Fantasy basketball season is among us, and we will be drafting very soon. Everybody knows LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. What you need to win championships are hidden gems. In this article we will be going over a hidden gem for each of the six major statistical categories excluding shot percentage stats. These are guys you can get in the mid-to-late rounds that will outperform their projections and draft slot. These are not specialist players. They are well-rounded players that will excel at a particular specialty.

Points
SF Jabari Parker
Parker looks to be the clear frontrunner for rookie of the year. There is no reason Parker can’t score around or over 20 points-per-game. It may seem like a bit of a stretch starting this off with an unproven rookie, however, it is only average if you consider what ROYs tend to do. Since King James was drafted in 2003, the ROY has averaged 18.7 points-per-game. Emeka Okafor had the lowest total at 15.1 and Blake Griffin was the highest at 22.5 PPG. Parker can be a prolific scorer and the top player on a very young team. His athleticism could lead to production across the board. Do not be surprised if he is a very productive rebounding small forward and contributes on defense with steals and blocks. Considering Kyrie Irving was injured at Duke, Parker is the best rookie prospect since Griffin. He is a player that may be worth taking a risk on and over drafting.

Rebounds
PF Kenneth Faried
His freakish athleticism and high-energy has earned him the nickname the Manimal. Faried is a guy that is driven and has great work ethic. Despite a slow start last season he ended the season very strong. He is a guy that improved every single year at Morehead State and has also improved every year in the NBA. He should only keep getting better. I’m not sure how many of you are huge basketball addicts like us here at TheFantasyFix, but if you watched the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Faried stole the show. He may have stood out more than any other superstar on the team. He looked like a man among boys as he so often does. He even out rebounded USAs starting center Anthony Davis 70-to-59, including 35-to-20 on the offensive boards. If you look at how many superstars drastically improve after playing on a US men’s team, it is staggering. Expect a huge year out of the Manimal.

Assists
SG Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak has continued to grow this offseason (literally). The 19-year-old grew two inches and gained 12 pounds. Antetokounmpo is now 6-foot-11 and 217 pounds with freakish abilities. He is still a very raw talent but the talent is undeniable. He played both SG and SF last season. New head coach Jason Kidd has talked about using him at PG this season. Kidd may not be the greatest coach, but there are not a whole lot of people you’d want a young player to learn the position from more than him. Antetokounmpo will likely be moved all over the court, but if the PG rumors are true, you know Kidd will want him to distribute. With a lot of young firepower around him, he could have a breakout season. He has the potential to contribute in every area. We really wanted to get him in the article and this is where he seemed to fit best.

Steals
PG Mario Chalmers
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Chalmers really emerge this year now that the Heat actually require a PG. Yes, he will likely still split time with Norris Cole, and Shabazz Napier is there as well. Napier looks far from ready though, he really struggled in the summer league. Chalmers was a great player at Kansas and until last season he was underrated in the NBA. He prides himself on his steals and is very good at it. He averaged 1.6 steals-per-game last season, which isn’t far off from his career average of 1.5. He was tied for 12th in the league last season in steals, yet people just tend to ignore him. When LeBron and Dwyane Wade missed time, Chalmers was always the role player to step up and have big games. This year there will be a lot of time with no James and Wade. On top of his steals totals, his assists are almost guaranteed to go up with King James back in Cleveland. He should absorb some of the available shots as well. Chalmers could emerge as a viable fantasy option this season.

Blocks
C Larry Sanders
How quickly we forget about people when they get injured. Sanders is living proof of the fact that fantasy sports is a “what have you done for me lately” business. Sanders is just a year removed from being an elite shot blocker (2.7 bpg) and double-double machine. He averaged 9.8 points- and 9.5 rebounds-per-game. The big man even chipped in more than an assist-per-game and a very solid shooting percentage (.506-percent from the field). He dealt with injuries all last season and his numbers were down across the board. He only managed to suit up for 23 games and started just 20. He should bounce back in a major way as long as he can stay healthy. Sanders is well worth a late round flier.

3s
SG Wesley Matthews
For some reason Matthews is forever overlooked. He is one of the top SGs in the league and an elite 3-point shooter. He can contribute in almost every category, and if he gets hot, he can put up points at a remarkable clip. Last season, Matthews scored 16.4 points and 2.5 3-pointers-per-game. He also added 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals. He has solid shooting percentages as well, Matthews shot 44.1-percent from the floor and 83.7-percent from the stripe. He was quietly a top 50 player last season, and with the talent surrounding him only maturing, his fantasy production should continue to increase. With elite players like Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge on the floor with him, he should see some wide open looks from behind the arch.

Be sure to follow Mark on Twitter for more fantasy hoops and football analysis @CoolCutter21