Point Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Luka Doncic | DAL | 4 | The Mavs front court is going through changes which means that Doncic will have to provide even more offense until Willie Cauley-Stein gets situated. |
2 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 4 | Even with a healthy team, Lowry will still be the prioritized shooter while Pascal Siakam will be the main lane attacker. Lowry, as always, will get a lot of time with the ball. |
3 | Trae Young | ATL | 3 | Young is healthy and he'll play very deep into games and even with Jeff Teague backing him up, it shouldn't impact his production as Young will log heavy minutes and will take a lot of shots. |
4 | Damian Lillard | POR | 3 | Lillard's scoring won't be impacted by the arrival of Trevor Ariza . Ariza will be used as a bailout shooting option and more for defense. Lillard's minutes and shots won't be impacted. |
5 | Kyrie Irving | BKN | 3 | Irving missed his last game apparently because of grief over Kobe Bryant passing away. His next game to return to action is on Wednesday and we'll have to see if he's ready for it. |
6 | Russell Westbrook | HOU | 4 | Westbrook is reportedly going to REST for Monday's game even with James Harden likely out for it. It's very confusing because you would think the Rockets would Westbrook in when Harden is out. |
7 | De'Aaron Fox | SAC | 4 | The Kings are dealing with a lot of injuries up front and Fox will handle more of the offense from his end and he'll continuously attack the rim and keep the offense moving at a fast pace. |
8 | Ben Simmons | PHI | 3 | Simmons will get more time with the ball as Josh Richardson will be out of the lineup for the week. It isn't a lock that Joel Embiid will be back for all games this week and Simmons will benefit. |
9 | Derrick Rose | DET | 4 | Even though Reggie Jackson is back from injury, the Pistons will keep Rose's leash long and he won't lose any minutes because they are showcasing him for a possible trade. |
10 | Kemba Walker | BOS | 3 | If Jayson Tatum needs more time off, Walker will be the biggest beneficiary by grabbing more shots. He'll still help out on the assist-front as well consistently. |
11 | D'Angelo Russell | GSW | 3 | Russell is still the prioritized shooter for the Warriors as we won't see Stephen Curry back until early March. The Warriors could be looking to trade Russell and will keep his playing time high. |
12 | Devonte' Graham | CHA | 3 | The Hornets guards have carried this team offensively all season and it's pathetic that they don't really get any interior help in the post and it's up the guards to attack the paint…Sad! |
13 | Chris Paul | OKC | 3 | Paul is keeping the Thunder in contention and besides scoring, he'll also make a big impact by dishing dimes and grabbing steals. Dennis Schroder won't take minutes away from him. |
14 | Tomas Satoransky | CHI | 4 | The Bulls are running out of options offensively due to health concerns and even though Satoransky struggles shooting the ball, he'll be forced to take more shots and drive the lane more. |
15 | Mike Conley | UT | 4 | The Jazz offense runs better with Conley off the floor, but from a fantasy perspective, owners love the fact that he's a shoot first Point Guard except he's having trouble making shots. |
16 | Ricky Rubio | PHX | 3 | Rubio has improved offensively this season and is one of the best passer's in the NBA and he'll continue logging heavy minutes and he has a good amount of weapons to set up. |
17 | Darius Garland | CLE | 4 | Garland continues to start and he's seen more shots since Jordan Clarkson got traded. Expect Garland to help with scoring and assists and Dante Exum won't take many minutes away from him. |
18 | Monte Morris | DEN | 4 | We don't know when we'll see Jamal Murray take the court again and even with Gary Harris back on the floor, Morris will still log a good amount of minutes and will bring the ball up a lot. |
19 | Spencer Dinwiddie | BKN | 3 | The only reason Dinwiddie is making the rankings this week is just in case Irving needs more time off, his usage will go way up, but his scoring is more limited with Irving back on the court. |
20 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 4 | INJ: Jackson just returned from injury and even though the Pistons avoid having a back to back situation during their full slate, just know that Jackson may be held out once this week. |
Shooting Guard
