Point Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Russell Westbrook | HOU | 4 | Even though Westbrook is the second scoring option on the Rockets, most of their offense will come from their backcourt and he'll get plenty of shots, boards and assists. |
2 | Trae Young | ATL | 4 | Young will have to take on even more of the Hawks scoring burden with John Collins suspended. He'll get a ton of minutes and a ton of the time with the ball as the Hawks top option. |
3 | Kemba Walker | BOS | 4 | Walker will start getting more shots with Gordon Hayward hurt. He'll need to play more with Marcus Smart getting more run at SG. Expect his assists to go up a bit with Enes Kanter coming back. |
4 | D'Angelo Russell | GSW | 4 | Russell will continue being the Warriors top shooting option even with Draymond Green coming back. Even if Russell isn't hitting his shots, it won't hurt his minutes and with Green back expect more dimes. |
5 | Luka Doncic | DAL | 3 | Doncic has been one of the best fantasy players to start the season and if he had a full slate, he would have likely taken that top spot. He'll continue putting up multi-category production. |
6 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | Lillard and CJ McCollum are going to have to continue carrying the most of the offense because of frontcourt injuries to the Blazers and Lillard will still be the Blazers priority scorers. |
7 | Kyrie Irving | BKN | 3 | As expected, Irving was going to have a similar role on this Nets team with Kevin Durant out of the way. Spencer Dinwiddie 's usage has gone down a bit because of how ball-dominant Irving is. |
8 | Dejounte Murray | SAS | 4 | Murray has been productive on both sides of the ball. He always crashes the boards, even when he's not the one to shoot. He'll even stay at the elbow when the ball goes up so he can grab long boards. |
9 | Ja Morant | MEM | 4 | Morant just got a rest game and he should be active for his full slate of games this week. The Grizzlies don't play him enough and might as well give him maximum run with this rebuilding team. |
10 | Malcolm Brogdon | IND | 3 | Brogdon continues to show what he can do when he doesn't have four other scorers in front of him on a team. He's been very helpful hitting long shots while Myles Turner has been injured. |
11 | Jeff Teague | MIN | 4 | INJ: Teague is sick and he continues to miss games. His first game of the week is Monday night after sitting out for Sunday. His status is for Monday is undetermined. |
12 | Patrick Beverley | LAC | 4 | Beverley is more of a defensive player, but with the full slate of games, he does just enough in multiple categories to be put on this list. Expect consistent boards and steals with scoring as a bonus. |
13 | Ben Simmons | PHI | 4 | INJ: Simmons is dealing with an injured Shoulder and it's looking like he'll miss at least one game this week. He could make it back for the other three. Don't be surprised if he misses two. |
14 | Devonte Graham | CHA | 3 | Nope, this is not a mistake as Graham has outperformed Terry Rozier this season. He showed flashes last year when he got chances. He's been scoring nearly 18 points per game and getting a ton of minutes. |
15 | De'Aaron Fox | SAC | 3 | Fox will continue getting the most time with the ball and he'll have to use his speed to continue getting to the rim until Marvin Bagley III returns. He's been helpful grabbing boards and dishing dimes. |
16 | Jamal Murray | DEN | 3 | Murray is more of a scoring guard and is prioritized as the second option on a very deep team with a lot of shooters. He's grabbed five boards per game which has also been helpful. |
17 | Bryn Forbes | SAS | 4 | Forbes has been getting meaningful minutes in the Spurs rotation and with the Spurs having the full slate, he's been scoring in double figures consistently and grabbing over three boards per game. |
18 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 3 | Dragic hasn't been as restricted as expected as he plays almost 30 minutes per game and he'll mainly help with scoring with a side of assists. He still drives to the rim and playing with Jimmy Butler helps. |
19 | Derrick Rose | DET | 3 | INJ: Rose has been out with a Hamstring injury but he is practicing and there's a chance that he can make it for Monday's game and with Reggie Jackson still out, he would go right back to having a big role. |
20 | Lonzo Ball | NO | 4 | INJ: Ball is dealing with a Hip injury and it's already been announced that he won't play in the Pelicans first game of the week. Rest of the week: TBD. |
