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 Draft Rankings - The Top 50

Milos Zvekic analyzes the top 50 fantasy basketball draft rankings for 2019/2020. RotoBaller's NBA staff rankings for head-to-head fantasy basketball leagues.

Hey RotoBallers! With the NBA season fast approaching, our team has updated our 2019/2020 draft rankings. Today we are publishing our top 50 rankings, with some analysis from yours truly.

Below is my analysis of the fantasy basketball rankings that us writers here at RotoBaller punched out for this NBA season. The rankings are courtesy of Justin Carter, Dicky Fung, Kev Mahserejian, Jakob Ashlin and myself.

Today I will be taking a closer look at who we ranked inside the top 50, and giving my thoughts on our picks. For those of you still drafting out there, we also published part 2 of these rankings - players ranked numbers #51-100 - in a second article. Good luck with your drafts RotoBallers!

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with 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!

 

Updated 2019/2020 Draft Rankings

Tier Rank Player Team Positions
1 1 Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL SF,PF
1 2 James Harden HOU PG,SG
1 3 Stephen Curry GSW PG,SG
1 4 Anthony Davis LAL PF,C
1 5 Karl-Anthony Towns MIN C
1 6 Nikola Jokic DEN PF,C
1 7 Damian Lillard POR PG
1 8 Joel Embiid PHI PF,C
1 9 Kawhi Leonard LAC SG,SF
1 10 LeBron James LAL SF,PF
2 11 Bradley Beal WAS SG
2 12 Jimmy Butler MIA SG,SF
2 13 Kyrie Irving BKN PG,SG
2 14 Paul George LAC SG,SF
2 15 Russell Westbrook HOU PG
2 16 Andre Drummond DET PF,C
2 17 Jrue Holiday NOR PG,SG
2 18 Kemba Walker BOS PG
2 19 Nikola Vucevic ORL PF,C
2 20 Ben Simmons PHI PG,SF
3 21 Rudy Gobert UTH C
3 22 Devin Booker PHO PG,SG
3 23 Luka Doncic DAL PG,SG
3 24 Myles Turner IND PF,C
3 25 John Collins ATL PF,C
3 26 Trae Young ATL PG
3 27 Donovan Mitchell UTH PG,SG
3 28 Kristaps Porzingis DAL PF,C
3 29 LaMarcus Aldridge SAS PF,C
3 30 Deandre Ayton PHO C,PF
3 31 Blake Griffin DET PF,C
3 32 Pascal Siakam TOR PF
4 33 Draymond Green GSW PF,C
4 34 Mike Conley UTH PG
4 35 Khris Middleton MIL SG,SF
4 36 De'Aaron Fox SAC PG
4 37 Clint Capela HOU PF,C
4 38 DeMar DeRozan SAS SG,SF
4 39 D'Angelo Russell GSW PG,SG
4 40 Lauri Markkanen CHI PF,SG
4 41 Jaren Jackson Jr. MEM PF
4 42 Buddy Hield SAC SG
4 43 C.J. McCollum POR PG, SG
4 44 Chris Paul OKC PG
4 45 Tobias Harris PHI SF,PF
4 46 Zion Williamson NOP PF
4 47 Jamal Murray DEN PG,SG
4 48 Kyle Lowry TOR PG
4 49 Eric Bledsoe MIL PG,SG
5 50 Kevin Love CLE PF,C

 

The Top 10

There is sort of a consensus for the top six this year and we didn't stray too far from that either.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and Karl-Anthony Towns are at the top of our list as well. Although it seems that here at RotoBaller we value Giannis' consistency, flexibility and reliability a bit more and that is why he is our #1. Next we have The Beard, AD and Steph neck and neck for the spots two through four and KAT at five.

The spots six and seven are also pretty usual with Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard, although The Joker came quite close to being ahead of KAT. And while Jokic is a jack of all trades and a great source of out-of-positions assists, Dame is ranked this high in large part because he never misses any games.

