Fantasy Basketball 2014: Top 10 Rankings and Sleepers at Each Position
If you want to win in fantasy basketball, you'd better draft well, because there are fewer opportunities to make up for mistakes compared to other sports.
Unlike the NFL, where running backs and receivers come out of nowhere to have big seasons, the top players in the NBA are pretty well known. There are certainly sleepers available, but you have to look out for them early on before they get set to break out.
In order to help you before your draft, here is a look at where each player ranks heading into the season as well as some sleepers to watch out for going forward. Instead of doubling up on positions, each player will be listed once to avoid confusion.
Point Guards
| 1 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| 2 | Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 3 | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 4 | John Wall | Washington Wizards |
| 5 | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 6 | Kyrie Irving | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 7 | Goran Dragic | Phoenix Suns |
| 8 | Ty Lawson | Denver Nuggets |
| 9 | Kyle Lowry | Toronto Raptors |
| 10 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls |
| Sleeper | Jose Calderon | New York Knicks |
Stephen Curry does about everything you could want from a player offensively and is also capable of filling both guard slots, making him the top option at the position.
Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook has a chance for a career season while Kevin Durant sits with a foot injury. Durant said of the point guard in a recent press conference:
"Nothing has to change. Just stay who he is and continue to play the way he plays, and everybody is going to follow. He's going to do a great job. I'm not worried about Russ.
[He] may get more opportunities now, but you don't have to change what you do. He knows that. He's a smart player. He knows we all have to do it as a team, and it's going to be fun. I'm excited to see the team play.
"
It will be important for Westbrook not to put any more pressure on himself, but it is clear he will have more opportunities to make plays with the ball in his hands virtually every possession. This should be more than enough to help your fantasy team.
The real wild card at the position is Derrick Rose, who could be one of the best in the league but is a major risk due to injury concerns. The good news is that he has looked impressive early on, according to Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report:
Don't reach for him, but he is certainly worthy of a spot in the top 10 at the position.
Jose Calderon could also be in for a big year statistically as the New York Knicks point guard in the triangle offense.
Shooting Guards
| 1 | James Harden | Houston Rockets |
| 2 | Monta Ellis | Dallas Mavericks |
| 3 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 4 | Eric Bledsoe | Phoenix Suns |
| 5 | DeMar DeRozan | Toronto Raptors |
| 6 | Lance Stephenson | Charlotte Hornets |
| 7 | Klay Thompson | Golden State Warriors |
| 8 | Victor Oladipo | Orlando Magic |
| 9 | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| 10 | Joe Johnson | Brooklyn Nets |
| Sleeper | Eric Gordon | New Orleans Pelicans |
It is a good thing many point guards and small forwards have dual eligibility, because this is not a very deep group.
James Harden is one of the best in the league based on his offensive production and should be a first-round pick (assuming defensive effort is not a category in your league).
One of the big mysteries is where to draft Kobe Bryant after missing most of last season with injuries. Still, he is not the type of player who will take a side role on his team, which means you can expect a lot of production this upcoming season.
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com noted he is still taking a lot of shots in the preseason:
Not counting last year, when he played only six games, Bryant has averaged at least 24 points per game 13 years in a row. Expect him to at least approach this mark on the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
Eric Gordon could also be ready for a big season after doing a better job of staying healthy in 2013-14. He played 64 games last year, which is the most since his rookie season, averaging 15.4 points per game on 39.1 percent shooting from three-point range.
If he can stay on the floor, he can continue to get better and provide some scoring ability in the upcoming season.
Small Forwards
| 1 | LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2 | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks |
| 3 | Kawhi Leonard | San Antonio Spurs |
| 4 | Rudy Gay | Sacramento Kings |
| 5 | Nicolas Batum | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 6 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 7 | Gordon Hayward | Utah Jazz |
| 8 | Chandler Parsons | Dallas Mavericks |
| 9 | Trevor Ariza | Houston Rockets |
| 10 | Jabari Parker | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Sleeper | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
LeBron James is the best player on the planet and is even better comparatively with Kevin Durant on the sideline. Durant should still be drafted relatively early based on his potential when he comes back, but the foot problem should push him down the list.
The rest of the top players at the position are ones who can fill up the stat sheet in a number of different ways. When you cannot get a lot of one thing, it makes sense to get guys who can help out in a number of different ways to be valuable for a fantasy team.
Rookie Jabari Parker also sneaks into the top 10 due to his pure scoring ability and advanced offensive game for his age. On a team without much talent around him, he should get a lot of chances with the ball and could end up lighting up the scoreboard.
Moke Hamilton of SNY.tv notes Parker's coach has high hopes for the former Duke star:
Meanwhile, Parker is not even the most intriguing player on his team. That goes to Giannis Antetokoumpo, who has already shown incredible versatility, as noted by Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey:
The Greek Freak was not too productive in his first year, but he has the ability to fill out the stat sheet and is likely to be eligible at a few different positions. He is worth a late-round flyer to see if he can turn his talent into big numbers.
Power Forwards
| 1 | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 2 | Serge Ibaka | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 3 | LaMarcus Aldridge | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 4 | Chris Bosh | Miami Heat |
| 5 | Kevin Love | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 6 | Paul Millsap | Atlanta Hawks |
| 7 | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks |
| 8 | Kenneth Faried | Denver Nuggets |
| 9 | Pau Gasol | Chicago Bulls |
| 10 | Josh Smith | Detroit Pistons |
| Sleeper | Terrence Jones | Houston Rockets |
Like Westbrook, Serge Ibaka will be forced to take over a lot of the offensive workload with the Thunder, making him a quality option throughout the season.
On the other hand, an interesting aspect to watch at the position is the difference between Kevin Love and Chris Bosh. One played with LeBron last season, while the other will play with him this year.
While you always want to compete alongside elite talent in real life, fantasy is more about opportunity. Bosh will have a bigger role this season with the Heat than he has had in years, while Love will become more of a sidekick than he is used to being.
Despite having very different seasons last year, Bosh should be the better fantasy option this time around.
One player to watch out for is Houston's Terrence Jones, who was a sabremetrics dream in his first year as a starter. Shlomo Sprung of SheridanHoops.com breaks down Jones' strong performance as part of his list of breakout stars for 2014-15:
"Jones’ 118.8 offensive rating ranked 12th in the NBA, and he rewarded Kevin McHale increasing his minutes in grand fashion. In just 27.1 minutes per game, he shot 54.2 percent to go with 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. His 19.1 PER, plus-15 net rating, 7.3 win shares and .169 win shares per 48 minutes were all huge numbers.
"
With a bigger role this season, he has a chance to join the league's elite at the position.
Center
| 1 | Anthony Davis | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2 | DeMarcus Cousins | Sacramento Kings |
| 3 | Al Jefferson | Charlotte Hornets |
| 4 | Dwight Howard | Houston Rockets |
| 5 | Marc Gasol | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 6 | Joakim Noah | Chicago Bulls |
| 7 | Andre Drummond | Detroit Pistons |
| 8 | Al Horford | Atlanta Hawks |
| 9 | Brook Lopez | Brooklyn Nets |
| 10 | DeAndre Jordan | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Sleeper | Nerlens Noel | Philadelphia 76ers |
Last year was Anthony Davis' breakout season where he showed he can be a consistent All-Star. This is the year he proves he can be a consistent MVP candidate.
After averaging 20.8 points and 10 rebounds per game last season, he became the star of Team USA during the squad's run to a championship at the FIBA World Cup. It was a team of some of the best players in the league, but Davis was arguably the most impressive.
Fantasy owners can also look forward bounce-back seasons from Dwight Howard and Brook Lopez. At the same time, all-around performers like Joakim Noah are always welcome regardless of position.
The interesting person to watch this season is Nerlens Noel, who is officially a rookie after missing all of last year with a knee injury. While you cannot take too much away from the exhibition season, he has been impressive in preseason games, just as he was in summer league.
It would be tough to expect huge numbers from Noel in his first year in the league, but he will have a major role without much help around him on Philadelphia. If he can live up to his potential, he could be a double-double machine right out of the gate.
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