This article is part of our Conference Preview series.
The Badgers may be returning all five starters of a team that fell just shy of the Elite Eight, but Tom Izzo and the Spartans have completely retooled with two five-star and two four-star recruits. Can the heavily-favored Badgers, led by Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ, come through and win the Big Ten? Or will perennial contenders such as Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State, stand in their way? In a conference loaded with established upperclassmen and highly-touted newcomers, there should be plenty of fantasy gold to be had.
TOP PLAYERS
Melo Trimble (G)
Trimble may have suffered decreases in scoring and three-point shooting from his freshman to sophomore seasons, but much of this can be attributed to a quality supporting cast that allowed him to post 4.9 assists per contest. A fringe NBA option, Trimble instead elected to return to College Park to refine his game in his junior campaign. Fantasy-wise, few Big Ten players offer higher upside than the 6-foot-3 guard, as Trimble will be counted on to shoulder a much more significant portion of the scoring load in 2016-17. He no longer has shooters Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon with him in the starting lineup, though Jared Nickens should still provide the Terps with another perimeter option. Robert Carter and Diamond Stone have departed as well, leaving Trimble as the only remaining starter from last season. The team may struggle, but Trimble should reward fantasy owners with consistently high scoring numbers -- potentially enough to lead
The Badgers may be returning all five starters of a team that fell just shy of the Elite Eight, but Tom Izzo and the Spartans have completely retooled with two five-star and two four-star recruits. Can the heavily-favored Badgers, led by Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Ethan Happ, come through and win the Big Ten? Or will perennial contenders such as Indiana, Purdue and Ohio State, stand in their way? In a conference loaded with established upperclassmen and highly-touted newcomers, there should be plenty of fantasy gold to be had.
TOP PLAYERS
Melo Trimble (G)
Trimble may have suffered decreases in scoring and three-point shooting from his freshman to sophomore seasons, but much of this can be attributed to a quality supporting cast that allowed him to post 4.9 assists per contest. A fringe NBA option, Trimble instead elected to return to College Park to refine his game in his junior campaign. Fantasy-wise, few Big Ten players offer higher upside than the 6-foot-3 guard, as Trimble will be counted on to shoulder a much more significant portion of the scoring load in 2016-17. He no longer has shooters Jake Layman and Rasheed Sulaimon with him in the starting lineup, though Jared Nickens should still provide the Terps with another perimeter option. Robert Carter and Diamond Stone have departed as well, leaving Trimble as the only remaining starter from last season. The team may struggle, but Trimble should reward fantasy owners with consistently high scoring numbers -- potentially enough to lead the conference in that category.
Malcolm Hill (G/F) 
Hill's junior campaign with the Illini featured four 30-point performances, and he'll be back for his senior year as the Big Ten's leading returning scorer at 18.1 PPG. Although Illinois won't be picked to have much team success, the 6-6 Hill surely won't have a shortage of eye-popping individual performances, and his multi-faceted contributions should make him a valuable fantasy commodity. The Illini won't get much national coverage, so much of his production will be happening behind the scenes, but taking Hill on your fantasy team means steady rising in at least seven rotisserie categories.
Ethan Happ (C) 
In a conference loaded with talented big men, Happ managed to produce 11 double-doubles during his freshman campaign. Benefitting from from a year on the practice squad matched up against current NBA center Frank Kaminsky, Happ was more than prepared to contribute in his first year on the court. Admittedly, most columns of this variety would feature preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Nigel Hayes in this spot, but Hayes saw his statistical production stagnate from his sophomore to junior years. Happ provides comparable scoring with better rebounding production, and is a sneaky source of steals after collecting 1.8 per game last year. Happ has the potential to provide Hayes-level production with a much cheaper draft day price tag.
Caleb Swanigan (F) 
Swanigan passed on being mid-second round NBA draft pick in order to return for a sophomore campaign with the Boilermakers. With the departure of one of the conference's top rebounding threats in A.J. Hammons, Swanigan now has a chance to flirt with averaging a double-double per contest. He's shown flashes of ability to knock down threes as well, and should that facet of his game improve a bit, Swanigan's ability to stretch the floor will cause nightmares for opposing defenses. Teams will also have to devote attention to fellow frontcourt members Vince Edwards and Isaac Haas, which should leave Swanigan with his fair share of lanes to the basket and open shots.
