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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 Guard rankings below, and good luck selecting your team!
*Rankings are designed for Head-to-Head 8 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:
- Stephen Curry-- Elite scorer who "dominates" the 3-point category. Time to go all-in if you miss out on LBJ or KD.
- James Harden-- The D-12 addition might cause a regression for his p.p.g., but he should get more assist opportunities.
- Chris Paul-- CP3 is out to seek a ring more than a stat-line-- but with a major influx of young PGs, he makes for an extremely safe option.
- Derrick Rose-- He is finally healthy and hasn't lost much to his step. Another MVP-type season should be on the way.
- Kyrie Irving-- Still has an underrated supporting cast-- will be the best it's ever been in his career. Assists and 3-point numbers should see the biggest jump.
- John Wall-- His upside is through the roof. He is capable of going 20-8 on a nightly basis-- just needs a full season of good health.
- Deron Williams-- The Nets' hiring of Jason Kidd should do him wonders-- now has plenty of scoring options to rack up the dimes.
- Paul George--He is a quality player on a contending team-- he can also be one for your fantasy team with multi-cat goodness.
- Ricky Rubio-- Arguably the game's best playmaker/passer. His abilities have yet to go on full display, but now having a legit go-to threat, (Love) I'll take my chances.
- 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.
- Dwyane Wade-- He's only a second-fiddle, but on a great team-- after Durant claimed he wasn't a top-10 player, Flash will be hungry to shut him up.
- Ty Lawson-- Two consecutive all-star caliber seasons already under his belt; now has few offensive weapons around him. Scoring potential still has room to grow.
- Russell Westbrook-- This is a high-risk / high-reward pick -- you might waste a roster spot for 4-6 weeks, but you'll use a 2nd-3rd round pick for a top-10 player.
- Damian Lillard-- Coming off a stellar rookie campaign, he will be overpaid for in "most" leagues. Don't fall for the hype, but still keep him on your radar.
- Kawhi Leonard-- Provides solid production across the board. However, his upside is still limited with "T.P." and "The Big Fundamental" at the helm.
- Mike Conley-- Took on a greater offensive role since Rudy Gay was shipped out of town. Don't forget, he has two quality big-men at his disposal.
- Jeff Teague-- One of the best value picks available. He quietly broke out last year and has the offense all to himself-- more highlight reels await.
- Monta Ellis-- He can flat out ball-- not like M.J., but he can "score" with the best of them. Even with Dirk, there's very little competition to limit his upside.
- Kemba Walker-- An up-and-coming star with tremendous steals potential. However, the arrival of Big Al is a warning sign to keep expectations in check.
- Jrue Holiday-- After leaving the dumps of Philly, owners are jumping for joy! Not so fast-- yes, he should be more efficient, but his counting stats are in danger.
- Tony Parker-- Playoff clutchness does not always equate to fantasy studliness-- he is an elite PG in real life, but his numbers don't reflect it as much as they should.
- Kobe Bryant-- Don't expect a return to LBJ's or KD's level of production, but should we be surprised if he returns as a top-15 player? I think you know the answer.
- Goran Dragic-- Goran…G-O-R-A-N. I'm sorry, but the name sounds weak-- it lacks the intimidation factor you'd want in a player-- but give him a break, he's European.
- Brandon Jennings-- His efficiency ratings should see a vast improvement-- but at the same time, his scoring potential is limited with more offensive weapons.
- O.J. Mayo-- Orange juice and mayonnaise is an awful combination-- but if you combine the two with a 5th-6th round pick, you get a mid-round steal.
- Klay Thompson-- One of the best three-point specialists who is only improving. Rebounds and assists numbers are roadblocking him from reaching "elite status."
- Rajon Rondo-- The new face of the Celtic's franchise has not settled on a return date-- possesses too much talent to fall in the later rounds.
- Eric Bledsoe-- There are misconceptions of the former Clipper-- he does have more upside now, but too many owners are expecting "superstardom."
- Bradley Beal-- With Wall healthy for an entire season, a breakout appears on the horizon-- maybe not a full one, but enough to validate him as a mid-round pick.
- George Hill-- A classic low risk/low reward pick. He does nothing overly impressive, but yet does everything well.
- Kyle Lowry-- 12/7/5 line when at full strength. He's missed 33 games in the last two seasons combined-- injury concerns have not fully gone away.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trey Burke-- If there shall be another Lillard in 2014, Burke it'd be. He has what it takes to succeed as Utah's facilitator-- reaching an extra round isn't the worst idea. *Update: Broken finger injury (out: at least 4 weeks) has moved him down several spots.
- 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.
- 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.
- Jose Calderon-- He's being overvalued due to his unique assist numbers-- lacks a versatile skillet, is injury-prone, and has low-upside at 32 years of age.
- Gordon Hayward-- Provides healthy production in the 3-main offensive cats-- should continue to improve in the 3-point department.
- Jimmy Butler-- Receiving starter's minutes for the first time, he made the most of it-- p.p.g. and rebounds should see a major boost in 2014.
- Jeremy Lin-- Assists potential is intriguing. However, the emergence of Patrick Beverley is alarming-- job security is at serious risk.
- Ben McLemore-- One of the better rookies of the 2013 Draft. Most scouts believe he possesses the highest upside-- worth 9th-10th round consideration.
- Eric Gordon-- Entering age-25 season, he isn't the star most expected him to be. You want to know why? He's failed to play 60 games for three straight seasons.
- Steve Nash-- Quality contributor in the assists and free-throw departments-- golden days with Phoenix are well in the past, but still a useful commodity.
- Raymond Felton-- Greatly benefited in a three-point happy offense-- no reason for that to change, however, New York added depth in the backcourt.
- Greivis Vasquez-- An extremely talented assist maker-- unfortunately, he could end up platooning with Isaiah Thomas.
- Brandon Knight-- Solid multi-cat contributor, especially for a point guard-- his assist numbers should improve on a better offensive team.
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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!
