Fantasy Basketball 2011: Rankings, Sleepers and Projections

Fantasy basketball season is right around the corner now that the NBA lockout is over, and Kevin Durant has a very legitimate case as the first overall selection.

Unlike seasons past, this year offers a ton of depth at point guard, while the importance to nab a good big man early in the draft is becoming apparent and should be at the forefront of every owner's mind.

With some new faces in new places, team chemistry is going to play a major factor in a truncated season, and that could have a pretty large influence on the statistics players put up and therefore the overall success of your fantasy team.

We have the top five at each position with some sleepers sprinkled into the mix, and it's officially time to get excited about another season of fantasy hoops.

Note: Stats listed with each player are projected for 2011-12 season

Point Guard

1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets: 17.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 10.5 apg, 0.1 blk, 2.5 stl
   
   Paul is the premier point guard in fantasy drafts no matter how anyone attempts to slice it, as there's no doubting what he's able to do on the court. His ability to impact the stat sheet in literally every area as well as be an elite source of steals makes him the clear-cut top dog.
2. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls: 25.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 8.2 apg, 0.7 blk, 1.3 stl
   
   What's not to like about Rose? He scores, dishes the rock and has progressed his game immensely from where it stood when he first entered the league. He was the youngest MVP in league history and will look to continue his development this season.
   
   
3. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder: 21.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 8.6 apg, 0.5 blk, 1.8 stl
   
   Westbrook needs to scale back his tendency to shoot so often in an effort to really unlock his promise, and that's something that could occur as soon as this season.
   
   
4. Deron Williams, New Jersey Nets: 19.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 10.8 apg, 0.2 blk, 1.3 stl
   
   Williams should enjoy some solid production for the Nets in his first full season with the club, but what he'll ultimately produce varies depending upon what the team puts around him. The Nets have a ton of cap space and Williams should have some new toys to work with.
   
   
5. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors: 19.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.1 apg, 0.2 blk, 1.6 stl
   
   Curry is likely to be overvalued based on name value alone, but there is plenty to like about what he could bring to the lineup. He has intriguing breakout potential, but it is a smart move to pair him with a veteran who has proven to be a stable source of production.

Shooting Guard

1. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: 26.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.2 blk, 1.6 stl
   
   Wade is the prime shooting guard for owners and for good reason—he does everything. He should take on a similar role to last season, and it wouldn't be surprising if he outproduces LeBron James more regularly.
   
   
2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers: 25.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 0.4 blk, 1.4 stl
   
   Bryant may not be the same player he once was from a statistical standpoint, but after offseason knee surgery and plenty of time to think about the surprising loss to Dallas, Bryant is going to be extremely motivated to prove all of his doubters wrong.
   
   
3. Eric Gordon, Los Angeles Clippers: 23.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.4 blk, 1.5 stl
   
   Gordon was set to explode for the Clippers last season, and there's no question that if he stays healthy he could very well wind up being the biggest steal of the draft. The projections here are conservative, but it's entirely possible he posts averages of 20, 5 and 5.
   
   
4. Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors: 24.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.5 apg, 0.3 blk, 2.2 stl
   
   Ellis is still very valuable to owners looking for a shooting guard who does more than score, and his pairing alongside Stephen Curry is overblown for fantasy purposes. He contributes in a multitude of areas and it's promised that he's a focal point of the attack every single night.
   
   
5. Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks: 20.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0.2 blk, 1.0 stl
   
   Johnson's stock is another that will slip because of a down year in 2010-11, but he should be in line to produce steadily for his owners. He doesn't shoot all that efficiently from the field, but he will have the ball in his hands more often than not.

Small Forward

1. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: 28.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 blk, 1.2 stl
   
   The debate between Durant and James goes back and forth, but K.D. gets to the free throw line with such regularity and converts at such a high rate that he has the ability to single-handedly win that category for owners.
   
   
2. LeBron James, Miami Heat: 27.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 7.4 apg, 0.7 blk, 1.7 stl
   
   James is going to produce in a plethora of categories across the stat sheet for owners, but until he can become a better free throw shooter, he's going to hurt owners in that category. There's really no downside with James outside of that.
   
   
3. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks: 26.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.9 apg, 0.7 blk, 1.0 stl
   
   Anthony clearly enjoyed playing for the Knicks, and his first full season in Madison Square Garden promises to be extremely prolific from a fantasy standpoint. The rebounds are a very welcome bonus for owners looking for increased production from him, as the Knicks will rely on him to help clean up the glass.
   
   
4. Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies: 20.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 blk, 1.8 stl
   
   Gay is going to slip in drafts because of a shoulder injury that ended his season early, but he's got the ability to finish within the top 20 of any position by season's end. He contributes in almost every category and that type of versatility isn't easily found.
   
   
5. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers: 21.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.0 blk, 1.1 stl
   
   Granger was a first-round pick a couple of seasons ago, but he's going to have to make better decisions as to when he shoots the ball if he's going to elevate his stock. He's a great target for those willing to gamble on draft day.

