The Fast Break Top 50

Discussion in 'Fantasy Basketball' started by Shapecity, Nov 22, 2008.

  1. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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    Repeat after me fantasy owners, "The season is just beginning, I will not panic. The season is just beginning, I will not panic." We are only four weeks in and teams are being racked with injuries. What fantasy owners need to realize is that a small sample size is making it appear far worse than it is. A player that has missed four or five games is the equivalent of missing half of the season so far. As long as he does not actually miss half the season, it will all equal itself out. So, don't panic just yet or do anything that you will regret later. Wait out some of these injuries or maybe look to other owners that are panicking on their own injured player. Acquiring a star that is due back soon will reap huge rewards when it counts down the stretch.

    Now, let's take a look at how the top-10 players rank at each position in a standard rotisserie league with the following nine categories: field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, three-pointers made, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and turnovers.

    These rankings are based on per-game performance and not how they should be ranked for drafting or trading purposes. We are only into the fourth week of the season, so this is a very small sample size for fantasy purposes, but the numbers don't lie and we need to pay attention to them. We have omitted players that have not played in over half of their scheduled games. Sorry Tony Parker, Josh Smith, and Anthony Morrow, you are going to have to fight your way into the rankings when you get a few more games in.

    POINT GUARD

    1. Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
    Paul just keeps rolling along as one of the top fantasy players in the game.

    2. Chauncey Billups - Denver Nuggets
    His shooting percentage is brutal right now, but it is offset by everything else.

    3. Jason Kidd - Dallas Mavericks
    A triple-double waiting to happen at any given time, but could also leave you with a two-point night.

    4. Devin Harris - New Jersey Nets
    We pegged him as a sleeper in our draft guide based on his increased production in New Jersey last season, but a jump up to 23 points a game is surprising even to us. Getting to the line eleven times a game will pad anyone's scoring totals.

    5. Jose Calderon - Toronto Raptors
    Continues to prove that last season wasn't a fluke and featuring an amazing 5:1 assist to turnover ratio.

    6. Nate Robinson - New York Knicks
    Robinson is one of the best gunners off of the bench this season and is also offering 4.4 assists to go with four boards and two treys.




    Mike Bibby is shooting 44.8 percent from the field.7. Mike Bibby - Atlanta Hawks
    His assists are lower, but so are his turnovers. If he can maintain his 44.8 percent field-goal percentage, he will remain a high-end second point guard option.

    8. Jason Terry - Dallas Mavericks
    Another excellent gunner off the bench, Terry provides the model for the high-powered combo guard that is charged with getting the offense going.

    9. Baron Davis - Los Angeles Clippers
    Baron looks lost in the Dunleavy system. Dunleavy has been given a free pass over the years due to injuries and lack of a strong point guard, but now that Donald Sterling opened his wallet to get one, things aren't looking very pretty in Clipperland.

    10. T.J. Ford - Indiana Pacers
    Ford is giving owners very solid production as he acclimates to the Indiana system. As long as he stays healthy, he will surpass his ADP.

    SHOOTING GUARD

    1. Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat
    Turnovers? We don't care 'bout no stinkin' turnovers. Wade is a monster.

    2. Joe Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
    Johnson is off to a great start with the Hawks and continues to fill up the stat sheet.

    3. Danny Granger - Indiana Pacers
    Granger is living up to the hype for fantasy owners and is everything that they could have hoped for.

    4. Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
    We told you Kobe would start to move up this list. Owners have to be worried that the depth of the Lakers will cut into his overall production as they are relying on him less than they did in the past.

    5. Brandon Roy - Portland Trail Blazers
    Roy continues to lead the Blazers and provide fantasy owners with great numbers.

    6. Vince Carter - New Jersey Nets
    There was a concern that Carter would mail it in on a young Nets team, but he is providing leadership and his stats haven't suffered at all.

    7. Rudy Fernandez - Portland Trail Blazers
    Rudy is instant offense for the Trail Blazers and continues to drain threes with that sweet stroke. He didn't get a chance to play much in the dismantling of the Bulls on Wednesday night, but he will continue to get his chances.

    8. O.J. Mayo - Memphis Grizzlies
    This young guy looks like a star in the making. He is the early favorite in the Rookie of the Year race.

    9. Roger Mason - San Antonio Spurs
    Mason has been frustratingly inconsistent, but take the good with the bad until Manu and Tony Parker get back.

    10. Ray Allen - Boston Celtics
    Turnovers are way up and three-pointers are way down for Allen this season. That isn't good for fantasy owners hoping for a three-point assassin with low turnovers. He is in a rough stretch to start the season, shooting 29.4 percent from three-point range. He is a career 39.8 percent shooter from behind the arc throughout his career, so look for him to get back on track soon.

    SMALL FORWARD


    LeBron James is the league's top scorer.1. LeBron James- Cleveland Cavaliers
    LeBron leads the league in scoring and owners are getting exactly what they paid for. He is still having difficulty with his three-point shot at 22.2 percent.

    2. Andrei Kirilenko - Utah Jazz
    Kirilenko is looking like he turned back the clock and is back to providing nice stats in all categories. His line on Wednesday night was a rotisserie dream for owners with 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals, and four blocks.

    3. Tayshaun Prince - Detroit Pistons
    After a hot start, Prince has cooled the last couple of games with Rip Hamilton getting over his shooting slump. Now that Rip has it going, look for Prince to defer to his unselfish role of glue guy on offense.

    4. Caron Butler - Washington Wizards
    Butler is starting to heat up. Great game on Wednesday night with a season-high 32 points; he also added four threes, seven boards, four assists and three steals.

