X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Top 30: Fantasy Basketball Rankings for 2018-2019

EDIT: 10/12/2018 - 2:12 AM

With the fantasy basketball season just around the corner, RotoBaller has you covered with our experts' fantasy basketball rankings. We've put together a top-200 ranking to help you with your upcoming drafts.

But that's not all! Our writers have taken the time to break down the various tiers of our rankings to ensure you have as much information as possible heading into draft season.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Will Priester (@ChiefJustice06) from RotoGrinders leads the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with his exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

Below are is the rankings analysis for the first three tiers of the rankings.

 

Fantasy Basketball Rankings - Tiers One to Three

Tier Rank Player Team
1 1 Anthony Davis NOR
1 2 James Harden HOU
1 3 Karl-Anthony Towns MIN
1 4 Kevin Durant GSW
1 5 Stephen Curry GSW
1 6 LeBron James LAL
1 7 Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL
1 8 Nikola Jokic DEN
1 9 Kawhi Leonard TOR
1 10 Russell Westbrook OKC
2 11 Victor Oladipo IND
2 12 Damian Lillard POR
2 13 Paul George OKC
2 14 Joel Embiid PHI
2 15 Jimmy Butler MIN
2 16 Ben Simmons PHI
2 17 John Wall WAS
2 18 Chris Paul HOU
2 19 Kyrie Irving BOS
2 19 Rudy Gobert UTH
3 21 Jrue Holiday NOR
3 22 Andre Drummond DET
3 23 Donovan Mitchell UTH
3 24 Kyle Lowry TOR
3 24 Bradley Beal WAS
3 26 Kevin Love CLE
3 27 Kemba Walker CHA
3 28 Khris Middleton MIL
3 29 Draymond Green GSW
3 30 Devin Booker PHO
3 31 Eric Bledsoe MIL
3 32 LaMarcus Aldridge SAS

 

Tier One - Fantasy Basketball Rankings Analysis

This year’s first-round selections shouldn’t be a big surprise. You can’t really go wrong, with no bad picks in the top 12-15 range.

However, I would say that I probably made a mistake in ranking Damian Lillard too low in my own initial rankings (13th). With the news of Russell Westbrook’s fourth knee surgery in the past 5 years, I'm just a tad bit scared that all those rim-rattling power dunks have had a negative effect on the landing of those knees of his. Now, I’m not doubting the “Brodie” at all, as I fully expect him to beat his timetable to return to beast mode form. However, the durability and the offensive freedom Lillard possess tells me I should have him back into the top 10 over Westbrook. It’s worth noting that RWB isn’t as appealing as his triple-doubles suggests in nine-category leagues.

Another person I’d probably bump down is Kawhi Leonard. Sure, he’s one of the NBA’s best two-way players and is a top-five player in both real life and fantasy when healthy. However, he’s moving into a new system, new team, new coach, and played a mere 9 games last year. Owners shouldn’t expect an immediate first-round value return, so the likes of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Paul George, and even Victor Oladipo are looking more and more attractive by the day.

And if you thought about picking anyone else than James Harden or Anthony Davis with the first or second pick in your draft, don’t. Those two players should be in another tier of their own, really. Just don’t do it. Don’t be that guy.

 

Tier Two - Fantasy Basketball Rankings Analysis

The turn of the second-round selection should feature at least one Sixer, depending on how you want to build your team. If you happen to have the 12th pick in a snake, standard league draft, you could very well select both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to get off to a tremendous start.

Paul George receives a boost from the Westbrook injury, but he’s bound to be even better this season anyhow with Carmelo Anthony signing with the Rockets. Jimmy Butler, wherever he might go, will still possess top-10 upside. Getting Jimmy Buckets in the second round would likely be a great value pick. And nope, going to the Heat would diminish his value and he should not fall out of the top-20 range in any draft. 

I’m not huge on Kyrie Irving this year, as I think Boston has too many mouths to feed and they will monitor his minutes all year long. Although I think he’ll still be great and flirt with top-20 numbers all year, I think his upside is capped, unlike in previous seasons. I’m not sold on Rudy Gobert having a monster season, as I think you would need to punt points to really get the best value from him. It’s very likely you’re going to have to pair him with a scoring machine like Anthony Davis or James Harden to really make it work, so he’s falling more into the top-30 range in my draft board rather than top-20.

