yahoo - 1/14/2026 5:47:03 PM - GMT (+2 )
With nearly half of the fantasy basketball season complete, it's time to update the 2025 rookie ladder. Cooper Flagg maintains the top spot, but several rookies have made significant moves over the past month. Let's check in on the steady mix of contributors, with new entrants making noise in fantasy lineups.
🪜NBA Fantasy Rookie Ladder (as of Wednesday, Jan 14)Rank | Player Name | Team | Position | High Score Rank | 9-cat Rank |
1 | Cooper Flagg | DAL | SF/PF | 48 | 42 |
2 | VJ Edgecombe | PHI | PG/SG | 68 | 45 |
3 | Kon Knueppel | CHA | SG/SF | 87 | 69 |
4 | Derik Queen | NOP | PF/C | 97 | 136 |
5 | Cedric Coward | MEM | SG/SF | 123 | 144 |
6 | Ryan Kalkbrenner | CHA | C | 174 | 95 |
7 | Collin Murray-Boyles | TOR | PF/C | 218 | 219 |
8 | Egor Demïn | BKN | PG | 166 | 201 |
9 | Tre Johnson | WAS | SG/SF | 191 | 193 |
10 | Maxime Raynaud | SAC | C | 198 | 214 |
High Score Rank: 48 | 9-cat Rank: 42
Flagg bounced back strongly over the past week, averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 50% shooting in his last three games. That's a nice rebound after a mid-month slump where his efficiency dipped to 44.4% over a six-game stretch. That said, Flagg is the highest-ranked rookie in High Score, 9-cat and points leagues through Tuesday.
He's put up two 60+ point fantasy efforts in High Score in the past month and ranks 24th in High Score over that span. Flagg's stepped up defensively, too, getting over 2 stocks per contest in the last 30 days. With Anthony Davis facing a six-week absence, the Mavericks will continue to lean on the rookie as the focal point of their offense.
2. VJ Edgecombe — PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ersHigh Score Rank: 68 | 9-cat Rank: 45
Since December's check-in, Edgecombe has been a beast in 9-cat formats. He's been providing second-round value over the past month, thanks to leveling up to nearly 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and close to 3 stocks per game.
The efficiency is inconsistent, but hitting a hair under three 3s while going 82% from the line increased his value. He's also moved up over 20 spots in High Score in the past month after averaging 41 fantasy points per game. The 76ers need his scoring, energy and playmaking with their injury-prone vets, so fantasy managers should feel great about VJ's role and performance the rest of the way.
3. Kon Knueppel — SG/SF, Charlotte HornetsHigh Score Rank: 87 | 9-cat Rank: 69
Kon moved into the three spot this month, after maintaining the status quo from the prior month. His High Score improved by one place (88 to 87), and his 9-cat rank dropped by two slots from 67 to 69. Again, not a significant dropoff in production by any means. Knueppel is fourth in the NBA in total 3s made. And, he benefits whenever LaMelo Ball gets hurt.
He's still among the top of his class, posting 19.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.8 stocks in a shade under 30 minutes per night over the last month. Kon is outperforming expectations, and his unique combination of efficiency with such high 3-point volume makes him a worthy fantasy asset across all formats.
4. Derik Queen — PF/C, New Orleans PelicansHigh Score Rank: 97 | 9-cat Rank: 136
Queen's moving up the rookie hierarchy, entering the top 80 in High Score. He posted his second triple-double of the year a couple of games ago, amassing 60 fantasy points — his second-highest mark of the year. Since December, he's been averaging nearly five more fantasy points per game (34.9 to 39.8) and it's not just the points, rebounds and assists — now he's getting stocks as well.
Queen has surprisingly totaled the most stocks over the last month of any rookie, proving that he continues to mature and elevate his well-rounded fantasy profile. The Pelicans are clearly running more offense through him as a facilitator, which is great for High Score. Should any veteran trades go down, the Queen is marked safe in fantasy.