Thomas Bryant (C) 
Bryant passed on potentially-guaranteed NBA money by sticking around with the Hoosiers another year, but his return will keep Tom Crean's squad competitive while also giving himself a chance to be one of the conference's top centers. His ceiling came to light in last year's round of 32, when Bryant's team-high 19 points led Indiana to an upset victory against a Kentucky squad loaded with NBA talent. Should he continue on this trajectory, Bryant will be a consistent source of points, rebounds and blocks for fantasy owners in 2016-17.
Bryant McIntosh (G) 
Arguably snubbed as a preseason all-Big Ten member, McIntosh is the only returning double-digit scorer for the Wildcats. He'll be limited by the team's overall slow pace, but as one of the few viable backcourt options next to Aaron Falzon, look for McIntosh to take responsibility for much of the scoring in 2016-17. For rotisserie leagues, McIntosh surely won't disappoint, as he averaged 6.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest in his sophomore year with the program.
TOP NEWCOMERS
Miles Bridges (F) 
Ranked by ESPN.com as the No. 8 incoming freshman in the entire 2016 class, Bridges should immediately slot right into Tom Izzo's starting lineup. He'll have to play power forward off the bat in the absence of Gavin Schilling (knee), but has well-regarded versatility that can allow him to play either the two or the three as well. After averaging 25 points, 10 boards and five assists in high school, the one-and-done candidate is likely the most valuable freshman in Big Ten-only formats. Five-star guard Josh Langford and four-star players Cassius Winston and Nick Ward join him in a stacked recruiting class, and should be on the radar in dynasty leagues, but Bridges stands to be the most productive in his inaugural season.
Amir Coffey (F) 
Aside from the loaded Michigan State recruiting class, Coffey is ESPN's highest-rated prospect heading to the Big Ten. A four-star wing that was named Minnesota's Mr. Basketball, Coffey will join returnees Nate Mason and Jordan Murphy to form a starting lineup that should make the Gophers much more competitive than a season ago. He has tremendous ball-handling ability for someone who is 6-7, which should allow coach Richard Pitino to utilize him in pick-and-roll plays. A relatively light non-conference schedule should also help Coffey pad the stats early on.
SLEEPERS TO WATCH
Jae'Sean Tate (G/F) 
Shoulder surgery cost Tate the final seven games of 2015-16, but he had just been starting to hit his stride, posting double-doubles in two of his last three games before going down to injury. If offseason injuries lead fantasy owners to sleep on the 6-4 wing, don't hesitate to grab the junior late in drafts. His 11.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG averages from a season ago are only heading up.
Tai Webster (G/F) 
Losing Andrew White via transfer to Syracuse may be one of the toughest individual losses a team in the Big Ten will have to recover from, as he was responsible for 16.6 points and 5.9 boards per game. Webster is the only returning double-digit scorer in the program, and will be looked to early and often in the Cornhuskers' backcourt.
Derrick Walton Jr. (G) 
Walton may not be getting the attention of Trimble, but don't let the preseason all-Big Ten guard slip too far in drafts. In 2015-16, he was a steady in contributor in scoring (11.6 PPG), rebounding (5.4 RPG) and assists (4.5 APG), and will only be counted in more following the departure of Caris LeVert. The same group of five that started for the Wolverines down the stretch in the absence of LeVert will be returning, and look for Walton to anchor them as the primary ball-handler.
Corey Sanders (G) 
Sanders may have missed out on preseason accolades due to the fact he played for a Rutgers squad that collected just one conference win a season ago, but don't let that sour your opinion of him on draft day. He led last year's team in scoring (15.9 PPG) and assists (4.3 APG), and if he can improve upon last year's three-point shooting mark of 31.5 percent, look for Sanders to contend for a conference scoring title.
Shep Garner (G) 
Coach Pat Chambers tends to run a deep rotation for the Nittany Lions, but Garner should be the one constant in that group. His 14.8 points per game was second to the now-departed Brandon Taylor last season, and he made 24 more three-pointers than anyone else on the team, shooting a 37-percent clip. Penn State may not stack up with the rest of the conference talent-wise, but they will need at least 12-15 field goal attempts from Garner on a nightly basis if they intend to stay competitive.