Lastly, I love Chris Paul to death and I always suggest that we should not penalize players for being injured the previous season, or season(s). However, I understand it’s increasingly hard to trust Paul now since he’s becoming more and more fragile. Believe it or not, CP3 was still ranked 9th in nine-category leagues last season, despite playing only 58 games. He’s as good as they come in fantasy, finishing in top-10 overall for 11 consecutive seasons. He’s still a bonafide fantasy point god. So no, I wouldn’t let Chris Paul slip out of the top-20 range, and definitely not the top-25 range. You simply need gambles to win in fantasy and you should never go into a draft hating on players because they burned you the previous season(s).

 

Tier Three - Fantasy Basketball Rankings Analysis

This tier is where it starts to get interesting, as you will likely pick players to pair up with your first round and second round selections to form a solid team. You can either choose to go balanced, punt, or simply go with the best player available. I always suggest getting the best player available since it would increase your chances to get sustainable value. Donovan Mitchell has been getting picked really early in most, if not all drafts this season, but I believe he belongs in the 25-30 range, rather than the 10-20 area where he’s being drafted at. I just don’t see a gigantic leap in production this season when teams are going to be zoned to stop him. Would I be surprised? No, but I would rather bank on studs like Bradley Beal, or Eric Bledsoe - who both finished ahead of Mitchell in last year’s nine-category rankings.

I’m a believer in Kevin Love this season, and I believe he’s going to have a huge year. He won’t quite be like the Kevin Love from the Timberwolves, but he has a great chance to smash that ADP and finish in the top-15 when it’s all said and done.

Kemba Walker is an interesting player this season, and early preseason suggests the Hornets will play at a much faster pace. He’s underrated in a sense that he plays for a small market team, but much like Khris Middleton - both Walker and Middleton serves as a great safety picks with a hint of upside in the late second-round.

Devin Booker seems closer to a return, and he hasn't been ruled out of the season opener. It's likely you can still get him at a slight discount since I do believe he will have a terrific year. Don't let him slip out of Round 3.

Lastly, Eric Bledsoe is a phenomenal point guard to target in Round 3, and he holds top-20 upside. He was solid in the last two months of last season, finishing #14 in 9-category leagues. His second year in Milwaukee could be even better.

More Fantasy Basketball Rankings




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nathan MacKinnon18 mins ago

Scores Power-Play Goal In Victory
NHL24 mins ago

Mitch Marner Nets Overtime Winner For Team Canada
Lucas Raymond29 mins ago

Tallies Two Helpers In Overtime Loss
Sidney Crosby35 mins ago

Leads Canada To Victory
Shea Theodore44 mins ago

Out Of 4 Nations Tournament With Injury
Alex Bregman9 hours ago

Signs Three-Year Deal With Boston
JaQuae Jackson9 hours ago

Patriots Re-Sign JaQuae Jackson
Anthony Firkser9 hours ago

Chiefs Re-Sign Anthony Firkser To Futures Deal
C.J. Ham10 hours ago

Undergoes Ankle Surgery
Taysom Hill10 hours ago

Saints To Move On From Taysom Hill?
Dak Prescott10 hours ago

Looking To Amp Up His Rehab
Nick Pivetta10 hours ago

Signs Four-Year Deal With Padres
Ja Morant10 hours ago

Ruled Out Against Clippers
Vince Williams Jr.10 hours ago

Will Not Play Against Clippers
Jacksonville Jaguars11 hours ago

Terrance Gray Interviews For Jaguars GM Job
Tennessee Titans11 hours ago

Julius Wood's Suspension Temporarily Lifted
Kris Murray11 hours ago

Joins Starting Unit Wednesday
San Francisco 49ers11 hours ago

De'Vondre Campbell's Suspension Lifted
Deandre Ayton11 hours ago

Out At Least Four Weeks With Calf Strain
New England Patriots11 hours ago

Patriots Sign Jeremiah Pharms Jr. To Two-Year Extension
Justyn Ross11 hours ago

Tyquan Thornton Signed To Futures Deals
Russell Westbrook11 hours ago

Hopeful To Return After All-Star Break
Daniel Vogelbach11 hours ago

Hired By Pirates As Special Hitting Assistant
Aaron Gordon11 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Joe La Sorsa11 hours ago

