Fantasy Basketball 2022: Breakout Stars Ready to be Among the NBA's Best

Everybody knows the top players to target in fantasy basketball drafts this year.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo are perennial NBA MVP contenders. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic should be in the conversation, too.

Which players are poised to take that next jump, though? Who could go from a solid player to one of the league's next stars?

That's what we're here to try to figure out. Because if you get first-round production out of a player taken in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts, it will likely lead to a successful season. It could set you and your leaguemates far apart.

So, here's a look at several players to target who could break through into NBA stardom.

Cade Cunningham had a solid rookie campaign, finishing third in NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting for the 2021-22 season. He averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 64 games, while shooting 41.6 percent from the field.

However, the 21-year-old is capable of more. The Pistons know that, as they took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft for a reason. They believe he can become the centerpiece of their roster and lead them to championship contention in the years to come.

So, it makes sense to think the Oklahoma State alum will improve in the 2022-23 season. He may even take a huge step forward, possibly becoming an All-Star for the first time and getting his averages closer to triple-double level.

Detroit has continued to add talented young players to its roster, which should only help Cunningham put up even more impressive stats. Don't be surprised if he greatly increases his averages in all the major categories and becomes a top fantasy player this season.

Somebody is going to have to score points for the Spurs this season, but it will no longer be Dejounte Murray.

The 26-year-old was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in June after leading San Antonio with 21.1 points per game in the 2021-22 campaign. Now, other Spurs players will need to step up to help fill that void.

One player who could take on a larger scoring role is Devin Vassell, who is entering his third NBA season. The wing took a big step forward last year, and there's a chance he'll continue to progress and make an even larger impact.

As a rookie in the 2020-21 campaign, the 22-year-old averaged 5.5 points in 62 games. Last season, he got more playing time and turned that into 12.3 points per game over 71 contests.

The Florida State product should have the ball in his hands more during the upcoming season, and the Spurs will likely be relying on him to be more of a leader on both ends of the court.

If Vassell is successful, then his fantasy value should go way up, because he'll be putting up much bigger numbers than he was early in his career in San Antonio.

It's been a while since James Wiseman suited up for an NBA game. He last took the court for the Golden State Warriors on April 10, 2021, as he missed all of last season due to a knee injury and also missed out on the team's run to a championship.

If he is healthy, he could return to the level of play he showed during his 2020-21 rookie season—and maybe even far surpass it. He's averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 39 career games, but he's only 21 and capable of much more.

At the beginning of the season, Wiseman will likely serve as the backup to Kevon Looney. But after the 2020 No. 2 pick is eased back into action (and if he's playing well), he's poised to eventually take over the starting job and be a centerpiece for Golden State.

So even if Wiseman isn't a huge fantasy asset early in the season, he has the potential to break out down the line. And fantasy managers will want to have him on their roster at that point.