🖥 CYBER WEEK - TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE CYBER
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
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Fantasy Basketball Tiered Rankings - Power Forwards

The 2015-2016 NBA season ended on June 19th and the start of the 2016-2017 NBA regular season is a decent ways away on October 25th. Since the end of the NBA season rookies have been drafted, newcomers squared off and competed for roster spots in the NBA Summer League, and there was a mad dash to sign valuable free agents by every single team in the league.

So here we stand, looking at the beginning of a new Fantasy Basketball season on the distant horizon, wondering what to make of all the roster changes and power shifts. To make sure that none of us are caught off guard and unprepared because of distractions in the sports world like the NFL and the World Series, let's rank the top 20 players for Fantasy Basketball by all five positions and break down the top 20 by tiers of value.

Today, we focus on our 2016-17 tiered fantasy basketball rankings for NBA power forwards.

Editor's Note: All players on this list are eligible at PF in Yahoo! leagues.  Many may be eligible at other positions, but they are only ranked here in the tiered rankings.

 

First Tier Power Forwards - Fantasy Basketball Rankings

1. Paul Millsap, ATL

2. Anthony Davis, NOR

Now that players are growing up focusing on athleticism, shooting, and ball handling, we are seeing a very diverse skill set throughout the upper echelon of NBA power forwards. Paul Millsap and Anthony Davis are clearly the best of the best at PF, and they offer different kinds of production along with their own risks/rewards.

Millsap has been an All-Star the last three seasons, has hit big peaks in assists; steals; blocks; and rebounds, has continued to score 17 per night even at 31 years old, and has shot 34.4% from distance in his time as a Hawk. Since his rookie season Anthony Davis has averaged 23.1 points, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 10.2 boards per game. He also shot 32.4% for 3PT shots last year after shooting just 11% total for his first three seasons.

The only drawback to Davis is health. He averages 65 games per year and last year had a career low 61. Though if there is a candidate for a quadruple-double in the NBA, my money is on him. With his young age and still-budding skill set, he offers a far higher ceiling than Millsap does, especially since Millsap is 31. However with Al Horford now a Boston Celtic, there may be a really wide-open gap for rebounds in Atlanta.

 

Second Tier Power Forwards - Fantasy Basketball Rankings

3. Pau Gasol, SAS

4. Blake Griffin, LAC

5. Derrick Favors, UTA

6. LaMarcus Aldridge, SAS

Maybe Blake Griffin could even stay in the top five all season as long as he doesn't get in anymore equipment related altercations. The power forwards in this 4-7 range are more traditional type players, in that, they mostly prefer to score from inside, they rebound aggressively, and they all are pretty effective on defense in one way or another.

Gasol is a safer bet because of his track record, but any of these guys should make any Fantasy Basketball Manager happy to have.

 

Third Tier Power Forwards - Fantasy Basketball Rankings

7. Kevin Love, CLE

8. Kristaps Porzingis, NYK

9. Greg Monroe, MIL

10. Serge Ibaka, ORL

11. Tobias Harris, DET

12. Nerlens Noel, PHI

13. Kenneth Faried, DEN

If the players in the 8-13 range just had one more category that stuck out, then they would all have a case for the top five. Unfortunately, while these players demonstrate a lot of talent in their areas of expertise, they have some glaring gaps that make them less desirable for Fantasy Basketball Managers.

Love can rebound, score, and shoot. Ibaka can block, rebound, and has improved his shooting. Faried is a rebounding monster, Greg Monroe is a quiet double-double guy, and Tobias Harris is sneaky well-rounded. Guys like this can be hard to own because of their high ADP but they have the gaps that the immediate tier above them do not have. I would love to keep believing in Nerlens Noel, but there are just so many young big guys on the 76ers roster that it brings up a lot of uncertainty as to what his future role is.

 

Fourth Tier Power Forwards - Fantasy Basketball Rankings

14. Dirk Nowitzki, DAL

15. Myles Turner, IND

16. Robert Covington, PHI

There is really no theme for this tier, they just aren't able to do what the 13 guys above them can do, or at least not anymore in Dirk's case. Dirk is getting old but he is still one of the best shooters in basketball history. That means he should continue to score at an efficient rate. He is also still tall, so an adequate rate of rebounds should continue. Myles Turner averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in his rookie year in a meager 22.3 minutes each game.

