Fantasy Basketball 2018: Top NBA Player Rankings and Underrated Sleepers
The 2018-19 NBA season is finally here.
Which means you have just a few hours to hurry up and get your fantasy basketball draft in or set your lineup. I'm not sure what your excuse is for being a procrastinator. But as perhaps the biggest procrastinator on earth, I appreciate the last-minute panic.
Have you even done any research yet? No? You're sweating profusely and clicking on anything that comes up in a rushed Google search in hopes of figuring this whole thing out?
Well, awesome. Glad you're here.
Let's take a look at some rankings and sleepers to keep an eye on this season.
Top 75 Rankings
1. Anthony Davis (C, New Orleans Pelicans)
2. James Harden (SG, Houston Rockets)
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF, Milwaukee Bucks)
4. Kevin Durant (SF, Golden State Warriors)
5. Karl-Anthony Towns (C, Minnesota Timberwolves)
6. Russell Westbrook (PG, Oklahoma City Thunder)
7. Stephen Curry (PG, Golden State Warriors)
8. LeBron James (PF, Los Angeles Lakers)
9. Nikola Jokic (C, Denver Nuggets)
10. Kawhi Leonard (SF, Toronto Raptors)
11. Joel Embiid (C, Philadelphia 76ers)
12. Paul George (SF, Oklahoma City Thunder)
13. Victor Oladipo (SG, Indiana Pacers)
14. Damian Lillard (PG, Portland Trail Blazers)
15. Chris Paul (PG, Houston Rockets)
16. Kevin Love (PF, Cleveland Cavaliers)
17. Rudy Gobert (C, Utah Jazz)
18. Jimmy Butler (SF, Minnesota Timberwolves)
19. John Wall (PG, Washington Wizards)
20. Ben Simmons (PG, Philadelphia Sixers)
21. Kyrie Irving (PG, Boston Celtics)
22. Kemba Walker (PG, Charlotte Hornets)
23. Khris Middleton (SF, Milwaukee Bucks)
24. Devin Booker (SG, Phoenix Suns)
25. Jrue Holiday (SG, New Orleans Pelicans)
26. Marc Gasol (C, Memphis Grizzlies)
27. Al Horford (C, Boston Celtics)
28. Klay Thompson (SG, Golden State Warriors)
29. Draymond Green (PF, Golden State Warriors)
30. Donovan Mitchell (SG, Utah Jazz)
31. Bradley Beal (SG, Washington Wizards)
32. Blake Griffin (PF, Detroit Pistons)
33. Andre Drummond (C, Detroit Pistons)
34. LaMarcus Aldridge (PF, San Antonio Spurs)
35. Kyle Lowry (PG, Toronto Raptors)
36. CJ McCollum (SG, Portland Trailblazers)
37. Clint Capela (C, Houston Rockets)
38. Eric Bledsoe (PG, Milwaukee Bucks)
39. Otto Porter (SF, Washington Wizards)
40. Jayson Tatum (SF, Boston Celtics)
41. Jamal Murray (PG, Denver Nuggets)
42. Tobias Harris (PF, Los Angeles Clippers)
43. Gary Harris (SG, Denver Nuggets)
44. DeMar DeRozan (SG, San Antonio Spurs)
45. Joe Ingles (SF, Utah Jazz)
46. Aaron Gordon (PF, Orlando Magic)
47. Will Barton (SG, Denver Nuggets)
48. Gordon Hayward (SF, Boston Celtics)
49. Mike Conley (PG, Memphis Grizzlies)
50. Robert Covington (SF, Philadelphia Sixers)
51. DeAndre Jordan (C, Dallas Mavericks)
52. Myles Turner (C, Indiana Pacers)
53. Jeff Teague (PG, Minnesota Timberwolves)
54. Nicolas Batum (SG, Charlotte Hornets)
55. Ricky Rubio (PG, Utah Jazz)
56. D'Angelo Russell (PG, Brooklyn Nets)
57. Paul Millsap (PF, Denver Nuggets)
58. Nikola Vucevic (C, Orlando Magic)
59. DeMarcus Cousins (C, Golden State Warriors)
60. Dwight Howard (C, Washington Wizards)
61. Luka Doncic (SG, Dallas Mavericks)
62. Zach LaVine (SG, Chicago Bulls)
63. Dario Saric (PF, Philadelphia Sixers)
64. Jusuf Nurkic (C, Portland Trail Blazers)
65. Nikola Mirotic (PF, New Orleans Pelicans)
66. Josh Richardson (SF, Miami Heat)
67. Deandre Ayton (C, Phoenix Suns)
68. Lonzo Ball (PG, Los Angeles Lakers)
69. Julius Randle (PF, New Orleans Pelicans)
70. Enes Kanter (C, New York Knicks)
71. Evan Fournier (SF, Orlando Magic)
72. Harrison Barnes (PF, Dallas Mavericks)
73. Derrick Favors (PF, Utah Jazz)
74. Lou Williams (SG, Los Angeles Clippers)
75. Steven Adams (C, Oklahoma City Thunder)
Sleepers
Jarrett Allen (C, Brooklyn Nets)
Allen is absolutely fearless. There may be no player more willing to challenge every shot at the rim in the entire league. Dude doesn't care if he gets dunked on in the slightest, and that's perfect because "dunked-ons" are not a fantasy category.
The Nets trusted Allen to play more extended minutes following the All-Star break, and he responded by averaging 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on 59.7 percent shooting. There are some guys ranked ahead of Allen simply because of their consistency and Brooklyn's depth at the bigs. Allen shouldn't play 30-32 minutes per game when the Nets have Ed Davis and Kenneth Faried to also man the 5.
But Allen's upside is immense. There's going to be a real opportunity for him to put up numbers, and we could look back feeling like dolts for not recognizing him as a potential top-50 breakout guy.
Let's put it this way: If you told me he finished higher in the season-end rankings than DeAndre Jordan, I would not be surprised.
Tobias Harris (PF, Los Angeles Clippers)
Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are gone. Lou Williams turns 32 later this month and never put up the numbers he did last season as the Sixth Man Award winner.
The Clippers' best player is Tobias Harris, it's not even particularly close, and he should be primed for a huge season as he approaches free agency next summer. Harris averaged a career-high 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists after coming over in the Griffin trade. He's turned into one of the league's best wing three-point shooters.
The lack of name value is going to drop him well below where he should go in drafts. Harris does everything well and will get you some efficient threes from the 4 spot. Grab him if you can.
Markelle Fultz (PG, Philadelphia 76ers)
He was the No. 1 pick a year ago. He is, at least for now, in the starting lineup. The Sixers believe in him. No one's taking him because they're scared off from his miserable rookie season. He's worth the dice roll.
Jabari Parker (PF, Chicago Bulls)
The last time Jabari Parker had a full offseason to work out, he averaged 20.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists while knocking down threes.
Parker is never going to be an elite defender, but he's going to a situation where he's expected to score and needs to prove himself to get that guarantee on the $20 million he's owed for 2019-20.
The 2014 No. 2 overall pick has looked mostly solid in the preseason and seems primed to be the Bulls' first or second option when he's on the floor. Lauri Markkanen's injury Nerf'd his fantasy value, but Parker should be a benefactor.
Coming off the bench might hurt him to start out, but I don't think he'll be doing that for long.