Shooting Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | James Harden | HOU | 4 | Harden keeps the top spot with the full slate and for good reason. He's been scoring over 37 points per game and he'll get a good chunk of time to run the point as well and help in other areas. |
2 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 4 | Holiday was battling injuries early, but now that he's healthy and Lonzo Ball is banged up, expect Holiday's assist-numbers to rise as he'll be spending time this week getting PG minutes. |
3 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 4 | Wiggins has been very impressive this season and has improved his offensive game over all. He's been getting to elbow and has been more committed on defense grabbing boards and blocking shots. |
4 | Lou Williams | LAC | 4 | Williams is very lethal coming off the bench and even with Paul George added to the mix, Williams will still get plenty of time to be the top scorer of the Clippers second unit. |
5 | Jaylen Brown | BOS | 4 | Brown will see his usage go up with Hayward hurt and he'll toggle between SG and SF and he's been a strong scorer and rebounder all season and he'll continue playing at least 30 minutes per game. |
6 | DeMar DeRozan | SAS | 4 | The Spurs guards have impressed this season. DeRozan has been scoring over 20 points per game. He focuses his game on being a dual threat, especially on the defensive side of the ball. |
7 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 3 | Beal is by far and away the Wizards top scoring option even with Isaiah Thomas back in the mix. Beal will be prioritized and play deep into games, even when the Wizards are getting blown out. |
8 | Jimmy Butler | MIA | 3 | Butler's impact especially on defense has contributed to the Heat's strong start to the season. He's the teams top scoring option and he can be trusted to grab boards and steals regularly. |
9 | Donovan Mitchell | UT | 3 | Mitchell is on a Jazz team that has a ton of players to feed when it comes to shooters, but if the Jazz know what they're doing, they should let Mitchell drive the lane as much as possible. |
10 | Josh Hart | NO | 4 | Hart will get more minutes with Ball hurt and he can play multiple positions on the court and he can bring the ball up. Hart will also get SF minutes when Brandon Ingram shifts up to PF. |
11 | Josh Richardson | PHI | 4 | Richardson will see more shots if Simmons needs more time off. Richardson has a much different role this season than last, but he'll still get set up at the arc a lot and he has a good drive-game. |
12 | Alec Burks | GSW | 4 | Burks has been hot shooting from the field and has earned more minutes on this decimated Warriors team. He can even rotate to PG as well to give Russell some rest. Expect Burks to stick in the rotation. |
13 | Marcus Smart | BOS | 4 | Smart will see more minutes and shots in the Celtics lineup with Hayward injured. He'll be looked at as a bailout shooting option from the arc unless the lane is open. He'll help with steals as always. |
14 | Fred VanVleet | TOR | 3 | VanVleet will see a lot more shots and time with the ball with Kyle Lowry out of the lineup for the next few weeks. His scoring and assists will certainly go up. Naturally, expect him to play more minutes. |
15 | Zach LaVine | CHI | 3 | LaVine will give a little bit of everything when it comes to production. The only issue that we've seen in his stats is with his scoring. He'll go on mini-streaks of 20-plus and then he'll have a few quiet games. |
16 | Dillon Brooks | MEM | 4 | Brooks is still getting a secure amount of minutes in the Grizzlies rotation, but he's also shown signs of being inconsistent. He's coming off of a few quiet games when it comes to scoring. |
17 | Kevin Huerter | ATL | 4 | Huerter will definitely see more shots with Collins out. Expect him to see a good amount of high-percentage jumpers as Young will constantly be double-teamed by opposing defenders. |
18 | Josh Okogie | MIN | 4 | Okogie continues to see a good amount of minutes because of his defensive efforts. He's been scoring a bit more over his last few games, but it's the 5.4 boards per game and steals that keep him in. |
19 | Avery Bradley | LAL | 4 | Bradley is another player who will eat a lot of minutes because of his defense. Expect consistent help with steals and Bradley will even grab long boards. Double-digit scoring should be looked at as a bonus. |
20 | Jeremy Lamb | IND | 3 | INJ: Lamb hurt his Ankle and his status for the week is up in the air. He's missed three games and his first game of the week is Tuesday. |
