moranelkarifnews : Toronto Raptors 2024-25 fantasy basketball season recap: Injuries limit Raptors stars

While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.

In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.

Next up in the series are the Toronto Raptors. With this being the first full season of the “Scottie Barnes era,” few expected Darko Rajakovic’s team to be in the conversation for a postseason berth. Unfortunately, injuries once again were a factor in the team’s lack of success, with Barnes and Jamal Shead being the only players to make at least 65 appearances. A significant move was made at the trade deadline, with the Raptors acquiring Brandon Ingram and signing him to a three-year contract.

Toronto Raptors 2024-2025 Season Recap

Record: 30-52 (11th, East)

Offensive Rating: 109.6 (26th)

Defensive Rating: 113.6 (15th)

Net Rating: -4.1 (24th)

Pace: 100.62 (9th)

2025 NBA Draft Picks: 7.5 percent chance of winning draft lottery, 39

After winning 25 games in the first season of Darko Rajakovic’s tenure as head coach, the Raptors improved their win total by five games in 2024-25. However, the team was no closer to securing a spot in the postseason. Among the six players who made at least 30 starts, only Barnes and Ochai Agbaji did not miss at least 20 games. The injuries caused instability within the Raptors’ rotation, which did the team no favors in terms of winning games.

Toronto lost 12 of its first 14 games and went 2-11 in December. When the calendar flipped to 2025, only Washington and Charlotte would have fewer wins among Eastern Conference teams. A significant change would be made at the February trade deadline, with the Raptors acquiring Brandon Ingram from the Pelicans in exchange for Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown and a trade exception. Despite being sidelined by a left ankle injury, Ingram would be signed to a three-year extension by the Raptors less than a week after being acquired from New Orleans.

With the addition of Ingram, he, Barnes and Immanuel Quickley will be the key building blocks for the Raptors moving forward. However, the change raises questions regarding RJ Barrett’s future in Toronto, as he has two seasons remaining on his current contract. Can the three wings (Barrett, Barnes and Ingram) coexist as starters? And if not, would the Raptors consider trading Barrett or use him as a sixth man? Toronto has some significant questions to answer this offseason.

Fantasy Standout: Scottie Barnes

While Barnes’ per-game and total fantasy value did not match his Yahoo! ADP, he was a top-50 player in eight-cat formats. Making 65 appearances, the Raptors wing averaged 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.2 three-pointers in 32.8 minutes, shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 75.5 percent from the foul line. Barnes’ averages were down slightly compared to the 2023-24 campaign, when he earned his first All-Star selection. But he played 65 games, with the lone extended absence occurring due to an inadvertent Nikola Jokic elbow to the face that left Barnes with a fractured orbital bone.

Barnes would miss three weeks of action, returning on November 21. He only missed six games the rest of the season. While there were frustrating moments for fantasy managers regarding Barnes’ playing time, he was generally on the court long enough to provide solid value during the fantasy playoffs. Will Barnes’ ADP next fall match his number from this season (19)? Probably not, but he’s a player who will likely come off the board in the third round of many standard league drafts. While there are questions about Toronto’s wing rotation, Barnes will be a prominent figure in the team’s lineup.

Fantasy Revelation: Jakob Poeltl

A veteran center who has provided reliable middle-round value in recent seasons, Poeltl was even better in 2024-25. After four consecutive top-100 seasons, the 7-footer was a top-50 player in nine-cat formats this season. Making 57 appearances, Poeltl averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in 29.6 minutes, shooting 62.7 percent from the field and 67.4 percent from the foul line. The improved foul shooting had a significant impact on his fantasy value, as Poeltl is a career 55.1 percent shooter.

This was his first season making at least 60 percent of his attempts, and he also averaged career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Availability is a question for Poeltl, having failed to crack 60 games in either of the last two seasons. Add in the spike in free-throw percentage, and it’s fair to question whether or not he can sustain those numbers in 2025-26, especially on a roster that will have another perimeter scorer in Brandon Ingram. However, there’s no denying the strides made by Poeltl in 2024-25, leading to him offering greater value than most fantasy managers expected (Yahoo! ADP: 93).

