Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy: Position-by-Position Breakdown
When building a fantasy basketball team, it’s essential to understand the distribution of talent across positions. This season, point guards and big men dominate the top of the draft, while wing players are scarce in the early rounds. This imbalance can inform your draft strategy and help you make informed decisions.
One approach is to prioritize small forwards in the first few rounds, as they are limited commodities. In contrast, point guards are abundant in the early rounds, making it easier to find an elite producer at that position.
Another strategy is to focus on the value of players available in the middle to late rounds. For example, the small forward position is stacked with 12 eligible players with good upside who are likely to start for their teams. Meanwhile, point guards in those tiers may be coming off the bench or fitting into stacked rosters.
Ultimately, the key to success is finding strong producers from top to bottom. To help you do so, I’ve broken down players into tiers by position based on my preseason projections.
**Point Guard**
The top tier of point guards features three elite players. The next two tiers are packed with 13 players who offer first-round production when healthy. Tier 4 includes past elite prospects, while Tiers 5 and 6 feature young starters with upside, veteran producers, and sixth men who can produce starter numbers.
TIER 1: Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton
TIER 2: Ja Morant, Trae Young, Jalen Brunson, De’Aaron Fox
TIER 3: Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, James Harden, LaMelo Ball, Cade Cunningham
TIER 4: Damian Lillard, Jamal Murray
TIER 5: D’Angelo Russell, Fred VanVleet, Immanuel Quickley, Darius Garland, Jrue Holiday
TIER 6: Josh Giddey, Terry Rozier, Russell Westbrook
TIER 7: Malcolm Brogdon, Dennis Schroder, Tyus Jones, Mike Conley
TIER 8: Stephon Castle, Scoot Henderson, Chris Paul
TIER 9: Tre Jones, Jalen Suggs, T.J. McConnell, Alex Caruso, Cole Anthony
**Shooting Guard**
The shooting guard position features only one Tier 1 player, but the second tier is bolstered by multi-position eligibility. Tiers 5 and 6 are stacked with young players who have explosive scoring ability.
TIER 1: Anthony Edwards
TIER 2: Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker
TIER 3: Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Green, Coby White
TIER 4: Dejounte Murray
TIER 5: Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, Cam Thomas, CJ McCollum, Devin Vassell
TIER 6: Buddy Hield, Tyler Herro, Collin Sexton, Bradley Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic
TIER 7: Donte DiVincenzo, Grayson Allen, Reed Sheppard, Jaden Ivey
TIER 8: Jordan Poole, Malik Monk, Ayo Dosunmu, Brandin Podziemski
TIER 9: Shaedon Sharpe, Jordan Clarkson, Terance Mann, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Smart
**Small Forward**
Tier 1 features only one player, but the position is stacked in Tiers 5 and 6 with multi-eligible players and second or third options with leading-scorer upside.
TIER 1: Jayson Tatum
TIER 2: LeBron James, Scottie Barnes
TIER 3: DeMar DeRozan, Desmond Bane, Kawhi Leonard
TIER 4: Paul George
TIER 5: Jimmy Butler, Franz Wagner, Mikal Bridges, Austin Reaves, Zach LaVine
TIER 6: Brandon Miller, Brandon Ingram, Michael Porter Jr., Klay Thompson, Amen Thompson
TIER 7: RJ Barrett, Deni Avdija, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Caris LeVert
TIER 8: Khris Middleton, Ausar Thompson, Josh Hart, Keldon Johnson, Herbert Jones
TIER 9: OG Anunoby, Trey Murphy III, Max Strus, Norman Powell, Corey Kispert
**Power Forward**
The power forward position is dominated by Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Tiers 5 and 6 are sparse with only three names before accounting for multi-eligible frontcourt players.
TIER 1: Giannis Antetokounmpo
TIER 2: Pascal Siakam, Kevin Durant
TIER 3: Paolo Banchero, Zion Williamson, Lauri Markkanen
TIER 4: Miles Bridges, Jalen Johnson, Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle, Jalen Williams
TIER 5: Evan Mobley
TIER 6: Tobias Harris, Keegan Murray
TIER 7: Trayce Jackson-Davis, Aaron Gordon, Naz Reid, Jabari Smith Jr., P.J. Washington
TIER 8: John Collins, Jerami Grant, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green, Kelly Oubre Jr.
TIER 9: Jeremy Sochan, Harrison Barnes, Jalen Smith, Cameron Johnson
**Center**
The center position dominates Tier 1, with five center-eligible players, including the past six consecutive NBA MVP winners. Tiers 3 and 4 are packed with players with impact upside and supporting players who bolster their roto value.
TIER 1: Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Domantas Sabonis, Joel Embiid
TIER 2: Anthony Davis
TIER 3: Alperen Sengun, Nikola Vucevic, Chet Holmgren, Bam Adebayo, Jaren Jackson Jr.
TIER 4: Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Jonas Valanciunas, Nic Claxton, Myles Turner
TIER 5: Jarrett Allen, Kristaps Porzingis, Daniel Gafford
TIER 6: Jalen Duren, Jusuf Nurkic, Isaiah Hartenstein, Brook Lopez
TIER 7: Bobby Portis, Mark Williams, Clint Capela, Jakob Poeltl, Walker Kessler
TIER 8: Deandre Ayton, Zach Edey, Ivica Zubac, Donovan Clingan, Dereck Lively II
TIER 9: Kelly Olynyk, Andre Drummond, Onyeka Okongwu, Kel’el Ware, Wendell Carter Jr.
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