POINT GUARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | Stephen Curry | GSW | 4 | We can talk all day about Curry's lethal shooting, but his crisp passes and driving ability are just as effective. | |
2 |
| OKC | 3 | Westbrook continues to prove that he is a No. 1 option in the league as he continues to help in all standard fantasy categories. | |
3 | Chris Paul | LAC | 3 | The Clippers would have no direction without Paul. Paul is excellent at seeing the double early and know when he will get the open lane. | |
4 | Kyle Lowry | TOR | 4 | Lowry has proven that he is a borderline No. 1 NBA option as he continues to shoot well this season. | |
5 | John Wall | WSH | 4 | The Wizards are healthy for the time being and Wall needs to keep his turnovers down and utlize his teammates when they get open. | |
6 | Damian Lillard | POR | 4 | Lillard is on a mission to prove that he deserved to be an NBA All-Star and is playing with a ton of aggression. | |
7 | Kemba Walker | CHA | 3 | With Al Jefferson and Nicolas Batum back, Walker should see an increase in assists and maybe a few less shots. | |
8 | Isaiah Thomas | BOS | 3 | Thomas continues to find openings in the lane to exploit teams. Sometimes he drives the whole lane, other times he passes from the high post to the low post. | |
9 | Rajon Rondo | SAC | 3 | Rondo continues his pursuit to reclaim the NBA's Assist King's throne and continues to show consistency. | |
10 | Mike Conley | MEM | 3 | With Marc Gasol out for a while, Conley will need to step up and take more control of the offense and shoot the ball more when he switches to the off guard spot. | |
11 | Ricky Rubio | MIN | 4 | Rubio needs to continue to shoot less and pass more. As his weapons continue to get more and more comfortable with the offense, he will have an easier time finding the cutter. | |
12 | Jrue Holiday | NO | 3 | Holiday is now the Pelicans 2nd scoring option and leader of the backcourt with Tyreke Evans out. Holiday will be getting a lot more playing time. | |
13 | Reggie Jackson | DET | 4 | Jackson has another piece to work with in the post as the Pistons traded for Tobias Harris. Jackson should see a bump in assist numbers. | |
14 | Derrick Rose | CHI | 3 | Rose has reclaimed the Bulls No. 1 scoring option with Jimmy Butler out and other players hurt. Health is still a concern as Rose is needed to play a ton of minutes. | |
15 | Jeff Teague | ATL | 3 | Teague has stepped up ever since his name became a subject of a few imminent trade rumors and needs to continue to rely on his tear drop. It is hard to defend. | |
16 | Ish Smith | PHI | 4 | Smith continues to quicken the pace of the Sixers offense and be more patient in getting the ball inside. Teams have backed off on Smith a bit defensively meaning he will have more space to creat and drive the lane. | |
17 | George Hill | IND | 4 | Hill will continue to rotate between the guard spots and is always a reliable shooter. It is hard to tell how many shots he will get per night. | |
18 | Lou Williams | LAL | 3 | The Lakers need all of the scoring help they can get and Williams has proven that when he gets playing time he will score and even grab a few rebounds. This veteran can still drive the lane against the rest of them. | |
19 | Deron Williams | DAL | 3 | The Mavericks offense is not the problem and Williams controlled push style is perfect for the pieces this team has. The assist numbers will be up and he is often left open from downtown. | |
20 | Jordan Clarkson | LAL | 3 | Clarkson has shown that he can take over and has an impressive isolation game and quick step to the basket. The Lakers guards will continue to be heavily relied on for offense. |
SHOOTING GUARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | James Harden | HOU | 3 | Even though Harden only has three games this week, he is still the everything for the Rockets offense and is the one consistent factor. | |
2 |
| GSW | 4 | Thompson is always able to find himself open at the perimeter and will shoot with aggresiveness and has his own role on this offense carved out for him. | |
3 | Kyrie Irving | CLE | 4 | Irving looks like he picks up speed each game and is beginning to back down defenders and drive with a hop-step in the lane again. | |
4 | C.J. McCollum | POR | 4 | McCollum is shooting with rhythm again and is able to get a ton of shot opportunities, even playing next to Lillard. | |
5 | Bradley Beal | WSH | 4 | If Beal sets himself up right, he can be one of the most effective mid-range shooting guards in the league. | |
