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The 2013-2014 fantasy basketball draft season is upon us, and RotoBaller Tyler Petagine wants to make sure that you are completely prepared! Find his Top 50 Forward rankings below, and make sure you check out his Top 50 Guards, and Lou Cappetta's Top 150 Overall Part 1 and Part 2. Good luck selecting your team!
*Rankings are designed for Head-to-Head eight-category/non-turnover leagues. If you have any questions or comments regarding the rankings, feel free to post your thoughts below. Feedback is much appreciated!
Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Top 50 Guards:
LeBron James-- The most complete player in the game. His goal is to become even more efficient-- the average cats (f.g., f.t. %) can continue to improve.- Kevin Durant-- Is coming off career highs in assists, blocks, steals, f.t. and f.g. percentages-- will be more of a facilitator with Westbrook on the shelf.
- James Harden-- The D-12 addition might cause a regression for his p.p.g., but he should get more assist opportunities.
- Kevin Love-- 20-15 upside with three-point shooting ability. What's not to love?-- hasn't been healthy for quite a while, but when he plays…fantasy monster!
- Carmelo Anthony-- It's a positive he's not surrounded by another superstar-- an annual lock to finish top-10 in scoring.
- Paul George-- He is a quality player on a contending team-- he can also be one for your fantasy team with multi-cat goodness.
- Serge Ibaka-- Blocks, blocks, blocks, and more blocks. He's going to build a city soon if he keeps this up-- oh, and by the way, his jump-shot has improved.
- Nicolas Batum-- Batman to the rescue! N.B. placed in the top-40 amongst guards in 8 major statistical categories. His city might not be saved, but your team will be.
- Al Horford-- Lacks upside in scoring, but has the well-roundedness to make up for it-- was top-12 amongst centers in the three main offensive cats.
- Anthony Davis-- Improved his strength during the offseason, however, durability questions still remain-- but I'm buying the K.G. comparisons.
- LaMarcus Aldridge-- Hip issues and trade rumors are serious concerns-- Portland is preparing for his departure; playing on a new team brings uncertainty.
- Rudy Gay-- Seems to thrive most when there's good talent around him- Toronto's supporting cast is better than most people think.
- Kawhi Leonard-- Provides solid production across the board. However, his upside is still limited with "T.P." and "The Big Fundamental" at the helm.
- Al Jefferson-- Big Al. We all know he's big (and talented), but so was Shaquille O'neal. So I'll take the honors in creating a new nickname-- Garfield…fail!
- Dirk Nowitzki-- Coming off the second lowest p.p.g. average of his career, age(35) is becoming a concern-- however, he was playing injured and now has Ellis.
- Nikola Vucevic-- 13-11 at age 21 years old is quite impressive-- after only averaging 5.5 points in rookie season, he's quickly become the real deal.
- David Lee-- There's a war out there! General Lee can lead your troops to victory, believe me. Just make sure you complement him with shot-blockers.
- Joakim Noah-- Has had preseason injury woes, but why should we care?-- he's tough as nails and will be extra motivated with Rose's return.
- Josh Smith-- The real Lob City resides in L.A., but there will be plenty of alleys going in Detroit as well-- he'll be the centerpiece of a very exciting offense.
- Larry Sanders-- Ibaka's "Mini-Me." Hopefully more offensive production will go along with those hefty block totals-- yeah baby!
- Pau Gasol-- Will be given a long leash under Coach D"Antoni-- with the amount of youthfulness present and Kobe sidelined, he's the star of the team.
- Chris Bosh-- Saying he appeared "gimpy" in the playoffs is an understatement. He'll look to redeem himself after his having worst statistical year since 2005.
- Tim Duncan-- At 37 years old, he's still a beast in the paint-- but it's hard to imagine this: Coach Pop not resting him for a substantial amount of games.
- Paul Millsap-- A crafty big-man who should thrive in Atlanta-- as long as his team continues to run the break, he'll deliver solid numbers.
