Point Guards
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Russell Westbrook | OKC | 4 | Even with Victor Oladipo back in the lineup, Westbrook is still the first and second scoring option on OKC and the only time he does not get a triple-double is when he gets ejected. |
2 | James Harden | HOU | 4 | Harden continues to be an effective point guard. He has the ability to create in and out of the paint and has a smooth shot and is very effective in isolation. |
3 | John Wall | WSH | 4 | Wall moves us because of how effective of a passer he has been and he likes to keep the Wizards pace quick on offense, and even while in the corner, he somehow finds the cutter. |
4 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 4 | Even though Lowry is not the No. 1 option on the Raptors, he gets to control a lot of the offense himself because the Raptors mid-court has been unreliable. |
5 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 4 | Curry will still get a ton of shots as the season continues and he has been very agile, especially when passing through screens. He is not relying solely on his shot. |
6 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 4 | Walker continues to be one of very few consistent players on offense in Charlotte. Walker always looks to be on the break when he is off the ball. |
7 | Eric Bledsoe | PHX | 4 | Bledsoe is another play on a team with all-guard offenses. Bledsoe is quick and has been taking contact all year showing that his injuries may finally be behind him. |
8 | Mike Conley | MEM | 4 | Chandler Parsons is slowly recovering while Marc Gasol is dealing with a sprained ankle. Conley has a big week of productions ahead. |
9 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | Lillard is still feeling the effects of injuring his ankle and reports say he should be active all week, but if he wakes up sore and swollen, he will miss a game or two this week. |
10 | Kyrie Irving | CLE | 4 | Irving is dealing with a Hamstring injury that may keep him out for a game or two this week. Watch his status for weekly formats. |
11 | Isaiah Thomas | BOS | 3 | Thomas continues to impress with his ability to take one step to the side of screens, maintain possession of the ball and pop from long-range. He is just as effective shooting as he is driving. |
12 | Jeff Teague | IND | 3 | Even with Monta Ellis back, because Paul George does not call for the ball as much as he should, Teague as the 2nd scoring option, gets a lot of time to create. |
13 | Derrick Rose | NYK | 4 | Rose's No. 1 ability from years past will be needed this week as both Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis are banged up. |
14 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 4 | Dragic is dealing with his own Back issues, but should be active all week this week, and has been shooting and scoring at a high volume consistently. |
15 | D'Angelo Russell | LAL | 4 | Russell is not fully involved in the offense in wach game. Some games he serves as the primary playmaker and organizer and he will have other games in which he is shooting aggressively. |
16 | Dennis Schroder | ATL | 3 | Schroder has shown similar patterns to Russell as his production's fate relies solely match up based depending on where the opposition struggles defensively. |
17 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 3 | Holiday continues to serve as the Pelican No. 2 scoring weapon and with Tim Frazier still serving as a threat, Holiday can still find his own openings. |
18 | Rajon Rondo | CHI | 3 | New week, same story! You are paying for assists and rebounds over points, especially with the way Dwayne Wade has been shooting the ball. |
19 | Ricky Rubio | MIN | 3 | Rubio has seen a recent up-tick in production. He is not the most reliable shooter and is a good passer. He has been more patient with the ball and driving more (getting more points). |
20 | Chris Paul | LAC | 4 | Paul would obviously be much higher in the rankings, but his hamstring is not cooperating and Doctors and fantasy owners can't get a good read on if he will miss more time. |
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Shooting Guards
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Gordon Hayward | UT | 5 | Derrick Favors is slowly gaining playing time, but is far from 100% and with George Hill in the league's concussion protocol, Hayward IS the offense and has five games to show it. |
2 | DeMar DeRozan | TOR | 4 | Very impressed with how fluid DeRozan has been on offense. He takes some of the hardest style of shots and because of his aleticisim, his jump helps him effectvely in the paint. |
3 | Nicolas Batum | CHA | 4 | The lean-in three-pointer off the sceen continues to be effective, but it's the rebounding and blocks that make him that much more of an asset. Batum and Walker are CHA only weapons. |
4 | Klay Thompson | GSW | 4 | Thompson is a pure shooter, but like J.J. Redick, he uses his speed to his advantage and just as you think he will shoot, he will speed in the lane for an easy lay up. |
5 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 4 | Beal has been a bit more aggressive at the elbow and does have driving ability. He has been setting up at the key and as soon as Wall draws the double, he cuts a few feet inside for an opening. |
6 | C.J. McCollum | POR | 3 | With Lillard's health still in question, the Blazers will continue to use McCollum as the primary scorer. Even with Lillard in, he will still get his huge number of shots as the POR struggles inside. |
