RADIO
The NBA preseason is upon us, and for those of you who enjoy the daily grind of playing fantasy basketball, your draft is probably right around the corner. This year, RotoBaller.com will be entering the realm of fantasy basketball, meaning we will be here all season to help you win your league title.
It all starts here, with preseason player rankings. We will rank the 150 best fantasy basketball players for you, and update it when necessary, so you can be the most prepared owner at your fantasy basketball draft. The rankings will be based on eight-category leagues that don't penalize for turnovers, with a special notation if a ranking were to change significantly in a nine-category turnover league. So without further ado...
2013 Fantasy Basketball Rankings - The Top 150
1. LeBron James SF/PF, MIA - Most like Durant here, but I'd go with the King. Percentages monster, and love getting 7+ AST from forward spot.
2. Kevin Durant SF, OKC - Really should be 1A. Better FT%, more 3's than James, fewer assists. Can't go wrong with either guy.
3. James Harden SG/SF, HOU - Should be more efficient this year with D12 in town. 3PT and FT numbers every bit as good as Durant.
4. Chris Paul PG, LAC - Won't need to score as much, but monster AST numbers, great percentages, and low turnovers. Put him ahead of Harden in 9-CAT leagues.
5. Kyrie Irving PG, CLE - Elite talent still improving. Great percentages for a young player. More AST, less Turnovers with better supporting cast this year.
6. Kevin Love PF, MIN - Injuries a concern, but elite-level 3PT, FT, PTS, and REB numbers when healthy. A 20/15 season very possible.
7. Steph Curry PG/SG, GSW - All those 3's are tempting, but ankles are major concern. May miss Jarret Jack more than most expect.
8. Derek Rose PG, CHI - Remember this guy? Finally healthy former MVP should return to elite production-with better jumper to boot.
9. Carmelo Anthony SF/PF, NYK - Puts up Durant-esq offensive numbers, but injuries, lack of defensive stats, lower shooting % keep him out of most top 10's.
10. Serge Ibaka PF/C, OKC - No Westbrook or Martin means more scoring. Great percentages, elite boards and blocks. Keeps improving. 15/10 season very likely.
11. Paul George SG/SF, IND - Across the board production. Elite rebounding from guard spot. Should score 20+ a game. Low shooting percentage keeps him out of top 10.
12. Al Horford PF/C, ATL - Underrated double/double machine. Could push 20 PPG without chucking of Josh Smith.
13. Al Jefferson PF/C, CHA - Only post presence Bobcats have. Easily could return to 20/10 production with offense running through him.
14. Deron Williams PG, BKN - Deep roster means less scoring, better efficiency for Brooklyn PG. Double-digit AST totals very possible.
15. Dwayne Wade PG/SG, MIA - Down season still produced 20/5/5 numbers, great FG%, elite level defensive stats. Easily top 10 player when injury free.
16. Marc Gasol C, MEM - Jack of all trades, master of none. Not as high on him as most. 4 APG from center position is great, 14 PPG, 7.8 RPG isn't.
17. Russell Westbrook PG, OKC - Will miss first 4-6 weeks of season after knee surgery. Top 5 talent, but refuse to use a top pick on injured player. Kevin Love and Danny Granger last year are perfect examples.
18. John Wall PG, WAS - Ended last season scorching hot. Improved perimeter game I believe, improved team I don't. Breakout or bust this year for Wall.
19. Ty Lawson PG, DEN - Breakout '12-'13 slowed by injury. Monster numbers after All-Star break last year. No Gallo or Iggy means Lawson will be the man this year. Put him ahead of Wall in 9-Cat leagues.
19. Ricky Rubio PG, MIN - Assist numbers could reach Nash totals. Shooting percentages, turnovers will be improved, but still a concern.
20. LaMarcus Aldridge PF/C, POR - Great scorer, solid rebounder, great FT numbers for a big man. Think Amare in his prime. Trade concerns limit value.
21. Nicolas Batum SG/SF, POR - Paul George-type production. Dip in percentages, wrist injury from last season a major concern.
22. Brandon Jennings PG, DET - Predicting a breakout from Jennings this year in new digs. FG% always a concern, but elite 3PT and AST numbers, plus scoring ability, and low turnovers make up for it. Don't underestimate importance of Billups on Jennings development.
23. Anthony Davis PF/C, NO - Not as high on him as most, but could be a lock for a double/double every night. Still developing. Easily top-15 in dynasty leagues.
24. Tony Parker PG, SAS - Keeps getting better with age. Go-to guy on Spurs team. Age, and no 3's keep him from being higher on my list, but no problem with him going ahead of guys like Wall.
