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NBA Weekly Fantasy Basketball Player Rankings: Week 1
POINT GUARDS
| RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | 3 | A top draft pick for good reason. He will have ample time with the ball to drive or shoot, while the OKC offense watches. |
| 2 | James Harden | HOU | 3 | The Everything Guard on a team that suddenly lacks Guard depth. Harden, like Westbrook will have a ton of time with the ball running the point. |
| 3 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 3 | Despite the Warriors adding Durant, Curry will still get a huge number of shots. The best pure shooter in league history. |
| 4 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | The Blazers have added other scoring weapons, but Lillard gets final say as to wear the ball goes and you can expect the majority of possesions to be shots. |
| 5 | Mike Conley | MEM | 3 | Conley is healthy and the highest paid player in the league and is expected to perform as such. Will need to shoot more with Chandler Parsons hurt. |
| 6 | Eric Bledsoe | PHX | 3 | Bledsoe is another prolific shoot-first point guard and you can expect him to attack the basket now that he is fully healthy. |
| 7 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 3 | Being that the Hornets are thin up front to start the season expect Walker and Batum to control 80 percent of the offense to start the season. |
| 8 | Kyrie Irving | CLE | 3 | Irving has still proven that he can be an impact player when healthy and it is all systems go to start the season and will have a lot of time with the ball. |
| 9 | Isaiah Thomas | BOS | 3 | As the Celtics continue to add more meaningful pieces, expect Thomas to become a bit more of a traditional PG and his assist numbers should go up and there will be games in which he takes charge of the scoring. |
| 10 | Jeff Teague | IND | 3 | Indiana won the off seaosn with all of their acquisitions and Teague will get a ton of assists passing to skilled wings and bigs. |
| 11 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 3 | Dragic will be focusing more on passing the ball this season as the offense seems to struggle when he takes a lot of shots. |
| 12 | D'Angelo Russell | LAL | 3 | This is a big "prove it" year for Russell and the Lakers plan on utilizing him much more in the offensive scheme thus year. |
| 13 | Tony Parker | SAS | 4 | Parker is still the starter and will need to take care of most back court work with Danny Green hurt and he has 4 games this week. |
| 14 | Deron Williams | DAL | 3 | Williams proved last year that he can still be an impactful starter and will benefit by the Mavs quick pace of play. A lot of outlet passes. |
| 15 | George Hill | UT | 3 | With Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors hurt, Hill's reliable spot-up three will be needed early and will get a ton of playing time at both guard spots. |
| 16 | Chris Paul | LAC | 2 | Paul is still one of the most skilled all-around guards in the league, but he has the short slate this week. |
| 17 | Jeremy Lin | BKN | 3 | As scary as this sounds, Lin is a top scoring option along with Brook Lopez and you can expect Lin to be aggressive with his drive and jumper early on. |
| 18 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 2 | Just like Paul, Lowry is an incredible all-around guard, but suffers from the short slate. |
| 19 | John Wall | WSH | 2 | The hope for Wall is to keep the turnovers down early and with Beal back, the offense should be a bit more organized. |
| 20 | Ish Smith | DET | 3 | With Reggie Jackson hurt, expect a lot of inside passes and drives from Smith early. He will need to be patient in feeding the ball to the Pistons bigs and not rush passes to cause turnovers. |
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SHOOTING GUARDS
| RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Klay Thompson | GSW | 3 | As Curry and Durant draw double teams, Thompson will be left wide open and will still be very involved in the overall offensive scheme. |
| 2 | Victor Oladipo | OKC | 3 | Westbrook will need to escape defenders and Oladipo will have a lot of time with the ball as the #2 scoring option. |
| 3 | C.J. McCollum | POR | 3 | The Blazers back court will control most of the scoring once again this season and McCollum will get a smiliar amount of shots per game as last season. |
| 4 | Kyle Anderson | SAS | 4 | Anderson is not a superstar, but with Danny Green, he picks up a ton of playing time, will serve as a bail out scoring option and he is playing in 4 games. |
| 5 | Nicolas Batum | CHA | 3 | Batum will once again help out a ton in scoring, especially from long range and he will grab a good amount of rebounds as well. |
