2013 Fantasy Basketball Rankings
Fantasy Basketball Draft Weekend is quickly approaching so here we are with our 2013-2014 fantasy basketball rankings. These rankings are not a draft cheat sheet per se, as in the rankings are not necessarily suggestions of where to draft these players but rather where we think these players will end up in the overall rankings. Like always participate in a mock draft or three to fine tune your draft skills, make note of ADP sleepers and how early or late your targets are going.
Number one? In 2013 it is Kevin Durant once again who simply has no holes in his fantasy game. He may may not post the gaudy assist and rebound numbers LeBron James does but he more than makes up for it by averaging slightly more free throws, blocks and threes per game while really making a difference in the free throw percentage department. One cannot be faulted for opting for LBJ over KD but do so knowing that he will be a detriment to your teams free throw percentage week to week.
Stephen Curry comes in as our top ranked shooting guard this season with Kobe Bryant on the mend and James Harden welcoming Dwight Howard to town. Curry’s usage should remain relatively unchanged as the focal point of the Warriors offense while Harden will have to give up some shots to Dwight Howard. The Rockets overall pace may slow down this season with Howard resulting in less possessions and thus field goal opportunities for Harden.
Victor Oladipo looks like the favorite for rookie of the year honors with Trey Burke coming in at a close second. Both players are primed to make fantasy impacts this season with Oladipo poised to make a little more noise than his counterpart because shooting guard is not as deep as the point guard position this year. We see Oladipo as capable of a 16-5-5 season while Burke has the opportunity for a 16-7 season. Both of these rookies should have growing pains but have the opportunity to be solid fantasy contributors. We have Oladipo as our 13th ranked shooting guard and Burke as our 17th ranked point guard.
Chris Paul comes in as our top ranked point guard once again this year followed closely by Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Deron Williams and Derrick Rose. Paul is the best point guard in real life and in fantasy and his 2 plus steals per game really help boost his fantasy stock as we have seen Mike Conley Jr., and Kemba Walker both become top 15-20 fantasy point guards based largely on the strengths of their steals per game.
The center position seems to very deep this year due to dual eligibility and we suggest, like always, punting free throws when it comes to your first two bigs and picking up volume free throw shooters in the late-middle of your draft. I did not like the regression I saw in Kevin Love’s game last year yet still have him ranked fourth overall at the center position due to his legit upside. The center position as mentioned is very deep and tremendous ADP value can be found in players like Amir Johnson, Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Pekovic, Enes Kanter and even in high upside rookies like Kelly Olynyk and Cody Zeller.
Dirk is our only top ten ranked power forward who does not currently have eligibility at another position. Dirk looks primed to take a bit of a step back in the points per game department with Monta Ellis now in town demanding a bunch of shots. Ellis’ arrival should however slightly increase Dirk’s assists and field goal percentage, slightly mitigating the potential fantasy value loss, at least in theory.
Without further adieu here are our 2013-2014 fantasy basketball rankings. We will be constantly updating them up to and throughout draft weekend so bookmark our page and check back periodically for the latest developments.