25. Josh Smith SF/PF, DET - 1st round talent, but will new team = smarter play? If so, could be difference maker in your league.
26. Pau Gasol PF/C, LAL - No D12, no Kobe, means Pau will be D'antoni go-to guy. Close to 20/10 production very possible. Solid AST and FT numbers from PF/C position to boot.
27. Damian Lilliard PG, POR - So good last year, hard to expect more from him. Like him, but feel there's less upside than other PG's like Wall and Rubio.
28. Dirk Nowitzki PF, DAL - Finished strong last season after returning from knee injury. Down year still produced top 25 fantasy production. Older, but better team around him this year.
29. Joakim Noah PF/C, CHI - Double/double machine, great assist numbers, defensive stats galore. FG% will improve with return of Rose. Constant injury risk keeps him out of top 20.
30. Chris Bosh PF/C, MIA - Expect 18 & 8, great FT and FG percentages. Also expect him to disappear some nights, and little help in defensive categories.
31. Mike Conley PG, MEM - Continues to improve. Solid numbers everywhere, Chris Paul-esque steals production.
32. Jrue Holliday PG, NO - I'm higher on him than most. Faded down the stretch, but spent much of last year around 20ppg and 10apg. Shooting and turnovers are concerns, but new Pelicans roster should suit his game well.
33. Jeff Teague PG, ATL - Solid season of 14 & 7 in first year as unquestioned floor general. Not as high on him as most, but continued improvement should be in the cards.
34. David Lee PF/C, GSW - 20/10 machine, great FT numbers from a big. Zero help in blocks, plus hip injury hinder his value a bit.
35. Jose Calderon PG, DAL - Very high on him, and will reach for him early if I have to. Finally won't have to share time at PG. Won't score much, but could put up Steve Nash-type numbers in Dallas.
36. Tim Duncan PF/C, SAS - Thinks he comes close to duplicating last year's numbers, but age and DNP's will give owners headaches all year, especially down the stretch.
37. Rudy Gay SF/PF, TOR - Solid production everywhere. No help in 3's, and scoring may be down a bit due to deep Toronto squad.
38. Nic Vucevic PF/C, ORL - Easily should duplicate breakout '12-'13 season. Think Anderson Varejao minus the constant injury concerns.
39. Paul Milsap PF, ATL - Think he'll flourish in ATL. Don't think he'll ever be a huge scorer, but should be able to replace Josh Smith's numbers, with better percentages.
40. Larry Sanders PF/C, MIL - Will be a monster in BLKs, STLs, REBs, but lack of scoring keeps him from being higher. Could easily average a double-double.
41. Monta Ellis PG/SG, DAL - I'm not a fan at all, but despite flaws, still capable of monster games. Expect turnovers, poor FG% and a dip in scoring and steals. Still, can average 18ppg & 6apg in sleep.
42. DeMarcus Cousins PF/C, SAC - Love his game, and believe if he takes the next step this year, he'll win a lot of leagues for people. Not in love with his FG% or turnovers for a big. Definition of boom or bust.
43. Roy Hibbert C, IND - Flukey dip in FG% last year will return to normal. Should build off last year's dominant playoff performance. 15/10 with 2.5 BLKs per game will happen.
44. Dwight Howard C, HOU - 1st round player in head to head format, won't touch in Roto due to disastrous FT%. Down year in '12-'13 still produced 17ppg, 12rpg, 1.1spg, 2.4bpg.
45. Blake Griffin PF/C, LAC - Scoring/rebounding numbers have dipped as team got better. Improving FT shooter, but still offers little in defensive categories. Easily could out play this ranking.
46. Kawhi Leonard SG/SF, SAS - Love the across the board production, but won't score enough to be ranked higher. Could lead league in steals.
47. Derrick Favors PF/C, UTA - Double/double lock, elite block numbers with 30+ MPG. No Milsap/Jefferson means Favors has shot to be No. 1 option down low. FT% may be a concern.
48. Jeff Green SF/PF, BOS - Huge upside. Will be No.1 option on rebuilding Celtics squad. Will get better when Rondo returns.
49. Kemba Walker PG, CHA - Not as high on him as most experts. Think he'll continue to improve, but FG% and AST numbers will remain lower than most PG options.
50. Kobe Bryant SG, LAL - Still no timetable for his return, so could move up or down depending on news. Still, he's Kobe, so expect very good numbers upon his return.
