2023-24 College Basketball Conference Preview: SEC Fantasy Outlook

Stop me if you've heard this before, but Kentucky has re-tooled with the best recruiting class in the country -- one that includes three consensus top-10, five-star prospects, and two more of the four-star variety. How will this contrast with some of the more experienced teams who finished at the top of the conference last season? What about the new-look programs with rosters that have been completely refurbished via the transfer portal? Let's take a deep dive into the top fantasy players to have on your radar for SEC-only or nationwide drafts.

Top Players

Overall: Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M

Taylor is the SEC's returning leading scorer, but also produced 3.9 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest a season ago. He also finished last season on a tear, posting 19.7 ppg over the year's final 12 contests. The Aggies also lost third-leading scorer Dexter Dennis (9.5 ppg), so there's room to grow statistically despite backcourt running mate Tyrece Radford (13.3 ppg) returning to College Station. Sure, you can always gamble on any of the six five-star freshman heading to the conference (per ESPN), but Taylor gives you a perfectly safe multi-category contributor with room to build on last year's first-team all-SEC campaign.

Also Considered: Johni Broome, F, Auburn; Justin Edwards, F, Kentucky; D.J. Wagner, G, Kentucky; Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee

Scoring: Antonio Reeves, G, Kentucky

While most of the attention in Lexington revolves around the recruiting class, Reeves provides Big Blue with much-needed experience and scoring prowess, especially from deep. He made a career-high 39.8 percent of his three pointers last season, which led to a 14.4 ppg average (and that was only starting 14 of his 34 appearances). Reeves ended up starting nine of 10 games to finish the season, and that lead to a 17.9 ppg average and 2.7 3PM per contest. The fifth-year senior also averaged 20.1 ppg the prior season for Illinois State, so we know he's capable of scoring in bunches. Plus, opposing defenses will hardly be able to dial in on Reeves when Kentucky has so many other talented options to warrant defensive attention.

Also Considered: Santiago Vescovi, G, Tennessee; Jalen Cook, G, LSU; Tyrin Lawrence, G, Vanderbilt; Grant Nelson, F/C, Alabama; Johni Broome, F, Auburn; Khalif Battle, G, Arkansas; Matthew Murrell, G, Mississippi

Rebounding: Johni Broome, F, Auburn

After transferring from Morehead State, Broome had no troubles with the transition to a power conference, posting 14.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in his first year under coach Bruce Pearl. Key rebounders Allen Flanigan (5.0 rpg) and Wendell Green (3.2 rpg) are no longer in the mix, while the team made no noteworthy offseason improvements to the frontcourt via the transfer portal or recruiting. Averaging a double-double is well within reach for one of the safest picks in SEC-only fantasy drafts.

Also Considered: Grant Nelson, F/C, Alabama; Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas; Micah Handlogten, C, Florida; Russel Tchewa, C, Georgia; Jamarion Sharp, C, Mississippi; Josh Gray, C, South Carolina; Moussa Cisse, C, Mississippi; Tre Mitchell, C, Kentucky; Jaemyn Brakefield, F, Mississippi

Assists: Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee

Zeigler first has to get healthy, as he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in late-February and doesn't have a solid return date quite yet. Prior to the injury, the then-second-year guard was averaging 10.7 points and 5.4 assists despite being just a part-time starter who saw only 28.7 mpg. He entered the starting lineup on Jan. 17, and over the next 12 games, Zeigler increased those marks to 12.8 points and 6.9 assists. He's also one of the best defensive players in the league, averaging 2.0 steals per contest to help out rotisserie managers. 

