2013 Fantasy Basketball: Positional Player Rankings
Fantasy basketball drafts can be quite quirky and more unpredictable than their fellow fantasy sports brethren. But that is a big reason why they are so much fun. Everyone puts a different values players differently and the statistics they provide. In the end, it comes down to who is right. So I’m here to try to make sense of it all and leads us to a fantasy basketball title. That’s right, with the NBA season closing in; it is time for my 2013/2014 positional rankings.
These rankings do not necessarily dictate how I will draft. If I rank Player A higher than Player B, but believe Player A can be had later in the draft, I will try to take advantage of that value opportunity and wait before grabbing him. Who knows, I may even get both Player A and Player B on my team. Also, if I am really lacking in a category, I may be forced to stray away from my rankings to acquire that stat of need (i.e. three pointers, blocks).
I am using Yahoo’s position labels. My rankings are for redraft leagues (daily lineup changes) with nine rotisserie categories. These categories include: FG%, FT%, points, rebounds, assists, three pointers made, steals, blocks, and turnovers. This list also factors in position flexibility, current injuries, injury concerns, potential to miss time, and expected minutes. So keep that in mind for certain players who may be labeled as injury prone or likely to be rested throughout the season (i.e. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett). You will see all this reflected in my rankings below.
Rankings (and tiers) are a smart way to stay ahead of your opponents. When you put this much work into your rankings, you should try to stick with them on draft day (exceptions mentioned above). You have thought long and hard about each decision on your list, so the last thing you want to do is second guess yourself when you are on the clock.
Go ahead and post your opinions down below in the comments and hit me up on twitter @Rich_Migs. Here are my 2013/2014 fantasy basketball positional rankings:
Final Update: 10/29/13
Points Guards:
- Stephen Curry
- Chris Paul
- Kyrie Irving
- Derrick Rose
- John Wall
- Dwayne Wade
- Deron Williams
- Mike Conley
- Damian Lillard
- Kemba Walker
- Jeff Teague
- Monta Ellis
- Eric Bledsoe
- Ty Lawson
- Ricky Rubio
- Russell Westbrook
- Tony Parker
- Jose Calderon
- Goran Dragic
- George Hill
- Brandon Jennings
- Jrue Holiday
- Kyle Lowry
- Rajon Rondo
- Raymond Felton
- Reggie Jackson
- Patrick Beverley
- Jameer Nelson
- Steve Nash
- Jamal Crawford
- Greivis Vasquez
- Jeremy Lin
- Jarret Jack
- Mario Chalmers
- Isiah Thomas
- Brandon Knight
- Michael Carter-Williams
- Avery Bradley
- Nate Robinson
- Trey Burke
- Luke Ridnour
- Andre Miller
- J.J. Barea
- Rodney Stuckey
- Kirk Hinrich
- Steve Blake
- Mo Williams
- Randy Foye
- Alexy Shved
- Tony Wroten
- Austin Rivers
- Gary Neal
- Jerryd Bayless
- Darren Collison
- Ramon Sessions
- Jordan Crawford
- John Lucas III
- Lou Williams
- Shaun Livingston
- Pablo Prigioni
- Tony Douglas
- C.J. Watson
- C.J. McCullum
- Beno Udrih
- E’Twaun Moore
- Chauncey Billups
- Jason Terry
- Devin Harris
- Will Bynum
- Jamaal Tinsley
- Dennis Schroder
Shooting Guards:
- Stephen Curry
- James Harden
- Paul George
- Nicolas Batum
- Dwayne Wade
- Kawhi Leonard
- Monta Ellis
- Eric Bledsoe
- Bradley Beal
- Kobe Bryant
- Klay Thompson
- Gordon Hayward
- Andre Iguodala
- O.J. Mayo
- J.R. Smith
- Kevin Martin
- Tyreke Evans
- Kyle Korver
- George Hill
- Wes Mathews
- Jimmy Butler
- Raymond Felton
- Victor Oladipo
- Evan Turner
- Danny Green
- Wilson Chandler
- Eric Gordon
- Joe Johnson
- Gerald Henderson
- Dion Waiters
- Jamal Crawford
- Greivus Vasquez
- Marcus Thornton
- DeMar Derozan
- J.J. Redick
- Vince Carter
- Jarrett Jack
- Brandon Knight
- Iman Shumpert
- Lance Stephenson
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Avery Bradley
- Manu Ginobili
- Arron Afflalo
- Corey Brewer
- James Anderson
- Jared Dudley
- Nate Robinson
- Carlos Delfino
- Jeremy Lamb
- Luke Ridnour
- Ray Allen
- Michael Dunleavy Jr.