To Report To Camp In A Few Days
Jamal Murray11 hours ago

Active On Wednesday
Michael Porter Jr.11 hours ago

Ruled Out On Wednesday
Gabe Vincent11 hours ago

Out On Wednesday
John Brebbia11 hours ago

Tigers Sign John Brebbia To One-Year Deal
P.J. Washington12 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Alperen Sengün12 hours ago

Alperen Sengun Available Against Suns
Dante Exum12 hours ago

Ruled Out For Wednesday
Austin Reaves12 hours ago

Cleared For Action Wednesday
Robert Williams III12 hours ago

Unavailable On Wednesday
Luka Dončić12 hours ago

Luka Doncic Good To Go Wednesday Night
Jerami Grant12 hours ago

Won't Play On Wednesday
LeBron James12 hours ago

Upgraded To Available Wednesday
Vasilije Micić12 hours ago

Vasilije Micic Set For Suns Debut Wednesday
Cade Cavalli12 hours ago

Deemed Healthy To Start Spring Training
Pat Connaughton12 hours ago

Available On Wednesday
Jaime Jaquez Jr.12 hours ago

Ready For Action Wednesday
Tyler Herro12 hours ago

Back For Heat Wednesday
Alexander Canario12 hours ago

Seeing Time At First Base
Stephen Kolek12 hours ago

Will Be Stretched Out During The Spring
Bryan Hoeing13 hours ago

Will Be Deployed Out Of The Bullpen
Jeferson Quero13 hours ago

Expected To Play During Spring Training
Ben Rice13 hours ago

Seeing Work Behind The Plate
Bryan Ramos13 hours ago

Has A Sore Elbow
JT Brubaker13 hours ago

Throws Live BP Session
Andrew Nardi14 hours ago

Dealing With Lower-Back Inflammation
Drey Jameson14 hours ago

Confident He'll Be Ready For Opening Day
Sawyer Gipson-Long14 hours ago

Continues To Rehab
Javier Báez14 hours ago

Javier Baez Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day
Garrett Whitlock14 hours ago

Hits 95 MPH During Live BP Session
Kadarius Toney15 hours ago

Arrested For Aggravated Assault
Jakob Pelletier15 hours ago

Ready For Action After 4 Nations Face-Off
Dante Fabbro15 hours ago

Expected To Return After 4 Nations Face-Off
Mika Zibanejad15 hours ago

To Center Top Line For Sweden
Tyler Alexander15 hours ago

Brewers Sign Tyler Alexander To One-Year Deal
Joel Eriksson Ek15 hours ago

Available Wednesday
DL Hall15 hours ago

To Be Shut Down For A Few More Weeks With Lat Injury
Filip Gustavsson15 hours ago

