The Big Board takes into consideration past returns, current performance and expected future gains in determining who should be included among the top 50 fantasy basketball players. Essentially, the Big Board is a cheat sheet designed for a fantasy owner who is planning to participate in a draft today. Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Basketball default scoring settings are used as the baseline for the Big Board, which is updated on a regular basis. []Big Board 50: Basketball PlayerPos. Stock 1. F He’s finished first, second and fifth over the past three years and looks to be in terrific shape entering 2014/15. James will continue to be a monster in Cleveland. 2. F There will take a leap of faith he can stay healthy, but Davis was the No. 2 player on a per-game basis last season as a 20-year-old. The sky’s the limit. 3. G Has averaged the most 3-pointers per game in each of the past two seasons. He also shot 47. 1 percent from the floor and 88. 5 percent from the line while getting 24. 0 ppg, 8. 5 apg and 1. 6 spg last year. 4. G He’s the best true point guard in the NBA but has missed an average of 18. 0 games over the past three seasons. There’s an argument he should move above Curry here, as no one is a better bet to help in the steals category. 5. G Lackadaisical defense doesn’t hurt fantasy owners, and Harden remains one of the league’s preeminent scorers. Only Kevin Durant will help your team more in the free throw category. 6. F It remains to be seen how he’ll perform in the triangle system, but Anthony will still be the focal point of New York’s offense regardless. It wouldn’t shock if a career-year were in store. 7. F His Usage Rate (that tied for the ninth-highest in the league last season) should decline, but Love is plenty capable of keeping his huge rebounding numbers, and it’s hard to argue now playing alongside LeBron James is a bad thing. 8. G Despite having the NBA’s MVP winner as a teammate, Westbrook led the league in Usage Rate (33. 5) by a wide margin last year. No player is a bigger turnover hindrance, but Westbrook is a top asset regardless. 9. F Averaged career highs in ppg (23. 2), rpg (11. 1), apg (2. 6) and FT% (82. 2) last season. He’s center eligible and is well deserving of a top pick. 10. F Finished third in Usage Rate and as the No. 7 player over the final month. Expect his mpg (32. 4 last year) to increase, resulting in a huge season from the 24-year-old. 11. F There might not be a more dominant scorer down low, and Jefferson has an argument to be taken in the first round if you think he can stay healthy. After fully recovering from offseason surgery, he averaged 24. 5 ppg and 11. 4 rpg after the All-Star break. 12. F Finished as the No. 10 ranked player, as only Anthony Davis helped more in the blocks category. Ibaka continues to improve his game in all areas and is an emerging star. 13. G Finally became a star with the development of a three-point shot. Wa

• published: 16 Oct 2014
• views: 0