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | James Harden | HOU | 4 | INJ: Harden missed his last game with a Thigh injury and it's looking like he'll have to miss his first game of the week on Monday night. It hasn't been confirmed, but be prepared to start your week without him. |
2 | Zach LaVine | CHI | 4 | If there was any possible way that LaVine's usage could go even higher, now is the perfect time because Lauri Markkanen will miss the next few weeks of action and he will take more shots. |
3 | Fred VanVleet | TOR | 4 | VanVleet has been excellent at complimenting Lowry when they're on the floor together and he's even better when he is leading the second unit in scoring and shots for him won't be an issue. |
4 | Donovan Mitchell | UT | 4 | Hopefully, Conley learns how to correctly utilize Mitchell because if he spends too much time with the ball, Mitchell won't have enough time to attack the lane and he'll stay at the arc more. |
5 | Buddy Hield | SAC | 4 | Hield will see more shots because the Kings big men are injured for the most part and they can't rely on Dewayne Dedmon to help them in the post until Marvin Bagley III returns. |
6 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 3 | Beal is by far the top option for the Wizards and he'll continue seeing a high volume of shots and as their front court recovers, he won't see fewer shots with the solidifed role that he has. |
7 | Jimmy Butler | MIA | 3 | INJ: Butler is dealing with another lower body injury and he may have to sit for Monday's game and that would put Tyler Herro in a better spot for it. |
8 | Devin Booker | PHX | 3 | Booker hasn't looked back since returning from injury and he continues to be a multi-category producer, including helping Rubio bring up the ball and hitting the cutter from the perimeter. |
9 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 3 | It'll be interesting to see which players on the Pelicans production goes down as Zion Williamson gets more involved in the rotation. Holiday will continue to lead the guards in production. |
10 | Norman Powell | TOR | 4 | Powell will see a big role off the bench and he has no problem attacking the rim with the ball and he'll hit spot-up jumpers and he'll even help grab steals on defense. |
11 | Collin Sexton | CLE | 4 | Sexton has been playing both on and off the ball throughout the season and he'll continue helping with scoring and steals. He's good at reading screens on the perimeter. |
12 | DeMar DeRozan | SAS | 3 | DeRozan is good at keeping plays alive. When he shoots from mid-range, he immediately crashes the boards and that will help him compile boards and he'll help with steals too. |
13 | Khris Middleton | MIL | 3 | Middleton remains the second option in Milwaukee and besides scoring from the arc, he'll also help push the ball inside and that will result in him compiling more assists. |
14 | CJ McCollum | POR | 3 | McCollum's Ankle is healthy and he shouldn't have limitations this week and will remain the second scoring option. He'll also start helping out more with running the offense when the second-unit is on the floor. |
15 | Jaylen Brown | BOS | 3 | Brown is healthy and if Tatum has to miss another game, he'll see more shots. Brown continues to have an excellent season on both sides of the ball and he'll continue to get fed a lot of shots. |
16 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | DAL | 4 | Hardaway has improved his production and even though Kristaps Porzingis is healthy, Hardaway will still see a lot of shots from the arc and he'll get those shots when he's in with the back ups. |
17 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 3 | Gilgeous-Alexander has improved his rebounding in recent games and will continue shooting the most shots on the team. He provides a lot of help defensively on the perimeter and can bring up the ball. |
18 | Jordan Clarkson | UT | 4 | Clarkson will shift between both guard spots and he's more of a relief for scoring when it comes to fantasy and won't always help with other categories. He'll take a lot of long-range shots. |
19 | Bruce Brown | DET | 4 | With Luke Kennard still hurt, Brown will catch more playing time. He'll see his usage go up if Reggie Jackson has to sit for a game. He will spend part of the game bringing up the ball. |
20 | Eric Gordon | HOU | 4 | James Harden being hurt and Russell Westbrook resting for his first game of the week will put Gordon in the position to be the prioritized shooter for the Rockets to start their week. |
Small Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | LeBron James | LAL | 3 | Even with the Lakers being healthier, James will still spend a lot of time running the point and that will result in him being a mega multi-category producer for the week. He's making a strong case for MVP. |
2 | Kawhi Leonard | LAC | 3 | Leonard is not looking at any kind of back to back this week and with Paul George 's status still in question, he'll see more shots and time with the ball. He recorded his first ever triple-double last week. |
3 | Will Barton | DEN | 4 | With Jamal Murray still out, Barton will spend more time bringing up the ball meaning we should expect his offense to come from the arc more and he'll take more three-pointers until Murray returns. |
4 | Brandon Ingram | NO | 3 | Ingram's role shouldn't be impacted with Williams on the floor. The Pelicans will still be conservative for a little bit regarding how they utilize him in the rotation. Ingram is still the Pelicans top option. |
5 | Joe Ingles | UT | 4 | Ingles is another player who can't play up to his potential because of Conley. Ingles is an excellent shooter from the arc and he'll fight through screens on defense to grab steals. |
6 | Bogdan Bogdanovic | SAC | 4 | Bogdanovic will not only be a spot-up shooter, but he'll also help bring up the ball when Fox is off the floor. He'll still get a good amount of shots when he's playing off the ball. |
7 | Harrison Barnes | SAC | 4 | Barnes usage will stay higher because of Marvin Bagley III and Richaun Holmes still being out. Expect him to play more at the elbow and to help out more with rebounding. |
8 | OG Anunoby | TOR | 4 | Anunoby earns his minutes because of his defense. His offense is very questionable and he blew a massive opportunity to gain bigger role while his other teammates were out. |
9 | Tobias Harris | PHI | 3 | Harris will see more shots this week because Richardson and Embiid are still hurt. Harris is a known slasher but he's spends a lot of time at the arc and the Sixers need help hitting shots from long-range. |
10 | Kelly Oubre Jr. | PHX | 3 | Oubre will continue serving not only as a bailout option, but as this team's top defender. He'll take a good amount of shots from downtown, but he'll also grab long boards and steals on the other side. |
11 | Gordon Hayward | BOS | 3 | Hayward will see his usage go up if Tatum sits. He's doing a better job not standing around waiting to be fed but cutting to the basket. Opposing teams expect him to camp out at the arc a lot. |
12 | Dorian Finney-Smith | DAL | 4 | Finney-Smith is another player who earns his minutes from his defense. He's more likely to help produce boards and steals than points. He's used primarily as a bailout shooter on offense. |
13 | Cedi Osman | CLE | 4 | Osman will see a lot of shots from the arc, but he does just enough defensively to still be fantasy relevant. He'll help grab steals and he'll stay at the elbow to grab long rebounds. |
14 | Danuel House Jr. | HOU | 4 | House will be taking more shots for at least the first game of the week for the Rockets with Harden looking like he'll be out and Westbrook resting for this game. |
15 | Kris Dunn | CHI | 4 | Dunn has been playing out of position and he's been very helpful with defending wing players and he'll need to take more shots with Lauri Markkanen injured. Expect help with steals as well. |
16 | Marcus Morris | NY | 3 | Morris is needed at the arc because the Knicks don't have reliable shooters and he's their top guy. The Knicks will showcase him and give him as many minutes as possible as they may look to trade him. |
17 | Royce O'Neale | UT | 4 | O'Neale's role drops off a bit because of Conley but he'll still help fbring up the ball at times and will serve as a bailout scorer. He'll help out more when Conley is off the floor by bringing up the ball. |
18 | Taurean Prince | BKN | 3 | With Irving back in this offense, Prince will become even more of a statue at the arc than he is right now. He doesn't attack the lane enough and the Nets force him to be a bailout shooter from the arc. |
19 | Josh Hart | NO | 3 | It will be harder for Hart to find minutes now that the Pelicans are healthy, but he'll help change the pace with the reserves and he should spend time bringing up the ball as well. |
20 | Jae Crowder | MEM | 3 | INJ: Crowder is dealing with a sore Knee and he missed his previous game. It's uncertain whether or not he'll have to miss his first game of the week on Tuesday. |
Power Forward