Per 36 minutes that is equivalent to 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. He probably won't be on the floor for 36 minutes each game, but after his successful rookie campaign his playing time should increase by a big margin. Robert Covington has been a versatile defensive specialist the past two years in Philly and shot 36.3% from distance. The big problem is that the 76ers drafted Ben Simmons and have a big slew of talented young players to kick start their rebuild. That might mean Covington's days of ample playing time are cooked.

 

Fifth Tier Power Forwards - Fantasy Basketball Rankings

18. Chris Bosh, MIA

19. Aaron Gordon, ORL

20. Julius Randle, LAL

This fifth tier is actually a little more well-rounded than the fourth tier, they just have more question marks. For instance, how much more valuable would Julius Randle be if he could block at least a shot a game and could pop out to hit three pointers more often and at a better rate than 27.8%? We all can see that Aaron Gordon would have more statistical production with more playing time, but will he get more playing time this year? And will it be enough? At 32 years old, when will Chris Bosh's play start to steeply diminish?

 

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Darcy Kuemper

Ends Losing Streak With Shutout Performance
Nikolaj Ehlers

Collects Three Points in Saturday's Win
Ilya Sorokin

Ties Franchise Record With 25th Shutout
Sam Bennett

Bags Season-High Four Points Saturday
Jordan Kyrou

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Saturday
Dominic James

Hurt on Saturday
Maxx Crosby

Trending Toward Playing Against Broncos
Chris Olave

Set to Play Vs. Bucs
LaMelo Ball

Won't Suit Up Against Denver
Immanuel Quickley

Questionable for Sunday Afternoon
Deshaun Watson

Expected to Stay With Browns Next Year
Klay Thompson

Downgraded Versus Houston
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Out Again on Saturday Evening
Tyler Herro

Will Miss Another Game on Saturday
Jimmy Butler III

Out Again on Saturday Night
Draymond Green

Ruled Out Versus Cleveland
Jose A. Ferrer

Mariners Acquire Jose A. Ferrer from the Nationals
Mason Marchment

Expected to Return Saturday
Danila Yurov

Returns From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Available Saturday
Harry Ford

Traded to the Nationals
Shane Pinto

to Miss Two Weeks
David Pastrnak

Misses Fifth Consecutive Game Saturday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Remains Out Saturday
Nikita Kucherov

Out on Saturday
Jayden Reed

Activated Off Injured Reserve, Will Play in Week 14
Omarion Hampton

Activated From IR, Faces Uncertain Workload Monday Night
Cody Bellinger

Drawing Interest From the Phillies
MacKenzie Gore

Will the Nationals Trade MacKenzie Gore?
Justin Herbert

Officially Listed as Questionable for Monday Night Football
Justin Herbert

Chargers "Expecting" Justin Herbert to Play in Week 14
Yves Missi

Trending Toward Game-Time Decision
Khris Middleton

Questionable With Knee Soreness Against Hawks
Noah Clowney

On Track To Suit Up Against Pelicans
De'Anthony Melton

Questionable With Knee Management
Draymond Green

Questionable With Mid-Foot Sprain
Jimmy Butler III

Day-To-Day As Warriors Prepare For Cleveland
Mikko Rantanen

Picks Up Three Points Against Sharks
Kyle Connor

Scores in Fourth Consecutive Game
Beckett Sennecke

Notches Two Points in Friday's Win
Ryan Leonard

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Friday
Carter Hart

Day-to-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Brayden Point

Questionable for Saturday
Victor Hedman

Expected to Return Saturday
Byron Buxton

Twins Not Planning to Trade Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton
Patrick Williams

Dalen Terry Available Versus Pacers
Coby White

Returns With Minutes Restriction Friday
Ayo Dosunmu

Out Friday Against Pacers
Zach Collins

Available for Season Debut Friday
Robert Williams III

Donovan Clingan Out, Robert Williams III in for Portland Friday
Evan Mobley

Ready to Play Friday
Kristaps Porzingis

Coming Off the Bench Friday
Spencer Jones

Available Against Hawks
Ozzy Wiesblatt

to Miss 8-10 Weeks With Upper-Body Injury
Rome Odunze

has Fractured Foot, Labeled Week-to-Week
Sauce Gardner

Ruled Out for Sunday
Petr Yan

Looks To Reclaim Bantamweight Belt
Merab Dvalishvili

Set For His Fourth Title Defense
Joshua Van

Can Become The New Flyweight Champion
Aaron Jones Sr.