6 | Dwyane Wade | MIA | 4 | INJURY CONCERN: (Knee). Wade's hurt, but with four games this week and a sudden lack of offensive depth in the lineup, he is very needed right now. | |
7 | Victor Oladipo | ORL | 4 | Oladipo has excellent agility, hangtime in the air when he drives and quickness, but he needs to be better with court awareness when he has the ball and not get trapped. | |
8 | Nicolas Batum | CHA | 3 | Batum is starting to rebound better again as well as shoot consistently from long range and that shows that his toe has finally healed. | |
9 | Gordon Hayward | UT | 3 | Hayward is a very reliable shooter and court runner, but if the Jazz inside game is on point, they will continue feeding Favors and Gobert under the rim. | |
10 | Will Barton | DEN | 3 | Barton has shown that he can post up players and has a quick enough spin to get a good look at the basket when he shoots. | |
11 | Goran Dragic | MIA | 4 | If Wade cannot play, you will be seeing a ton more shooting from Dragic because the scoring has to come somewhere and he will have the ball in his hands most of the time. | |
12 | Kobe Bryant | LAL | 3 | This is Bryant's season, Bryant's NBA, Bryant's World! The Lakers are letting him do whatever he wants with the ball and can shoot however many times he wants. | |
13 | Joe Johnson | BKN | 3 | Johnson needs to continue to be the Nets' top shooter from long range. Johnson can also utilize his post-game and find an open Young or Lopez when he draws the double. | |
14 | Evan Fournier | ORL | 4 | Fournier is going to continue to see a lot of shot opportunities until Brandon Jennings proves that he can shoot consistently. | |
15 | J.J. Redick | LAC | 3 | Redick continues to be a matchup nightmare because of how much he moves when on the court and has a very quick shot release and is dangerous from beyond the arc. | |
16 | Monta Ellis | IND | 4 | Ellis will continue to rotate at both Pacers guards spots and will continue to be a good high-energy player with a quick step to the basket and will have no problem shooting the ball when open and with a slower defender on him. | |
17 | Rodney Hood | UT | 3 | Hood is the Jazz high energy players who is very effective when he shoots off the pick and he has a reliable long range jumper. | |
18 | Avery Bradley | BOS | 3 | It is hard to tell how many shot opportunities Bradley will get in a given game but, defenders always seem to back off on him leaving him open. | |
19 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | DET | 4 | Caldwell-Pope is back and will get a secure number of shots when Jackson draws the double on the Perimeter. KCP also has a very under-utilized post game. | |
20 | J.R. Smith | CLE | 4 | Smith has been shooting the ball very well from the outside and is excellent at being able to tell when he gets the pass if he is right inside or outside the key. A role is certainly carved out for him in the Cavs offense. |
SMALL FORWARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | LeBron James | CLE | 4 | James is the most complete player from a fantasy perspective with four games. | |
2 |
| IND | 4 | George over Durant?! This is a good week to see George produce and help in a ton of categories with the extra game. | |
3 | Kevin Durant | OKC | 3 | Durant is still a No. 1 option in the NBA and is excellent at grabbing long rebounds. | |
4 | DeMar DeRozan | TOR | 4 | DeRozan continues to make smart decisions with the basketball and rather than face up a defender and shoot, DeRozan uses is length to back down often under-sized defenders and take advantage. | |
5 | Carmelo Anthony | NYK | 4 | Anthony continues to be the No. 1 scoring option as the Knicks lack direction and has been a major help on the glass as of late. | |
6 | Kawhi Leonard | SAS | 3 | INJURY CONCERN: (Calf) It is hard to tell at this point how many games Leonard will play in, but with decent match ups this week, he should see the court. | |
7 | Tobias Harris | DET | 4 | Harris will get his chance to show how good he is from mid-range and gives the Pistons another aggressive inside driver to add to their toughness. | |
8 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | MIL | 3 | Definitely more reliable defensively than offensively, but has excellent speed and is great at cutting to the basket. | |
9 | Danilo Gallinari | DEN | 3 | Gallinari continues to be the Nuggets No. 1 scoring option and does more than just camp out from downtown. | |
10 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN | 4 | Wiggins continues to be a major scoring threat and with the Timberwolves starting to see more success in the post, Wiggins assist numbers should start to rise. | |
