Fantasy Basketball: Top 10 SFs

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 22, 2010

Fantasy Basketball: Top 10 SFs

Kevin Durant

2009-10 Key Stats: 30.2 ppg | 1.6 3PM | 7.6 rpg | 1.0 bpg The top player in fantasy basketball, Kevin Durant does a little bit of everything for your team. He's the league's top scorer, he pulls down rebounds and he's got great percentages across the board. The scary part? He's only 22, and as his knowledge of the game grows, his rebounds and blocks will undoubtedly increase.

LeBron James

2009-10 Key Stats: 29.7 ppg | 8.6 apg | 7.3 rpg | 1.6 spg Lebron James' move to South Beach may exponentially increase his title chances, but it hurts his fantasy value. James' wealth of skills still make him a top-five fantasy player, but his new sidekicks should eat into his stats. Playing alongside Wade and Bosh means his scoring average will drop, and it's questionable whether King James can top last year's career-high in assists (8.6). It's without question that he's never played with such talented teammates, but he's used to being the primary ball handler, which seems iffy in Miami. Nevertheless, his season stats will still be better than 95 percent of NBA players.

Danny Granger

2009-10 Key Stats: 24.2 ppg | 2.6 3PM | 5.5 rpg | 1.5 spg After exhibiting great durability in his first three seasons, Danny Granger is one injury away from the dreaded injury-prone label. When healthy, Granger is the primary scorer on a team with few other options. He hits three-pointers at a great clip (2.6 a game last year), and is a season removed from blocking 1.5 shots a game. With Darren Collison in town, Granger might have even an easier team scoring. If other owners let Granger slip because of injury, don't make the same mistake.

Gerald Wallace

2009-10 Key Stats: 18.2 ppg | 10 rpg | 1.5 spg | 1.1 bpg Posting career-highs in minutes and games played did wonders for Gerald Wallace. He did most of his damage in the defensive categories, averaging 10 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks. Stats like that are hard to come by from a player who might slip to the third round. The caveat, obviously, is Wallace's health. Nicknamed "Crash," Wallace shows a blatant disregard for his own body. It's hard to imagine he won't miss some games, but for those stats it might be a fair trade off.

Carmelo Anthony

2009-10 Key Stats: 28.2 ppg | 6.6 rpg | 1.3 spg | 83% FT If you're hurting for points at the end of the second round, Carmelo Anthony is your man. He can score in bunches, and should start the season on a scoring tear as he tries to buttress his trade value. But Carmelo is not a first-round pick. His assists numbers are paltry, his percentages are pedestrian and he barely hits a three a game. In a rare instance where reality mirrors fantasy, Carmelo is a good player but not a great one.

Paul Pierce

2009-10 Key Stats: 18.3 ppg | 4.4 rpg | 1.5 3PM | 1.2 spg Age is unfortunately not Paul Pierce's friend. He's starting to slow down and his statistics have steadily declined over the last three years. Draft boards have adjusted accordingly, and even an aged-Pierce still provides nice across the board production with nice percentages. But, as with the other members of Boston's Big Three, you have to wonder if he won't be saving himself for the postseason. DNPs are never a good thing in fantasy basketball.

Rudy Gay

2009-10 Key Stats: 19.6 ppg | 5.9 rpg | 1.5 spg | 0.8 bpg After regressing during the 2008-09 season, Rudy Gay got back on track last year. He's a nice player who does a little bit of everything, and he's young enough that he might still have some room to grow. You'd like to see him return to his 2007-08 form, when he averaged 20 points, 1 block and 1.7 three-pointers made a game, but in the fourth or fifth round you can't complain too much about what Gay gives you.

Danilo Gallinari

2009-10 Key Stats: 2.3 3PM | 15.1 ppg | 4.9 rpg | 81% FT It's not hard to find a shooter in fantasy basketball, but it is hard to find a shooter who can contribute in more than two categories. Danilo Gallinari, however, can contribute across the board. Making huge strides after his rookie year, Gallinari established himself as one of the best three-point shooters in the league during his sophomore year. But he can also contribute in steals, rebounds and free-throw percentage. His modest turnover rate (1.4) doesn't hurt either. Only 23-years old, Gallinari has room to grow as well. He's a steal after the fifth round.

Jeff Green

2009-10 Key Stats: 15.1 ppg | 6 rpg | 1.3 3PM | 1.3 spg Jeff Green is the type of player you're looking for the in the middle rounds. He can contribute in almost every category, while not detracting in any of the tougher categories. He scores at a decent rate, and is a sneaky source of three-pointers, steals and blocks. With Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant handling the ball so often in Oklahoma City, Green also only turns the ball over 1.7 times a game.

Caron Butler

2009-10 Key Stats: 15.2 ppg | 5.4 rpg | 1.8 spg | 1.7 tpg What happened to "Tough Juice"? Caron Butler was fantasy gold but a few years ago, but has since regressed to an afterthought. He's stopped passing and he doesn't rebound as well as he used to, but he's still a capable scorer who excels at pick pocketing the opposing team. Eligible at shooting guard too, Butler makes a nice roster filler in the later rounds of your draft.

Best of the Rest:

Late in the draft, you're looking for a small forward who can hit three-pointers and get your team some valuable steals. Luol Deng, now the longest-tenured Chicago Bull, doesn't hit many threes, but he does contribute in steals and rebounds, which you can never have enough of. Rumor has it he was working on his shot in the offseason, too. Miscast as a primary scoring option in Houston, Trevor Ariza has found a better fit for his skill set alongside Chris Paul in New Orleans. With Paul dishing him the rock, Ariza should continue to hit three-pointers at a great rate. Terrence Williams can do it all. He can rebound, get to the basket, run the point and even nab a steal or so a game. With Courtney Lee in Houston, Williams should have ample opportunity to show what he can do. Playing with Steve Nash does wonders for your fantasy value and Hedo Turkoglu will find that out this season. He has the potential to be a top 10 small forward.