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 3 | Even when the Greek Freak doesn't have a full slate of games, it's hard knocking him out of the top spot of the rankings unless he has a short slate of games. |
2 | Pascal Siakam | TOR | 4 | Siakam hasn't looked back since returning from injury and his minutes will continue to rise and he has been attacking the rim more which shows that his Groin is feeling better. |
3 | Anthony Davis | LAL | 3 | Davis shouldn't be limited at all this week as it seems that his Tailbone injury has subsided and he'll log heavy minutes this week and will continue being the second scoring option for the Lakers. |
4 | Kevin Love | CLE | 4 | Love has been able to stay healthy for the most part this season and even though he plays at the arc a lot on offense, he still grabs a lot of boards when he's on defense. |
5 | Kristaps Porzingis | DAL | 4 | Porzingis Knee feels better and he shouldn't be held out this week as the Mavs try to figure out how to bring in Cauley-Stein to the rotation. They'll need Porzingis to help out more in the post for now. |
6 | Bojan Bogdanovic | UT | 4 | Bogdanovic has been a prolific scorer, but sometimes he'll only produce points and not help as much in other categories. He spends a lot of time at the arc and that takes him out of position to grab boards. |
7 | Serge Ibaka | TOR | 4 | Ibaka will still have a big role defending the post with the Raptors second unit and even though he won't see as many shots, he'll still score off of second-chance opportunities from right under the basket. |
8 | Nemanja Bjelica | SAC | 4 | Bjelica owners should be very fortunate because just when we think his role will be limited more, another injury pops up for the Kings front court and Bjelica is needed and he'll help with points and boards. |
9 | John Collins | ATL | 3 | Collins will continue to be the second option for the Hawks but because their front court can't provide much help on offense, expect Collins to get a ton of plays called for him in the post. |
10 | Jayson Tatum | BOS | 3 | INJ: Tatum has moissed his last two games with a strained Groin and his status for his first game of the week on Tuesday is still unknown. |
11 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 3 | Aldridge will have to continue being the driving force on offense when it comes to the Spurs big men. Jakob Poeltl won't help on offense and Rudy Gay will hang at the arc a lot more. |
12 | Julius Randle | NY | 3 | Randle will continue being the Knicks top option and his usage will continue to be higher as RJ Barrett needs at least another week to recover from injury. |
13 | P.J. Tucker | HOU | 4 | Tucker will see more shots from downtown to start the week with other Rockets players banged up and not playing in their first game of the week. The Rockets should have Tucker lineup up in the post more. |
14 | Larry Nance Jr. | CLE | 4 | Nance will continue producing mainly with the Cavs second unit and he's even developed more of a long-range game on offense and he's recorded three straight double-doubles. |
15 | Danilo Gallinari | OKC | 3 | Gallinari is healthy and he should continue seeing a lot of shots from the arc, but the Thunder should have him use his size to attack the rim with the ball so he can draw contact. |
16 | Zion Williamson | NO | 3 | Williamson has impressed in his first few games, but the Pelicans will continue to monitor his minutes for another few weeks so that he doesn't re-injure his Knee. He's hit the 20-point mark twice so far. |
17 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | MEM | 3 | Jackson has been pushing himself in the post more with the ball and that will result in him grabbing more boards down the stretch. He'll still shoot from downtown and will even block shots from mid-range. |
18 | Al Horford | PHI | 3 | Horford will see more shots with Richardson and Embiid hurt and even when Embiid returns, he'll play more at the arc until Richardson returns to the court. He'll provide help with boards as always. |
19 | Thaddeus Young | CHI | 4 | The Bulls are just about out of big men and Young will see a ton of minutes for the next few weeks until Markkanen returns. He'll get a lot of plays called for him and he should see a boost in production. |
20 | Paul George | LAC | 3 | INJ: George is recovering from the Hamstring injury and his status for his first game of the week on Tuesday is currently up in the air. |
Center
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis |
1 | Andre Drummond | DET | 4 | The NBA's best rebounder has a full slate of games and he should be one of the most productive players in fantasy this week. The Pistons may look to showcase him as well as he's been on the trade block. |
2 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 4 | Jokic continues to improve his production and shot selection and he seems over his early season strugglles and he'll take more shots with Murray out. |
3 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 4 | Gobert continues to make double-doubles look easy and with the Jazz having a limited amount of big men who crash the boards successfully, Gobert will see a ton of minutes and he'll block a lot of shots. |
4 | Clint Capela | HOU | 4 | Capela will be the top option going into the Rockets first game of the week and while he's not an outside shooter, he'll get a lot more plays called for him in the post and he'll see a lot of playing time as usual. |
5 | Hassan Whiteside | POR | 3 | Whiteside has no competition for minutes at this point with other Blazers options still out of action. He's been playing over 30 minutes per game and he'll help a ton producing points and boards. |
6 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 4 | Thompson has had an excellent year and even having to share the front court with Love and Nance, he's still been able to score 12.3 points per game. He's also grabbing 10.4 rebounds per game. |
7 | Bam Adebayo | MIA | 3 | INJ: Adebayo is dealing with a sore Ankle but he shouldn't have to miss his first game of the week on Monday. |
8 | Deandre Ayton | PHX | 3 | Aron Baynes and Frank Kaminsky are both hurt and Ayton will need to play deeper into games until one of the two return and that won't be for at least another week of action. |
9 | Marc Gasol | TOR | 4 | Gasol has improved his offense since returning from injury. He went from making ZERO impact, to scoring in double figures in four of his last six games. He's played 30-plus minutes in his last 2 contests. |
10 | Jonas Valanciunas | MEM | 3 | Valanciunas plays a little over 25 minutes per game and he is averaging a double-double showing that he's a total volume player. He's also blocking one shot per game and he's grabbed steals in his last four. |
11 | Maxi Kleber | DAL | 4 | Kleber has been given the first crack at taking advantage of the open minutes left by the injured Dwight Powell . He'll help stretch the floor by hitting three's and he'll grab boards. He'll have a role ROTW. |
12 | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN | 2 | Towns would be much higher on this rankings list if he didn't draw the short slate of games and his Knee seems to be pain-free and he should log heavy minutes in both games this week. |
13 | Montrezl Harrell | LAC | 3 | As always, Harrell will produce mainly with the Clippers second unit and even though he doesn't start, he'll still play deep into games and he'll provide a good amount of inside scoring and rebounding. |
14 | Steven Adams | OKC | 3 | Adams has been a bit banged up in recent weeks and recently returned from a Knee injury. He struggled in his first game back and we'll have to see how he does against Dallas in his first game of the week. |
15 | Jarrett Allen | BKN | 3 | Allen will continue to see more minutes with DeAndre Jordan hurt and he'll provide a lot of help with inside scoring and rebounding. He's hit the 30-minute mark in his last four games. |
16 | Derrick Favors | NO | 3 | Favors has been able to produce with Williamson on the floor and he'll spend more time on the low block because of Williamson's shooting range. Favors has also grabbed 10 boards per game this year. |
17 | Brook Lopez | MIL | 3 | Lopez doesn't provide much rebounding help but he's blocked multiple shots in his last five games and he has good shooting range and he'll shoot a lot of high-percentage long-range jumpers. |
18 | Richaun Holmes | SAC | 4 | INJ: Holmes is very close to returning to the court but it's looking like he'll miss his first game of the week on Monday. Game two of the week is on Wednesday. |
19 | Willie Cauley-Stein | DAL | 4 | Cauley-Stein just joined the Mavericks and it is undetermined whether or not he will be active for his first game of the week for them for their full slate of games. |
20 | Joel Embiid | PHI | 3 | INJ: This is about the time Embiid was expected to return to the lineup and his Hand will be checked out on Monday. His status for this week is currently undetermined. |