51. Chandler Parsons SF/PF, HOU - Great numbers and very efficient. More open looks from 3 with Howard in Houston.
52. Kyle Lowry PG, TOR - Fantasy friendly game with across the board production. Won't have to split time with Calderon, but can he stay on the court?
53. Nikola Peckovic C, MIN - Very quietly averaged over 16ppg last year. With Love healthy, will be a nightly double-double with plenty of blocks.
54. Brooke Lopez C, BKN - Great scoring and FT numbers, and can block shots. Super deep Nets squad could hinder scoring, plus not in love with 7-footers who average less than 7 RPG.
55. Ersan Ilyasova PF, MIL - Shows flashes of brilliance, but has yet to put it together for a full season. I've seen him ranked in some top 20's, but I'm not buying that high until I see more consistencey.
56. Eric Bledsoe PG/SG, PHO - Think he'll end up playing more SG than PG. Turnover and shooting issue will be exposed with more PT, so not as high on him as most. Remember how good Darren Collison looked as CP3's back-up?
57. Zach Randolph PF/C, MEM - Nightly double-double, but will probably score closer to 15ppg than 20. No help in defensive categories, similar to David Lee.
58. David West PF, IND - Super consitant. Very little upside, but very little risk as well. May be one of the safest picks in the fantasy. Can get 17 & 7 in his sleep.
59. Thad Young SF/PF, PHI - Another very safe pick. Solid scoring, rebounding, and great percentages. above average steal numbers. Finished just out of top 30 last year, but rebuilding team may hurt his numbers a bit.
60. Tyson Chandler C, NYK - Low scoring, nightly double-double threat. Always among league leaders in FG%. Blocks were down last year, but still can get at least 1 a game. Always banged up.
61. Wesley Matthews SG/SF - Seen him in the 80's in other rankings even after ranking top 50 last year. Cheap source of 3's and steals. FG% slightly below average, and may see reduced minutes.
62. Goran Dragic PG, PHO - Bledsoe may be better talent, but Dragic will prove to be better PG. The "bust" still averaged 1.6 SPG while finishing top ten in APG. Could end up traded.
63. Ryan Anderson PF/C, NO - Love getting the 3PT production from the C spot. Not in love with the lack of blocks and 6.4 RPG. Has the ability to go off for big nights and hit a bunch of 3's.
64. Greg Monroe C, DET - Loved him two years ago, but failed to take the next step last year. Unsure how crowded front court will affect his production.
65. OJ Mayo SG, MIL - Faded down the stretch, but shot the ball very well, and should flourish as Milwaukee's go-to scoring option. Could easily outplay this ranking.
66. Jonas Valanciunas C, TOR - He's everybody's favorite sleeper, but not sure he'll breakout as much as everyone else. Lot of scoring options in Toronto, but Tyson Chandler-type numbers possible.
67. George Hill PG/SG, IND - The David West of guards. Simple solid production with few flaws. Low assist numbers hinder his value as a PG in fantasy.
68. Paul Pierce SG/SF, BKN - Scoring will dip, but efficiencey will improve. 15/5/5 and above average 3PT numbers very likely. Seen him much lower other places, could end up being a steal.
69. DeMar DeRozan SG/SF, TOR - DeRozan is a sexy sleeper pick, but seems like we've heard that for three years now. He needs to prove he can finally shoot, but I think he is what he is.
70. Andre Iguodala SG/SF, GSW - Unlike many, I'm not expecting a huge uptick in porduction. Iggy was on similar style run & gun attack last year too, and finished out of top 100.
71. Klay Thompson SG/SF, GSW - One-dimensional 3PT shooter. Little production anywhere else, and poor FG%.
72. Martin Gortat C, PHO - Surely will be traded. Down season still saw him ranked 77 in fantasy. Should easily duplicate that production, and may greatly exceed it if he's dealt.
73. Rajon Rondo PG, BOS - Rebuilding squad and coming off injury. When he's back, scoring may increase, but it will be at the expense of his AST totals. Elite steal numbers, but terrible FT% for a PG, and zero help in the 3PT cats limit his value.
74. Andrew Bynum C, CLE - I won't touch him, but if he can somehow stay on the court, he'll come close to Dwight Howard production.
75. Gerald Henderson SG/SF, CHA - Showed he could be an elite scorer down the stretch last year. Possibly 20 ppg scorer alongside Al Jefferson.
Be sure to check back here at RotoBaller.com for part 2 of our fantasy basketball rankings (numbers 75-150). For any up-to-the-minute draft advice you may need, don't forget to check out the RotoBaller.com chat rooms.
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