Player values are officially set in stone now, so it’s time to update the Top 50. There aren’t too many drastic differences, but certainly there are some changes worth noting.
The biggest jump, once again, goes to Anthony Davis, who’s up 18 spots since the preseason edition, and Andre Drummond, who’s up an incredible 25 spots. You’ll notice that I came around on ranking injured players. It still leaves too much up for debate in my mind, but Anthony Davis’s needed presence was the deal breaker.
New to the party are Russell Westbrook, Eric Bledsoe, Kobe Bryant, Michael Carter-Williams, Klay Thompson and Paul Millsap. For obvious reasons, Derrick Rose was ousted, along with Tim Duncan, Andre Iguodala, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay.
Don’t forget you can ask any of your draft questions on Twitter at @DimeFantasyDoc. Rankings are based on head-to-head play.
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50. JOAKIM NOAH, Chicago Bulls (Previously: 34)
Noah should see an uptick in production similar to last year’s value now that Rose is gone.
49. DERRICK FAVORS, Utah Jazz (Previously: 48)
I thought we would see a lot more blocks out of Favors, but he’s still been rock solid rebounding and scoring.
48. TONY PARKER, San Antonio Spurs (Previously: 33)
Parker’s value is limited by his lack of treys and steals, but he’s still as safe as they come.
47. PAUL MILLSAP, Atlanta Hawks (Previously Unranked)
Millsap is meshing much better in Atlanta than I thought he would, and is even chipping in 0.8 treys per game.
46. LUOL DENG, Chicago Bulls (Previously Unranked)
Despite his recent injury, Deng remains valuable because of the loss of Derrick Rose.
45. KEMBA WALKER, Charlotte Bobcats (Previously: 46)
The Bobcats are a much improved team, thanks to the continued development of Walker.
44. JRUE HOLIDAY, New Orleans Pelicans (Previously: 32)
Holiday is just starting to heat up as he gets more comfortable with his new teammates.
43. RYAN ANDERSON, New Orleans Pelicans (Previously: 45)
Anderson gets some improved value from Anthony Davis’s absence, but even when he returns, Anderson’s treys and blocks make him an important piece.
42. DAVID LEE, Golden State Warriors (Previously: 35)
The lack of steals and blocks affects his value, but Lee is as safe of a fantasy player as you can get.
41. KLAY THOMPSON, Golden State Warriors (Previously Unranked)
Klay doesn’t do too much else besides contribute to threes, but he does it so greatly that he’s a top shooting guard option.
40. MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS, Philadelphia 76ers (Previously Unranked)
If he wasn’t hurt, Carter-Williams would be much higher on this list. He still has a lot to prove, but has the makings of an elite fantasy point guard.
39. BROOK LOPEZ, Brooklyn Nets (Previously: 42)
There’s always an injury risk involved with Lopez, but he has been a bright spot for the lowly Nets when healthy.
38. ROY HIBBERT, Indiana Pacers (Previously Unranked)
Hibbert’s is second in the league in blocks per game, but if he can get his offense to come around, he’ll be a top center optioin.
37. BLAKE GRIFFIN, Los Angeles Clippers (Previously: 29)
Griffin is back to 20 and 10, but will it last the whole season?
36. PAU GASOL, Los Angeles Lakers (Previously: 14)
Pau’s efficiency has been miserable, but he’s by far the Lakers best frontcourt option and doesn’t appear to be on the trading block.
35. NIKOLA VUCEVIC, Orlando Magic (Previously: 38)
Vucevic is quietly one of the best rebounders in the game. Try and buy low while he’s still banged up.
34. JEFF TEAGUE, Atlanta Hawks (Previously: 47)
Teague has cooled off since his hot start, but is still in line for a career year.
33. MARC GASOL, Memphis Grizzlies (Previously: 17)
As soon as Gasol returns, he’ll be back to being a top-20 option.
32. KOBE BRYANT, Los Angeles Lakers (Previously Unranked)
Never doubt Kobe. He looked a little rusty in his first game, but there was a lot to like form a fantasy perspective, especially if D’Antoni is going to continue to give him point guard minutes.
31. JOSH SMITH, Detroit Pistons (Previously: 24)
Smoove has been a bit of a disappointment in his new digs so far, but there’s plenty of basketball left to be played and he’s getting more and more comfortable each game.
30. DIRK NOWITZKI, Dallas Mavericks (Previously: 30)
Dirk’s rebounding is down, but he’ll be efficient enough to warrant fantasy relevancy until the day he retires.
29. ERIC BLEDSOE, Phoenix Suns (Previously Unranked)
Bledsoe has the potential to go higher if he stays off the injury report.
28. MONTA ELLIS, Dallas Mavericks (Previously: 27)
Ellis is having by far his most efficient season, and he should be able to keep it up considering his improved supporting cast.
27. DERON WILLIAMS, Brooklyn Nets (Previously: 13)
I’m giving D-Will a pass on his injury-plagued start, but I won’t be so nice next time. This is why I didn’t go in to teaching.
26. MIKE CONLEY, Memphis Grizzlies (Previously: 39)
Conley has had a red-hot start, but if he wants to maintain this rank he’ll have to get his steals back up.
25. BRANDON JENNINGS, Detroit Pistons (Previously: 40)
Jennings has struggled to find the balance between scorer and facilitator so far, but the 8.1 assists per game are a good starting point.
