Welcome to the 2017-2018 Fantasy Basketball season. It’s never too early to start preparing and I hope all of you have been doing your off season homework.  To win a Championship in fantasy hoops, your team must be balanced. Think like a real life NBA Coach and GM when building your rosters. When in your drafts, you not only need to look at the big picture stats, but also the minor ones that the player helps out in. A guard who averages 3-4 rebounds a game is more beneficial than you may think. Throughout the season, I will provide weekly rankings in a similar format.

There is not one school of thought when it comes to roster construction. Chris Paul and Paul George have been top fantasy performers for years, but both are now in new situations. The already unselfish Paul George joins Russell Westbrook (Stat-Packer) in Oklahoma City and if you think the reigning MVP is going to give up the ball a ton, you need to go on Youtube and watch the tape immediately. You’ll see all of his other teammates standing around as he would look to create from the top of the key. Even though Chris Paul is one of the best floor generals of the last 10 plus years, he now joins James Harden, another ball hog and Paul’s scoring average could absolutely dip because as Harden proved last season, he can play both Guard spots and that will take the ball out of Paul’s hands and potentially playing time. I’m not telling you not to target these guys, but you have to think big picture and it will take a little bit for both players to gel with their teammates (Westbrook and Harden) who like to take care of business themselves for the most part. 

For this rankings list, I put players in tiers per position. It will allow yourself breathing room as you should never be married to rankings. The tiers give you more options to balance your teams. If you miss a top tier point guard, don’t panic! Grab a top tier shooting guard or small forward who averages a lot of assists and set yourself up to grab a 2nd tier option to balance. These tiers are position specific and do not reflect an overall ranking.

A lot of players qualify at multiple positions. If in a big debate between two players, use the tiers as a guide against your draft board so you can see what valuable options will be on the board a bit later on.  I would even advise you to take these tiers and make your own personal draft board. You will have tremendous success.

TIER 1: The top of the line players and draft targets who will help you either predominantly in 1 category or in 3 plus depending on what type of drafter you are. CJ McCollum is a tier 1 ranked SG and he will score a lot of points via driving and shooting. If you draft him for the scoring, know that with your next pick or two, you will have to target players who help in multiple categories. Balance and depth are key in fantasy and reality when it comes to the sport of Basketball.

TIER 2 and 3: These are the tiers that will win you your league. Players in these tiers provide balanced stats and help in multiple categories. I am anticipating most 90-95% of tier 2 and 3 players to play over 20 minutes a game this season.  The players in tier 2 will serve as your back up at the position. The players in tier 3 serve as 3rd/utility option.

TIER 4: These are the lottery ticket players in which there role and potential playing time is hard to figure out prior to the start of the season. Boom or bust players can be found in this tier. These players are expected to get playing time and be involved in the offense. These are final bench spot players.

Remember, there is no one-way to build your team. Use these tiers and learn for yourself how to dominate and if you need a bit more help, tweet @FenstySports. Good luck to all!

Click Here for 2017-18 NBA Fantasy Basketball Player Rankings