The Raptors’ Scottie Barnes had an excellent 2025-26 season, finishing top-20 in per-game value.
The Atlantic Division enters 2026-27 with a defending champion, a blockbuster All-Star swap, and a Kawhi Leonard trade stuck in limbo — and fantasy managers need to pay attention to all of it. The Knicks bring back the league’s most stable starting five, the Celtics and 76ers reshuffled value on both rosters by trading Jaylen Brown for Paul George, and even rebuilding Brooklyn offers draft-day appeal with Julius Randle and breakout candidate Egor Dёmin. From first-round questions in Philadelphia to late-round fliers in Toronto, here’s what all five Atlantic teams mean for your fantasy draft.
New York Knicks
Last season: The Knicks finally captured an NBA Championship in 2026, ending a 53-year drought. New York finished the regular season with a 53-29 record, good enough for third in the Eastern Conference. There were a few teams that played better than the Knicks throughout the regular season, though it was a different story in the playoffs, with the team winning 13 straight contests while losing only three games overall.
What changed: Very little — and that’s the story. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns, a unit that collectively started 43 regular-season games in 2025-26, the fourth-most among starting lineups, are back and looking to capture back-to-back championships. The bench is also relatively unchanged, with Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson each receiving new deals to remain with the franchise, plus Miles McBride, who has been considered a Sixth Man of the Year favorite at times in the last few seasons. The one real departure is Mitchell Robinson, who signed with the Celtics on a three-year, $47.4 million deal in July. To take his place, the Knicks signed veteran big man Andre Drummond.
Fantasy outlook: Through a fantasy basketball lens, this is one of the safest year-over-year teams to target in drafts — the continuity means last season’s roles and production are the most reliable projection baseline in the division. Drummond should fill backup center minutes behind Towns, with the potential for the two big men to share the floor, and he’ll be a waiver-wire add if Towns misses time.
Bottom line: With a fresh NBA champion each of the past eight seasons, the Knicks may not be considered the favorite to win the title. However, they have surprised plenty of teams in recent years, so they can’t be ruled out completely.
Boston Celtics
Last season: It’s difficult to imagine the Celtics will be better without Jaylen Brown. However, there is reason for optimism: over their careers together, the team won 71.6 percent of games in which Jayson Tatum played and Brown didn’t. Granted, there are moving parts to this, though it at least demonstrates Boston can still play well when Brown isn’t on the floor.
What changed: The C’s received Paul George in exchange for Brown. While most would see that as a downgrade, it’s important to remember that George is a nine-time All-Star, and despite his age and injury history, he is still putting up quality numbers.
Fantasy outlook: George was a top-50 player in 8-category fantasy last year on a per-game basis, averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals. Then there’s Tatum himself: he played 16 games after recovering from his torn Achilles, averaging 21.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals. He’s been worthy of a first-round pick in fantasy for most of his career, and there’s a good chance that’s where managers will take him again. Derrick White struggled with efficiency during the regular season and postseason but still put up enough counting stats to be a top-50 player in both category leagues and points leagues. Payton Pritchard was left to pick up slack offensively, averaging 17.0 points and 5.2 assists in 32.3 minutes.
Bottom line: If White’s efficiency doesn’t bounce back, and Tatum and George aren’t able to complement each other’s skill sets, it could be a long season for Celtics fans. Still, Boston should make the playoffs as a non-Play-In team.
Brooklyn Nets
Last season: Things haven’t gone well for Brooklyn since the departures of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. With a combined 78-168 regular-season record since 2023-24, the Nets have been one of the NBA’s worst teams.
What changed: There is reason to believe the Nets are on the upswing. Brooklyn drafted Louisville guard Mikel Brown with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and Julius Randle is back in New York City — although he is now a Net after the team acquired him from Minnesota during the offseason in a deal that sent Nic Claxton to Chicago. The team also added Moritz Wagner and Keon Ellis.
Fantasy outlook: Egor Dёmin looked good during Summer League and is a potential second-year breakout candidate in fantasy basketball. Randle continues to have a fantasy game worth investing in during the middle rounds, averaging 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals last year, and his role should remain similar in Brooklyn. Michael Porter Jr., who averaged a career-high 24.2 points last season and was a top-40 player per game in fantasy, is also in the picture, at least for now. Even if Porter Jr. does get traded, that would likely mean the Nets acquire more assets moving ahead, further increasing the team’s odds of a successful rebuild.
Bottom line: Does all of this mean the Nets are a bona fide playoff contender? All things considered, despite adding Randle, Brown, Wagner and Ellis along with the expected growth of players like Dёmin, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf, Brooklyn is still a long shot to make the playoffs. At the very least, the Nets should play better than they did in 2025-26.
Toronto Raptors
Last season: After a couple of below-.500 seasons, the Raptors turned things around in 2025-26, finishing with a 46-36 record and returning to the playoffs. While the team lost to the Cavaliers in a hard-fought seven-game series, it was at least a step in the right direction for Toronto.
What changed: The outlook for the Raptors heading into the 2026-27 campaign is brighter than ever — or is it? Kawhi Leonard, who helped bring the franchise its first championship in 2019, was acquired from the Clippers during the offseason. Yet that deal is on hold pending a league investigation, so team context is muddied. If the deal goes through, Toronto is instantly in the title conversation.
Fantasy outlook: Scottie Barnes had an excellent year, finishing top-20 in per-game value by averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.4 steals. Aside from Leonard, the biggest fantasy swing piece may be the health of Jakob Poeltl and the development of Collin Murray-Boyles. The two are tied together, as Murray-Boyles proved to be a capable starter when Poeltl missed time. Both players are fair upside swings late in drafts.
Bottom line: Everything in Toronto — real-life ceiling and fantasy value alike — hinges on how the Leonard situation resolves.
Philadelphia 76ers
Last season: It’s safe to say “The Process” hasn’t exactly worked out as planned for Philadelphia. Despite some moves made in previous years to surround Joel Embiid with a talented supporting cast, the 76ers have fallen short of capturing a championship.
What changed: With new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey now running the show after replacing Daryl Morey, it appears Philly’s chances of winning a title are higher than ever. It was a productive start to the offseason for the front office. Jaylen Brown, who averaged a career-best 28.7 points in 71 regular-season games with the Celtics in 2025-26, was acquired in a deal for Paul George. In addition, the team’s depth was bolstered by the signings of Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons, two players who can step in and start when necessary. The acquisitions of Brown, Wade and Simons alone were enough to substantially improve the Sixers’ chances of winning it all. Yet the odds improved even more once LeBron James agreed to a two-year, nearly $8 million contract. Without question, James is not the player he once was, which is expected for any player north of 40. However, he doesn’t need to be, considering Brown, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe are more than capable of picking up the slack.
Fantasy outlook: The star influx severely complicates things for fantasy basketball. Can Tyrese Maxey still be a first-round value? How far does Jaylen Brown’s scoring drop? How will touches get distributed as a whole? It’s easy to envision a decline for everyone. Then there’s Embiid: expectations are still high for the 2023 MVP, but his health has been a significant issue. In 2025-26, Embiid logged only 38 regular-season appearances. However, despite a decrease in most statistical areas from previous seasons, he still averaged 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks. Not many players are capable of producing at that level.
Bottom line: Philadelphia’s chances of winning its first championship in over four decades will hinge on whether Embiid can stay healthy. His ability to stay on the floor will make a difference, especially if Philadelphia faces Victor Wembanyama or Nikola Jokić in the 2027 NBA Finals.
