Fantasy Basketball Faceoff: Carmelo Anthony vs. Paul George

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Here's a look at whether fantasy basketball owners would be better off selecting Indiana Pacers SF Paul George or New York Knicks SF Carmelo Anthony in 2016 drafts:

2015 Stats

The Case for Paul George

In his return from his infamous (and gruesome) leg injury, George showed no ill effects on his way to a dominant season. George's 30.4 usage rate helped him produce elite level production in a variety of categories.

One of the biggest changes to George's game in 2015-16 was his focus on the long ball. George attempted a career-high seven 3-pointers per game, knocking down 37.1 percent of his 566 total attempts. With the modern game demanding 3-point range, fantasy players should expect this 3-point barrage to continue in the upcoming season.

For those looking for areas of improvement, George did commit a career-high 3.3 turnovers per game last season and his 41.8 FG% was the lowest of his career. However, those factors should be attributed primarily to rust from the injury and the high usage rate.

Best-Case Scenario: George continues to average 20-plus points while contributing 6-7 rebounds and assists per game. Versatile production like this is a rarity, so fantasy players should be happy with a repeat of last season.

Worst-Case Scenario: George's usage rate and production falls with the additions of PF Thaddeus Young and PG Jeff Teague. Young and Teague should help the Indiana offense, but they'll also take a chunk out of George's production. If his usage rate falls, expect a correlating drop in production.

The Case for Carmelo Anthony

Despite being 33, less than a picture of health, and having averaged over 34 minutes per game for 14 straight seasons, Anthony put together another strong season. Though his PPG dipped to 21.8, he salvaged his value by averaging 7.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Thanks to his solid rebounding numbers, Melo wound up with 22 double-doubles last season, ranking third among all SFs. Fantasy players should be expecting more of this well-rounded style as Carmelo seems to be moving away from dominant scoring to more of a team-first style.

As a team, the Knicks also seem ready to move away from a Melo-dominant offense. The acquistitions of PG Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and the development of PF Kristaps Porzingis would indicate that Melo is facing another drop in offensive production this season.

Best-Case Scenario: Melo continues to post roughly 20 points per game, while averaging a steady amount of rebounds. It could be tough, however, considering his age and the additions around him. But as last year showed, Melo can still ball despite the his age and health concerns.

Worst-Case Scenario: The Knicks reduce Melo's workload and playing time in order to keep him healthy this season. As a result of a team-based scoring system, the 32-year old dips below the 20 PPG mark.

Verdict

George and Anthony are heading in different directions. George is continuing to trend upward and cement himself as one of the most well-rounded players, while Anthony is likely to see his role and minutes decrease as he enters his post-peak decline.

Though both players may see a drop in their usage and production as their respective teams made legitimate additions around them, George is the candidate less likely to suffer from the changes. He remains a vital piece to Indiana, while Melo's star continues to dwindle.