At the eight we have Joel Embiid which is pretty template as well. He has a unique set of skills for a big man and can set you up well for a punt turnovers build.

Now it gets interesting. Apparently, we don't buy the "Kawhi Leonard will get too many rest days" talk that is going on in fantasy circles and we have him at nine. The Klaw is one of the best players and best fantasy players as well, but unfortunately it's his body (or coach) that will determine if his owners will be happy or pissed.

LeBron James is our #10 for this season. Even with AD in LA and his injury woes from last season, he is still one of the best players in the NBA, and with the West being so competitive it's pretty possible that LeBron will have to have a large role to ensure his Lakers a good seed for the playoffs.

 

#11-25 Ranked

Our rankings here don't differ too much from the current ADP in Yahoo leagues with Bradley BealJimmy ButlerKyrie Irving, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook all coming in the 11-15 range.

Now, something to make note of here is that we ranked Paul George at #14. Now, realistically, the news of PG13 missing the first few weeks of regular season has some impact and if I'm being honest, this made me change my own rankings and push him down from 9th to 19th. Ten or so games that he will miss is not too much, but when it's your first-round pick it can hurt quite a bit to be without him for the first two or three matchups. It's not ideal to start your season with a few loses to your name so beware of this.

I believe it might be more valuable to you if I point out players that we like or dislike compared to their ADPs as this is something you might use in your drafts to validate your pick if a guy you and we like falls to you or to save you from picking some players too early.

The guys we prefer compared to their ADP:

  • #16 Andre Drummond (ADP #21) - With Drummond playing 78 or more games in each except his rookie season and being very easy to commit to a punting strategy with, he is one of our favorites.
  • #20 Ben Simmons (ADP #26) - Similarly to Drummond, Simmons is very easy to punt with since he is quite strong in his strong categories and quite weak in his weak ones. He has a very unique skill set that gets you big guy stats + assists from a PG spot which can be very useful if deployed correctly in a punt build.

The guys we don't like as much as their ADP:

  • #21 Rudy Gobert (ADP #18) - It pains me to see my colleagues rate Gobert so much lower than I do, even though I have him irrationally high at #11. While it is true that Gobert only has a few strong categories and will kill your FT% occasionally, he still contributes a bit in every counting column except threes. This makes him a wonderful fit in several punting strategies and the reason I have him as high as I do.
  • #23 Luka Doncic (ADP #19) - I absolutely love Luka! I've been convinced that he will be one of the best players in the world ever since I saw him in his rookie season for Real Madrid a few years back. His first season in the NBA just further confirmed my opinion of him. And even though I believe he will take another step forward this season, with poor percentages and over 3 turnovers per game, I just can't see him providing enough statistics just yet to warrant a top-20 pick.

 

#26-50 Ranked

Again, I will be focusing on guys we rate quite a bit higher or lower than their ADP and guys who us writers here at RotoBaller have different opinions on.

The guys we prefer compared to their ADP:

#29 LaMarcus Aldridge (ADP #45) - With LMA not being too flashy, him getting up there in age (he is 34), and being ranked at #46 it's not too difficult to understand why many fantasy owners are sleeping on him. I would suggest you not make that mistake. With the exception of three-pointers, Aldridge contributes across the board and has decent percentages. Furthermore, since joining the Spurs four seasons ago, he played 72 or more games every time with this streak culminating last season with 81 games in the regular season.

#35 Khris Middleton (ADP #48) - Khris was top-20 for total scored three-pointers last season with 179 in 77 games. Although 44.1% from the field isn't great, it's not too bad either if you factor in that number of 3PM. Furthermore, Middleton gives you nice FT%, six boards, four assists and a steal per game. It baffles me that he is falling so deep in drafts, but it's something to use to our advantage, isn't it.

The guys we don't like as much as their ADP:

#44 Chris Paul (ADP #34) - While CP3 will have a larger role on the Thunder compared to playing second fiddle to Harden in Houston, it is still a big question whether he will finish the year in OKC. Furthermore, the last time CP3 played more than 61 games in a regular season, his current team OKC almost made an upset in the West Conference Final but fell 4-3 to Golden State after having a 3-1 lead. Yes, it seems like a decade ago... There's too much uncertainty surrounding this otherwise great player to justify a pick in the top-40.

