Anthony Edwards

Edwards made significant improvements during his second season in the NBA. He increased his production defensively and as a passer, averaging 1.5 steals and 3.8 assists per game. His efficiency also leaped forward -- 44.1 percent from the field and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line. Plus, after shooting 32.9 percent from behind the arc during his rookie campaign, he improved to 35.7 percent last season. The result was a playoff run that seems to have invigorated the franchise. Edwards didn't slow down in the six-game series against the Grizzlies, where he averaged 25.2 points on 46/40/82 shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in 37.8 minutes. The Wolves continued to build up the roster around him, acquiring defensive-minded center Rudy Gobert from the Jazz. As far as fantasy goes, Gobert is a nice addition for Edwards in that he won't eat into his usage rate. Their other noteworthy addition was Kyle Anderson -- another player who doesn't look for his own shot often. Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are the clear driving forces behind the Timberwolves' offensive attack, and fantasy managers should expect Edwards to continue improving during his third season. He's on an All-Star trajectory and will probably be a consistent pick in the second and third rounds of most fantasy drafts.

The Rookie of the Year runner-up, Edwards had a mostly encouraging debut season in Minnesota. The No. 1 overall pick ranked 98th in fantasy on a per-game basis -- a number that jumps up to 51st in total production since he played all 72 games in the shortened season. He actually started off slowly, which led to some minor panic, but he made steady improvement from late January onward and really took off in March. During Edwards' final 32 appearances, he averaged 23.3 points on 45/34/76 shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 combined steals-plus-blocks. That stretch included two 42-point performances against strong defenses in Phoenix and Memphis. He also ranked 20th in the league in total steals (82). If fantasy managers can put aside his worryingly inefficient start to his rookie season, Edwards profiles as a potential 20-point-per-game scorer in 2021-22 on passable efficiency. Considering the lack of scoring talent aside from Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns, Edwards will be relied upon heavily to generate buckets. While it's not quite a "big three" in Minnesota, Edwards is part of the core trio, and he has a good chance to emerge as the No. 2 guy above Russell.

Edwards has more question marks than the average top pick, but there's no doubt that he has the physical tools to become a star in the NBA. Edwards will presumably slide into the starting small forward spot in Minnesota, though there could be some positional overlap with Malik Beasley and D'Angelo Russell, especially with Ricky Rubio now at point guard. In 32 games at Georgia last year, Edwards averaged 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 40.2 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three. From a fantasy perspective, he should contribute mostly in the points category and rack up some rebounds, as well. The concern will be his overall efficiency and other peripheral stats.