Jazz Players Disrespected in Latest Fantasy Basketball Rankings

There's not a lot of respect for the Utah Jazz right now.

Dec 17, 2022; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) and Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill (3) reach for a rebound in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports / Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024-25 basketball season is just around the corner, and Rotowire.com released its top 100 fantasy basketball rankings. The oddsmakers predict a doom-and-gloom-type season for the Utah Jazz, and the new fantasy rankings followed suit.

Rotowire.com didn't have one Jazzman in its top 50, and the second highest player barely made the top 100. In a season where player development should trump winning basketball games, the fantasy outlook for Jazz players isn't ideal.

Let's look at what the popular fantasy basketball website says about the top two Jazzmen's projected performance for the 2024-25 season.

Lauri Markkanen - No. 58

"Markkanen has finished inside the top 100 in eight-category leagues just three times in his career, including a 68th-place finish last year. His 26th-place finish in 2022-23 is starting to look like an outlier, and Markkanen's fantasy value could take a hit if he's traded to a contender and sees reduced usage. However, when he's on the court, Markkanen's elite three-point shot and efficient offensive game make him a strong fantasy option, regardless of who he's sharing the court with."

Keyonte George - No. 91

"George started his rookie campaign slowly as most rookies do, but he was thrust into some serious action over the final months. Despite playing limited minutes through the opening three months, George averaged 13 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.0 threes across 27 minutes a night. He was even better from February on, averaging 15.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.4 threes across 30 minutes in his final 34 games. That was mainly due to a bump in responsibility because Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson and Lauri Markkanen were all out for most of that stretch. The good news is that Utah didn't decide to bring in any point guards in the offseason, so George should be locked into 30-35 minutes as the starting point guard for the Jazz. There's also a chance some of those players will be moved because most people believe that Utah still needs to make some stirs to keep the rebuild moving in the right direction. If there's one thing this kid needs to work on, it's his efficiency. George shot 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range, showcasing some nightmarish shooting nights. Those are inevitable from a rookie like this, but George looks like a great bet to take another major leap this season after a successful rookie campaign."

Four Jazz players were close to cracking the top 100 but fell short. Walker Kessler (102), John Collins (108), Collin Sexton (122), and Jordan Clarkson (126) should be on your fantasy radar, according to Rotowire.com.

One could certainly argue that Sexton should be in the top 100. Sexton is coming off a career year in which he only missed four games. Availability is essential in fantasy basketball, and Sexton showed that his injuries are a thing of the past. Sexton led the Jazz in games played last season with 78.

Sexton averaged 18.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in his second year in Salt Lake City. Those are fringe All-Star numbers while only logging 26 minutes a game. As long as he doesn't get bitten by the injury bug, we can expect a similar stat line for the upcoming season.

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