- Klay Thompson-- One of the best three-point specialists who is only improving. Rebounds and assists numbers are roadblocking him from reaching "elite status."
- Blake Griffin-- The chronic knee boo-boos keep-a-coming-- still plays little defense and offers a sub-par free-throw percentage.
- Ersan Ilyasova-- Whether he starts or comes off the bench, there's lots of offensive production to be had-- Sanders is a great defender, but he's a great scorer.
- DeMarcus Cousins-- Could possibly be the Reggie Bush of the NBA. Tons of talent, but hasn't maximized his potential-- Maybe he'll prove me wrong.
- Thaddeus Young-- Why's a role player on a lottery team getting so much respect?-- Thad "does it all," except in the assists and three-point departments.
- Jeff Green-- One the hottest pickups during last year's stretch run-- with little talent on Boston's roster, "Iron Man" has a great opportunity to increase his fame.
- Ryan Anderson-- That's two straight years with a top-5 three-pointers made finish-- not many owners will be sleeping on him this time around.
- Kenneth Faried-- Who fears "The Manimal"? Not many do, but he's an extremely valuable asset-- rebounds/hustle stats (steals, blocks) are easy to build around.
- Andre Drummond-- A.D. has a strong case of B.O.-- and by that I mean two words: breakout potential-- yes i said it…even playing alongside an all-star.
- Tobias Harris-- Averaged 15 points per 36 minutes in first two seasons-- as scary as this may sound, he hasn't reached the surface of his potential.
- Chandler Parsons-- In the midst of a star-studded lineup, he hasn't lost his role-- Mr. Dead Eye needs two words to describe his game: "knock down"!
- Andre Iguodala-- A reliable role player for any fantasy team-- lots of competition should take a hit into his minutes, slightly lowering his production.
- Wesley Matthews-- Rebounds and assists numbers are down, but hasn't lost his three-point touch-- thus making him a valuable asset, once again.
- Derrick Favors-- The Favors/Kanter era has begun in Utah. Expect Fav to become an elite/lockdown defender in the post. Talk to the hand!
- Zach Randolph-- May see a reduced role in a crowded frontcourt-- but barring injury or trade, he'll still be highly productive and efficient.
- David West-- Jump-shot is smooth as silk-- gets seven plus boards and doesn't harm you in the percentage cats.
- Nikola Pekovic-- Offensive number's should take a hit with Love's return-- even so, double-double territory isn't too far out of reach.
- Wilson Chandler-- Iggy's departure sets him up as a breakout candidate. Not to mention, Denver's second leading-scorer, Gallinari, will be out for at least a month.
- Evan Turner-- He's stepped up his game in the offseason-- with Holiday out of town, he will take on a much larger scoring role.
- Gerald Henderson-- His coach wants him to be an integral part of the offense-- he plays for the lowly Bobcats, but somebody has to score, right? At least we hope.
- DeMar DeRozan-- Supposedly worked on developing more shooting range-- he's a high-upside scorer you can get on the cheap.
- Paul Pierce-- "The Truth" is no longer his team's primary offensive option-- but he'll be the first one after Williams and Lopez.
- Greg Monroe-- With J-Smoove being brought in, he's longer the "go-to" guy-- but he still has double-double prowess.
- Anthony Bennett-- The UNLV product still needs to get into NBA-shape, but he has a lot to prove. He and Irving should work very well together.
- Tyreke Evans-- New Orleans' backcourt is as chaotic as Bigfoot roaming a shopping mall-- okay, that's too extreme, but a timeshare won't do him any favors.
- J.R. Smith-- Coming off his best statistical year-- points, rebounds, and m.p.g. were all at career highs. He's still New York's best scoring option, after Melo.
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RotoBaller is ranking all the positions, so make sure to review the Top 50 Guards, and Top 150 Overall Part 1 and Part 2. Check back to RotoBaller.com over the coming days to get all of our fantasy basketball draft prep coverage, and find all of our rankings as well as other fantasy basketball articles all season long!