| 6 | Monta Ellis | IND | 3 | Ellis will have time to play both on and off the ball and his quickness makes it tough to defend him on the ball because he can drive and shoot. |
| 7 | Eric Gordon | HOU | 3 | Gordon (when healthy) is an excellent shooter and that is the perfect compliment to James Harden who will likely be drawing triple-teams. |
| 8 | Tyler Johnson | MIA | 3 | Johnson is the Heat's #1 scoring option heading into the season and because of their lack of depth, expect him to log a ton of minutes at both guard spots. |
| 9 | Wesley Matthews | DAL | 3 | Matthews is most dangerous from the wing and will serve as the bail out scoring option if the Mavs transition is stalled on offense. |
| 10 | Devin Booker | PHX | 3 | Booker is getting a big opportunity after showing his skills both on and off the ball last season. He is a volume scorer and has quickness to drive. |
| 11 | DeMar DeRozan | TOR | 2 | DeRozan is highly skilled and helps in many categories but unfortunately has the short slate. |
| 12 | Rodney Hood | UT | 3 | Hood picks up a ton more shots with Hayward hurt and he is most dangerous from the top of the key. |
| 13 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 3 | With Oladipo gone, Fournier will be shooting a lot more and needs to learn how to crash the boards on defense and not just run to the other side of the court. |
| 14 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 2 | Beal Is back and healthy and an excellent kick out option for Wall when he drives, but he has the short slate. |
| 15 | J.R. Smith | CLE | 3 | Smith just got paid and LeBron pushed the Cavs to re-sign him for the volume scoring that he provides. He can also run point if needed. |
| 16 | Lou Williams | LAL | 3 | On a team with a ton of young rising stars, Williams will need to control the offense off the ball and he has an excellent long range jumper and back door cut to the basket. |
| 17 | Avery Bradley | BOS | 3 | Bradley's defense keeps him on the floor and will serve as the Celtics bail out scoring option on transition. Bradley has shown post-presence as well and will grab rebounds. |
| 18 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | DET | 3 | KCP will be picking up more shots with Reggie Jackson hurt and is excellent from long-range. Owners should hope that their wings don't go isolation as much taking the ball out of his hands. |
| 19 | Dwyane Wade | CHI | 2 | Wade sent shockwaves around the league when he left Miami and will look to make a big splash early and is a prolific scoring when healthy. He has the short slate. |
| 20 | Brandon Knight | PHX | 3 | Knight will be coming off the bench, but will not only take advantage of second unit defenders, but he will also out-run them with his speed and should pick up a ton of shots. |
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SMALL FORWARDS
| RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
| 1 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS | 4 | With Aldridge likely to draw more double teams inside, Leonard's mid-range game will be the difference maker for him. |
| 2 | Kevin Durant | GSW | 3 | Durant will not be losing out on shot opportunities. He will still utilize his isolation and help with rebounds and blocks as well. |
| 3 | LeBron James | CLE | 3 | A lot of people think that this will be a DOWN year for LeBron. I am not one of those people. He's LeBron. You can't predict injuries. |
| 4 | Paul George | IND | 3 | Indiana has a ton of depth at all positions, and George will help out in all fantasy basketball stat categories and play 3-4 positions if needed. |
| 5 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 3 | The Greek Freak will be playing at 4 different positions this season and his driving and ball handling has improved and scoring will be needed w/ Khris Middleton hurt. |
| 6 | Rudy Gay | SAC | 3 | Gay is the Kings top shooting options and will be open at the top of the paint when Cousins draws the double. |
| 7 | Tobias Harris | DET | 3 | Harris will provide the same production as last season and you can expect to see a lot of elbow shooting and driving. |
| 8 | Trevor Ariza | HOU | 3 | Ariza is still one of the top defenders in the league and with the Rockets other defensive liabilities, expect a lot of playing time and open threes. |
| 9 | Harrison Barnes | DAL | 3 | Barnes will need to be consistently involved in the Mavs offense with the way they work the ball around. Playing time will be at his disposal with lack of defenders in Dallas. |
| 10 | Carmelo Anthony | NYK | 2 | Anthony is still the Knicks top scoring option and will not lose any shot opportunities from last season. Short Slate. |