7 | Avery Bradley | BOS | 3 | Bradley continues to help in every standard fantasy basketball category, and even though he is not a 20-point per game scorer, his stats as a whole add up making him a deadly producer. |
8 | Wilson Chandler | DEN | 4 | Chandler has created quite a role fo himself on this Nuggets team that lacks an identity. He has been getting more time with the ball as he can run the point and helps with rebounds and assists. |
9 | Eric Gordon | HOU | 4 | With Patrick Beverley's health in question, Gordon will not only pick up more shots, but he will also have some time to create with the ball when Harden is doubled. |
10 | Sean Kilpatrick | BKN | 4 | Jeremy Lin's Hamstring is acting up again and will miss time and just like before, Kilpatrick is the main beneficiary of many more shots and much more time with the ball and on the court. |
11 | Victor Oladipo | OKC | 4 | Oladipo is back and healthy, but what kind of impact will he provide on a per game basis? This has been one of the toughest questions to answer all season. |
12 | Tyler Johnson | MIA | 4 | The Heat continue to be plagued by injuries and even with Dragic and now Hassan Whiteside hurt, Johnson will be seeing a ton more opportunity on offense. |
13 | Zach LaVine | MIN | 3 | LaVine continues to show off his ups when driving the lane and you can tell that when Rubio has the ball, they are watching each other for the cut. He is also effective from long range. |
14 | Dwyane Wade | CHI | 3 | Wade has been excellent from right outside and inside the arc. He has clearly aged, but his shot and shooting motion remain consistent and he has been productive off of reading screens. |
15 | Lou Williams | LAL | 4 | Williams veteran presence will continue to be needed, especially to keep the offense organized. When the Lakers are on the break, they can become very sloppy. Williams also helps with three's. |
16 | Devin Booker | PHX | 4 | The shot selection is poor, but the opportunity is there and with the Suns front court non-existant on offense, Booker is the number two offensive weapon. |
17 | Wesley Matthews | DAL | 3 | Matthews size and ability to hit turn-around jumpers in the post make him a match up problem for guards. Expect Matthews production to continues as Dirk Nowtizki continues to get back. |
18 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 3 | Jackson has relized that he has a lot of skilled weapons on offese especially in the mid-court and he will have to resort to passing over scoring in a lot of situations. |
19 | Patrick Beverley | HOU | 4 | Beverley has been effective for the Rockets inside and outside, but he has been dealing with a wrist injury and may miss a game this week. |
20 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 4 | Fournier is by default the Magic's No. 1 shooting option, and seems to be recovered from his heel injury. His shooting motion may not be on point until recovered. |
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Small Forwards
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | LeBron James | CLE | 4 | The dicipline on offense continues to be impressive. James is not forcing up bricks as he has done in the past and continues to use his strengths, which is his strength and drive and bang inside. |
2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 4 | Don't get it twisted, I'm just as impressed with The Greek Freak as I am with LeBron considering he has less offensive weapons, needs to fill four positions and has Jason Kidd as a Coach. |
3 | Kevin Durant | GSW | 4 | When I watch Durant, it's almost like you think he's still on the Thunder playing in alternate uniforms. He continues to play well and follow up his own shots for second chance scoring. |
4 | Rodney Hood | UT | 5 | Hood gets a top spot beause Favors is still getting back in the game, Hill is out, and the Jazz need offensive weapons and his long range scoring. He is the Jazz number two option right now. |
5 | Carmelo Anthony | NYK | 4 | Anthony has a full slate, but also is in full soreness with his Knee. He should be active all four games, but if the knee continues to act up, it could end his week early. |
6 | Jimmy Butler | CHI | 3 | When Butler is not on the ball, he normally waits in the corner and even if he gets the ball out there, he will always look to drive a few steps in for a better shot. |
7 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS | 3 | Leonard continues to be an effective shooter as he is relying on his long range much more this season than his mid range post play. Always an effective defender. |
8 | Otto Porter | WSH | 4 | Porter is a staunch defender on the perimeter, and will benefit from Wall's effective acrobatic passing and will usually be left open from long range. |
9 | Trevor Ariza | HOU | 4 | Ariza has been getting into scraps on the court lately and when pushed, he fires back by attacking the rim more. Motivation helps speed up his overall game. |
10 | Danilo Gallinari | DEN | 4 | Gallinari remains the Nuggets top scoring option because he is one of a few players on the team that is effctive inside and outside. |
11 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 3 | If you are in points leagues you love Wiggins. If you are in a league that has percentages as a category, his shot selection scares the hell out of you. Still finds a way to produce via scoring. |