Also Considered: Jalen Cook, G, LSU, Ezra Manjon, G, Vanderbilt; Ta'lon Cooper, G, South Carolina; Aaron Estrada, G, Alabama; Zyon Pullin, G, Florida; Nick Honor, G, Missouri; D.J. Wagner, G, Kentucky 

Center:  Grant Nelson, F/C, Alabama

Tolu Smith was originally going to be featured here, but days before publication, he suffered a foot injury in practice that the team expects will sideline him until the start of SEC play (which begins Jan. 6). Instead, we look to the 6-11 North Dakota State transfer set to replace Charles Bediako down low for the Tide. Nelson put up 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in just over 30 mpg for the Bison last season, and while we can expect a reasonable decline due to the step up in competition, he'll also be playing in a system that ranks 135 spots higher in KenPom's adjusted tempo rating. There also just isn't much competition here. Nick Pringle averaged just 8.0 mpg last year, Mohamed Wague barely saw double digit minutes a season ago, and players like Jarin Stevenson and Mouhamed Dioubate are freshman better suited to play the four.

Also Considered: Johni Broome, F, Auburn; Micah Handlogten, C, Florida; Russel Tchewa, C, Georgia; Jamarion Sharp, C, Mississippi; Aaron Bradshaw, C, Kentucky; Jonas Aidoo, C, Tennessee

Freshman: Justin Edwards, F, Kentucky

Edwards is as complete of an NBA prospect as it gets, and with few clear-cut options in the 2024 NBA Draft class, he could very well find himself as the No. 1 overall pick next summer. He's an impressive perimeter shooter for a man of his length that stands at 6-7, plus is plenty capable of making something out of nothing when the ball is in his hands. He's essentially the complete fantasy package. His size should help rack up defensive stats, and he has the shooting, rebounding and passing capabilities to compete in the core categories. On top of that, Kentucky doesnt have an established presence at the wings, so his minutes should be safe despite such a loaded recruiting class.

Also Considered: D.J. Wagner, G, Kentucky; Aden Holloway, G, Auburn; Aaron Bradshaw, C, Kentucky; Robert Dillingham, G, Kentucky ; Freddie Dilione, G, Tennessee; Jarin Stevenson, F, Alabama; Baye Fall, C, Arkansas; Layden Blocker, G, Arkansas

Sleepers

Jimmy Bell, C, Mississippi State

The season isn't even a month away, and the SEC already has an injury that severely impacts the fantasy landscape. Projected top center Tolu Smith is likely out until 2024 after hurting his foot in practice, and this is an area the Bulldogs are significantly lacking in depth. In addition to Smith, 6-10 forward KeShawn Murphy also has a foot injury and is expected to be out until the holidays. Gal Chol is a 6-11 freshman, but Bell is the only one of the group with significant collegiate experience. He started all 34 games for West Virginia last season, but his counting stats were limited by the fact he played just 18.5 mpg. On a per-40 minute basis, he was averaging 10.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. He does get a pretty meaningful tempo decrease, but the extra time on the court 

Riley Kugel, F, Florida

The season-long stats from his freshman campaign don't tell the whole story for Kugel. Florida's roster was loaded last season, but even then, he entered the starting lineup late in the year. Over the last 10 games, Kugel averaged 17.3 ppg on 49.6 percent shooting to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 3PM/game. If the former four-star freshman and current NBA prospect continues on that path, an all-SEC season could be on the horizon.

Tramon Mark, F, Arkansas

Mark could easily be featured in the transfers section below as well, but I think there's a new level of his game to be attained that can propel him onto the nationwide fantasy radar. First off, he put up 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds (both career highs) as the third option -- on a good day -- for Houston last year. Now, he'll go from a bottom-30 tempo (per KenPom) to a top-50 one. Even if Arkansas' presumably deeper rotation prevents Mark from achieving the 29.4 mpg he saw last year, I believe his defensive presence on the wing will help keep him on the court, and the pace bump will allow his counting stats to increase across the board.

Also Considered: Rylan Griffen, G, Alabama; K.D. Johnson, G, Auburn; Shakeel Moore, G, Mississippi State; Noah Carter, F, Missouri; Meechie Johnson, G, South Carolina; Jonas Aidoo, C, Tennessee; Ezra Manjon, G, Vanderbilt

Transfers

Aaron Estrada, G, Alabama

Alabama lost both of its primary ball handlers in Jaden Bradley (6.4 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Jahvon Quinerly (8.7 ppg, 3.6 apg) to the transfer portal this year, but picked up a more-than-capable fill-in option via the portal as well in Hofstra's Estrada. Estrada did much of the ball-handling during his junior year with the Pride, and while he played more at SF last season, he still averaged 4.3 assists (not to mention 20.2 points and 5.5 rebounds, plus back-to-back years with 1.5 steals). Hofstra had a fast-paced system, but Alabama is one of the fastest in the nation. If he gets the reins at point guard, look for a big statistical year in his final collegiate season.