| 11 | Aaron Gordon | ORL | 3 | Gordon is expected to be more involved in the offensive scheme, and Gordon will have to be on point with his shooting. He's flashy and can drive, but a top scoring option? Yikes! |
| 12 | Jae Crowder | BOS | 3 | Crowder will get the ball a ton in the high post and depending on his match up per night, he will look to spin in to a free lane. |
| 13 | Jimmy Butler | CHI | 2 | Even with Dwayne Wade, Butler will be a big part of the Bulls scoring because of how much of a liability Rondo is on offense, and he is one of the best perimeter defenders. |
| 14 | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | BKN | 3 | A lot of positive reports from pre-season and you can expect RHJ to post up inside and draw a ton of contact. |
| 15 | Danilo Gallinari | DEN | 2 | Gallinari remains the Nuggets top shooting option and will grab a few rebounds and hit a ton of outside jumpers. He has a short slate. |
| 16 | DeMarre Carroll | TOR | 2 | Carroll will provide similar offense as Jae Crowder, but will see open jumpers from the elbow. Carroll is a good defender and should be secure when it comes to minutes. |
| 17 | Chandler Parsons | MEM | 3 | Injury Concern: Parsons knee is still not 100 percent and could potentially miss the first week and Memphis will try him out at multiple positions this year to see where he fits best. |
| 18 | Luol Deng | LAL | 3 | Deng will still be a scoring, long range shooting and rebounding help as he joins a team on younger players with a lot of growing rim. Playing time can fluctuate in the 2nd half of the season. |
| 19 | Joe Johnson | UT | 3 | With Gordon Hayward hurt, Johnson picks up a ton of playing time and shot opportunities. Johnson will even play on the high post and will hit turnaround jumpers on smaller defenders. |
| 20 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 2 | Wiggins is primarily a scoring help for fantasy from long range and driving.Wiggins will have a lot of time off the ball and has been willing to take more contact. Short slate. |
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POWER FORWARDS
| RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
| 1 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 4 | Aldridge's 4 games makes him the top forward option and will command the ball in the high and low post with Tim Duncan gone. He will continue taking long range jumpers. |
| 2 | Anthony Davis | NO | 3 | Davis seems to be over his ankle injury, but you never know when another one will pop up. Davis will be needed as the Pelicans enter the season with major depth issues all around. |
| 3 | Draymond Green | GSW | 3 | Green will be the Warriors main inside post player and he has grown in making better decisions with the ball. Expect his scoring to be 12-16 points, but will grab a lot of rebounds and blocks. |
| 4 | Kevin Love | CLE | 3 | If Love can play on the block instead of outside on the wing, he can utilize his size inside and have more scoring opps. |
| 5 | Serge Ibaka | ORL | 3 | Ibaka will have the same role on Orlando as he did in OKC and will be the blocks and rebounding machine on defense and three-point chucker on offense. |
| 6 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL | 3 | Nowitzki has a lot left in the tank and will continue to provide fantasy players with three's and rebounds. |
| 7 | Thaddeus Young | IND | 3 | Young will be able to play time at both forward positions and is excellent at attacking the basket and will command the ball in the post. |
| 8 | Ryan Anderson | HOU | 3 | Anderson will be a major outside shooting threat per usual and will grab rebounds on defense. Harden will draw triple teams and he and Gordon will benefit with open jumpers. |
| 9 | Greg Monroe | MIL | 3 | Monroe will be coming off the bench and will be a major 6th man contributor inside. Monroe will be a major help with rebounds. |
| 10 | Derrick Favors | UT | 3 | Injury Concern: Favors is a great compliment on offense to Rudy Gobert, but his knee is still banged up and we are unsure how many games he will play in this year. |
| 11 | Jabari Parker | MIL | 3 | Parker will see a big jump in shot opportunities and will be a good bail out option for the Greek Freak when he draws the double. Scoring numbers will go up. |
| 12 | Paul Millsap | ATL | 2 | Millsap is an excellent all-around player and will have even more opportunitiy to score with Horford out, but he has the short slate. |
| 13 | Blake Griffin | LAC | 2 | Griffin is another player who will get a ton of production on both sides of the ball but is dealing with a short slate. |
| 14 | Al-Farouq Aminu | POR | 3 | Aminu will see a ton of minutes and is excellent at attacking the basket and will play a big factor when the Blazers play teams who do a good job of rotating on the perimeter. |