#46 Zion Williamson (ADP #33) - As always when a rookie is entering the NBA, there is a lot of unknowns. But this time it's not just your ordinary rookie. It's Zion! The hype surrounding him has him picked at #33 on average which is pretty high for an unproven player on a team that has been totally reconstructed in the last nine months, and we are not buying it just yet. Zion has been playing great in the preseason though and has us in quite a disagreement with him being ranked anywhere from #24 to #64 in our individual rankings, so if you feel like taking a risk on him even with a higher pick it wouldn't be crazy to do so.

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




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

Quinshon Judkins

to Start in NFL Debut
A.J. Brown

Eagles Plan to Get A.J. Brown More Involved
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Jaydon Blue

Remains Healthy Scratch for Week 2
Wan'Dale Robinson

Active for Week 2 Against Cowboys
Quinshon Judkins

Will See 10-15 Snaps in Debut
Jauan Jennings

Suiting Up Against Saints in Week 2
Xavier Worthy

Hopes to Return in Week 3
Lamar Jackson

Shedeur Sanders Didn't Want to Play Behind Lamar Jackson, Nixed Ravens Pick
Davante Adams

Rams Want to Get Davante Adams More Involved in Week 2
Jayden Reed

Given 6-8 Week Timetable
Jauan Jennings

Expected to Play in Week 2
Brock Purdy

49ers Not Optimistic Brock Purdy Will Play in Week 3
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
Max Muncy

Exits Early on Saturday
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Quinshon Judkins

to Have "Snaps Closely Monitored" Versus Baltimore
Jauan Jennings

a "Game-Time" Decision for Week 2, Optimism That he'll Play
Salvador Perez

Reaches 300 Home Runs, 1,000 RBI
Jose Altuve

Exits Early With Foot Discomfort
Trey Yesavage

Heading to Big Leagues
Will Smith

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Russell Wilson

Giants Have No Urgency to Bench Russell Wilson
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Brock Bowers

Officially Questionable for Monday Night
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Christian Kirk

Ruled Out for Week 2
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Brock Bowers

Expected to Play on Monday Night
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
Ryan Preece

Seems Slower on Concrete Than on Asphalt
NASCAR

Legacy Motor Club's Short-Track Speed Will Likely Hold John H. Nemechek Back
Erik Jones

Definitely Faster This Year, but Short Tracks Still a Liability
Daniel Suarez

Despite Poor Qualifying Run, Daniel Suarez Might Not Be a Great Choice
Noah Gragson

Unlikely to Be Fast at Bristol but Still Might Be Worth Considering for DFS
Tarik Skubal

Avoids Serious Injury, Expected to Make Next Start
Chris Godwin

Officially Ruled Out for Week 2
Xavier Worthy

Officially Ruled Out for Week 2
Austin Ekeler

Suffers Torn Achilles
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
Kyle Larson

Can Kyle Larson Dominate at Bristol Again?
Denny Hamlin

One of the Best at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

All Eyes on Ryan Blaney at Bristol
Chase Briscoe

Whiffs in Qualifying, Will Start 31st in Bristol Night Race
Ty Gibbs

Could Contend at Bristol
Tanner Bibee

Fans 10 in Two-Hit Shutout
Zach Neto

Dealing With Wrist Soreness
Masyn Winn

Shut Down for Rest of Season
Tarik Skubal

to Undergo Imaging on Saturday
Tyler Soderstrom

Scratched on Friday With Groin Tightness
Tarik Skubal

Exits with Side Tightness
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
Ketel Marte

Scratched From Friday's Lineup
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Kyle Tucker

"Unlikely" to Return When Eligible on Tuesday
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Ketel Marte

Expected to Return on Friday
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Alexander Hernandez