    5. Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics
    Pierce continues to produce top numbers, but his shooting percentage is on the low side at 40.0 percent.

    6. Gerald Wallace - Charlotte Bobcats
    Ranks fourth in the NBA in steals at 2.2 per contest. Wallace struggled on Tuesday against Dallas on 3-of-13 shooting with only eight points.

    7. Shawn Marion - Miami Heat
    Signs of life! Marion hit the 20-point mark for the first time all season on Wednesday and added 14 boards and two steals. The Heat are making an effort to get Marion the ball more and his 32 shot attempts in his last two games are a welcome sign.

    8. John Salmons - Sacramento Kings
    Salmons had one of his best games as a member of the Kings on Wednesday night as they upset the New Orleans Hornets on their home floor. He shot an efficient 13-for-18 from the field and finished with 29 points and six assists. Owners have to be enjoying this production with Kevin Martin and Francisco Garcia out.

    9. Mickael Pietrus - Orlando Magic
    Pietrus is a nice source of threes and points with low turnovers. He is currently out with bruised ribs, but is hoping to return Friday.

    10. Wilson Chandler - New York Knicks
    Chandler is enjoying the D'Antoni system that allows players to utilize all of their scoring ability. He is looking like one of the real steals this season for fantasy owners that gambled a late pick or grabbed him off of the waiver wire.

    POWER FORWARD

    1. Amare Stoudemire - Phoenix Suns
    Amare continues to be inconsistent for Terry Porter, but his big games are evening out his poor games and the numbers are still very impressive.

    2. Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks
    Dirk is having a big week this week with averages of 31.7 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 treys in his last three games.

    3. Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors
    Bosh looks hungry this year. His monster performance on Tuesday against Dwight Howard gets our award for performance of the week. He put up 40 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, and two steals against Superman.

    4. Antawn Jamison - Washington Wizards
    Jamison just keeps doing what he does. Solid points, threes, and rebounds with miniscule turnovers.

    5. Carlos Boozer - Utah Jazz
    Boozer continues to be a lock for 20-10, but he had to leave his last game with a strained left quadriceps muscle. The injury is reported to be minimal, so look for him to return shortly.

    6. Zach Randolph - New York Knicks
    Randolph is looking like Boozer, but with a lower shooting percentage. His value as a later-round draft pick has to have owners excited.

    7. Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
    Duncan continues to shoulder as much of the load as he can. If his minutes per game hold up at his current level of 37:17 per game, it would be his highest total in the last six years.

    8. Kenyon Martin - Denver Nuggets
    Martin is shooting a nice percentage and is a good player that is giving you a little bit of everything. Just hope for health and have a back-up plan in place.

    9. Kevin Garnett- Boston Celtics
    Garnett owners have to be worried. His scoring is down for the third consecutive season and the defense, leadership, and unselfish play he is offering the Celtics doesn't translate into fantasy titles like it does real-life championships.

    10. Pau Gasol - Los Angeles Lakers
    Gasol has been solid so far, but is also another top-20 pick that will be hard pressed to give back that type of investment on a deep squad.

    CENTER

    1. Al Jefferson - Minnesota Timberwolves
    Jefferson continues to be the centerpiece of the young Timberwolves and continues to provide fantasy owners with a high return.

    2. Rasheed Wallace - Detroit Pistons
    Minutes and production are way up on the early season. That is good news for fantasy owners, but should the 34-year-old Wallace be logging over 36 minutes a game?

    3. Marcus Camby - Los Angeles Clippers
    Camby is slow out of the gate by fantasy standards, but still ranks very high by virtue of 2.75 blocks per game and less than a turnover per contest.

    4. Nene Hilario - Denver Nuggets
    Nene continues to roll for the Nuggets. Just imagine if they were getting him more than nine shots per game.

    5. Dwight Howard - Orlando Magic
    After a blazing hot start, Howard has cooled over his last three games with a 13.3 point average on 40.7 percent shooting.

    6. Andris Biedrins - Golden State Warriors
    Biedrins was a perfect 10-for-10 in double-doubles until his streak was ended on Tuesday night as he grabbed only nine boards. Expect him to be among the league leaders in double-doubles at the end of the season.

    7. Andrew Bynum - Los Angeles Lakers
    Bynum ranks second in the NBA in blocks at 2.80 per game and is providing a solid inside presence for the Lakers.

    8. Chris Kaman - Los Angeles Clippers
    Kaman is starting to heat up and Wednesday's line was one of the best of the season for fantasy owners with 25 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and four blocks on 11-of-13 shooting against Oklahoma City.

    9. Rasho Nesterovic - Indiana Pacers
    The surprise name on this list, Rasho has been very solid in his first six games for the Pacers. It's not likely to continue at this level, but if Indiana is going to start Rasho and give him over 10 shots per game, then he needs to be on a roster.

    10. Spencer Hawes - Sacramento Kings
    Hawes is starting to slip as the reality of being a bench player sinks in for owners. Hawes should continue to be owned and has a lot of value, but his playing time and the results will be inconsistent from time to time.

    Source: Fanball
     
  2. Moo2K4

    Moo2K4 NBA West Producer

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    So on the S2 Yahoo! team that I'm in...I have the top 3 PGs...yet managed to lose assists to you last week Shape...can that be explained to me...please? I don't get it.
     
  3. Shapecity

    Shapecity S2/JBB Teamster Staff Member Administrator

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    It probably had to do with my PGs playing more games during the week? Plus my forwards (LeBron & Iggy) and centers get a lot of assists (Gasol & Miller).
     

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