Fantasy Disappointment: Brandon Ingram

Most of the players on Toronto’s season-ending roster played to expectation regarding their ADPs, and even those who did not weren’t far off the mark. Ingram’s issue, as has been the case for most of his career, was availability. Boasting a Yahoo! ADP of 67, he was limited to 18 games by an ankle injury suffered in early December. The slender forward would not play again during the 2024-25 campaign, but the injury did not dissuade the Raptors from acquiring Ingram from the Pelicans at the February trade deadline.

Toronto did sign Ingram to a three-year extension shortly after the trade, so his immediate future is secure. But the unknown has to be considered, even for a player who’s averaged at least 20 points in six consecutive seasons. How will he fit alongside Barnes and Quickley? How does Ingram’s arrival impact RJ Barrett? Also, can Ingram play at least 65 games in a season for the first time since his rookie campaign (2016-17)? While being a middle-round pick does not mean managers who drafted Ingram lost value on par with those who drafted a Joel Embiid, that’s still a significant price to pay. Don’t be surprised if many managers either push Ingram down their boards or refuse to draft him at all next fall.

Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads

Immanuel Quickley:

After making at least 64 appearances in each of his first four NBA seasons, Quickley’s availability was a problem in 2024-25. He suffered a pelvic injury during the season opener on October 23 and a partially torn UCL in his elbow in mid-November, playing a total of three games before the end of December. There would be another extended absence in mid-January, with Quickley missing eight games with a sprained groin. IQ would play in 24 of Toronto’s last 35 games, but, like other established rotation players, his minutes would fluctuate down the stretch.

Quickley finished the season with averages of 17.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.6 three-pointers in 27.8 minutes, shooting 42 percent from the field and 86.7 percent from the foul line. He finished the season ranked just outside the top-100 in eight- and nine-cat formats, failing to match his Yahoo! ADP. While that was disappointing, Quickley finished with career-high averages in points, assists and three-pointers. Fantasy managers are unlikely to consider using a top-50 pick on Quickley, given how this season went, but he’ll be worth a top-100 selection in most leagues.

RJ Barrett:

Barrett was never much of a fantasy asset while a member of the New York Knicks, but there was hope that the move to Toronto would raise his value. The averages did increase in his first full season with the franchise, averaging 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in 32.2 minutes. Shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 63.0 percent from the foul line, Barrett was a 12th-round player in eight-cat formats. The nine-cat value suffered due to an average of 2.8 turnovers per game, while the points league value was hindered by Barrett playing only 58 games.

Most concerning for Barrett heading into the 2025-26 season was the Raptors’ decision to acquire Ingram at the trade deadline in February. Can he, Ingram, and Scottie Barnes start alongside each other? Doing so would require significant improvement from at least one of those three as a perimeter shooter; Ingram is the best of the bunch, as he’s made 36.3 percent of his three-point attempts as a pro. If they can’t coexist, what happens with RJ, given the money committed to Barnes and Ingram? Barrett’s status in Toronto may not be one of the league’s major storylines this summer, but it is something to keep an eye on.

Gradey Dick:

After making 17 starts in 60 appearances as a rookie, Dick moved into the starting lineup for the 2024-25 campaign. He started all 54 games he played, averaging 14.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.1 three-pointers in 29.4 minutes, shooting 41 percent from the field and 85.8 percent from the foul line. Due to the lackuster field-goal percentage and production outside of points and three-pointers, Dick finished the season ranked outside the top-175 in eight- and nine-cat formats.

However, before his season ended in early March due to a hyperextended right knee and bone bruises, the second-year wing had three 30-point games and another seven with at least 20. All three 30-point performances occurred within the season’s first month, including a 31-point effort in a November 1 loss to the Lakers. Based on the numbers, Gradey appears likely to be a fantasy specialist until he can boost the production outside of points and three-pointers. But that may not be easy to do next season due to Ingram’s addition. There’s a high likelihood that Dick will be used in a reserve role, which limits his fantasy ceiling.

