may be able to deal with someone like a Michael Porter Jr., who is a sell-high, and take a leap of faith towards Tatum's league-winning upside.

Jaylen Brown is definitely a sell-high candidate right now. Even if Tatum is not in his final form, there is no way Brown can maintain a 36% usage rate. This should come down; his ceiling would be 33%, but he is more likely to return to 28%. If you can get a Kevin Durant or Deni Avdija, you may want to make it happen.

Derrick White would also suffer. In 2024-25, White played to an 18% usage rate. He now plays to a 23% usage rate. Like Brown would see a reduction, so will White. He is another sell-high candidate before it is too late.