5. Cedric Coward — SG/SF, Memphis GrizzliesHigh Score Rank: 123 | 9-cat Rank: 144
Coward is in a promising situation with Memphis actively taking calls on Ja Morant and potentially Jaren Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies look like they are heading toward a rebuild, which would be great for Coward's rest-of-season outlook. He could be heating up again, averaging 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds over his last two games.
Coward has improved his standing in both 9-cat and High Score since December; however, the lack of stocks is disappointing as a rangy perimeter defender. Hold him in 12-team leagues — if Memphis moves veterans, Coward’s 28 minutes could easily jump to 32+.
6. Ryan Kalkbrenner — C, Charlotte HornetsHigh Score Rank: 174 | 9-cat Rank: 95
Kalkbrenner has barely played over the past month — just four games in 30 days. That's the primary reason he's falling in the rankings. When he's on the court, his efficiency is among the best in the NBA. The problem is, he's now in a deep timeshare with Moussa Diabate. It caps his upside and as a result, he's currently not a must-roster player.
Can he help fantasy managers with FG%, blocks and rebounds? Yes. So for 9-cat, I view him as a fringe 12-team asset, whereas in Hig Score, he is and should be left on waivers.
7. Collin Murray-Boyles — PF/C, Toronto RaptorsHigh Score Rank: 218 | 9-cat Rank: 219
All signs are pointing to CMB being the next rookie to blow up (in a good way). Murray-Boyles has forced his way onto the ladder after stepping into the starting lineup with Jakob Poeltl sidelined indefinitely with a back injury. Over his last three games, CMB's averaged 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 57.1% shooting. That's a sizable jump from his 5.1 rebounds per game over the past month.
The defensive activity has been elite — 2.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game over the past week. CMB ranks 64th in 9-cat over the past month (top-10 in Week 12) and 118th in High Score with 28.7 fantasy points per game. With no timeline for Poeltl's return, Murray-Boyles is seizing the opportunity and is a must-add across formats with his expanded role.
8. Egor Demïn — PG, Brooklyn NetsHigh Score Rank: 166 | 9-cat Rank: 201
Another new player in the rookie ladder, Demïn's been a trending waiver wire pickup recently. Over the past two weeks, he's ranked 85th in 9-cat because of his 3s, steals, scoring and low turnover rate. Even in High Score, he's pacing to be a 30-fantasy-point-per-night player recently.
When evaluating opportunity, he's been the best rookie on the Nets and depending on what the team decides to do with Cam Thomas, Demïn could be featured more as the season progresses. Not a must-add, but he's at least an intriguing option to monitor when Brooklyn has a favorable schedule or his minutes trend consistently into the 30s.
9. Tre Johnson — SG, Washington WizardsHigh Score Rank: 191 | 9-cat Rank: 193
The Wizards are in trade mode after dealing for Trae Young last week. That move sent CJ McCollum to Atlanta, opening the door wider for Trigga Tre to get active. He's increased his scoring to 14.1 points per game over the past month while shooting 48% from the field.
With Washington playing for 2026, it’s going to keep playing its young guys, and Johnson is already giving fantasy managers more than expected in scoring and 3s. He's a player I've added in a couple of 12-team spots, and with his minutes trending up, he has the talent to creep into the top five of this rookie class by season's end.
10. Maxime Raynaud — C, Sacramento KingsHigh Score Rank: 198 | 9-cat Rank 214
Raynaud's minutes are coming at the expense of not having Domantas Sabonis available. However, he's been a serviceable low-end double-double type of player — on a good day. The good days haven't been as prevalent lately, though. Over the past two weeks, he's been closer to a top 200 player than 100, averaging 10.3 points with 6.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.
He's becoming unplayable in High Score and points formats because, offensively, he doesn't see nearly enough touches to be effective. And I get it, finding your place alongside three ball-dominant players is challenging. He's droppable unless the Kings can move Sabonis by the February deadline.
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Ryan Nembhard — PG, Dallas Mavericks
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