Faces Canada Wednesday Night
Robert Garcia15 hours ago

Dealing With Nerve Irritation In His Forearm
Jordan Binnington15 hours ago

To Start For Canada In 4 Nations Face-Off Opener
Sidney Crosby15 hours ago

Good To Go Wednesday
Seattle Seahawks17 hours ago

Saints Give Seahawks Permission To Interview Rick Dennison
NFL17 hours ago

Shedeur Sanders To Visit With Browns, Giants
Cincinnati Bengals17 hours ago

Germaine Pratt Requests Trade Out Of Cincinnati
Gary Woodland19 hours ago

In Great Form Heading Into Genesis Invitational
Cameron Young19 hours ago

Is An Interesting Play At Torrey Pines
Akshay Bhatia19 hours ago

A Strong Value Play At Genesis Invitational
Sahith Theegala20 hours ago

Is Riding The Struggle Bus To Torrey Pines
Justin Rose20 hours ago

Looks For Redemption At Torrey Pines
Wyndham Clark20 hours ago

Searching For Consistency At Torrey Pines
Travis Kelce20 hours ago

To Take His Time On Retirement Decision
Sam Stevens20 hours ago

Aims To Repeat Success At Torrey Pines
Harris English21 hours ago

Looking To Repeat At Torrey Pines
Boone Jenner24 hours ago

Expected To Return After International Break
Gustav Forsling1 day ago

Moves Past Illness, Expected To Play On Wednesday
Sidney Crosby1 day ago

Practicing With Team Canada
Mikko Rantanen1 day ago

Cleared To Play For Team Finland
Quinn Hughes1 day ago

Sitting Out Of 4 Nations Face-Off
Travis Konecny1 day ago

Returns To Practice, Expected To Play On Wednesday
New England Patriots1 day ago

Patriots Have League-High $110 Million In Salary Cap Space
Tee Higgins1 day ago

Franchise Tag Could Be In Play For Tee Higgins
Miami Dolphins1 day ago

Dolphins Hire Bobby Slowik As Senior Pass-Game Coordinator
Tyler Lockett1 day ago

Seahawks Still Deciding On Tyler Lockett's Future
Jonathon Brooks1 day ago

Could Miss All Of 2025
Aaron Rodgers1 day ago

Jets Were Willing To Stick With Aaron Rodgers Under Certain Stipulations
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

A Volatile Play At Genesis Invitational
Min Woo Lee1 day ago

In Great Form Ahead Of Genesis Invitational
Viktor Hovland1 day ago

A Solid Value Play At Torrey Pines
Rasmus Hojgaard2 days ago

A Strong Play At Genesis Invitational
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Aims For A Strong Rebound At Torrey Pines
Collin Morikawa2 days ago

An Excellent Play At Genesis Invitational
Shane Lowry2 days ago

Back In Action At Torrey Pines
PGA2 days ago

Sungjae Im Is A Highly Volatile Play With Persuasive Upside
Russell Henley2 days ago

Torrey Pines May Be A Place To Avoid Russell Henley
Nick Taylor2 days ago

Might Not Thrive At Torrey Pines
Adam Scott2 days ago

Is A Fun Long Shot At Genesis Invitational
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Tries To Repeat Torrey Pines Success
Robert MacIntyre2 days ago

Could Be Intriguing At Genesis Invitational
MMA3 days ago

Weili Zhang Wins Decision In Co-Main Event Of UFC 312
Tatiana Suarez3 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Justin Tafa3 days ago

Gets TKO'd At UFC 312
Tallison Teixeira3 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 312
Francisco Prado3 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 312
Jake Matthews4 days ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC 312
Rodolfo Bellato4 days ago

Battles Back To Get A Draw At UFC 312
Jimmy Crute4 days ago

Fights To A Draw In Return At UFC 312
Sean Strickland4 days ago

Suffers Lopsided Decision Loss At UFC 312
Dricus Du Plessis4 days ago

Retains Middleweight Belt At UFC 312
Drew Doughty4 days ago

Joins Team Canada For 4 Nations Face-Off
Rasmus Ristolainen4 days ago

To Sit Out 4 Nations Face-Off
Jakub Dobes4 days ago

Starts On Sunday
MMA6 days ago

Weili Zhang Set For Third Title Defense
Tatiana Suarez6 days ago

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Tallison Teixeira6 days ago

Makes His UFC Debut At UFC 312
Justin Tafa6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC 312
Francisco Prado6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Jonnu Smith - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Five Tight Ends To Sell In Dynasty Fantasy Football Leagues

I know, I know. Your dynasty fantasy football teams are like your children. You want to hold on to the players who you've had on your roster for years. But if you want to actually win going forward, you have to sell some of those players away when the time is right. This offseason, the […]


Calvin Ridley - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Draft Sleepers

Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition Part IV

If you’ve been following this series, you know the drill and what to expect by now. If you haven’t, we’re identifying receivers who had two significantly different splits during the course of the 2024 season. If you’d like to get caught up and read some of the other previously published editions, you can do so […]