11 | Khris Middleton | MIL | 3 | Middleton continues to shoot well from long range and has been a great bail out option for Greg Monroe when he has the ball and is doubled inside. | |
12 | Thaddeus Young | BKN | 3 | Young is on a team that needs a post presence and is very difficult to defend once he starts backing down in the post. | |
13 | Rudy Gay | SAC | 3 | Gay continues to be effective and is sweet spot is from right at the top of the key. If the cutter is not open, he will often just shoot with a backed off defender. | |
14 | Otto Porter | WSH | 4 | Because of Wall's driving ability and how he can attract up to three defenders, Porter will see a lot more open mid-range jumpers. | |
15 | Marcus Morris | DET | 4 | Morris will be playing more of the screen setter and cutter with the addition of Tobias Harris, but not to worry, Andre Drummond is a specific low post player, meaning Morris will have the opposite side of Harris to create on the court. | |
16 | Jae Crowder | BOS | 3 | Crowder is just as sound defensively as he is offensively and has shown his improvements by shooting more on the entry pass rather than just immediately going to work in the post. | |
17 | Kent Bazemore | ATL | 3 | Bazemore continues to find himself open for corner three's and when a team does put a body on him, he utilizes his excellent post-game essentially making Kyle Korver irrelevant. | |
18 | Trevor Ariza | HOU | 3 | We say it all the time, Ariza will never lose playing time because he is a sound perimeter defender and he can knock down the open three. | |
19 | Chandler Parsons | DAL | 3 | Until proven otherwise, Parsons lives and dies by shot effectiveness. If he is taking bad shots, even if they are hitting, they will limit his minutes. | |
20 | Matt Barnes | MEM | 3 | Memphis needs as much help as they can get and with players hurt and traded, Barnes knows the offense and will continue to get shot opportunities. |
POWER FORWARDS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | Draymond Green | GSW | 4 | Green helps out in the most categories and has the fourth game and deserves the top spot. | |
2 |
| CLE | 4 | With the addition of Channing Frye, Love will be forced to play in the post more and the Cavs will not regret their decision to do so because of how aggressive he is inside. | |
3 | Anthony Davis | NOR | 3 | It's very simple; if Davis plays inside, he will dominate and if he sets up outside, he won't dominate. Easy right? | |
4 | Paul Millsap | ATL | 3 | Millsap continues to show consistency on offense and uses his size to attack the rim. | |
5 | Pau Gasol | CHI | 3 | Gasol will need to continue to be used heavily in the post because of amazing success and lack of other scoring options. | |
6 | Greg Monroe | MIL | 3 | Monroe continues to be a double-double machine and is very good at rebounding after having a poor outing the previous game. | |
7 | LaMarcus Aldridge | SAS | 3 | Even though Duncan is in and healthy, Aldridge will still have his room in the post to work and with Leonard potentially out, he will have even more space. | |
8 | Derrick Favors | UT | 3 | Favors back looks healthy and is moving and jumping with force and will continue to power through defenders and give the Jazz second-chance looks. | |
9 | Serge Ibaka | OKC | 3 | Ibaka is another big man that just needs to stop shooting and use his incredible size inside on offense. He surely knows how to use it on defense. | |
10 | Zach Randolph | MEM | 3 | Randolph will now be seeing a ton more mid-range shot opportunities and low post passes because of the sudden lack of depth in Memphis. | |
11 | Kristaps Porzingis | NYK | 4 | It is hard to tell on a given night whether or not Porzingis will be more effective inside or outside, but he continues to show quickness and confidence on both sides of the ball. | |
12 | Robert Covington | PHI | 4 | Covington has become a reliable offensive weapon on the Sixers as he continues to get fed inside and has had a ton of success in the high-post. | |
13 | Jared Sullinger | BOS | 3 | Sullinger is always a reliable rebounder, but it is hard to tell how many points he will score to match those rebounds on a given night. | |
14 | Kenneth Faried | DEN | 3 | Faried will need to continue to be the Nuggets most dominant defender and rebounder. On offense, he is only good for putbacks. | |
15 | Tim Duncan | SAS | 3 | Duncan is a reliable 10-10 player, but it has become hard to tell how much playing time he will get. He still dominates the low block when on the court. | |
