It's never too early to begin thinking about which players to consider drafting for the 2007-2008 NBA Fantasy Basketball season. With several players on the move, including Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Jason Richardson and Rashard Lewis, and a strong NBA Draft, the upcoming season promises to be interesting and full of dark horse players to look out for in fantasy leagues.
When perusing "expert" fantasy basketball rankings, it's necessary to consider what type of fantasy game the author has in mind when he or she compiles the rankings. It is also crucial to consider what statistical categories, or STAT CATs, he or she is taking into account. For instance, if the author is not factoring turnovers, that could affect how high or low on the list a player like Shawn Marion ranks. The rankings below are best for rotisserie-style leagues with the following STAT CATs: points, rebounds, assists, steals, threes made, blocks, turnovers, field goal and free throw percentage.
2007 Summer Fantasy Basketball Player Rankings
- Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns - He falls dramatically down the list if he's traded from Phoenix.
- Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers - Some think he's headed for the East, but he's most likely staying put. Wherever he ends up, he'll be one of the league's best.
- LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers - James had an "off" season last year and saw a slight dip in his numbers, especially in his free throw percentage. With his first NBA Finals appearance under his belt, expect him to be fired up for the upcoming season.
- Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks - Bet that Dirk's going to be motivated to make up for his abysmal playoff performance in 2007.
- Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics - Though he could see a slight dip in scoring with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the lineup, he should also see an increase in rebounds, assists and field goal percentage.
- Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns - Finding a player who shoots over 50% from the field, 90% from the foul line, while scoring near 20 points per game and leading the league in assists is an incredible feat.
- Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards - Arenas provides great scoring, steals, assists and threes, but needs to improve in turnovers and field goal percentage.
- Elton Brand, LA Clippers - Brand's numbers dropped last season from the season before that. Yet, he was still one of fantasy basketball's best.
- Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns - For the first time in a few years, Stoudemire will be completely healthy from the get go.
- Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic - Lewis is a very efficient scorer who provides a big boost with threes. Expect him to do even more with the Magic than he did with Seattle.
- Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat - Wade would be higher on this list if not for big injury concerns.
- Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets - Even as he ages, Kidd is a durable triple-double threat.
- Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs - He's coming off a strong season and, barring injury, should continue to do great things in 2007-2008.
- Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies - Suddenly Gasol has a player to pass him the ball in rookie point guard Mike Conley.
- Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets - He'll be productive as long as he has Kidd to pass him the ball.
- Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers - He's the new "AI" in Philly, and should be able to spread his stats across the board.
- Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets - He would be much higher on this list if he could stay healthy for an entire season (or at least most of it). Injury proneness continues to haunt him.
- Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks - Smith fills the stat sheet and provides a big boost in blocks. Remember, he's known for playing better in the second half of the season.
- Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors - He needs to get those blocks up if he wants to move up this list.
- Yao Ming, Houston Rockets - He shoots a high volume of field goal and free throw shots, and makes a very high volume of them. However, he moves down the list because of significant injury concerns and a very high rate of turnovers.
- Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets - Paul moves up this list if he can stay healthy.
- Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons - Billups is incredibly consistent and should continue to post solid number next season.
- Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors - Despite a fantastic season last year, Davis is still a huge injury risk.
- Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks - Is mainly a scorer who contributes threes, but his percentages help make him a nice fantasy commodity.
- Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz - Boozer won't get many blocks or steals, but will help in points and boards and shoots a high percentage from the field.