- Courtney Lee
- Martell Webster
- Trevor Ariza
- Gerald Green
- Tony Allen
- Thabo Sefolosha
- Nick Young
- Kirk Hinrich
- Andre Miller
- C.J. Miles
- Alonzo Gee
- J.J. Barea
- Rodney Stuckey
- Randy Foye
- Mo Williams
- Chase Budinger
- Ben McLemore
- Alexy Shved
- Austin Rivers
- Gary Neal
- Jerryd Bayless
- Dorell Wright
- Ramon Sessions
- John Salmons
- Marco Belinelli
- Anthony Morrow
- Jordan Crawford
- Alec Burks
- Chase Budinger
- Lou Williams
- Shaun Livingston
- Pablo Prigioni
- Tony Douglas
- C.J. McCullum
- Mike Miller
- Francisco Garcia
- Ben Gordon
- Brandon Rush
- Shane Battier
- E’Twaun Moore
- Chauncey Billups
- Jason Terry
- Devin Harris
Small Forwards:
- Kevin Durant
- Lebron James
- James Harden
- Paul George
- Nicolas Batum
- Carmelo Anthony
- Kawhi Leonard
- Rudy Gay
- Chandler Parsons
- Josh Smith
- Klay Thompson
- Gordon Hayward
- Andre Iguodala
- Ersan Ilyasova
- Luol Deng
- Jeff Green
- Paul Pierce
- Thaddeus Young
- J.R. Smith
- Tobias Harris
- Tyreke Evans
- Kyle Korver
- Wes Mathews
- Jimmy Butler
- Evan Turner
- Danny Green
- Wilson Chandler
- Joe Johnson
- Gerald Henderson
- DeMar Derozan
- Danny Granger
- Shawn Marion
- Andrei Kirilenko
- Caron Butler
- Vince Carter
- Moe Harkless
- Iman Shumpert
- Manu Ginobili
- Arron Afflalo
- Corey Brewer
- Harrison Barnes
- Gerald Wallace
- Danilo Gallinari
- Metta World Peace
- Donatas Motiejunas
- DeMarre Carroll
- James Anderson
- Jared Dudley
- Carlos Delfino
- Matt Barnes
- Michael Dunleavy Jr.
- Jeremy Lamb
- Anthony Bennett
- Courtney Lee
- Martell Webster
- Trevor Ariza
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
- Gerald Green
- Tony Allen
- Otto Porter Jr.
- Tayshawn Prince
- Thabo Sefolosha
- Nick Young
- C.J. Miles
- Alonzo Gee
- Jae Crowder
- Al-Farouq Aminu
- Dorell Wright
- John Salmons
- Anthony Morrow
- Chase Budinger
- Mike Miller
- Steve Novak
- Francisco Garcia
- Brandon Rush
- Shane Battier
- Shabazz Muhammad
- Earl Clark
Power Forwards:
- Lebron James
- Kevin Love
- Anthony Davis
- LaMarcus Aldridge
- Carmelo Anthony
- Al Horford
- Al Jefferson
- Serge Ibaka
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Derrick Favors
- Larry Sanders
- Nikola Vucevic
- Paul Millsap
- Rudy Gay
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Chris Bosh
- Chandler Parsons
- Pau Gasol
- Josh Smith
- David Lee
- Tim Duncan
- Joakim Noah
- Blake Griffin
- Andre Drummond
- Tobias Harris
- Thaddeus Young
- Ersan Ilyasova
- Jeff Green
- Ryan Anderson
- Amir Johnson
- David West
- Zach Randolph
- Kenneth Faried
- Kevin Garnett
- Tristan Thompson
- Anderson Varejao
- Carlos Boozer
- Andrei Kirilenko
- Shawn Marion
- Miles Plumlee
- Nene Hilario
- Taj Gibson
- Elton Brand
- J.J. Hickson
- Metta World Peace
- Andrea Bargnani
- Gerald Wallace
- Chris Kaman
- Cody Zeller
- Donatas Motiejunas
- DeMarre Carroll
- Anthony Bennett
- Markieff Morris
- Channing Frye
- Bismack Biyombo
- Patrick Patterson
- Josh McRoberts
- Andre Blatche
- Jared Sullinger
- Kris Humphries
- Amare Stoudemire
- Brandon Bass
- Jae Crowder
- Jason Thompson
- Byron Mullins
- Trevor Booker
- Luis Scola
- Tayshawn Prince
- Jordan Hill
- John Henson
- Marreese Speights
- Kevin Seraphin
- Al Harrington
- Derrick Williams
- Steve Novak
- Glen Davis
- Reggie Evans
- Nerlens Noel
- Kosta Koufos
- Earl Clark
- DeJuan Blair
Centers:
- Kevin Love
- Marc Gasol
- Anthony Davis
- LaMarcus Aldridge
- Al Horford
- Al Jefferson
- Serge Ibaka
- Dirk Nowitzki
- Derrick Favors
- Larry Sanders
- Nikola Vucevic
- Brook Lopez
- DeMarcus Cousins
- Roy Hibbert
- Chris Bosh
- David Lee
- Tim Duncan
- Pau Gasol
- Joakim Noah
- Dwight Howard
- Andre Drummond
- Jonas Valanciunus
- Javale McGee
- Tyson Chandler
- Ryan Anderson
- Nikola Pekovic
