With the NBA regular season winding down and playoffs on the horizon, many avid fantasy basketball aficionados are already looking to next season.
Maybe you didn’t do as well as you thought you would this year. Or perhaps you want to do as much research you can so you can defend your crown. Either way, it’s important to start early.
Next season starts as soon as the final buzzer sounds!
Here’s your guide to what is likely to be the top NBA fantasy rankings for next season:
NBA Fantasy Rankings By Position
Your draft depends on your ability to know your positions. Let’s take a look at the hottest draft pick options, position by position.
Best Point Guards
In the point guard position, you can’t go wrong with James Harden. Widely expected to run away with the league’s MVP award this year, Harden is sure to elevate his game and his team even further next year.
Given Harden’s spectacular statistics this season, he’s likely to be a top-three pick in your fantasy draft, if not number one overall in next year’s NBA fantasy rankings.
But if you’re not picking high next year, Damien Lillard and Russell Westbrook are fantastic alternatives. Westbrook is a former MVP, while Lillard is a star on the rise. Both are poised to put up serious numbers next year if they stay healthy.
Big name guards like Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving are risky options given that both are coming off of serious injuries this season.
Best Shooting Guards
Harden is often slotted at the shooting guard position, so you may be able to steal him as your second pick if he is still available.
If not, there are plenty of fantastic shooting guards like Demar Derozan, Andrew Wiggins and Bradley Beal that make up in stats what they might lack in star power and name recognition. You definitely shouldn’t sleep on these guys.
Other great shooting guards include Jimmy Butler and Victor Oladipo, who is coming off a breakout season with the Indiana Pacers. Many sports insiders are predicting that Oladipo will win this year’s Most Improved Player award.
Best Small Forwards
In any season, the most reliable small forward, no matter what the NBA fantasy rankings are, is going to be Lebron James. The best player in the world is showing no signs of slowing down.
But other players likely to be highly ranked next season include Oklahoma City’s duo of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. The Thunder have been slightly disappointing this season, but the two forwards have put up solid stats.
Kawhi Leonard is dealing with mysterious injury concerns this season, but as the star small forward of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, the San Antonio Spurs, Leonard is poised to come back better than ever.
Best Power Forwards
New Orleans has two of the best power forwards in the league, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is the riskier pick because he will be coming off of an injury, but they’re both great big men for your fantasy basketball team.
Also dealing with some injuries is Blake Griffin, Detroit’s newest star. When he’s healthy, Blake Griffin can fill stat sheets better than nearly every other player in the league.
Aaron Gordon and LaMarcus Aldridge are also fantastic power forwards that would make great sleeper picks. Both players have been up and down the last couple seasons, but they’re good options if still available in middle rounds of the draft.
Best Centers
When it comes to NBA fantasy rankings, centers are not typically ranked highly overall. The league is moving away from traditional big men, and many of these players that are still around don’t get the playing time that they used to.
But there are a few centers that are revolutionizing the position. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of them. As a big man who doubles as a sharp-shooter, Towns is a must-have in any league.
If you’re picking low, Clint Capela and Joel Embiid are great options. Capela is coming off of a great year as an important member of the Houston Rockets, the number-one overall seed going into this year’s playoffs.
Embiid is a riskier choice because he often misses games, but when he’s on the court, he always puts up big numbers. Expect him to be a more reliable choice next season.
Best Utility Options
The utility spot is tricky to draft for because any player can be slotted in regardless of the position they play on the court. But you shouldn’t treat this as an auxiliary role.
The utility position can be a great way to get the points you need to give you an edge over your competitors. But if you’ve already filled your other positions with star players, it can be hard to know who to pick.
The smart money is on choosing the best available player if all the stars have already been drafted. Remember, you can always switch your utility players if you need to.
Many fantasy basketball players like to choose their utility players based on what position they would like to feature more of on their team. In a lot of cases, guards tend to handle the ball more and have more opportunities to rack up stats.
You might always want to use the slot to give a lower-tier player a chance, like Devin Booker or DeAngelo Russell. Both have shown glimpses of superstardom, but have been inconsistent thus far. However, both could pay off big.
These NBA Fantasy Rankings May Change
A lot can happen between now and the beginning of next year’s fantasy season. Be sure to check back frequently to see if the NBA fantasy rankings change.
Picking players for a fantasy team can be difficult. Make sure you do enough research before your fantasy draft.
Occasionally, you’ll have to make a split-second decision. Having prior knowledge about the available players can put you at a huge advantage. If you make the right picks, it can pay off big.
For more information how to turn a sizable profit from your fantasy basketball league, please contact us! And be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more tips and advice.