Cleared to Play in Week 14
Chris Olave

Listed as Questionable for Week 14
Alexandre Pantoja

Set For Fifth Title Defense At UFC 323
Tatsuro Taira

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Alvin Kamara

Ruled Out for Sunday
Brandon Moreno

Searches For His Third Win In A Row
Rome Odunze

Ruled Out for Week 14
Payton Talbott

A Favorite At UFC 323
Henry Cejudo

Set For His Retirement Fight
Drake London

Ruled Out vs Seattle
Jan Blachowicz

Set To Open Up UFC 323 Main Card
Lamar Jackson

Will Play on Sunday
Bogdan Guskov

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
CFB

Emmett Johnson Leaving Nebraska for 2026 NFL Draft
Dalton Kincaid

to be Questionable for Week 14
Tee Higgins

Clears Concussion Protocol, is a Full-Go for Sunday
CFB

Jam Miller Unlikely to Play in SEC Title Game
CFB

Penn State Expected to Hire Matt Campbell from Iowa State
Mike Evans

Not Quite Ready to Return This Week
Jayden Daniels

Will Start Against Vikings
Lamar Jackson

Returns to Practice, on Track to Play on Sunday
Kyler Murray

Won't Return This Year, Cardinals Non-Committal on his Future
CFB

Arkansas Targeting Ron Roberts for Defensive Coordinator Job
Jhostynxon Garcia

Pirates Acquire Jhostynxon Garcia From Red Sox
Cody Bellinger

Yankees Pushing Hard to Re-Sign Cody Bellinger
CFB

Penn State Eyeing Iowa State Coach Matt Campbell For Coaching Vacancy
Alex Bregman

Cubs Have Renewed Interest in Alex Bregman
CFB

Billy Napier Finalizing Deal to Become James Madison's New Head Coach
CFB

Buster Faulkner Set to Become Florida's New Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Joe Sloan Expected to be Kentucky's New Offensive Coordinator
CFB

Lane Kiffin Working to Keep Defensive Coordinator Blake Baker at LSU
CFB

Brian Daboll a Candidate for Penn State Head-Coaching Job?
Kyle Tucker

Visits With Blue Jays
Emilio Pagán

Reds Bring Back Closer Emilio Pagan on Two-Year Deal
Cedric Mullins

Rays Agree on One-Year Deal
Freddy Peralta

Brewers Considering Trading Freddy Peralta
Kyle Schwarber

Reds Serious About Adding Kyle Schwarber in Free Agency?
CFB

Brent Key Signing Five-Year Deal to Remain at Georgia Tech
CFB

Brian Hartline Expected to Land USF Head-Coaching Job
CFB

Collin Klein Expected to be Top Target for Kansas State if Head-Coach Job Opens
CFB

Chris Klieman Considering Stepping Down at Kansas State
CFB

D.J. Durkin Staying at Auburn Under Alex Golesh
CFB

Charlie Weis Jr. Permitted to Coach Ole Miss Offense in College Football Playoff
CFB

Five-Star Quarterback Jared Curtis Flips Commitment From Georgia to Vanderbilt
CFB

Florida Hiring Brad White as Defensive Coordinator
Kyle Schwarber

Giants Have Checked in on Kyle Schwarber
Willson Contreras

Willing to Waive his Full No-Trade Clause?
Edwin Díaz

Mets Still Interested in Re-Signing Edwin Diaz
Devin Williams

Agrees to Three-Year Deal With Mets
Cole Ragans

Red Sox Targeting Cole Ragans in a Trade?
CFB

Kentucky Hires Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein As Head Coach
CFB

Kalani Sitake the Top Target for Penn State Coaching Job
CFB

Josh Heupel Says He's Not a Candidate for Penn State Head Coach Job

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP