Fantasy Basketball 2014: Rankings and Top Sleepers to Target Late in Drafts
With the NBA season a few weeks away from tipoff, now is the perfect time to begin fantasy basketball draft preparation.
It can't match football's popularity, but that just means less opposition for you to dominate your league. In order to do that, you need to know all the stars, scrubs and mid-level talent in between. A little luck on draft day wouldn't hurt either.
Basketball is a game dominated by the stars, so landing a top pick is more imperative than in any other sport. Not that you need one to succeed, but snagging LeBron James or Kevin Durant sure beats grabbing LaMarcus Aldridge or John Wall.
Here's a look at how the top stars rank in a rotisserie league with standard scoring. Keep in mind that your league could drastically alter this order if it counts shot makes rather than percentages, and many head-to-head players will take Dwight Howard and happily tank free-throw percentage.
After that, I'll delve deeper down the draft board to highlight three sleepers not receiving enough attention.
| 1 | Kevin Durant |
| 2 | LeBron James |
| 3 | Anthony Davis |
| 4 | Stephen Curry |
| 5 | James Harden |
| 6 | Chris Paul |
| 7 | Kevin Love |
| 8 | DeMarcus Cousins |
| 9 | John Wall |
| 10 | Russell Westbrook |
| 11 | LaMarcus Aldridge |
| 12 | Carmelo Anthony |
| 13 | Serge Ibaka |
| 14 | Kyrie Irving |
| 15 | Damian Lillard |
| 16 | Blake Griffin |
| 17 | Kyle Lowry |
| 18 | Dirk Nowitzki |
| 19 | Al Jefferson |
| 20 | Kawhi Leonard |
| 21 | Goran Dragic |
| 22 | Chris Bosh |
| 23 | Joakim Noah |
| 24 | Paul Millsap |
| 25 | Nicolas Batum |
Sleepers
Eric Gordon, SG, New Orleans Pelicans
At this stage of the game, touting Eric Gordon isn't a confident endorsement for a revival other than throwing caution to the wind and saying, "Eh, why not?"
It's early to get a truly accurate gauge of how drafts will unfold, but he currently holds a 103.1 average draft position (ADP), per FantasyPros. This is the man who spearheaded David Stern's horrible Chris Paul trade three years ago.
To be fair, Gordon twice exceeded 20 points per game with a 45.0 field-goal percentage. Through all his injuries and struggles, he averages 17.5 points per game over his six-year career. He's also still 25 years old.
He's never shot too effectively from long range, but he can improve with a better understanding of his skills. Per USA Today Sports' Adi Joseph, his sweet spot comes around the top of the arc's edges.
If he eschews the corners and top of the arc more, he can further improve on last year's 39.1 percent rate from downtown, making up for his lack of contribution outside of scoring.
He doesn't need to live up to his superstar upside to justify this selection. If he's popping out 17-18 points a night for 60-70 games, his owners will happily take him around pick No. 100.
Danilo Gallinari, SF, Denver Nuggets
Hey guys, remember Danilo Gallinari? Apparently not, as he has an early ADP of 119.6. Although certainly a risk after missing all of last season with a torn ACL, he's worth a late flier.
Two years ago, Gallinari scored a career-high 16.2 points per game, shooting right on par with his career rate at 41.8 percent. He's not the most efficient scorer, but his three-point prowess makes him a fantasy weapon.
He drained 1.9 threes per game during his last healthy season, and before writing him off as a one-trick pony, consider that he also averaged 5.2 rebounds and 0.9 steals per contest with an 82.2 free-throw percentage.
The 26-year-old doesn't sound overly concerned about how he'll mesh into Brian Shaw's style of play, per The Denver Post's Nick Groke.
"You can learn about it, but if you're not working on the court, it's not the same thing. I'm starting to understand (Shaw's) concept of the game offensively and defensively. ... You guys know me, I can fit in any system. I'm versatile. There's no system that doesn't fit me.
"
Worst-case scenario, you blew a 10th-round pick hoping to gain a fifth-round talent.
Mason Plumlee, PF, Brooklyn Nets
Do you trust Brook Lopez to stay upright for a full healthy season? Are you confident that 38-year-old Kevin Garnett won't wear down during what could be his final NBA season?
If you answered yes to both those questions, then you are much more optimistic than I am. That's good in most situations, but not here, as your rosy, unrealistic outlook will rob you of realizing that Mason Plumlee is ripe for a big minutes boost for the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets trusted him with more playing time as the 2013-14 season winded down. In April, he played 24.6 minutes per game, averaging 11.7 points and 6.0 boards per game. Using the All-Star break as our convenient arbitrary endpoint, he excelled when given a greater opportunity.
| MPG | 15.6 | 22.0 |
| PPG | 6.2 | 9.1 |
| RPG | 3.3 | 6.0 |
| BPG | 0.8 | 0.8 |
| FG% | 63.2 | 68.4 |
| FT% | .635 | .613 |
While he mostly just directed lobs into the hoop last year, new head coach Lionel Hollins has bigger plans for Plumlee than Jason Kidd, according to the New York Post's Tim Bontemps.
“We’ve been working with him,” Hollins said. “I’m trying to force-feed him to be a post player more than just a perimeter slasher. We need his size around the basket, both offensively and defensively, and he’s improving.”
That may slash him outstanding field-goal percentage, but he shouldn't stray too far outside his sweet spot. The real danger lies in his free-throw shooting, which could hurt rotisserie owners. That fear, however, is duly noted in his 146.8 ADP. Nobody is perfect that low down the draft board.
Note: ADP information courtesy of FantasyPros.
