This is the spot that every fantasy general manager dreams of landing that super-stud fantasy producer. With so many players to choose from one really can’t miss by taking any of the top ten players here. Now there is a definite clear cut top choice among the group and there is no reason to think that LeBron James won’t once again be the best in class here.
Let’s take a look at the top ten small forwards and their projected fantasy contributions.
1. LeBron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
The King still reigns supreme here as James once again claims top honours among his positional peers. There just can’t be any argument over LeBron’s fantasy worth, he is the top dog in every pool and every format until he shows otherwise. Some will make the case this year for Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis as being worthy of the top overall pick, but ultimately it is James who is still the best. Even with the unknowns that exist in Cleveland in terms of cohesiveness between Lebron, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love; however, one thing is for certain Lebron will assert himself and lead through any bumps in the road.
2. Carmelo Anthony - New York Knicks
Like him or hate him, Anthony is a fantasy stud. He reminds me a lot of Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. One can’t count on Anthony for team success and watching him play isn’t always pretty but at the end of the night he has a stuffed stat sheet to help your fantasy team. Now that we have seen a commitment from Anthony to rebound the basketball as well as share it around a bit more, his stat lines are getting more well-rounded as opposed to the one dimensional scorer. It will be interesting to see how the triangle offense impacts the Knicks and Anthony’s efficiency on the offensive end. If the team can buy into the concept then it should create easier scoring opportunities for all.
3. Nicolas Batum - Portland Trailblazers
Batum had a terrific year last season and I’m banking on him having an equally impressive campaign again this year. With Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge drawing so much attention it can make for a very difficult rotation to get out to the versatile Batum. So long as he can equal or exceed his rip line of 13 ppg, 5.1 apg and 7.5 rpg from last year he will definitely prove his worth to your fantasy squad.
4. Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
Is Kobe Bryant back? Answer that question and you will have figured where to value Kobe during this fantasy season. If one points to the fact in back-to-back games against Utah in the preseason he played roughly 29 minutes per contest and had 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in one game followed by 26 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists in the second. The chance for injury remains high with Kobe as he is 36-years old, but let’s not discount the competitive fire that burns bright in Bryant.
5. Kevin Durant - Oklahoma City Thunder
This is truly all about the injury and how much time Durant could miss to start the season. If Durant is held out a month then he could easily be considered a top-three talent. If Durant is held out 3-4 months then one simply cannot use such a high pick on him. Even gambling on him with a first-round pick is taking a huge risk. You simply cannot afford to have your top pick sit out a considerable portion of the season.
6. Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors
The second half of the ‘Splash Brothers’ is looking to have a huge season. Thompson will either be looking to justify his new contract or he will be playing out the season with true free-agency on the horizon. I always look at Thompson and consider drafting him and never end up doing it and the reason is simple; he just doesn’t contribute enough assists or rebounds. Now I realize that his primary job is knock down jumpers and take tougher defensive assignments, but I can’t help but wonder how valuable he could be if only fantasy owners could more than 2.2 apg and 3.1 rpg out of him.
7. DeMar DeRozan - Toronto Raptors
DeRozan is still looked upon as being a bit of a fantasy risk despite posting career best averages of 22.7 ppg, 4.0 apg and 4.3 rpg last season. I think the reason behind the skepticism is the fact that the Raptors are not exposed to much of a media presence and a lot of the country doesn’t get their games. In reality though the numbers don’t lie and based upon the stats DeRozan is an uber-productive forward with huge upside.
8. Kawhi Leonard - San Antonio Spurs
Too many pundits have Leonard ranked too high. I’ve seen him as high a the third best small forward in some formats. Leonard will have a solid season but he remains the third scoring option among the starters behind Tony Parker and Tim Duncan and when Manu Ginobili is on the court with the starting unit Leonard has a tendency to get overshadowed and forgotten. Keep an eye on how coach Popovich uses Leonard early on in the year and that should give a good indication of just how much of a focal point in the offense Leonard figures to be.
9. Rudy Gay - Sacramento Kings
I’m not a huge fan of Rudy Gay from a fantasy perspective, reason being is that he is inconsistent. Some nights Gay is the most assertive and best player on the court, other nights he is practically invisible except for maybe a timely three ball or an occasional highlight play. I’m almost prepared to put Gay into the same category as Vince Carter and that is a once thrilling player who now turns it on when it suits and is no longer capable of playing at max-intensity for prolonger minutes.
10. Gordon Hayward - Utah Jazz
Upside to drafting Hayward is that he pretty much is the show in Utah. There exists very little competition for shots among the Jazz and Hayward will be expected to shoulder a huge portion of the offense. A potential risk to drafting Hayward is the complacency that sometimes sets in after a player signs that nice new fat guaranteed contract. I don’t expect a drop off from Hayward’s stats from last season and so long as he continues with his 16 ppg, 5 rpg and 5 apg averages he is definitely worth drafting and worthy of a top-ten ranking among small forwards.