Dynasty Fantasy Basketball Stock Watch: NBA Draft Risers, Fallers from March Madness
March Madness has reached the Final Four, with the elite teams being UConn, Illinois, Arizona, and Michigan. Across both downward-winning and upward-wrapping teams, NBA teams keep a keen eye on risers and fallers during the tournament. Across the first 60 games, we have indeed seen significant upward and downward shifts. This is our stock watch for the 2026 NBA Draft, given the NCAA Tournament.
NBA Draft Risers
AJ Dybantsa may have been booted from the tournament in round one with BYU, but he did finish his final 11 games of the season with 20+ points. Dybantsa is arguably the best scorer and will be the No. 1 pick favorite.
Keaton Wagler finds himself in the Final Four with Illinois. The current NBA Draft projections find Wagler as a top-7 pick. Wagler last put out 25 points against Iowa in the Elite 8, and against a tough Houston team in the Sweet 16, Wagler had 12 rebounds.
Darius Acuff Jr. had been the star of this tournament pre-elimination. He has an unmatched ability to score from every inch of the court. Check out his highlights and proceed to be amazed. He could now go top-3.
Yaxel Lendeborg has played well enough to creep into top-10 consideration in the NBA Draft. Lendeborg is averaging 25 points per game over his last three games of the tournament. Michigan is the current National Championship favorite.
Koa Peat is a star of Arizona basketball, in which the freshman has scored 17.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. In his last two games, Peat is shooting 17-for-29. Peat is creeping up on being a top-10 draft pick and will only get better once he gets to the league. Peat may be among the greatest dynasty fantasy basketball stashes drafted outside the top-5.
Neutral Draft Stocks
Cam Boozer almost willed Duke to the Final Four with his 'bully-ball' style in the paint. He reminds me much of former Duke star Paolo Banchero. Boozer is such a physical specimen that he will likely go top-5 in the NBA Draft and be a high-usage player on whatever team takes him.
Caleb Wilson never actually played a tournament game, but he is getting glowing reviews, with some reports considering him a No. 1 pick. That is less likely to happen, but Wilson is a lanky, certified top-5 pick with tremendous upside, compared to Kevin Garnett.
Nate Ament had an up-and-down tournament, but he did play a key role in an Elite 8 for the 6-seed Tennessee Volunteers. Ament is very raw with a massive ceiling, should he add weight to his lanky frame
Labaron Philon may have the best footwork of any guard in this draft. He can easily join an NBA team and be a great, complementary scorer at shooting guard. His defense may be a weakness, but that matters less in fantasy basketball than scoring and assists.
NBA Draft Fallers
Darryn Peterson may have gotten a raw deal this season. Many fans question his will to play, while others believe that Peterson has been injured and misrepresented this season. Nonetheless, Peterson may be the most polished prospect,t and he can quickly become a fantasy baseball star should he become the player we hope to see. Kansas was bounced early, but not due to Peterson, who had 21 and 28points, and scored.
Kingston Flemings did nothing to wow fans, thus he falls from a top-7 pick to maybe outside the top-10. Flemings scored 9 against Texas A&M and 11 against Illinois. He is supposed to be a better scorer than that. He should not be an immediately impactful fantasy basketball asset.
Joshua Jefferson was hurt and thus did not play the final two games for Iowa State. This is a knock on Jefferson, as we could not see him play at his best against the toughest competition. He may be great, but Jefferson will fall outside of the lottery. His value will be volatile.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.