The 2018-19 NBA season begins one week from today, which means it’s prime fantasy draft season for owners. Who should you be targeting for your league’s draft? We’re here to help.
Fantasy diehards Charles Curtis and Nick Schwartz conducted a mock draft for the first three rounds in a standard 10-team league. All selections reflect a player’s value in a standard points scoring, head-to-head league.
Round 1:
No surprise here. No other player stuffs the stat sheet like the Greek Freak … and it’s possible last year’s numbers (26.9 ppg, 10 rpg, 4.8 rpg, 1.5 spg, 1.4 bpg) get even better. How freaky is that? – Charles Curtis
It feels like Davis has been pegged as the ‘next MVP’ for years now, but his otherworldly production goes under-appreciated outside New Orleans. With Boogie gone, AD should have a career year. – Nick Schwartz
You pretty much it it all with Harden: Nearly a triple-double, made free throws, steals and lots of threes. A star in his prime and a fantasy cornerstone. – CC
Westbrook’s scoring dipped last season, but he still averaged a triple-double and broke the 4,000 fantasy point barrier comfortably. With Carmelo gone and Paul George more comfortable in Year 2, the conditions are perfect for Westbrook to lead all guards in fantasy scoring once again. – NS
I’m pretty pumped to get KAT here. Aside from an all-around set of numbers that include hitting from beyond the arc, he shoots well from the free-throw line for a big man. I also think if Jimmy Butler sits or is traded, Towns returns to scoring around 25 ppg like he did in 2016-17. If it’s possible to have upside at No. 5, this is it. – CC
AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo
LeBron’s been so good for so long that we’ll just assume that he shows no sign of decline in his first year with the Lakers. The bigger question is whether LeBron will continue to lead the league in minutes per game, which he’s done for the last two seasons. There’s no question that the Lakers will be relying on him heavily, but it’s hard to imagine James’ fantasy numbers improving from 2017-18. – NS
If you read my NBA coverage on FTW, you know I’m a Jokic fanboy. His scoring went up a second straight year, he might be the best passing big man in the world and he hit 1.5 threes a game in 2017-18. Worth a top-10 pick, easily. – CC
Lillard has made it clear he believes he’s an All-NBA caliber player that’s being overlooked, so he has some extra motivation to put up gaudy stats. He’s averaged 26.3/6.4/4.2 over the last three years, and missed fewer than 10 games a season during that time. A safe late-round 1st. – NS
Can you believe the “Baby-Faced Assassin” is 30? Although he missed a bunch of games due to injury last season, he’s still pouring in threes and points, dishing dimes and amassing steals without any signs of slowing down. – CC
Joel Embiid put up impressive-season long fantasy numbers despite being on limited minutes early in the season and missing time due to a freak orbital bone fracture. If Embiid play a full year with no restrictions, he could become a steal at No. 10 – NS
Round 2:
Remember, free throw percentage isn’t as much of a concern in points leagues. That said, what Drummond did last year – improving from 38.6 percent from the charity stripe to 60.5 percent – elevated his game significantly. So did the three assists he handed out per contest. Even if he doesn’t repeat the improvement at the line, his skills as a rebounder and defender will continue to put him among the fantasy elite. – CC
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