Live by it. Draft by it. Win by it.
Fantasy Basketball Top 50 | ||
Rank | Player | Notes |
1 | Chris Paul, NO | Interchangeable with LeBron at this spot, really depends how you want to construct the rest of your team |
2 | LeBron James, CLE | If you need me to tell you something about him, you should probably pick another sport |
3 | Dwyane Wade, MIA | Proved he can stay healthy for a full year and can absolutely carry your squad |
4 | Kevin Durant, OKC | Up and coming star in the league, he may have stretches where he struggles with his FG %, but the rewards outweigh any risk |
5 | Danny Granger, IND | Another great, young up and coming star who is only getting better; his ability to block shots is a huge plus too |
6 | Kobe Bryant, LAL | Probably the safest #6 pick ever |
7 | Dirk Nowitzki, DAL | He may fall further than here in your draft, if he does it’s a nice steal; he’s not flashy or ‘fun’ but still a huge producer |
8 | Derron Williams, UTA | Can't get a better consolation prize as your starting PG, he'll post huge numbers |
9 | Dwight Howard, ORL | Bump him way down if you're in a ROTO league, you can even reach a spot or two higher than this if you're in a H2H league |
10 | Amare Stoudemire, PHX | With Shaq gone this team should go back to their run-and-gun ways; he does come with some injury concerns though |
11 | Brandon Roy, POR | Only getting better and someone I’m personally high on; would consider taking him even higher than this |
12 | Pau Gasol, LAL | Bump him up if you're in a ROTO league; can't get a center that provides solid numbers to the assist category |
13 | Chris Bosh, TOR | Hard to find a category he won’t help you in |
14 | Al Jefferson, MIN | Was a 20-10 machine before he went down last year, word is that he's healthy and will be ready for the start of the season |
15 | Andre Iguodala, PHI | The offense runs through Iggy and he helps in almost every category; he’s fringe 1st round fantasy talent |
16 | Chauncey Billups, DEN | Effective in all areas of the fantasy game, look to draft him as your #1 PG in the third round |
17 | Jose Calderon, TOR | Great %’s with few weaknesses; the addition of Turkoglu should help as well |
18 | Carmelo Anthony, DEN | Don’t confuse him with some of the guys in the top 10 – he can’t carry your fantasy team but get him as your second (or third if he falls) and you’ll be sitting real pretty |
19 | Antawn Jamison, WAS | With Arenas back his production may fall a bit, but still a great producer |
20 | Joe Johnson, ATL | Will complement your first few picks nicely as he contributes in multiple categories; don’t let the presence of Crawford steer you away |
21 | Devin Harris, NJ | The main guy on a bad team and a star in the making; lots of free throws made too |
22 | Steve Nash, PHX | Starting to slow down a bit, but still great source for assists and %’s |
23 | Caron Butler, WAS | Helps you in every category and at this spot is a steal |
24 | Tim Duncan, SA | Risky because he’ll undoubtedly sit every now and then for rest – only target him in Roto leagues |
25 | Gerald Wallace, CHA | Injury prone, but produces when he’s able to make it on the court |
26 | Kevin Garnett, BOS | With a great supporting cast, his age and injury history, he’s not leaned on as much as he used to be. Don’t live in 2006 or you’ll overpay |
27 | Kevin Martin, SAC | Primary scorer on a bad team means lots of offense; not much help in way of rebounds and assists though |
28 | Brook Lopez, NJ | You’ll probably need to take him on a reach since top centers are hard to come by but he should get even better |
29 | Troy Murphy, IND | Very doubtful he matches last year’s totals, but he’s center eligible and good source of 3’s and boards |
30 | Jason Kidd, DAL | Honestly probably wouldn’t take him here, I’m not much of fan – this is out of respect more than anything else |
31 | Vince Carter, ORL | Lots of mouths to feed in Orlando this year, let someone else draft him |
32 | Paul Pierce, BOS | Should do just about what he does every year – you know what you’re getting here |
33 | LaMarcus Aldridge, POR | Has improved every year and plays a ton of minutes |
34 | David West, NO | Chalk up 20pts, 9 rebounds, and block per game |
35 | Gilbert Arenas, WAS | If healthy, he could pick up right where he left off in 2007 (28ppg) and be a steal – but injury concerns will always be there |
36 | Rashard Lewis, ORL | Numbers should stay about what they were last year, but 20ppg or higher is unlikely with Carter eating up shots now |
37 | Josh Smith, ATL | Potential fantasy stud if he could get his head in the right place |
38 | Derrick Rose, CHI | Great young player who will only get better but my hunch is someone in your league will jump the gun on him |
39 | Shawn Marion, DAL | All stats have digressed the past few years; J-Kidd dishing passes could help but he’s far removed from being a first round talent |
40 | Ben Gordon, DET | He’ll do plenty of scoring and banging down 3’s just as he did in Chicago |
41 | Rajon Rondo, BOS | Think of young Jason Kidd; he will probably out-produce him in this spot so try to steal him |
42 | David Lee, NY | Stats probably won't get better than last year, but he's playing for a big contract in 2010 |
43 | Andrea Bargnani, TOR | Played out of his mind after the All Star break last year; no telling which guy you’re drafting |
44 | Andris Biedrins, GS | Great rebounder but will kill your FT % |
45 | Mehmet Okur, UTA | Luxury of 3’s from your Center spot, just make sure you draft a PF who will help you in blocks b/c you’re not getting them from Okur |
46 | Monta Ellis, GS | Will average over 20ppgand help in the steals category |
47 | Jason Richardson, PHO | Overall numbers should increase over last year; played better once Terry Porter got canned |
48 | Baron Davis, LAC | Risk out-weigh rewards, but if he has a bounce back you’ll be very happy |
49 | Carlos Boozer, UTA | Injury prone guy who seems to always miss significant time but double-double threat otherwise |
50 | Elton Brand, PHI | Buyer beware – another injury prone guy, very high risk/high reward |
There you have it - hopefully this will help you out in your draft this year. As I said earlier, if you used this Top 50 as a guide, you should end with a solid core of 5 players.
Need help finding some diamonds in the rough during the later rounds? Don't want to reach on player that might end up being a bust? Well you're in luck. Wetz will be around later to help you out with that.
Happy drafting!
1st draft this year I got the following in a 10 team league rds 1-5:
ReplyDelete1- Amar'e Stoud
2-Chris Bosh
3- Melo
4- Baron Davis
5- OJ Mayo <--- love this kid!
oh, and a steal in the 6th i got Jameer Nelson who will put up plenty of good numbers with a full season without injury. oh, and Ben gordon in the 7th... haha.