Ochai Agbaji:

The 2024-25 season was the most productive of Agbaji’s three-year NBA career. Starting 45 of the 64 games he appeared in, the 6-foot-5 wing averaged 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.6 three-pointers in 27.2 minutes. Shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 70.8 percent from the foul line, Agbaji finished with career-best averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers, shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures in four straight and five of his last six appearances, including a 24-point effort in an April 11 loss to the Mavericks.

Agbaji finished the season just outside the top-150 in nine-cat formats, and outside the top-175 in eight-cat formats. He wasn’t a player to target in drafts before the season began, but injuries to other Raptors gave him value as a streamer throughout the year. That will likely be the case for Agbaji in 2025-26 as well, especially with the addition of Brandon Ingram. Given the injury history of multiple Raptors ahead of him in the pecking order, there’s likely to be times when Agbaji is recommended as a “waiver wire” add.

Chris Boucher:

While he had his moments during his time with the Raptors, Boucher struggled to regain his footing over the last two seasons. Once again limited to 50 appearances off the bench, the slender forward averaged 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 three-pointers in 17.2 minutes. Boucher shot 49.2 percent from the field and 78.2 percent from the foul line, but he offered little as a defender. Adding the Raptors’ desire to work in some of the team’s younger players, most notably Jonathan Mogbo, left little room for Boucher within the rotation as the season progressed.

His last action would come on February 26, when Boucher played 19 minutes in a loss to the Pacers. For a player entering free agency this summer, effectively being put on ice had to be frustrating. Boucher was not a player many fantasy managers selected in the fall, but he is someone who could have had some value during the “silly season” had he been allowed to play. Boucher is unlikely to be a player worth targeting in fantasy drafts next fall, regardless of where he lands in free agency.

Ja’Kobe Walter:

Walter was Toronto’s first-round pick last summer, with the Raptors selecting the former Baylor standout with the 19th overall pick. Unfortunately, he sprained the AC joint in his right shoulder on two separate occasions, once during the offseason and again in early November. Walter would only appear in six games before the end of November. There was another extended absence in March, as he missed seven games with a right hip flexor strain and a right quad strain.

In total, Walter would play 52 games, finishing with averages of 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 three-pointers in 21.2 minutes. Shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 79.5 percent from the foul line, the rookie guard was barely a top-300 player in eight- and nine-cat formats. Walter is another player whose fantasy prospects for 2025-26 have been impacted by the addition of Ingram, as it creates a bit of a logjam on the wings. While there may be moments when Walter is worth streaming, he is not someone who needs to be selected in most redraft leagues.

Jonathan Mogbo:

The 31st overall pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, Mogbo played in 63 games as a rookie, seeing time at the power forward and center positions. An occasional fill-in for Jakob Poeltl when the Raptors were without their starting center, Mogbo averaged 6.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in 20.4 minutes. The rookie shot 43.8 percent from the field and 73.2 percent from the free throw line, finishing the season ranked outside the top-250 in eight- and nine-cat formats. In addition to 13 games in which he scored in double figures, Mogbo recorded three double-doubles and one triple-double in his debut campaign.

The question for the Raptors is whether they view Mogbo as a power forward only moving forward, or someone who can be used at the four and the five positions. Based on his role as a rookie, the latter appears to be the kind of player the franchise wants Mogbo to be. His fantasy value will be limited next season with everyone healthy, but there will be times when Mogbo is worth streaming.

Jamal Shead:

Shead was Toronto’s other second-round pick last summer after a storied career at the University of Houston. The point guard played in 75 games, making 11 starts, and averaged 7.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 three-pointers in 19.6 minutes. Slotting in primarily as Immanuel Quickley’s backup, Shead did start four of his last five appearances of the 2024-25 season. Among the highlights were the double-double he recorded in a December 22 loss to the Rockets and the career-high 12 assists Shead recorded in an April 6 win over the Nets.

While there were those willing to stream Shead for his assists during the “silly season,” the year-long value was not sufficient to get him on the radar before that point. With Quickley locked into the starting point guard role for the foreseeable future, there isn’t much to gain from selecting Shead in drafts ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Restricted Free Agents: None

Unrestricted Free Agents: Chris Boucher, Garrett Temple