Small Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | LeBron James | LAL | 4 | James with the full slate will put him up there as a shoe-in top five producer this week and he'll even get some time to the run the point and that'll further help his assist-numbers. |
2 | Kawhi Leonard | LAC | 4 | Leonard shouldn't be held out of any of his full slate of games this weekend, but "load management", has become a common enemy among fantasy basketball players. |
3 | Brandon Ingram | NO | 4 | Ingram continues to be the Pelicans top option and he can play multiple positions when on the floor and he can even bring the ball up a decent amount. It helps that Ball is out so he can get PG run. |
4 | Tobias Harris | PHI | 4 | Harris will see more shots with Simmons out of the lineup and he's been doing a good job on the glass this year grabbing 8.6 boards per game and he's even grabbing steals in the lane. |
5 | Danuel House Jr. | HOU | 4 | House has been mega-productive over the last couple of weeks and having the full slate puts him in line for more shots and more production overall. He's committed on both sides of the ball and grabs boards. |
6 | Jae Crowder | MEM | 4 | Crowder continues to have limited competition at SF and his spot will be safe and secure in the Grizzlies rotation especially because of his defensive efforts and ability to attack the rim. |
7 | Rudy Gay | SAS | 4 | Gay doesn't need a lot of minutes to be productive. He knows how to box out and it puts him in a good position to be a reliable rebounder and he'll operate out of the post and hit mid-range jumpers. |
8 | Glenn Robinson III | GSW | 4 | Robinson has started all season and even with Green coming back to the lineup, it won't impact Robinson's minutes. Expect Robinson to be cutting to the basket a lot when Green is double-teamed. |
9 | Will Barton | DEN | 3 | Barton has had a tremendous season even battling through Toe injuries. He's recorded two double-doubles in his last three games and he's always help full when it comes to steals on the perimeter. |
10 | Jonathan Isaac | ORL | 3 | Isaac has become a mid-range defensive force. He's been very helpful on both sides of the ball. He's blocked three shots per game this season and he's been rebounding and grabbing steals in the lane. |
11 | Bojan Bogdanovic | UT | 3 | Bogdanovic fights for his piece of the shooting pie in Utah and he's been successful because the shots have been falling and he's taking advantage of open PF minutes and has spent more time there. |
12 | OG Anunoby | TOR | 3 | Anunoby's defense has given him a ton of minutes this season and he's been taking more shots and getting more time with the ball. With Lowry out, expect Anunoby to benefit by getting more shots. |
13 | DeAndre Bembry | ATL | 4 | Bembry hasn't been outstanding this year, but with the Collins suspension, there are open minutes at forward and Bembry has been playing good defense and hustles a ton for loose balls when on the floor. |
14 | Taurean Prince | BKN | 3 | Prince won't have to deal with too much competition at SF in Brooklyn and his defensive efforts will continue to be rewarded. Teams forget that Prince can step back and hit long-range jumpers. |
15 | RJ Barrett | NY | 3 | Barrett has been one of the most impressive rookies this season and even on quiet shooting nights, he'll continue to help the Knicks in other ways such as running the point and even grabbing boards. |
16 | T.J. Warren | IND | 3 | Warren will continue seeing more minutes with Myles Turner out. Expect him to get playing time at both SF and PF and he'll grab long boards while hitting mid and long-range jumpers. |
17 | Miles Bridges | CHA | 3 | Bridges will continue getting a lot of minutes. I thought he'd make a bit more of a scoring impact early, but with no competition at SF, expect his scoring to improve as the season continues. |
18 | Joe Harris | BKN | 3 | Throughout the season, Harris will toggle in these rankings between SG and SF. Ultimately expect him more in the SG category. He's been an excellent spark shooter and he'll fight for steals and long boards. |
19 | Tyler Herro | MIA | 3 | Herro is coming off a rough week overall when it comes to his shooting. When his shot isn't on, his minutes will drop a bit, but he's still been helpful with boards and steals and that will save his rotation spot. |
20 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | SAC | 3 | Bogdanovic's production is starting to creep up a bit and he's been very helpful with scoring and grabbing steals over the last couple of weeks. He's even contributed more dimes and has been playing more. |