| 15 | Kristaps Porzingis | NYK | 2 | Porzingis is an excellent long-range shooting forward who will be expected to grow as a top tier PF, but has a short slate to start the season. |
| 16 | Marcus Morris | DET | 3 | Morris will be attacking the basket and will grab 5-7 rebounds per game and his perimeter defense will get him even more playing time. |
| 17 | Gorgui Dieng | MIN | 2 | Dieng is a potential10-10 options and while Karl-Anthony Towns plays all around the court, Dieng will play primarily under the basket for second chance scoring opportunities. |
| 18 | Amir Johnson | BOS | 3 | Johnson will get the starting nod and can play in the low post especially when Horford gets the ball in the high post to try to create. Expect him to help with rebounding as well. |
| 19 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 2 | Jokic is a very effective post presence and get average 15 points and 10 plus rebounds this season, but has the short slate to start. |
| 20 | Julius Randle | LAL | 3 | Randle will need to prove that he is sound defensively and we can count on a lot of rebounds and even steals early. He will provide consistent inside scoring (not over the top). |
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CENTERS
| RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
| 1 | DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | 3 | Cousins will handle everything like he always does with the Kings and will help in every fantasy category. |
| 2 | Pau Gasol | SAS | 4 | Gasol will be one of the best low block players in the league and will still help on the rebounding front. He will play opposite side of Aldridge and has 4 games. |
| 3 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 3 | Whiteside will crush it when it comes to rebounds, steals and blocks, and will score deep inside, but will need to stay in the post until he can prove otherwise. |
| 4 | Al Horford | BOS | 3 | Horford will play a similar role on the Celtics as he did on the Hawks and will still get a ton of shot opportunities as his teammates are better on defense. |
| 5 | Andre Drummond | DET | 3 | Same song, different year with Drummond. A ton of rebounds, blocks, a bit of inside scoring and a terrible free-throw shooter. |
| 6 | Marc Gasol | MEM | 3 | Gasol is not 100 percent to start the season and I expect him to play more outside to start the season. He will hit open threes early. |
| 7 | Brook Lopez | BKN | 3 | Lopez is a co-number 1 scoring option until he gets hurt, but you would hope that your 7'1 Center could grab close to 10 rebounds per game, but I digress. |
| 8 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 3 | Excellent on defense and will kill it in blocks and rebounds, but he is a bit of a liability when he gets the ball in the post. |
| 9 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 3 | Even with Ibaka and Biyombo in Orlando, Vucevic will be a big contributor on offense and has amazing foot work and will have minimal issues getting to the basket. |
| 10 | Myles Turner | IND | 3 | Turner will primarily play on the low block and could absolutely average 10-12 points and 9-11 rebounds per game. His defense will keep his minutes up even with Al Jefferson backing him up. |
| 11 | Clint Capela | HOU | 3 | Big spot for Capela and he will help primarily with second chance scoring and rebounding to open up the season. |
| 12 | Zaza Pachulia | GSW | 3 | We can expect Pachulia to be the 10-10 player he was in Dallas and won't command for the ball and only score on rebounds. |
| 13 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 3 | Thompson is a big box of chocolates each game as it is hard to tell how involved he will be on offense, but you can expect 7-9 rebounds in most games. |
| 14 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 2 | Excellent all-around Center but has a short slate. |
| 15 | DeAndre Jordan | LAC | 2 | Best defensive Center in the league, but also has a short slate. |
| 16 | Steven Adams | OKC | 3 | Another 10-10 Center who is never afraid to take contact and go diving for balls. He is in a timeshare at Center but will still be effective. |
| 17 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | 2 | Valanciunas proved that he can be very effective offensively with his improved jumper. He has a short slate though. |
| 18 | Dwight Howard | ATL | 2 | Howard will provide a ton of rebounds, steals and blocks but also suffers from having a short slate. |
| 19 | Andrew Bogut | DAL | 3 | When Nowitzki is doubled Bogut will help in the low post and has a few quick moves in the paint. He will help with rebounds as well. |
| 20 | Enes Kanter | OKC | 3 | Kanter is a good compliment to Adams because of his long range shooting and he draws bigger defenders outside and that will help his playing time. |