Power Forward

1. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves: 21.5 ppg, 14.4 rpg, 2.7 apg, 0.3 blk, 0.5 stl
   
   It's time to stop sleeping on Love. The kid is the sole source of offense for a T-Wolves team that is bringing in a lot of new parts, and he's going to have to produce at the same level we saw last season for his club to have a chance on any given night.
   
   
2. Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks: 24.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 blk, 0.8 stl
   
   Stoudemire looked re-energized when he got to New York, and despite a slight drop in production toward the end of the season, he should be ready to roll and produce at a very high level for a Knicks team that needs him to do exactly that.
   
   
3. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: 22.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.7 blk, 0.6 stl
   
   Nowitzki doesn't offer the same allure he held earlier in his career, but he still brings solid, consistent production every single night. He's not going to rebound like some others at the position, but he'll always find his points no matter what.
   
   
4. Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers: 18.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.5 blk, 0.7 stl
   
   Gasol is going to produce early and often with Andrew Bynum serving his suspension, but we've seen that he's a different player (from a fantasy perspective) with Bynum in the lineup. Having said that, there's plenty of reason to believe another solid season is in store for Gasol, but don't expect anything to change drastically from last season.
   
   
5. Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies: 21.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.4 blk, 0.9 stl
   
   Randolph absolutely exploded for the Grizzlies last season, and he should be counted on to average double-double figures once again. The downside with Z-Bo is his lack of peripheral statistics, but his ability to influence both points and rebounds is enough to overlook that.

Center

1. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic: 23.0 ppg, 13.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 2.6 blk, 1.3 stl
   
   Howard is the consensus top center, and although his free throw percentage is awfully tough to digest, he's simply too dominant in a variety of other areas to ignore what he brings to the table.
   
2. Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks: 15.2 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.1 blk, 0.7 stl
   
   Horford is constantly overlooked by owners looking for some help in the middle, but there's no questioning his overall value. He's going to be relied upon to be a serious source of production for the Hawks this season.
   
3. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz: 18.9 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.7 blk, 0.8 stl
   
   Jefferson wasn't talked about too widely despite an unbelievably solid campaign for Utah last year, and he's going to be a major part of what an improving Jazz team does going forward.
   
   
4. Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls: 11.4 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.6 blk, 0.9 stl
   
   Noah's game might not be one of the prettiest we've ever seen, but all he does is produce in a variety of areas and wind up looking like a value pick when it's all said and done.
   
   
5. Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee Bucks: 15.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.6 blk, 0.8 stl
   
   Bogut is going to slip in a lot of drafts after back-to-back campaigns struggling with an elbow injury, but he's got serious bounce-back potential and should be targeted by owners looking to invest at other positions early in the draft.

Sleeper: Arron Afflalo, Shooting Guard

Projected Stats: 13.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.8 stl, 0.4 blk

Afflalo's value to fantasy owners is in his ability to contribute from the three-point line as well as the free-throw line.

Last season, Afflalo averaged 1.5 threes per game and shot 84.7 percent from the line, and as large as his role was last season (averaged 34 minutes of playing time), he's in line to be even more important to the Nuggets this season.

It's really unlikely Denver lets him walk as a restricted free agent as he's proven to be a key cog and an absolute bargain, and he'll take another step forward in 2011-12.

Sleeper: DeAndre Jordan, Center

Projected Stats: 7.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 2.1 blk, 0.6 stl

This selection is highly dependent on Chris Kaman getting either traded or injured, as Jordan has some serious appeal if either of those two scenarios occur.

When Kaman was sidelined last year, Jordan averaged 7.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a starter, and those numbers could very well rise with extended playing time.

He's an absolute beast near the glass and is a force around the rim on the defensive end, and the Clippers will be a fantasy frontcourt to fear if he gets extended time next to Blake Griffin.

Sleeper: J.J. Redick, Shooting Guard

Projected Stats: 14.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 0.1 blk, 1.1 stl

Redick is expected to step into a starting role as Jason Richardson is expected to leave the team via free agency, and that means seriously increased playing time for the sniper.

In addition to excelling from beyond the arc, Redick has the capability to contribute in the steals department and even kick in a few assists from time to time as well.

The real value in Redick is his uncanny ability to convert from the foul line, and if he gets there often enough, he could really become valuable in a heartbeat.

Sleeper: Jared Dudley, Shooting Guard

Projected Stats: 15.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.5 blk, 1.7 stl

Dudley was starting for the Suns last season and had no trouble acclimating to a new role, and he is going to have to produce for this rebuilding franchise this year.

He's penciled in as the starting shooting guard for Phoenix, and in a high-tempo offense with Steve Nash at point guard, Dudley has the skills to really make his presence felt for owners.

He'll help in the three-point department as well as scoring, but what makes him especially valuable is that he's a surprising source of rebounds from the guard position.

Sleeper: Gary Neal, Guard

Projected Stats: 13.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.2 blk, 0.6 stl

Neal was a very interesting player as a rookie last season, and he's going to be relied upon heavily by the Spurs this season.

The team is going to use Neal at both guard spots and he's going to be ticketed for major playing time, and his ability to convert from distance is something that just can't be ignored.

He has the ability to produce even greater stats than those listed, but his value will be directly tied to playing time.

Neal could flat out explode if Manu Ginobili is forced to the sidelines for a significant period of time.