- Greg Monroe
- Enes Kanter
- Marcin Gortat
- Amir Johnson
- Zach Randolph
- Andrew Bogut
- Robin Lopez
- Stephen Hawes
- Kevin Garnett
- Anderson Varejao
- DeAndre Jordan
- Samuel Dalembert
- Tristan Thompson
- Andrew Bynum
- Tiago Splitter
- Nene Hilario
- Carlos Boozer
- Taj Gibson
- J.J. Hickson
- Elton Brand
- Omer Asik
- Andrea Bargnani
- Chris Kaman
- Cody Zeller
- Channing Frye
- Bismack Biyombo
- Patrick Patterson
- Josh McRoberts
- Andre Blatche
- Kris Humphries
- Alex Len
- Amare Stoudemire
- Luis Scola
- Brandon Bass
- Ed Davis
- Greg Oden
- Jermaine O’neal
- Kelly Olynyk
- Jason Thompson
- Vitor Faverani
- Byron Mullins
- Steven Adams
- John Henson
- Kevin Seraphin
- Rudy Gobert
- Jordan Hill
- Marreese Speights
- Al Harrington
- Glen Davis
- Kendrick Perkins
- Kosta Koufos
- DeJuan Blair
- Nerlens Noel
- Emeka Okafor
You can post your opinions down below in the comments and hit me up on twitter @Rich_Migs. Let the debates begin!
The Author
31 Comments
Blake Griffin no where on your list?
Wow! You’re right! When you go through so many players, an accident like this can happen. I will add him in now. Thanks for the heads up!
What about David West???
Fixed. There was a time on my phone when I was making changes where things got a bit buggy. Wondered if I accidentally deleted anyone. Hopefully I’m not missing anyone else too significant.
Thanks Frank!
My first ever troll! This is how you know you made it.
The positions are taken from Yahoo. They have players such as Wade labeled as PG and SG. I may have missed a couple of low-end players that I will be adding (i.e. Tony Wroten), but that happens when you go through 300 players or so.
Some of my rankings may be bold, but I have won fantasy basketball leagues and I feel each ranking has a purpose and can be justified. If you have specific examples of players missing, positions being wrong, or rankings you disagree with, you may post them. I will even agree with you if you happen to be right. You may even convince me on a player and it could change his ranking.
I have no problem with discussion and being open minded.
When you start thinking you know it all, when you start getting complacent, when you stop working hard, that is when you start losing.
justify your comments people. Rich already explained his ranking up front if you actually read the article properly.
Everyone has their own views, expectations and predictions on players and how the season will unfolds, otherwise everyone will win their fantasy league and there is no point playing this game.
The fun of fantasy is about being confident of your own knowledge and predictions, if you think yours is better, post your ranking away and let others challenge it.
Rich: what are your views on Andrew Bynum? I have AV on my team, do you think he (AV)will do ok considering his history of injury and what if Bynum returns?
Thanks for defending my ranking. Fantasy basketball is especially subjective. You should stick to your guns, but always be open to logic and reason. No shame in changing your mind. Of course we are replying to a troll post…so moving on haha…
It’s tough. I lowered Bynum in my rankings last night because I felt I was banking on his health too much. If healthy, he can be great. We have all seen that. But much like with Amare Stoudemire, we need to be realistic.
Anderson Varejao put up 14 and 14 lines, but he is 31 I believe and can’t stay healthy. I have been higher on Tristan Thompson. It looks like the Cavs won’t bury him and he should get the minutes needed to be useful.
Outside of Thompson, it may be best to avoid the 3-4-5 spots on the Cavs. There is risk/reward here with Bynum and AV, but sometimes it is best to avoid making the bet at all.