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Quang Le

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Card Opener
Santiago Luna

Set For His Debut At Noche UFC 3
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Jesús Luzardo

Jesus Luzardo Strikes Out 10 in Win
Aaron Judge

Matches Yankees Legend with Two-Homer Game
Anthony Volpe

Playing Through Partially Torn Labrum in his Shoulder
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
Charles Oliveira

Not Eyeing Retirement
CFB

Ryan Williams Expected to Play Against Wisconsin
CFB

Billy Edwards Jr. Unlikely to Play on Saturday
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Questionable to Make Debut Against Georgia
Lauri Markkanen

Big at Both Ends as Finland Books Place in EuroBasket Semis
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Notches 39 Points in Losing Effort
NBA

Cam Reddish Expected to Move to Europe
NBA

Trey Lyles Joins Real Madrid
Charles Bassey

Signs Exhibit 10 Deal With Hawks
Sacramento Kings

Terence Davis Waived by Kings
Will Smith

Scratched With Hand Soreness on Wednesday
Ketel Marte

has Foot Contusion, Expected to Play Friday
Matthew Knies

Ready for Bigger Role With Maple Leafs
Jack Eichel

Unbothered by Lack of Extension
Sidney Crosby

Not Thinking About Leaving Pittsburgh
SJ

Michael Misa Signs Entry-Level Contract With Sharks
Rutger McGroarty

Nursing an Injury
Cameron Champ

the Ultimate Wild Card at Procore
Cameron Young

Looks to Extend Momentum in Napa
Davis Thompson

Searching for a Spark at Procore
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Reignite Form at Procore
Mackenzie Hughes

Aims for Another Strong Showing at Procore
Luke Clanton

Brings Ball-Striking Upside to Napa
Seamus Power

Looking to Overcome Poor Course History at Procore
Joe Highsmith

Hoping to Find Form in Napa
Kristaps Porzingis

Reportedly Still Not Completely Healthy
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Reportedly on the Trade Block
Andre Drummond

Future in Philadelphia in Doubt
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Helps Greece Reach Semis at EuroBasket
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Posts Historic Triple-Double
Joel Dahmen

Finishes Tied For 15 at Wyndham Championship
Bud Cauley

Finishes Tied for 33rd at BMW Championship
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied for Seventh at Tour Championship
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied for 25th at Tour Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied for 19th at Tour Championship
Keith Mitchell

Misses Cut at Wyndham Championship
Ben Griffin

Finishes Tied for 10th at Tour Championship
Patrick Cantlay

Finishes Tied for Second at Tour Championship
Gary Woodland

Could Hang Around at Procore Championship
Karl Vilips

Ready for Napa Valley This Weekend
Taylor Montgomery

Heating Up at the Right Time
Jackson Koivun

May Be a Little Rusty at Procore Championship
Doug Ghim

Looking to Rise Up at Napa Valley
Josh Giddey

Re-Signs With Bulls for Four Years
Shakir Mukhamadullin

Joins Informal Skate
William Eklund

Skates With Sharks
Owen Power

Back at 100 Percent
Tyler Seguin

Cleared for Action
Mathew Barzal

Good to Go for Season Opener
Dustin Wolf

Signs Seven-Year Extension
NBA

Mason Jones Takes His Talents to Australia
NBA

Talen Horton-Tucker Joins Reigning EuroLeague Champions
Malcolm Brogdon

on Knicks' Radar
Andrew Wiggins

Attracting Interest From Lakers
Miami Heat

Heat Interested in Reunion With Precious Achiuwa
New York Knicks

Ben Simmons Reportedly Declined Knicks' Contract Offer
Caio Borralho

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Nassourdine Imavov

Extends Win Streak
Mauricio Ruffy

Gets Submitted
Benoît Saint Denis

Benoit Saint Denis Taps Out Mauricio Ruffy
Paul Craig

Retires After UFC Paris Loss
Modestas Bukauskas

Scores First-Round Knockout
Bolaji Oki

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Mason Jones

Scores Comeback Win

RANKINGS

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