Power Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Anthony Davis | LAL | 4 | Davis takes the top spot with the full slate and he's been able to stay healthy thus far and even with Kyle Kuzma back in the mix, it won't impact Davis production or role on the team. |
2 | Jayson Tatum | BOS | 4 | Tatum will see more shots with Hayward hurt and with Kanter returning, he'll be able to see more openings working the elbow with more of an offensive threat for opposing defenses to watch under the basket. |
3 | Al Horford | PHI | 4 | Horford will see his production continue to rise with Simmons out of the lineup and even when/if Simmons returns this week, Horford will still see time with the ball and he'll help a ton with boards. |
4 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 4 | Aldridge hasn't been setting up in the post as much and it's resulted in fewer rebounds this season. Expect those numbers to go up as the season continues. He's been helpful blocking shots. |
5 | Draymond Green | GSW | 4 | INJ: All indications show that Green should be active for the Warriors full slate of games. He is just coming back from having an injured Finger and if he's in pan, the Warriors could limit his minutes. |
6 | Pascal Siakam | TOR | 3 | Siakam will be far and away the Raptors top scoring option with Lowry out of the lineup for the next few weeks. Expect a ton of scoring and rebounding as he'll have to lead the team with Serge Ibaka out too. |
7 | Kevin Love | CLE | 3 | Love has been able to turn back the health issues thus far this season. He's been regularly producing double-doubles and has been spending time both at the arc and in the post. |
8 | P.J. Tucker | HOU | 4 | Tucker continues to be productive and his defense, especially at the elbow will keep him playing deep into games. He'll hit a good amount of long-range jumpers as well. |
9 | Jabari Parker | ATL | 4 | Parker will be the biggest beneficiary of Collins getting suspended and the Hawks can use all of the frontcourt scoring help they can get. He'll grab cheap boards, but expect him to be mainly instant offense. |
10 | Robert Covington | MIN | 4 | Covington will continue producing primarily from the arc on offense and he's grabbing just enough boards to be considered productive, but he's been very helpful grabbing steals and blocks. |
11 | Kristaps Porzingis | DAL | 3 | Porzingis just got a rest game and he should be able to stay active for all three of the Mavs games this week and he'll continue supplying a ton of points and boards. |
12 | Blake Griffin | DET | 3 | INJ: Griffin should be active for the Pistons three game slate. The big question remains whether or not he'll have any limitations this week when it comes to playing time. |
13 | Paul George | LAC | 4 | INJ: It's looking like there's a chance that George can make his regular-season debut this week. It's looking like he'll miss his first game of the week, but could be active for the other three. Expect restrictions. |
14 | Eric Paschall | GSW | 4 | INJ: Paschall missed his previous game with a Hip injury, but it's looking like he won't miss any of his full slate of games. With Draymond Green back in the lineup, his production may be a little lighter. |
15 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 2 | There's not much to explain here except that Antetokounmpo has the short slate of games. He'll be the top dog at PF for every single week when he has a full slate of games. |
16 | Julius Randle | NY | 3 | Randle has averaged a double-double this season and he's scored 20-plus points over his last three games. He's hard to keep out of the lane and he'll provide help with steals in the lane. |
17 | Brandon Clarke | MEM | 4 | Clarke was held out of his previous game for rest and he should be able to make it for the full slate. He's brought toughness to the Grizzlies and has been helping with inside scoring and rebounding. |
18 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | MEM | 4 | Jackson's scoring has been a bit all over the place and he's not grabbing as many boards as a big man should. He's clearly putting more focus on his offensive game, but he'll fight through the growing pains. |
19 | Kyle Kuzma | LAL | 4 | The Lakers will be as careful as possible with Kuzma coming back from injury and they have a lot of big men they can go to. His scoring has been up and down thus far. He'll continue to adjust physically. |
20 | Lauri Markkanen | CHI | 3 | Markkanen has not taken that step forward in scoring as I thought he would, but he's still been helpful on the defensive glass. He sets up at the arc a decent amount and setting up in the post more could help. |
Center
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 4 | No suspension to start the week means that we're getting full-Towns this week and with Jeff Teague sick, expect Towns to bring up the ball a decent amount throughout the week. |
2 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 4 | Embiid isn't dealing with a suspension to start his week either and he'll get time to work from the perimeter as Simmons will miss at least one game this week. He shouldn't have to be rested at all. |
3 | Andre Drummond | DET | 3 | Drummond will continue to contend for a top spot on this list as he has averaged over 21 points per game and has pulled down 18 boards per game this season. With Griffin back, his scoring may drop a tad. |
4 | Clint Capela | HOU | 4 | Capela is in a great spot with a full slate and he controls the paint as other Rockets players don't set up in the paint and the only time in which they hit the paint is on the drive. |
5 | Domantas Sabonis | IND | 3 | Sabonis will continue to benefit from Turner being out and having the low-post to himself and he'll continue to get more plays called for him in the lane and he'll grab a ton of boards. |
6 | Montrezl Harrell | LAC | 4 | Harrell has been very aggressive on the glass. His offensive numbers may drop a touch with George coming back, but he'll operate more out of the post when George is on the floor. |
7 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 3 | Jokic has averaged under 20 points per game this season, but he's hit the 20-point mark in 3 of his last 4 games and owners can expect a lot of help with boards and dimes and steals. |
8 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 3 | Vucevic is averaging a double-double and has produced four straight. The Magic have a much stronger post-presence and Vucevic will operate mainly out of the low-block and he'll get fed a ton. |
9 | Jonas Valanciunas | MEM | 4 | Valanciunas has had a productive year, but he doesn't log a lot of playing time. His value for the week goes up because of the full slate and he'll help with points and boards, but his minutes will be limited. |
10 | Hassan Whiteside | POR | 3 | Whiteside has to pretty much control the paint on defense all by himself with Zach Collins out and that will require a lot of work and a lot of running around and could tire him out. |
11 | Bam Adebayo | MIA | 3 | Adebayo has had a strong year and he continues to have plays when he brings up the ball. He's hard to stop on the drive and he'll help a ton with points, boards, steals and blocks. |
12 | Thomas Bryant | WSH | 3 | Bryant will continue seeing a ton of minutes because the Wizards don't have depth in the post and he'll secure a lot of points and rebounds from right under the basket. He has a jumper as well he'll utilize. |
13 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 3 | It's been business as usual when it comes to Gobert's rebounding. He's been helpful with steals and blocks as well, but his scoring may be a little less than what we've seen because of the many shooters on UT. |
14 | Dwight Howard | LAL | 4 | Howard has been getting enough minutes to be productive and he'll make inside scoring and rebounding look easy and if the Lakers keep Kuzma coming off the bench, it will benefit Howard. |
15 | Willie Cauley-Stein | GSW | 4 | Cauley-Stein has had every opportunity to succeed in the Warriors offense considering how many injuries they've suffered from, but he's been a bit soft since coming back. We'll see how he does with Green back. |
16 | Ivica Zubac | LAC | 4 | Zubac is more of a volume play but doesn’t need a ton of minutes to produce points and boards and he'll be a good compliment to Harrell in the post. He's been helpful blocking shots. |
17 | Enes Kanter | BOS | 4 | INJ: There's a chance that Kanter makes it back from a Knee injury and plays his full slate of games. The Celtics need all of the help they can get in the post and Kanter doesn't need a lot of time to produce. |
18 | Cody Zeller | CHA | 3 | It's become very difficult figuring out which match ups will feature more plays to Zeller in the post, but he continues to stay healthy, fend off competition at center and has grabbed 9.8 boards per game. |
19 | Wendell Carter Jr. | CHI | 3 | Carter has similar stats to Zeller, but he's compiled four double-doubles in his last five games. Carter is a tough, rugged inside player and he's very helpful blocking shots as well and has 0 center competition. |
20 | DeAndre Jordan | BKN | 3 | Jordan will be battling Jarrett Allen for playing time in each game, but he's more of a volume producer and he's been able to still produce enough points and boards and has barely out-performed Allen. |