If I had to choose I would take Bynum because both men are injury prone, but Bynum could deliver top center numbers. 18-12-and a couple of blocks. High FG%. A FT% you can live with.
Bynum will likely get off days and games off even if healthy.
Unfortunately, both players are risks. I would go bynum over AV, however.
Thanks Rich for your views on Bynum and AV. After some news hunting and serious thinking , I have gone with AV for now just because he is currently on the court playing and Bynum isn’t. the possibility of 14-14 early on is too attractive than looking at the headline for a return date for Bynum everyday.
Another one for your comments…Harrison Barns, you have ranked him at 41 in SF, meaning it is almost at the undrafed ranking for standard league? I was thinking he could be in for a good season in GS this year even as the 6th man and should get the mins to produce some good stats for fantasy?
I may make some subtle changes to the forward rankings today because position battles are clearing up, so Barnes ranking may change, but my overall view of him doesn’t really change.
I think Barnes right now will be a much better real life player than fantasy player. That can change as many talk about his game developing, but when you include the limited minutes and what he can offer, I think he may be overvalued. He has been hurt for weeks now with a foot issue and it looks like be is going to miss the opener. That may be the bigger issue if you disagree with how I feel.
His playoff run was nice, but it was 12 games where he averaged 38 minutes a game. His stats involved 1.5 3pm, which is nice, as well as 16ppg and 6 boards. He didn’t do much in any other department.
Of course he is young and will improve, but I am looking at this as a fantasy relevant standpoint and I’m not sure he does enough to warrant a roster spot in shallow leagues.
I think he makes a great trade chip to owners that are buying into his real life potential.
Next season I could feel differently. Barnes may end up a few notches higher, but my overall feeling about him this season doesn’t change. If an injury happens, different story, but right now he isn’t going to get more than 25mpg and he’s hurt. He is also still growing as a ball player and is someone I would rather have in dynasty.
I think this year isn’t the year he breaks out and beats the value of the guys ahead of him.
I made some changes to the PF, C rankings and now have AV in front of Bynum. I have no idea now when Bynum will see the court. I thought he would be there opening week, but now wouldn’t be surprised if he misses a month.
He is very frustrating. I rather avoid the mess altogether.
Hi Rich,
AV is doing ok so far that isas long as he stay health. I am glad I went with AV over Bynum….
Sanders is giving me an headache atm and now I also have to deal with Tyson chandler out for 4-6 weeks. My 2 main players for blk! Do you think sanders will turn things around and would you drop chandler for some temporary fill in?
Anyway my main question is about trey Burke. What do you think he can and will produce and if you have any idea when he will be back? Is he worth a spot on the roster now in a Std 12 team very active h2h league?
You have to hang onto Sanders and hope he turns it around. I doubt anyone trades anything of real value for him now too.
Chandler you may have to drop if there is a capable guy to pick up out there. It really depends on that. If there is no obvious guy to pick up, or not other obvious cuts from your team, then you might as well hold onto Chandler. There is a chance if you drop him, he gets picked up and stashed by another team. But the truth is, it is a tough spot. Injuries are so difficult to deal with in Fantasy Basketball since there are no DL or IR spot. Let me know who are some possible pick ups and we can figure out if it is worth making the move dropping Chandler.
As for Burke, there isn’t much competition for when he does return. He should start almost right away and get plenty of minutes. He will probably come back towards the end of November. As for his performance, he can hit threes and should at least get some assists. He should have the ability to get some steals as well. There is some unknown as to how he will perform as a rookie, but anyone in need of PG/assists help should be ready to snatch him up when he is about a week away.
If your league is very active, you may need to pounce sooner. If PG is a big need of yours, then I would consider nabbing him around mid-November (if you think you can wait even that long).
I decided to keep both chandler and sanders and picked up Burke. Given me 3 inactive players in a std league. Burke sounds like he is nearly ready to play soon, so this will leave me with only 2 inactive.
I also dropped AV and picked up Wilson Chandler. AV numbers/value have been slowly declining and the return of Bynum looks to put some risk in holding on to AV. What do you think of this move?
What do you think also of Reggie Jackson?
Do you have an email I can ask you some more in depth questions about my team and league specifically? Not keen on posting my full team details in the public!
Thanks again.
Hi,
Add me on twitter @Rich_Migs and I will tweet you my email through DM. Thanks!
