The Dan Besbris DO NOT DRAFT List for Fantasy Basketball 2026-27 | 8 Busts and Underperformers

Storyline / Purpose

• Dan Besbris (Old Man Squad) presents a “DO NOT DRAFT” list of fantasy basketball busts/underperformers for 2026–27.
• The goal is to identify players most likely to:
  • Underperform
  • Get injured
  • Not match their draft-day category value
  • Specifically in 9-cat Yahoo-style fantasy basketball.
• The list is updated using the 4th updated Yahoo rankings (released Oct 1), with an intention to keep the episode concise—under ~28 minutes.

Gameplay / Fantasy Basketball “Gameplay” Highlights

The strategy focuses on avoiding ADP traps—players who look strong in a few categories but are weak where fantasy points matter most.

• He humorously calls this “Bransonite”: overlooking category weaknesses because the overall stat line feels acceptable.
• Key lineup considerations include:
  • Injury risk, especially missing the season opener
  • Post-playoff “hangover” / fatigue logic (minor, but still considered)
  • Players who are “one move away,” but may not become matchup-proof enough to justify ADP
  • Situational usage: who becomes the 3rd/4th option when stars return

Key “Do Not Draft” / Bust Targets (and Why)

Jalen Brunson (on the list again)

• Not expected to reach his previous fantasy ceiling due to persistent category deficiencies:
  • Low defensive impact (steals/blocks/rebounding, plus field goal efficiency concerns)
• Also framed as a possible hangover burden after an intense playoff run.
• Draft advice:
  • Avoid in the 3rd round
  • Would prefer him later (4th+), but is not interested where consensus has him.

Jaylen Brown (failure; moving up/down expectations)

• Concern: role fit as the 4th priority behind main stars once the season settles.
• Additional risk factors:
  • High turnovers
  • Potential free throw regression
  • Likely fantasy value drop as his offensive/usage role shifts (framed as 1A → 3B)
• Draft advice:
  • Don’t draft in earlier rounds
  • He suggests Brown will become hard to get at the current value

Paolo Banchero (moved from “failure” → “underrated,” but still on the list)

• He’s not expected to “crater” like before, but still flagged due to:
  • Weak defense
  • Possible shooting/efficiency issues and a 9-cat gap versus where he’s being drafted
• Strategy notes:
  • In 8-cat formats, there are punt-style pathways where Paolo can work (e.g., ignoring shooting% or other categories)
  • For 9-cat, the defense/cat-floor stability isn’t expected to justify the ADP
• Draft advice:
  • Consider starting around the 6th round, rather than earlier

Konn “Kan” Keneppel? (“Kanepol”; jokingly named; injured early)

• Main reason: hamstring injury, plus a strict rule:
  • If a player misses the season opener, don’t draft them (with rare exceptions)
• He references a pattern: early injuries often lead to messy fantasy seasons.
• Draft advice:
  • Avoid even if the player is young and may recover—soft-tissue injuries are treated as especially risky.

Brandon Ingram (heel surgery / partial Achilles tear)

• Injury status is framed as a major red flag:
  • Partial Achilles tear
  • Uncertainty and difficulty achieving early full-season reliability
• Draft advice:
  • Avoid
  • He expects Ingram to fall off future rankings again as more details emerge.

Kristaps Porziņģis (explicit “do not draft”)

• He emphasizes:
  • Don’t trust the Yahoo ranking—don’t draft him at any tag
• Condition/trajectory is framed as progressing (mentions POTS and an autoimmune/nervous-system framing).
• Minute/production warning:
  • Even if he plays, expected reduced minutes (roughly ~23–24 vs prior ~28–30+)
• Draft advice:
  • Avoid entirely
  • Target players likely to play 40+ games

Stephon Castle (failure, except for a specific build)

• Seen as a turnover/free throw/three-pointer issue for most builds.
• Only viable in a niche “big-man” roster setup where owners don’t care as much about “penalty box” categories.
• Draft advice:
  • Acceptable only for an intentional multi-punt build
  • Otherwise, avoid

V.J. Edgecombe (borderline / “halfway off” list)

• Still on the “do not draft” list, but Dan softens the stance because:
  • His ranking improved from earlier in the 70s to around 88 (start of the 8th round)
  • He thinks Edgecombe can reach top-100-ish numbers if usage breaks his way (threes/steals/rebounds for a guard)
• Draft advice:
  • More “maybe later” than “never”
  • Could be removed in a future update

Additional “Don’t Draft” Emphasis

• He reiterates the broader theme: avoid injury-heavy or low-reliability players.
• Known early-season injury risks should remove players from your draft board.

Finalized “Busts / Underperformers” List Mentioned

• Jaylen Brunson
• Jaylen Brown
• Paolo Banchero
• Konn “Kanepol” (injured early; name shown unclearly via subtitles, referring to the hamstring-injury player)
• Brandon Ingram
• Stephon Castle
• V.J. Edgecombe (borderline case)
• Kristaps Porziņģis (explicitly)

He also reiterates that “busts” can include injured starters as a category, in addition to the specific names above.

Key Rules / Tips (Quick Summary)

• Don’t draft players who miss the season opener (almost no exceptions).
• Avoid “Bransonite” traps: players whose defensive/rebounding/efficiency weaknesses get ignored because points/assists look okay.
• If a player’s role becomes a 3rd/4th option, expect turnovers and category-floor changes—draft accordingly.
• Be cautious with players returning after soft-tissue injuries (treated as especially volatile).
• Don’t blindly trust Yahoo rankings—use them as rough guidance, but prioritize known injury and role context.

Featured Gamers / Sources Mentioned

• Dan Besbris (host/analyst; @danbessette on Twitter)
• Old Man Squad (Twitter/brand)
• FanDuel / FanDuel Sportsbook
• Yahoo Fantasy (rankings source referenced)
• Fantrax (fantrax.com/oldmansquad referenced)
• Patreon (mentioned as an alternate subscription)