Fantasy Hoops: Preseason Top-150 Rankings

The 2018/19 season is almost here and so much has changed since the last time we presented an edition of Fantasy Hoops!

LeBron James took his talents to Hollywood and brought along an entertaining cast. DeMarcus Cousins is the latest player to draw the ire of fans for electing to sign with the NBA’s elite. Kawhi Leonard was shipped to The North while Paul George backtracked to an earlier time and stayed in an Oklahoma state of mind.

Let’s take a look at where these and the league’s other top players rank in our fantasy basketball top 150 (rankings based on Roto Scoring with nine categories—points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks, 3-pointers, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and turnovers):

1. Anthony Davis
2. James Harden
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo
   • The Greek Freak became the only player in history last season to rank in the top-20 in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. If you take him with the No. 1 pick, no one should question you. He gets a new coach who should be able to help him expand his game even further and don’t discount the presence of Brook Lopez. The big man’s ability to shoot from the perimeter will draw defenders away from the lane, allowing Antetokounmpo and the rest of the offense to thrive.
4. Karl-Anthony Towns
5. Stephen Curry
6. Nikola Jokic
7. Kevin Durant
8. LeBron James
9. Joel Embiid
10. Kawhi Leonard
    • Let’s not forget that when healthy, the 2016/17 MVP candidate has been a top-5 player in roto formats. He’s looked healthy and sharp during preseason action thus far.
11. Damian Lillard
12. Victor Oladipo
13. Jimmy Butler
14. Jrue Holiday
    • The Pelicans played at the league’s fastest pace last season, averaging 102.7 possessions per 48 minutes. The combination of Holiday’s talent and environment will make his fantasy owners smile all season.
15. Paul George
16. Chris Paul
17. Ben Simmons
18. Kevin Love
19. Rudy Gobert
20. Khris Middleton
21. Russell Westbrook
22. John Wall
23. Bradley Beal
24. Kyrie Irving
25. Andre Drummond
26. Draymond Green
27. Kyle Lowry
28. Kemba Walker 
    • The potential for a trade during the season looms over Walker. While he remains in Charlotte, he’ll enjoy a top usage rate and he’d be in the 12-15 range if we knew he was staying put. Pairing him with someone like Russell Westbrook, who will miss time as he recovers from knee surgery, is an intriguing strategy. Westbrook will gain value as the season goes along while Walker’s value will fall should he get trade
29. Tobias Harris
30. Eric Bledsoe
31. Klay Thompson
32. Otto Porter Jr.
33. Clint Capela
34. LaMarcus Aldridge
35. Gary Harris
36. Marc Gasol
37. Devin Booker
38. Donovan Mitchell
39. DeMar DeRozan
40. Gordon Hayward
41. Blake Griffin
42. Mike Conley
43. CJ McCollum
44. Al Horford
45. Nikola Vucevic
46. Robert Covington
    • The addition of Wilson Chandler may cut into Covington’s playing time, though RoCo should continue to be a fantasy darling in many categories.
47. Luka Doncic
48. Aaron Gordon
49. Ricky Rubio
50. Jamal Murray
51. DeAndre Jordan
52. Josh Richardson
    • As of this writing, Richardson remains on the Heat. Should the Wolves acquire him in a Jimmy Butler deal, Richardson’s value would rise. Tom Thibodeau would likely give him a new career-high in minutes per game, which currently sits at 33.2.
53. Goran Dragic
54. Dario Saric
55. Myles Turner
56. Will Barton
57. Jarrett Allen
58. John Collins
59. Taurean Prince
60. Enes Kanter
61. Jayson Tatum
62. Lou Williams
63. Jeff Teague
64. Joe Ingles
65. Kris Dunn
66. Jonathan Isaac
67. Deandre Ayton
68. Paul Millsap
69. D’Angelo Russell
70. Tyreke Evans
71. Julius Randle
72. Nikola Mirotic
73. Evan Fournier
74. Steven Adams
75. Nicolas Batum
76. Tim Hardaway
77. Eric Gordon
78. Jusuf Nurkic
79. Dwight Howard
    • Howard’s back injury doesn’t appear to be too serious. However, it adds yet another layer of risk to drafting Howard this high.
80. Jonas Valanciunas
81. Hassan Whiteside
82. Trae Young
83. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
84. Kyle Anderson
85. Lonzo Ball
86. Buddy Hield
87. Serge Ibaka
88. DeMarcus Cousins
89. Markelle Fultz
90. Dennis Smith Jr.
91. Kevin Knox
92. Brook Lopez
93. Wendell Carter Jr.
94. Kent Bazemore
95. Danilo Gallinari
96. Jeremy Lamb
97. Allen Crabbe
98. T.J. Warren
    • What will the Suns‘ rotation look like after the team invested heavily in both Mikal Bridges (via draft capital) and Trevor Ariza (via actual capital)? Warren had ample opportunity last season for a team that was second in the league in pace of play, though he’s likely to get a much smaller piece of the offensive pie this season.
99. Markieff Morris
100. Dennis Schroder
101. Darren Collison
102. James Johnson
103. Zach LaVine
104. Jabari Parker
105. Lauri Markkanen
106. Taj Gibson
107. Jaren Jackson
108. Andrew Wiggins
109. Jaylen Brown
110. Kyle Kuzma
111. De’Aaron Fox
112. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
113. Reggie Jackson
114. Derrick Favors
115. Malcolm Brogdon
116. Kristaps Porzingis
117. Willie Cauley-Stein
     • WCS wants to get paid. There are worse decisions than investing a late-round fantasy pick on a player with a financial goal.
118. D.J. Augustin
119. Trevor Ariza
120. Thaddeus Young
121. Rajon Rondo
122. Bobby Portis
123. Rodney Hood
124. Larry Nance Jr.
125. Carmelo Anthony
126. J.J. Redick
127. Spencer Dinwiddie
128. Elfrid Payton
129. Dirk Nowitzki
130. Jordan Bell
131. Avery Bradley
132. Marvin Williams
133. Pau Gasol
134. Jerami Grant
135. Kelly Olynyk
136. Brandon Ingram
137. Terry Rozier
138. Collin Sexton
     • Sexton has been inconsistent this preseason. He has the raw talent to immediately fill the stat sheet in this league and if the Cavs deal George Hill before the trade deadline, his stock will rise significantly.
139. Domantas Sabonis
140. Marvin Bagley III
141. Patrick Beverley
142. Joe Harris
143. Al-Farouq Aminu
144. Dewayne Dedmon
145. Kelly Oubre Jr.
146. Trey Lyles
147. Pascal Siakam
148. Harry Giles
149. Caris LeVert
150. Marcin Gortat