16 | Dirk Nowitzki | DAL | 3 | Nowitzki will need to continue fighting through screens to get himself open. With his shot being among the hardest to defend, he will still get his fair share of the offensive pie on this shoot-heavy team. | |
17 | Cody Zeller | CHA | 3 | Zeller has been quietly starting to produce and play more aggresively inside. He has seen a minor spike in rebounds and with Al Jefferson back, we will see if he will still produce. | |
18 | Harrison Barnes | GSW | 4 | Barnes continues to lead the second unit and call for the ball both inside and out and is a good perimeter defender. | |
19 | Al-Farouq Aminu | POR | 4 | Aminu has excellent size, but he uses it inconsistently and has often passed off in an advantageous match up. When he uses his size, he steam-rolls down the lane. | |
20 | Aaron Gordon | ORL | 4 | Apparently Gordon is the future franchise forward of this Magic team and we all know he has huge-ups, but can he create consistently? I'll take a flier on him. |
CENTERS
RANK | NAME | Team | # Games | Analysis | |
1 | Andre Drummond | DET | 4 | The best low-block player in the game today has four chances to show his force. | |
2 |
| MIN | 4 | Towns has a ton of skills and continues to play more aggresively inside and use his excellent foot work. | |
3 | DeMarcus Cousins | SAC | 3 | Cousins does not have four games this week, but is still the best overall Center in the NBA. | |
4 | Nikola Vucevic | ORL | 4 | Vucevic's footwork and post movtes are excellent, he needs to call for the ball quicker to get more opportunities. | |
5 | Hassan Whiteside | MIA | 4 | Whiteside will need to be a more consistent offensive player for the Heat as they suddenly lack front-court depth. We all know he gets it done from a rebounding standpoint. | |
6 | DeAndre Jordan | LAC | 3 | Jordan comes through in major ways on the glass, in the air, swatting shots, but he should never call for the ball. It is not a pretty sight. | |
7 | Al Horford | ATL | 3 | Horford will be playing with a chip on his shoulder as he was majorly involved in trade discussions. Horford needs to utilize his high post game and quick turnaround jumper more. It is hard to defend. | |
8 | Brook Lopez | BKN | 3 | It's the same thing each week with Lopez; excellent long and mid range shooter, but as a 7-Foot plus Center, he needs to be rebounding consistently. | |
9 | Rudy Gobert | UT | 3 | Gobert is an excellent low-block Center with underrated leaping ability allowing him to swat shots at their highest point. | |
10 | Ryan Anderson | NO | 3 | Anderson does play inside aggresively, but will continue to secure playing time because he is an outside-shooting force and will draw out bigger defenders to guard him. | |
11 | Dwight Howard | HOU | 3 | When watching Howard on the court, he does not know what he is doing, but he is still rebounding and blocking shots. It is hard to tell when he is making an impact. | |
12 | Marcin Gortat | WSH | 4 | Gortat should see more open looks with the Wizards adding Markieff Morris inside and has a good running-one handed shot driving in the post. | |
13 | Jonas Valanciunas | TOR | 4 | Valanciunas will continue to work on his jumper and has been a lot more aggressive inside as he has gotten healthier. | |
14 | Zaza Pachulia | DAL | 3 | Pachulia is the lone consistent defender on the Mavs and is always able to find openings inside for putbacks. | |
15 | Jahlil Okafor | PHI | 4 | Okafor being primarily at the PF spot for now will allow him to use his size and post game and footwork to drive inside. Wait and see. | |
16 | Al Jefferson | CHA | 3 | HE'S BACK! The knee is still a concern for the time being, but the Hornets need him back in the post. | |
17 | Robin Lopez | NYK | 4 | Lopez has been commanding the ball a lot more in the post and has seen a ton of success and he fights for his own second chance scoring opportunity. The Knicks often abandon him in the post, even when he is hitting. | |
18 | Nerlens Noel | PHI | 4 | Noel is at the Center spot for now and will get his chance to use his quickness to set a quick screen and immediately dash inside in an effort to draw contact. Wait and see. | |
19 | Nikola Jokic | DEN | 3 | Jokic knows that with Jusef Nurkic healthy again, he is suddenly in a time share for playing time and will need to continue to follow up shots. | |
20 | Tristan Thompson | CLE | 4 | HUGE BOX OF CHOCOLATES: You never know how much playing time he will get, whether or not he will show up and be aggressive and/or if he will be in foul trouble. "You never know what you're gonna get" as the old saying goes. |