Do you have any advice on my team. It is 12 team 9 cat roto league for a lot of money. Would love any suggestions:
PG: D. Rose
SG: Kyle Korver
G: K. Lowry
SF: Lebron
PF: Milsap
F: Wilson Chandler
C: B. Lopez
C: T. Duncan
Util: T. Splitter
Util: K. Martin
Bench: Nene, R. Lopez, G. Henderson and L. Ridnour
Would love any advice on areas I am weak in (I think it is rebounds and steals) and who to start (I know Chandler is hurt so I will probably lean towards Nene at the moment). Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Hi Tim,
I think you will be okay in threes for the most part because I expect Korver and Martin to carry you there. You may need blocks, but Lopez and Duncan may deliver 2+ per game again and Lopez could even deliver 2 a game. You will need help in steals like you said. Rebounds may be an issue as well for you. It depends on the other teams and matchups, but you may have some assist problems certain weeks. Lebron helps there, since you weren’t able to lock up a third PG.
You need a big year from Duncan and hope he doesn’t sit out/rest too much. I drafted him in a H2H league, and I am hoping for the same. If he can come close to repeating what he did last season, you are in much better shape (just hope he doesn’t sit out come playoff time).
I would start Robin Lopez over Splitter. If Chandler misses time, it depends on what you need. Nene had a down season last year, but perhaps now he can offer something closer to his 2011 line. I would start him over a hurt Chandler.
Hope that helps. If you have any other questions, don’t be afraid to ask!
Can you pls help me on my line up. And also what is lacking in my team. I would really appreciate some advice.
PG: T.Lawson
SG: J. Harden
G: J. Holiday
SF: C. Parsons
PF: C. Boozer
F: N. Vucevic
C: R. Lopez
BN: C. Kaman
BN: G. Vasquez
BN: A. Varejao
I’m new in fantasy and would love to learn new things and win this with my friends. Thank you!
Hi Benj,
Thanks for posting. Is this a 10 man league?
It seems as if you could have trouble with blocks and steals. Maybe rebounds at times. Someone like Boozer tends to not put up stats in those categories.
Anderson Varejao can really rack up rebounds. But he usually doesn’t stay healthy and will have Bynum to compete for in minutes eventually (If Bynum gets and stays healthy)
Robin Lopez will give you blocks and his large minutes increase should allow him to get a decent amount of rebounds.
IMO, you seem fine in assists, threes, and points. FG% and TOs will depend on Jrue and Harden. They shoot a lot and some weeks they are more volume than efficient.
Who is on your waiver wire?
Thanks for the headsup. 🙂 Yep It’s a 10 man league. Who do you suggest to be replace? Varejao and boozer? I’m not sure who to replace them with because all of the top 100 centers and pf are already taken. Im thinking of getting zeller or olynyk? But I’m not sure if it’s the right choice. Any advice who to get.
I don’t have someone on the waiver wire, I don’t fully understand the waiver wire thing. Thank you for the info, I really appreciate it.
Keep them for now. I was asking who are the players that are free agents, who aren’t on anyone’s team.
Kaman would be the guy I would cut if someone came along worthy of a pickup.
Ok. The ones available on the firstpage are:
T. Harris
T. Burke
D.Granger
N. Hilario
A. Bradley
A. Stoudemire
B. McLemore
B. Knight
C. Zeller
O. Porter jr.
A. Len
K. Olynyk
J. Dudley
K. Humphries
R. Foye
C. Delfino
C. Budinger
L. Scola
E. Brand
M. Webster
Btw what’s your opinion on G. Vasquez trade over Bledsoe? Will I go for it?
Keep an eye on Tobias Harris, brand, knight, and olynyk.
I would trade Vasquez for bledsoe.
Copy. Thanks man!
I dropped kaman for mcgee, was that a rigt choice?
D. Green is also on the waiver list. What’s your opinion on this?
If you don’t need a big, then add Green. Bad start or not, he should be fine. We tend to overreact to a few bad games and forget how we felt about guys coming into the season. 3 games shouldn’t completely change that.
I rather have McGee than Kaman, but again, keep an eye on Harris.
I think Parsons will give me a better stats than Green. I am in need of a solid shotblocker and rebounder.
Yep I am eyeing on Harris, waiting for his return to the court.
I would not drop Parsons. McGee should help your shot blocking.
May friend is asking what your opinion on his line up:
PG: Bledsoe
SG: Harden
G: Oladipo
SF: Korver
PF: Parsons
F: Drummond
C: Splitter
C: B. Lopez
Util: D. Green
Util: Mclemore
BN: Chalmers
BN: v. Carter
BN:
Last BN: M. Morris
Assists and rebounds look like his needs. Blocks may be an issue some as well. Mclemore may enter the starting lineup. Maybe someone will bite on his upside and he can add a rebounding/blocking big or a PG.