Skip to content

NBA fantasy: Top 150 players overall for 2019-20

Nathaniel S. Butler / National Basketball Association / Getty

These rankings reflect standard scoring formats, taking into account a player's expected production in the following categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3-point shots made, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and turnovers.

Position Rankings
PG | SG | SF | PF | C | Top 150

Tier 1 - Fantasy superstars

RANK PLAYER TEAM
1 Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL
2 Anthony Davis LAL
3 Karl-Anthony Towns MIN
4 Stephen Curry GSW
5 Nikola Jokic DEN
6 LeBron James LAL
7 James Harden HOU
8 Joel Embiid PHI
9 Kawhi Leonard LAC
10 Damian Lillard POR
11 Bradley Beal WAS
12 Paul George LAC

After two years of James Harden leading theScore's preseason fantasy rankings, the Rockets' addition of fellow high-usage star Russell Westbrook has led to the bearded one falling to No. 7. He's still elite, and still among the very best players overall and at the guard positions, but expectations have to be adjusted. Westbrook figures to receive more touches and shots than Chris Paul, and the former Thunder star comes with a slightly cleaner injury history

So with Harden's mildly diminished expectations in mind, the No. 1 pick this year comes down to Giannis Antetokounmpo or Anthony Davis. Here's how the pair's numbers stacked up last season:

Stats The Greek Freak The Brow
PTS 27.7 25.9
REB 12.5 12.0
AST 5.9 3.9
STL 1.3 1.6
BLK 1.5 2.4
3PM 0.7 0.9
FG% 57.8 51.7
FT% 72.9 79.4
TO 3.7 2.0

That's pretty even across the board. Antetokounmpo holds a distinct edge in assists - but with inflated turnovers to match - while Davis' contributions in the two defensive categories were unmatched. Points and rebounds were a wash.

You have reason to lean toward selecting Davis based on those numbers alone, but there are a few other factors to consider.

Durability matters, and Antetokounmpo has missed 27 regular-season games - just 5.5% of 492 possible outings - since entering the league in 2013-14. In his seven seasons, Davis has sat out 108 regular-season contests, which is 18.8% of 574 possible appearances.

Secondly, the position that your first-round pick plays sets a tone for the rest of the draft. Most fantasy websites will make both players here eligible at the power forward slot. But Antetokounmpo's status as a small forward is more valuable than Davis' secondary eligibility at center. Compare theScore's top-50 lists for small forward and center, and note how thin the former is this year. Drafting a superstar small forward early allows you to focus on guards and bigs through to the fifth round.

And finally, the floor is just a little bit safer with the Greek Freak. Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic are out in Milwaukee, and Wesley Matthews, Kyle Korver, and Robin Lopez have been added. But other than that, the Bucks are bringing back virtually the same team as last year.

Meanwhile, Davis is adjusting to a completely different set of teammates with the Lakers, including playing alongside a fellow superstar (LeBron James) for the first time in his career. There's potential for some hiccups while the Brow finds his footing.

Davis should still be awesome, and among the top players for fantasy purposes. But because of those three reasons that extend beyond the boxscore, you should lean toward Antetokounmpo with the No. 1 draft pick.

Brian Sevald / National Basketball Association / Getty

Tier 2 - Starters

RANK PLAYER TEAM
13 Andre Drummond DET
14 Jimmy Butler MIA
15 Rudy Gobert UTA
16 Kyrie Irving BKN
17 Kemba Walker BOS
18 Russell Westbrook HOU
19 Jrue Holiday NOR
20 Nikola Vucevic ORL
21 Devin Booker PHO
22 Blake Griffin DET
23 Trae Young ATL
24 Chris Paul OKC
25 Ben Simmons PHI
26 Luka Doncic DAL
27 Myles Turner IND
28 Draymond Green GSW
29 Deandre Ayton PHO
30 John Collins ATL
31 Donovan Mitchell UTA
32 Kyle Lowry TOR
33 De'Aaron Fox SAC
34 D'Angelo Russell GSW
35 Mike Conley UTA
36 LaMarcus Aldridge SAS
37 Buddy Hield SAC
38 Kristaps Porzingis DAL
39 Clint Capela HOU
40 Pascal Siakam TOR
41 Tobias Harris PHI
42 Lauri Markkanen CHI
43 Khris Middleton MIL
44 DeMar DeRozan SAS
45 Zach LaVine CHI
46 Jonas Valanciunas MEM
47 Kevin Love CLE
48 CJ McCollum POR
49 Aaron Gordon ORL
50 Victor Oladipo IND

Andre Drummond has led the league in rebounds in three of the past four seasons, making him a perfect second-round target if you draft Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, or Bradley Beal in the first round. He's hit just under 60% of his free throws over the past two seasons after working hard to address his glaring weakness.

Drummond also hasn't missed more than four games in a season since his rookie campaign. He isn't as flashy as teammate Blake Griffin, but he's a lot more dependable for fantasy purposes.

There shouldn't be much concern over how Kyrie Irving integrates into the Nets' infrastructure. Ball-handlers possess inherent advantages when it comes to weathering instability. Pencil him in for close to 24 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and over a steal per game.

Trae Young and John Collins are primed to be this year's De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield - a pair of recent draft picks coming into their own in years two and three while pushing each other to new heights. Like last year's Kings, the Hawks are probably a year or two away from a playoff appearance, even in the less imposing Eastern Conference. But that won't stop Young and Collins from being top-50 fantasy players this campaign.

