It’s the final weekend before the NBA regular season begins, which means you’re coming here for your fantasy basketball drafts.
Should you draft James Harden this season? Here’s the latest outlook, projections, and rankings for the Los Angeles Clippers Shooting Guard.
Should You Draft James Harden in Fantasy Basketball?
James Harden may be allergic to the postseason, but what do we care?
The Beard has missed a total of 12 games across his two seasons in Los Angeles, giving us over 2.5 3’s, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in each of those years. Those counting averages while staying on the court have allowed him to return first round value recently and he’s back in that mix with little expected to change for the Clips in 2025-26.
There’s natural risk that comes with banking on a 36-year-old staying on the court, but he’s navigated declining athleticism at a high level to this point, so even if an injury were to crop up, you can be confident that his statistical profile is a little more immune to it than others.
Your decision to Harden around the 1-2 turn relies on two things: how much do you trust the FTA and steal numbers from 2025? He made 161 more free throws last season than he attempted in 2024 and his theft count was his highest since his time in Houston.
I’m drawing those numbers back a bit and that’s why I prefer a Tyrese Maxey type, but they live in the same tier for me. A point guard with limited value on the defensive end is commonplace at this point in the draft and in situations like that, Jalen Johnson becomes a high-priority target for the set of picks in Rounds 3-4.
Looking for more fantasy basketball outlooks? Head over to our NBA landing page for analysis on 200 players.
What Are James Harden’s Fantasy Basketball Projections This Season?
Based on our proprietary metrics here at PFSN, we project Harden to score 3,424.3 fantasy points this season, with him averaging 19.0 points per game.
This includes 5.7 field goals per game, 2.3 three-pointers per game, 5.4 free throws per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 9.7 assists per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Where Does James Harden Rank in the Upcoming Fantasy Basketball Season?
Harden is ranked 12 overall and second at his position. The five players ranked ahead of him overall include Alperen Sengün, Domantas Sabonis, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The five players ranked behind him overall include Anthony Edwards, Pascal Siakam, Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and Devin Booker.
The player ranked ahead of him at his position is Jaylen Brown. The five players ranked behind him at his position include Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Derrick White, and Josh Giddey.