24. ANDRE DRUMMOND, Detroit Pistons (Previously: 49)
This may be a little too high for Drummond, but he’s one of my favorite players in the league. The 2.0 steals per game are a nice luxury to have, and the blocks will come around eventually.
23. DWYANE WADE, Miami Heat (Previously: 18)
If Wade keeps missing games, he’s going to continue to plummet down this list. For now, we’ll cut him some slack based on his track record.
22. RICKY RUBIO, Minnesota Timberwolves (Previously: 20)
Rubio’s offense has been quite disappointing this year, but his 3.0 steals per game keep him plenty relevant.
21. DAMIAN LILLARD, Portland Trail Blazers (Previously: 28)
Lillard’s numbers look a lot like last year’s, but that isn’t a bad thing.
20. TY LAWSON, Denver Nuggets (Previously: 26)
Lawson has missed his last couple games, but is still averaging a career-high in points and assists, and looks to be a favorite of Brian Shaw.
19. AL HORFORD, Atlanta Hawks (Previously: 16)
Horford should be able to improve upon his 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds throughout the rest of the season.
18. NICOLAS BATUM, Portland Trail Blazers (Previously: 21)
Batum’s scoring has dipped a little, but his combination of treys, steals and blocks make him elite in the fantasy game.
17. AL JEFFERSON, Charlotte Bobcats (Previously: 11)
Injury prevented Jefferson from having a dominant month of November, but now he’s back on track and looking like a fantasy stud for the rest of the year.
16. SERGE IBAKA, Oklahoma City (Previously: 15)
Ibaka’s blocks have dipped down to “just” 2.5 a game, but he’s putting up career-highs in points and rebounds to make up for it.
15. DeMARCUS COUSINS, Sacramento Kings (Previously: 25)
Cousins has been an absolute beast, cleaning up his field goal percentage and finally adding in some blocks, but can it last with Rudy Gay now in town?
14. LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, Portland Trail Blazers (Previously: 23)
Aldridge is at the forefront of the Blazers new-found dominance, averaging a career-high in points and rebounds.
13. KYRIE IRVING, Cleveland Cavaliers (Previously: 10)
Irving has been one of the biggest disappointments at his position so far this season, which is saying a lot when you consider that Derrick Rose should take that title hands down.
12. CARMELO ANTHONY, New York Knicks (Previously: 12)
The added rebounding in Tyson Chandler‘s absence has been a nice way to make up for the dip in threes. He’s also averaging more steals and blocks than last year.
11. RUSSELL WESTBROOK, Oklahoma City Thunder (Previously Unranked)
An early return has paved the way for another dominant fantasy season from Westbrook, although he hasn’t been fully unleashed yet.
10. JOHN WALL, Washington Wizards (Previously: 19)
Wall is currently averaging career-highs in points, free throw percentage, treys, assists and steals.
9. DWIGHT HOWARD, Houston Rockets (Previously: 6)
His 17.0 points per game are probably as close to the Orlando years as we’re going to see with Dwight, especially since he’s sharing the ball with James Harden.
8. KEVIN LOVE, Minnesota Timberwolves (Previously: 7)
The only game in which Love hasn’t dropped a double-double, he put up 33 points and eight rebounds. The 4.1 assists per game are by far a career-high.
7. PAUL GEORGE, Indiana Pacers (Previously: 9)
Is it possible for George to improve any further? I guess we’ll find out throughout the rest of the year.
6. STEPHEN CURRY, Golden State Warriors (Previously: 5)
Curry’s 3.3 treys per game aren’t shocking, but the 8.9 assists he’s averaging come as a pleasant surprise.
5. JAMES HARDEN, Houston Rockets (Previously: 4)
Injury has been a concern in the early going, but Harden has picked up right where he left off last year when he plays.
4. ANTHONY DAVIS, New Orleans Pelicans (Previously: 22)
It’s going to take a lot more than a broken hand to discourage owners from the next fantasy phenom.
3. CHRIS PAUL, Los Angeles Clippers (Previously: 3)
Despite a decline in field goal percentage, CP3 is averaging more points than last season, as well as a career-high in assists.
2. LeBRON JAMES, Miami Heat (Previously: 1)
LeBron got off to a slow start, but is still right on track for another MVP-caliber season.
1. KEVIN DURANT, Oklahoma City Thunder (Previously: 2)
Durant is the consensus number one fantasy basketball player and is currently averaging career-highs in rebounds, assists and steals.
BEST OF THE REST
ANDRE IGUODALA, Golden State Warriors
CHANDLER PARSONS, Houston Rockets
KEVIN MARTIN, Minnesota Timberwolves
TIM DUNCAN, San Antonio Spurs
RUDY GAY, Sacramento Kings
BRADLEY BEAL, Washington Wizards
MARCIN GORTAT, Washington Wizards
CHRIS BOSH, Miami Heat
ZACH RANDOLPH, Memphis Grizzlies
THADDEUS YOUNG, Philadelphia 76ers
NIKOLA PEKOVIC, Minnesota Timberwolves
VICTOR OLADIPO, Orlando Magic
KENNETH FARIED, Denver Nuggets
ISAIAH THOMAS, Sacramento Kings
DEANDRE JORDAN, Los Angeles Clippers
ERIC GORDON, New Orleans Pelicans
What do you think?
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