Fantasy Rankings: Top 150

by
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

For more fantasy basketball coverage, check out theScore's 2017 Fantasy Draft Kit, with player rankings and new content released daily.

These rankings reflect standard scoring formats, taking into account a player's expected production in the following categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-point shots made, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and turnovers.

Position Rankings
PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Top 150

Tier 1

The fight for the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts is on - and after dominating the ranks last year, Westbrook is no longer the safest pick. Even with Paul George joining him in Oklahoma City, Westbrook still could have feasibly stood alone atop the fantasy draft board, but with Carmelo Anthony also taking his talents to the Thunder, it's just impossible to envision Westbrook posting another usage rate as ridiculous as what we saw last season.

Antetokounmpo's ceiling has yet to be determined, but he has the physical tools and the right team situation to overtake established superstars like Harden, Durant, and Westbrook as the top fantasy producer.

The only question is whether the Greek Freak can add a reliable 3-point shot; every other fantasy category ranks as above-average to elite, especially his defensive contributions, rebounding, and field-goal percentage for a guard-eligible player. And unlike many top stars, Antetokounmpo doesn't really have to share the ball with another transcendent talent. A ball hog is usually a good player to have in fantasy.

Tier 2

RANK PLAYER TEAM
12 Rudy Gobert UTH
13 Nikola Jokic DEN
14 Draymond Green GSW
15 Hassan Whiteside MIA
16 Damian Lillard POR
17 Chris Paul LAC
18 Kyrie Irving BOS
19 Kyle Lowry TOR
20 Paul George OKC
21 Bradley Beal WAS
22 Jimmy Butler MIN
23 Kemba Walker CHA
24 C.J. McCollum POR
25 Mike Conley MEM
26 Klay Thompson GSW
27 DeMar DeRozan TOR
28 Marc Gasol MEM
29 Myles Turner IND
30 Gordon Hayward BOS
31 Blake Griffin LAC
32 Paul Millsap DEN
33 Kevin Love CLE
34 Kristaps Porzingis NYK
35 Eric Bledsoe PHO
36 Brook Lopez LAL
37 Goran Dragic MIA
38 Victor Oladipo IND
39 Joel Embiid PHI
40 Devin Booker PHO
41 Jusuf Nurkic POR
42 Otto Porter WAS
43 Carmelo Anthony OKC
44 Khris Middleton MIL
45 Ricky Rubio UTH
46 Andre Drummond DET
47 Al Horford BOS
48 DeAndre Jordan LAC
49 Nicolas Batum CHA

There are several Tier 2 players capable of making the jump into Tier 1 with minor tweaks to their styles of play. With Gordon Hayward gone, Jazz center Gobert has an opportunity to elevate his workload from the 7.7 shot attempts per game he averaged last season. If he can average 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2.5 blocks, and shoot 65% from the field, Gobert will become a clear-cut fantasy superstar.

In a similar vein, Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan continue to be top-50 fantasy players in spite of their obvious deficiencies. Their profoundly negative effect on free-throw percentage needs to be balanced out by pairing them with one of the high-volume FT% aces, such as Harden, Westbrook, or DeMar DeRozan.

Tier 3

Lonzo Ball is one of the toughest players to rank this season. We've seen big numbers from rookie ball-handlers in the past - Damian Lillard in 2012-13 and Michael Carter-Williams in 2013-14, for example - but Ball lacks the pure scoring ability of the former, and the free reign over a talent-devoid roster afforded to the latter.

With a proven finisher in Brook Lopez, you can pencil Ball in for at least six assists per game. If the rookie can also get to the rim often enough to average 15 points, he'll provide enough secondary production to be a top-75 player in Year 1. You can afford to gamble on his upside in the middle rounds.

Tier 4

RANK PLAYER TEAM
98 Tyler Johnson MIA
99 Jordan Clarkson LAL
100 Malcolm Brogdon MIL
101 Gorgui Dieng MIN
102 Patrick Beverley LAC
103 Zach Randolph SAC
104 Markieff Morris WAS
105 Derrick Rose CLE
106 Ersan Ilyasova ATL
107 Marcus Smart BOS
108 Willy Hernangomez NYK
109 Brandon Ingram LAL
110 Gary Harris DEN
111 Reggie Jackson DET
112 Darren Collison IND
113 Marvin Williams CHA
114 Kent Bazemore ATL
115 Robin Lopez CHI
116 Buddy Hield SAC
117 Seth Curry DAL
118 Jamal Murray DEN
119 J.J. Redick PHI
120 Aaron Gordon ORL
121 Nikola Mirotic CHI
122 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson BKN
123 Rodney Hood UTH
124 Ryan Anderson HOU
125 Justise Winslow MIA
126 Markelle Fultz PHI
127 Will Barton DEN
128 Derrick Favors UTH
129 Thaddeus Young IND
130 Allen Crabbe BKN
131 Bojan Bogdanovic IND
132 T.J. Warren PHO
133 Al-Farouq Aminu POR
134 Enes Kanter NYK
135 Tristan Thompson CLE
136 Moe Harkless POR
137 JaMychal Green MEM
138 Patty Mills SAS
139 Austin Rivers LAC
140 Dennis Smith Jr. DAL
141 Greg Monroe MIL
142 Jaylen Brown BOS
143 Kris Dunn CHI
144 Josh Jackson PHO
145 Trevor Booker BKN
146 Courtney Lee NYK
147 Richaun Holmes PHI
148 Ish Smith DET
149 De'Aaron Fox SAC
150 Emmanuel Mudiay DEN

You don't need to get too attached to any of the players in Tier 4; chances are you'll be dropping most of them within the first month in favor of previously unforeseen breakouts.

Don't be afraid to take a flier on a high-variance player late in drafts. Can Dennis Smith Jr. wrestle a full starter's workload with Seth Curry and Yogi Ferrell also jockeying for playing time in the Mavericks' guard rotation? Unlikely, but if he does, he has the dynamic scoring upside to be one of the late-round steals of the draft.

Honorable mentions: Tyreke Evans (MEM), Kelly OIynyk (MIA), Jayson Tatum (BOS), Norman Powell (TOR), Tony Parker (SAS), Mason Plumlee (DEN), Yogi Ferrell (DAL), Marquese Chriss (PHO), E'Twuan Moore (NOP), Cody Zeller (CHA), Jonathon Simmons (ORL)

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Advertisement