Scott Cunningham / National Basketball Association / Getty

Tier 3 - Depth

RANK PLAYER TEAM
51 Robert Covington MIN
52 Jayson Tatum BOS
53 Otto Porter Jr. CHI
54 Eric Bledsoe MIL
55 Jamal Murray DEN
56 Zion Williamson NOR
57 Josh Richardson PHI
58 Al Horford PHI
59 Hassan Whiteside POR
60 Julius Randle NYK
61 Mitchell Robinson NYK
62 Thomas Bryant WAS
63 Brook Lopez MIL
64 Malcolm Brogdon IND
65 Lonzo Ball NOR
66 Marvin Bagley SAC
67 Steven Adams OKC
68 Jaren Jackson Jr. MEM
69 Lou Williams LAC
70 Terry Rozier CHA
71 Jeff Teague MIN
72 Domantas Sabonis IND
73 Montrezl Harrell LAC
74 Willie Cauley-Stein GSW
75 Ricky Rubio PHO
76 TJ Warren IND
77 Brandon Ingram NOR
78 Andrew Wiggins MIN
79 Justise Winslow MIA
80 Danilo Gallinari OKC
81 Gordon Hayward BOS
82 Dewayne Dedmon SAC
83 Caris LeVert BKN
84 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OKC
85 Jarrett Allen BKN
86 Kelly Oubre Jr. PHO
87 Derrick White SAS
88 Larry Nance Jr. CLE
89 Marcus Smart BOS
90 Paul MIllsap DEN
91 Marc Gasol TOR
92 Enes Kanter BOS
93 DeAndre Jordan BKN
94 Eric Gordon HOU
95 JJ Redick NOR
96 Bam Adebayo MIA
97 Klay Thompson GSW

A lot of overeager fantasy managers will pay a premium for Zion Williamson. He'll likely be long off the board by the No. 56 pick of most drafts. Don't sweat it, as there will be plenty of established, dependable players available in the pick 25-50 range.

Karl-Anthony Towns is the best recent example of a highly-touted No. 1 pick who returned immense fantasy value in his first year, putting up 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, two assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. Zion is more athletically gifted than KAT was coming into the league, but he's also far less polished.

The Duke standout has looked great throughout the preseason, but remember, exhibition games feature a lot of fringe NBA players - two-way prospects, exhibit 10 training camp invitees - and veterans playing at less than 100%. The Pelicans' phenom will have to work hard to match KAT's rookie numbers this year.

Nathaniel S. Butler / National Basketball Association / Getty

Tier 4 - Bench

RANK PLAYER TEAM
98 Kyle Kuzma LAL
99 Jonathan Isaac ORL
100 Ja Morant MEM
101 Serge Ibaka TOR
102 Wendell Carter Jr CHI
103 Derrick Favors NOR
104 Tim Hardaway Jr. DAL
105 Terrence Ross ORL
106 Gary Harris DEN
107 Dejounte Murray SAS
108 Jerami Grant DEN
109 Evan Fournier ORL
110 Jeremy Lamb IND
111 Ivica Zubac LAC
112 Delon Wright DAL
113 Landry Shamet LAC
114 Joe Ingles UTA
115 Spencer Dinwiddie BKN
116 Cedi Osman CLE
117 Nicholas Batum CHO
118 Fred VanVleet TOR
119 Miles Bridges CHO
120 Jaylen Brown BOS
121 Bojan Bogdanovic UTA
122 Collin Sexton CLE
123 Mikal Bridges PHO
124 Dario Saric PHO
125 D.J. Augustin ORL
126 Dwight Howard LAL
127 Tomas Satoransky CHI
128 Kris Dunn CHI
129 Thaddeus Young CHI
130 Bogdan Bogdanovic SAC
131 Harrison Barnes SAC
132 Goran Dragic MIA
133 Kevin Huerter ATL
134 Reggie Jackson DET
135 Dennis Smith Jr. NYK
136 RJ Barrett NYK
137 Taurean Prince BKN
138 Rudy Gay SAS
139 Derrick Rose DET
140 Joe Harris BKN
141 Elfrid Payton ORL
142 Kevin Knox NYK
143 Trevor Ariza SAC
144 Jabari Parker ATL
145 Patrick Beverley LAC
146 Dennis Schroder OKC
147 Bobby Portis NYK
148 Will Barton DEN
149 Cody Zeller CHO
150 Rajon Rondo LAL

There isn't any guaranteed money in Dwight Howard's contract, allowing the Lakers to cut bait at the first sign of trouble or tomfoolery. Based on Howard's track record as a noxious locker room presence, remaining employed by the All-Star break isn't a certainty.

But if the three-time Defensive Player of the Year keeps his composure and produces anywhere near his 2017-18 levels - 16.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks in 81 appearances with the Charlotte Hornets - you'll be bragging to your league mates about believing in Howard's redemption season when no one else did.

Honorable mentions: Seth Curry (DAL), Isaiah Thomas (WAS), Mo Bamba (ORL), Marcus Morris (NYK), Danny Green (LAL), Brandon Clarke (MEM), Kevon Looney (GSW), OG Anunoby (TOR).

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox