Fantasy Basketball Top Players

NBA Top 10 Players

Before you get involved in this year's fantasy basketball season, you should have an understanding of the top players in the NBA.

Fantasy basketball is scored across nine statistical categories:

1. Points
2. Assists
3. Rebounds
4. Steals
5. Blocks
6. Three-pointers made
7. Turnovers
8. FG%
9. FT%.

Some players may have ridiculous stats in one or two of these categories but be lacking in others. And everyone's top ten list will differ. Many fantasy baskteball managers ranl LeBron James or even Dwayne Wade in the number one spot. When researching top ten players, get your information from multiple sources.

1. Chris Paul

Youth is not by itself an indication of greatness, but the top five players in this top ten list are young. Older guys in the NBA offer experience and consistency, but youth trumps wisdom in fantasy basketball because of the way the points are scored.

Chris Paul has it all: he's young (playing in just his fifth season in the NBA this year), he's got the stats (steals and assists alone make him the go to top pick), and he's the best player on a mediocre team. He'll get scoring opportunities and shine defensively.

Last season, Paul shot over 50% for the first time in his career, and that trend upward is unlikely to falter.

Pick him before LeBron because Bron Bron doesn't put up the steals/assists stats.

2. LeBron James

Starting his seventh season in the NBA, LeBron James is the face of the basketball league. He's young, but he has playoff experience and media attention. He handles pressure like a veteran.

James doesn't shoot as well percentage wise as other big name guys in the league. If James could get his FG percentage up above 50%, he'd be the number one top fantasy basketball player on this list. He's elevated his game by adding a better than average outside shot, but shooting 48% without putting up big numbers in the steals/assists category just doesn't cut it.

James excels in the postseason. Last postseason he shot above 51%, but he stole just 23 balls. If James could get his defensive game working, he'd be the overall number one pick in anyone's draft.

Pick him before Dwayne Wade because Wade is a bigger injury risk.

3. Dwayne Wade

Dwayne Wade was last year's fantasy basketball season hero. He didn't win the league MVP (that went to LeBron James), but he returned from an injury plagued career to be the league's leading scorer. Last season Wade played in a career-best 79 games (indicating that he may be over his injury troubles) and averaged 30.2 points, 7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Wade also sank a total of 88 three-pointers. These are great fantasy basketball numbers.

Wade's slipping FT percentage and constant injury concerns combine to make him no better than the third pick overall in most drafts.

Pick him before Kevin Durant because Durant is still wet behind the ears.

4. Kevin Durant

Though he is one of the youngest and least experienced players on my top ten list, Kevin Durant has real potential as a fantasy basketball stud. Most fantasy basketball analysts won't have Durant this high in their top ten, but I expect greatness from him this season.

He averaged 25.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while making 97 three-pointers. Durant is a massive 6-foot-9 and a player that is eligible at both the guard and forward positions, a bonus if you play in a fantasy basketball league that allows you to use players this way.

The big reason Durant may be a fantasy hangover (or at least not as valuable as I have him here) is the way his team uses him. Durant doesn't post up enough, he isn't used properly as a point guard, and Oklahoma City tends to let guys like Russell Westbrook take too many garbage shots.

If Durant were on a team that better utilized his talents, we'd be looking at a player of LeBron James-like majesty. This pick is a gamble, but if it pays off, you'll look like the smartest guy in the room.

Pick him before Danny Granger because Granger's FG percentage is not where it should be.

5. Danny Granger

Another young guy, Danny Granger flew under the radar in his time at the University of New Mexico.

Granger's production last season was limited by a foot injury that kept popping up. This injury, which kept him to just 67 games, shouldn't be a problem at the beginning of the year, though you have to keep an eye on such a young guy who is already facing injury problems.

Granger will be an elite player in the NBA in no time. I'm predicting he will explode this season. Last season, he averaged 25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Both the points and assists stats are career highs. Granger shot a mere 45 percent from the field, and that number bothers me. You have to hit shots to be an elite player in the NBA. To his credit, Granger hit 88 percent of shots from the foul line and sank 182 three-pointers.

Were Granger a bigger defensive threat, he may be higher on most draft boards.

Pick him before Kobe Bryant because Bryant's fantasy basketball totals are unpredictable.

6. Kobe Bryant

I'll never draft Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant will never be on my fantasy basketball team. I don't like the way Kobe Bryant plays, and I don't like Kobe Bryant's attitude.

That said, Bryant's fantasy point totals can impress. In weeks 14 through 18 last season he averaged 46 fantasy points. But his fantasy totals vary so wildly I have him lower than other guys who consistently put up better fantasy numbers. In the first five weeks of last season, for instance, he averaged 35 fantasy points. A fantasy point average difference of 11 points ten weeks apart isn't acceptable to me as a manager.

Averaging 26.8 points per game is not enough to send you to the top of my top ten, Kobe.

Draft him before Dirk Nowtizki because Dirk's fantasy point totals are even less predictable than Kobe's.

7. Dirk Nowitzki

The man my girlfriend calls "unfrozen caveman basketball player" is a fantasy darling because he's finished in the top ten fantasy basketball rankings for seven straight seasons. Dirk Nowitzki is a safe pick for your fantasy roster.

Even though Nowitzki is older than most of the guys on this list, he is still in the prime of his NBA career. Given that he's in the top ten in so many stats, why isn't he higher on my top ten list?

His fantasy point averages will make you seasick. There's more ups and downs in his average totals than in the average Paris Hilton sex tape. In week one, he provided 29 fantasy points, but in week two he added 43 fantasy points to your roster. Dirk Nowitzki's performance is unpredictable, and that's why he's only number seven.

Pick him before Deron Williams because Williams is unproven more injury prone than Dirk.

8. Deron Williams

Deron Williams is an up and coming fantasy basketball stud. His stats get better every season, and with the return of Jerry Sloan, Williams should continue to develop into an elite NBA players.

Williams was one of just two players last season who averaged 20 points and 10 assists. The other player with these numbers is Chris Paul.

The knock on Williams is his likelihood of missing games. In just his third active season, he missed twenty games with an injury that wouldn't have put a dent in many guy's fantasy point averages. But his assist totals should elevate him to stud status in most fantasy basketball leagues that value the assists stat.

Pick him before Pau Gasol because Gasol doesn't play well with others.

9. Pau Gasol

Paul Gasol is one of the better big men in fantasy basketball. His 19 points and 10 rebounds average last season helped the Lakers secure another NBA title. His 30-40 fantasy point average makes him a must-add to your fantasy roster if you're looking for a big man and are lucky enough to get a shot at him. Don't overlook his ludicrous FG average, which is well over 56 percent.

But Gasol doesn't play as well with Bynum and Odom in the mix. He's not flourishing as a Laker, and a surgery in the offseason (though not on his shooting hand) could make the Lakers' office even more nervous about his ability to put up the numbers they need. I would like to see his block stats up where they were when he played for Memphis.

Pick him before Tim Duncan because Timmy is old.

10. Tim Duncan

I'll be the laughingstock of the fantasy basketball world for including Duncan in my top ten, but I can't help it. History dictates that Duncan is a must-have in the top ten this season after getting dumped early in last year's playoffs. Their 96-97 season was awful, but preceded a championship the following season. They were knocked out of the 2002 playoffs early only to win the championship again the season after.

When the Spurs have a down season, they come back with a vengeance the next time around.

His FG percentage is over 50%, and he could give you plenty of 20-10 games to make it worth a top ten pick. With a good supporting cast, he could average 2 blocks a game like he used to, and he is unlikely to have injury trouble even though he's now 33 years old.

Avoid drafting Duncan if you're looking for a youthful roster or if you have the option of picking Chris Bosh or Josh Smith.