Joel Embiid

The 2022-23 MVP was off to another great campaign last year before it became derailed by a meniscal flap tear that sidelined him from late January until early April. After two relatively healthy seasons where Embiid played 68 and 66 games respectively, the big man's injury history caught back up to him. The result was 39 regular-season appearances in 2023-24, with averages of 34.7 points on 53/39/88 shooting, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals. On a per-game basis, those numbers were good enough to make Embiid the No. 1 producer in eight-category formats. But now the question is on the front of everybody's mind as much as it ever was - how much can we trust Embiid to stay healthy? He's entering his age-30 season as someone who missed the first two years of his career and has never played 70 games in a season. There is no perfect answer in terms of where to draft him in fantasy based on risk/reward, but there's no question he's a first-round talent. The team around him has changed, though. The 76ers effectively replaced Tobias Harris with Paul George - a much higher-usage player, though also one with his own injury woes. How much George takes usage away from Embiid and Tyrese Maxey remains to be seen, and it's possible George ultimately slots in as the third option. Either way, the talent bump should theoretically allow Embiid to play fewer minutes and take more time to rest with the goal of preserving him for the playoffs.