12 | Harrison Barnes | DAL | 3 | While Dirk Nowitzki is back on the court, he is still re-adjusting and testing his health, Barnes will continue to take on a lot of the scoring burden and continues his balanced drive and shooting, |
13 | Will Barton | DEN | 4 | Barton is in the running for the Nuggets second shooting option and continues to play a bit more inside. He is tough to screen out on the perimeter and uses his body in the post to get there. |
14 | Jae Crowder | BOS | 3 | Crowder is all post and you have to give him credit for taking all of the contact that he does. He works very hard on both sides of the ball and clearly knows his best offense is getting in the paint. |
15 | Tobias Harris | DET | 3 | Harris continues to show he can create his own offense and get open via isolation at the top of the paint. He has a few post moves that include one-handed shots. |
16 | Rudy Gay | SAC | 4 | Gay has been effective when healthy, but his Hip continues to keep him limited and it is unsure whether or not he will miss games this week. He is very much in pain. |
17 | James Johnson | MIA | 4 | With all of the Heat's injuries, Johnson becomes the second scoring option and the Heat's main source of mid-range production until the other half of the team recovers. |
18 | Ersan Ilyasova | PHI | 3 | Ilyasova has not only been burning teams with lazy defender's from the outside, but he also has a high-post game with a quick spin to the basket. Expect him to grab long rebounds too. |
19 | Nick Young | LAL | 4 | Young never see's a shot he doesn't like and as long as he is scoring in double figures, hitting three-pointers and grabbing rebounds, he is effective. Expect to see stupid shots though. |
20 | Moe Harkless | POR | 3 | The Blazers already have limited offensive ability outside of their guards and now with their main guard hobbled, Harkless will pick up more shots and time with the ball at the top of the paint. |
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Power Forwards
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Anthony Davis | NO | 3 | It will always be hard knocking AD out of the top spot of rankings, even if he had a two-game slate. Continues to dominate from all over the court. |
2 | Kevin Love | CLE | 4 | I LOVE his game this season because he has not been afraid to play in the post even when his shot is hitting. Love can be relied on for all-around production especially with Irving hurting. |
3 | Draymond Green | GSW | 4 | Will Green have consistent Anthony Davis-like numbers? No! Will Green produce on both sides of the court playing multiple positions? Absolutely. |
4 | Jabari Parker | MIL | 4 | Parker's scoring and overall reliability has been excellent this season and the Bucks need all of the help they can get. Parker has been the number two of only two reliable MIL options. |
5 | Kristaps Porzingis | NYK | 4 | Porzingis shot can always be relied on, but he is dealing with a sore Achilles and depending on what the MRI shows, he may sit for a couple of games, or even longer. |
6 | Serge Ibaka | ORL | 4 | Same story with Ibaka. You are paying for blocks, rebounds and the occasional big scoring night because he was drilling three's. He still has a limited inside game. |
7 | Derrick Favors | UT | 5 | If Favors was 100%, he would be the likely candidate to knock off Anthony Davis for the top spot, but he is slowly recovering on the court and is seeing time in the 20's. Offense should pick up. |
8 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 4 | Jokic is also in the running for Denver's second scoring option and has been effective when he posts up right outside the paint. We are also starting to see a baby jumper adding more to his game. |
9 | Paul Millsap | ATL | 3 | Millsap has been effective all-around and is the Hawks top option but because he isn't the best ball handler, teams know how to trap him often and make him pass off. He can still be counted on. |
10 | Trevor Booker | BKN | 4 | Booker continues to be the Nets main inside defender and has been cutting to the basket more offense thus giving him more chances to score. Booker can always be relied on for rebounding. |
11 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 3 | Aldridge continues to play well from both in the paint and right outside it. He normally gets the 1st pass of the possession and drives or passes off and immediately cuts and posts up. |
12 | Ryan Anderson | HOU | 4 | Anderson's range will always be needed because it provides major issues for the opposition. He is mostly effective from downtown, but can also play in the paint for part of the game. |
13 | Zach Randolph | MEM | 4 | Randolph's mid-range game will continue to be needed because Marc Gasol lines up either outside or deep in the post and Conley is more of a driver and tear drop shooter. |
14 | Gorgui Dieng | MIN | 3 | The mid-range game continues to improve for Dieng as players do not guard him from right outside the paint, and is hard to box out inside on defense. |
15 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL | 3 | Nowitzki is fighting off injury and sickness and is on the court. That's the good news. Bad NewsL Still far from 100% and minutes could still be limited this week. |
16 | Markieff Morris | WSH | 4 | Morris continues to show off his baby hook inside, ability to rotate to the Center spot and toughness in the paint. He takes a ton of contact and shows grit inside. |