Jalen Cook, G, LSU

Cook started his career with the Tigers, but truly blossomed in his time at Tulane, averaging 18.0 points and 19.9 points in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively. Last year, he also chipped in a career-best 4.9 assists per game. LSU doesn't retain any ball-handlers from last year's team that finished in the SEC cellar, so the spot is Cook's for the taking. Even in what's projected to be another rough season in Baton Rouge, there can absolutely be elite fantasy assets on bad teams, and Cook fits that description perfectly.

Dalton Knecht, F, Tennessee 

No, Knecht won't crack the 20.2 ppg and 7.2 rpg averages he put up last year for Northern Colorado. It's not just the movement to the SEC, but a significant downgrade in projected tempo. He will, however, help the Vols replace the scoring of departing players such as Olivier Nkamhoua (10.8 ppg), Julian Phillips (8.3 ppg) and Tyreke Key (8.2 ppg), as well as help boost the offense if Zakai Zeigler (10.7 ppg) isn't ready to go right away. And with the current make-up of the roster, he should crack the starting five out of the gates.

Also Considered: Micah Handlogten, C, Florida; Will Baker, C, LSU; Andrew Taylor, G, Mississippi State; Walter Clayton, G, Florida; Denver Jones, G, Auburn; Khalif Battle, G, Arkansas; Grant Nelson, F, Alabama; El Ellis, G, Arkansas; Tramon Mark, G, Arkansas; Jalen DeLoach, F, Georgia; Noah Thomasson, G, Georgia; Jordan Wright, F, LSU; Carlos Stewart, G, LSU; Allen Flanigan, G, Ole Miss; Caleb Grill, G, Missouri; Ta'lon Cooper, G, South Carolina; Jace Carter, G, Texas A&M; Brandon Murray, G, Mississippi

Top-10 Players*

1. Wade Taylor, G, Texas A&M
2. Justin Edwards, F, Kentucky
3. Johni Broome, F, Auburn
4. Trevon Brazile, F, Arkansas
5. Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee
6. D.J. Wagner, G, Kentucky
7. Grant Nelson, F/C, Alabama
8. Aaron Estrada, G, Alabama
9. Jalen Cook, G, LSU
10. Matthew Murrell, G, Mississippi

*Note: These rankings are at the discretion of the article author, and may not necessarily correspond with RotoWire's official 2023-24 player rankings.

Projected Team Standings

1. Texas A&M
2. Kentucky
3. Alabama
4. Auburn
5. Tennessee
6. Arkansas
7. Florida
8. Missouri
9. Vanderbilt
10. Mississippi State
11. Ole Miss
12. LSU
13. South Carolina
14. Georgia

Team Notes: Kentucky has more than enough talent on paper to get it done here, but I worry about the experience factor, especially when it comes to ball-handling in the backcourt. Texas A&M, meanwhile, returns two all-SEC guards, and I'll ride with the experience to bring home the title. Alabama has fallen off from its league-winning year, but there's still enough firepower there for a high finish. Auburn's talented all-around, and their prospects likely lie with freshman point guard Aden Holloway. Both Tennessee and Arkansas have major injury issues to overcome, but should they get healthy, they're the last two teams on this list I believe are at least capable of winning the league -- NCAA Tournament appearances at worst. Florida and Missouri, despite bringing in some key transfers, simply have too many losses to overcome and will regress. Vanderbilt returns key backcourt pieces but not much jumps out on paper there. Mississippi State got a bump down from me following the Tolu Smith injury. The rest of these teams have coaching and roster turnover issues that will likely have them all in the mix for the bottom of the table.

Projected Team Rotations

Other College Basketball Resources:

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