Ashton Jeanty - NFL Draft, Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings, Draft Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings (Pre-NFL Draft) - Ashton Jeanty, Tetairoa McMillan, Shedeur Sanders, Kaleb Johnson, Luther Burden, more

The 2025 NFL Draft will be here before you know it, and we're already thinking ahead to 2025 fantasy football drafts and rookie/dynasty drafts. Our NFL team has released its early 2025 fantasy football rookie rankings for the top 70 NFL rookies, before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. These 2025 rookie rankings are released before […]


Tee Higgins - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

2025 NFL Free Agency Primer: Important Dates of 2025 NFL Free Agency

Super Bowl LIX is over and the Philadelphia Eagles are the world champions for the second time in their existence as they stopped the Kansas City three-peat talk cold. After the ups and downs of another crazy season, it is time to glance ahead to the 2025 offseason and all the transactions and chaos that […]


Xavier Worthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Dynasty Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers - February 2025 Market Report

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror, it is time to look ahead to the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft. In the next couple of months, we should see plenty of movers and shakers in the fantasy football landscape, particularly dynasty leagues. This month, we have seen the market shift with the inclusion […]


Tre Harris - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Draft

Early 2025 NFL Draft Rankings - Top Player At Each Position

The 2025 NFL Draft really isn't that far away. For fans of historically terrible teams, the draft is the best time of the year, as it instills hope that things might change. And for Dynasty fantasy managers or those extremely dialed-in who play only redraft, it's an interesting time as well. Knowing which players go […]


Xavier Worthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition Part III

If you’ve played fantasy football for any time, you’re accustomed to seeing a player’s splits—a comparison between his stats during one period of the season vs another. This is different than a two or three-game sample. We're looking at two samples, typically consisting of six to eight games per split. Sometimes, splits can be just […]


Rome Odunze - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

2025 Second-Year Breakouts: Sophomores Who Could Shine In Year Two

A 2024 season full of rookie breakouts spoiled the fantasy community. Brian Thomas Jr. (WR4), Malik Nabers (WR6), Ladd McConkey (WR12), Brock Bowers (TE1), Jayden Daniels (QB5), and Bucky Irving (RB13) excelled in their first professional seasons. That made it even more of a bummer when other big-name rookies and first-round picks didn't burst onto […]


Dylan Sampson - Fantasy Football Rankings, Dynasty, Rookie Prospects

Dynasty Fantasy Football Strategy - How To Rebuild Your Roster

It's never easy going from worst to first in Dynasty fantasy football. But it's possible. Just because something isn't easy doesn't mean it's not possible, and certain strategies can help you achieve what might seem impossible at first -- going from the worst team in your league to making a championship run. There are a […]


Jaxson Dart - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Rookie Dynasty Mock Draft: 2025 Fantasy Football 12-Team, Superflex/Two-QB

The 2025 NFL Draft is still less than 100 days away. More importantly, the NFL Combine is around the corner. While much will change between now and the NFL Draft at the end of April. However, it’s time for my second dynasty rookie mock draft of the year. This rookie mock draft is a two-round, […]


Jerry Jeudy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Tale of Two Seasons - Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Edition (Part II)

It's not uncommon for a player to have a hot streak or a cold spell during a long season. It's the nature of the beast. What is, however, less common is when a player seemingly flips a switch and becomes a different player entirely. Sometimes, a player has two different seasons in a single year. […]


Kyren Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks

Dynasty League Sells - Overrated Fantasy Football Players To Trade Away

Being tied to bad teams, having anomalously high production that isn't sustainable long-term, and dealing with serious injuries are at least a few reasons why players can become overrated in Dynasty fantasy football leagues. When evaluating your players, it's important to take a wide-angle lens to understand what's going on. Hanging on to an overrated […]


Mark Andrews - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Tight Ends Touchdowns Fallers for Fantasy Football - Regression Candidates

Fantasy points per game is one of the best predictive stats for fantasy managers. However, a player's point-per-game average can sometimes be significantly impacted by how many touchdowns they did or did not score. For 80% of a position's player pool, the players score more or less what we'd expect or in line with their […]