17 | Greg Monroe | MIL | 4 | Monroe has big-play ability but because Parker is quicker inside, if Monroe is out of position (which is often) he passes back out due to the lack of quickness. |
18 | Cody Zeller | CHA | 4 | Zeller has been representing the Hornets bigs a lot better lately and the guards are slowly learning that they might have found consistency inside. Zeller takes contact, and always fights for boards |
19 | Kenneth Faried | DEN | 4 | Faried is a tough rebounder and shot blocker, but remains to be very raw offensively and when the Nuggets scoring is down, he may be held out during scoring runs. Very quick on the glass. |
20 | Taj Gibson | CHI | 3 | Gibson's multi-pumps have been fooling defenders inside all season and Gibson has been able to draw a lot of fouls because of it. Gibson has a few quick post moves inside and can use one hand. |
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Centers
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | 4 | Boogie is back on top with a full slate and a far from fully healthy second option in Rudy Gay. Expect a highly productive week, per usual. |
2 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 5 | Even though Gobert does not provide much offense on the ball, he is a great rebounder and second chance scorer and is a beast on defense and blocks shots. The five game slate helps too. |
3 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 3 | The future best Center in the NBA continues to be a match up nightmare all over the court and Towns is not afraid to pop three's on consecutive possessions. |
4 | DeAndre Jordan | LAC | 4 | With Paul hurting, we have to wonder if Jordan's scoring production will decrease. On the other hand, the Clippers could force the ball inside more to him. Always an elite rebounder and shot blocker |
5 | Dwight Howard | ATL | 3 | Howard continues to play more aggresively in the lane and has seemed to stay out of the drama for the most part and his focus has definitely been on point this season as he has been a top Center |
6 | Marc Gasol | MEM | 4 | Gasol's scoring from both inside and outside is needed right now for the ailing Griz, but we have to keep in mind that his speed and shot could be impacted because he is dealing with a sprained ankle |
7 | Brook Lopez | BKN | 4 | Always comical seeing Lopez stay out of the paint at his size. He can hit 15-18 foot jumpers easily, but never posts up inside and lack of consistent rebounding shows it. |
8 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 4 | Vucevic has been getting the ball a bit more as the Magic continue to experiment with him in both the Magic's first and second team. Excellent foot work in the post. |
9 | Marcin Gortat | WSH | 4 | Wall's constant quick pace and attack-attack mode on offense has benefitted all options, including Gortat who constantly finds himself open deep in the paint. |
10 | Andre Drummond | DET | 3 | Drummond's lack of creativity hurts his standing versus others at the position especially when he doesn't have a full slate, but is an incredible rebounder and may be the hardest player to box out. |
11 | Al Horford | BOS | 3 | Horford continues to produce from both inside and outside. The Celtics love rotating the ball around the key and they have a lot of shooters. Expect more production from behind the arc. |
12 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | 4 | Valanciunas has been a reliable third option for the Raptors on offense and is post moves and ability to hit squared-up jumpers from the foul line have given him more focus on offense. |
13 | Steven Adams | OKC | 4 | Adams brings the grit and is very tough inside. You can continue to expect 10-10 game and Adams will always look to be fighting for position inside. |
14 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 3 | Embiid has been a very impressive all-around Center, but it is hard to tell moving forward how deep into games he will go as the Sixers are towards the bottom of the standings, |
15 | Myles Turner | IND | 3 | Turner has developed a small inside game deep in the post. Turner is most effective on offense when he goes back door and cuts to the basket. Turner has been helping on the glass as well. |
16 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 4 | Thompson quietly produces and he can have 10-10 and you wouldn't even realize it. Thompson is most effective on the pick and roll inside and is not afraid to take contact |
17 | Tyson Chandler | PHX | 4 | Chandler is one of the best Centers who gives his team many second chance scoring opportunities because he tips the ball back outside to guards when ever he can. Instant defense. |
18 | Pau Gasol | SAS | 3 | Gasol has been quietly producing from the elbow and still has his finess inside. We will see outstanding games from Gasol from time to time, but he also serves as a mid-range screen setter. |
19 | Mason Plumlee | POR | 3 | Plumlee has no competition at the position in Portland and has been an effective cutter this season. Plumlee will use his size to bang around and he can create from right outside the paint. |
20 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 4 | Suffering from an eye injury that could cause him to miss a decent amount of time. If in, Whiteside is a top option at his position, but he could also very well miss the entire week plus more. |