As most fantasy owners know, the most important part of any fantasy season is the draft. Right now the NBA fantasy drafts are in full swing. And, finding free and accurate rankings, with sound reasoning, is next to impossible. This NBA season the Fantasy Forecast article will be revamped to offer a more league wide approach to your fantasy questions. We will have three main section, a Week That Was, a Jazz Report, a Start Em’/Sit Em’, and a Question of the Week. But, for now, let’s just deal with the most important part of the season, the draft. I am going to break down the top 10 players at each position with a little information about why the player is ranked where he is. Enjoy!

PG: Point guard might be the most important position in fantasy basketball. We see teams moving towards "small ball", and Chris Paul led the way last season.

1. Chris Paul: Paul is hands down the best fantasy PG in the game right now, and an argument can be made to take CP3 first overall in a draft. They have all the same faces back, plus the addition of James Posey.
2. Deron Williams: From what I’ve seen around the internet, the popular pick at #3 is either Chauncey Billups or Steve Nash. Personally, I will take Williams over both. D-Willy signed a big contract over the summer and playing on the Olympic Team only help him mature. If he can cut down on the turnovers, he will earn this ranking this season.
3. Chauncey Billups: Billups is consistent, trustworthy and reliable. The main thing with him is his 17 point/7 assist average last season. Not much has changed in Detroit this off-season, so expect more of the same from Mr. Big Shot.
4. Steve Nash: The problem with Nash is that the team is talking about limiting his minutes and games played this season. GM Steve Kerr said he would like Nash to play just 70 games, and that is not a good thing from your 1st round pick. Nash already has a hole in steals and free-throws for a fantasy PG, so limiting his minutes and games means his value is dropping.
5. Jose Calderon: TJ Ford is out, Jermaine O’Neal is in, and Calderon is locked into the starting PG role. Calderon didn’t exactly impress in the Olympics, which means he could come a little cheaper, but make no mistake about his top six fantasy ranking.
6. Baron Davis: Davis is always an injury waiting to happen. But, he has lost nearly 20 pounds this off-season and playing alongside of Thornton, Camby, Kaman and Gordon means another huge year is in the works. The reason he drops out of the top 5 is the Clippers 94.3 PPG last season as a team. Slower offense means less fantasy stats to go around.
7. Devin Harris: Some might want Jason Kidd here, but I like Harris as my fantasy PG sleeper. Yes, we all know who he is, but I think he is going to be better than people think this season. I can easily see Harris breaking the 16 point/7 assist barrier, moving him above Jason Kidd.
8. Jason Kidd: Jason Kidd’s days of fantasy value are over. He is still the starting PG in Dallas, but his FG% is atrocious at best, his point-per-game are going to drop below double digits and the turnovers went up last season. The assists and rebounds are the only things keeping him in the top 10.
9. Andre Miller: Miller gets in the top 10 because of one man, Elton Brand. His PPG average will go down, but the assists will go up for certain. If you miss the big boys, give Miller a look as he is sure to slip.
10. Randy Foye: Ok, I am a homer, so what! Foye is healthy, Mike Miller is starting at SG, and Sebastian Telfair is his only back-up. Foye lit it up over his final 10 games last season (18.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.2 3-pointers) and if he can continue that into this season, we’ve got a sleeper on our hands!

SG: Shooting guards are a dime a dozen. They are typically known for their high FT% and they get you solid totals in 3-pt shooting and steals. But, they will typically drag down your FG%.

1. Kobe Bryant: Bryant is easily one of the top 3-5 fantasy players in the NBA, so what more do I need to say? If your league has FG%, take Kobe over Lebron. If FG% isn’t counted, go with James first.
2. Dwayne Wade: Miami now has Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley to play with Wade, and he is finally healthy to boot. Add in Mario Chalmers and James Jones, and you have a viable pick at #4 in just about any fantasy format.
3. Jason Richardson: Richardson’s 3-point shooting helps jump him over guys like Andre Iguodala and Allen Iverson. The only problem I have with Richardson is Coach Larry Brown and how they will interact with each other. Richardson was simply awesome last season and I expect that to carry over to this season.
4. Andre Iguodala: The addition of Elton Brand will help take the double-teams off Iggy this year. Signing a six-year, $80 million dollar contract this summer will give him added motivation as well. Expect Iggy to get a few more assists with Brand in town and better looks with Brand patrolling the paint.
5. Kevin Martin: There is nobody on the Kings better equipped to score. And, with Artest gone, Martin is the only sure thing in Sacramento. Expect more points, more 3’s, more free-throw chances, at the expense of added turnovers and a slightly lower FG%.
6. Allen Iverson: “The Answer” has learned to be more of a team player in recent seasons. The Nuggets lost Camby this off-season, but that means Nene has a chance to really emerge. I would venture to bet that Iverson puts up very similar stats to last season’s totals.
7. Joe Johnson: Losing Josh Childress won’t change the fact that Joe Johnson is the MVP of the Hawks. A slight increase in PPG and TO’s can be expected, but other than that, more of the same.
8. Stephen Jackson: The Warriors lost Baron Davis and Monta Ellis could be out all season long. Jackson should see a jump in PPG and FG%, so feel good about snagging him in the fourth round of your draft.
9. Brandon Roy: Vince Carter should be here on most lists, but he tweaked his ankle and the Nets will lose more than they win. Roy has a great, young team surrounding him and Greg Odon will dominate the Rookie of the Year voting. The Blazers lost Martell Webster for two months, but Roy has enough around him to justify this ranking.
10. Kevin Durant: Yes, I left Carter out of the top 10 all together. Durant showed signs last season of being an amazing talent and I fully expect him to score more, shoot more accurately and even snag an extra rebound per game. Jeff Green should mature, making Durant a viable top 10 fantasy SG.

SF: If SG is a dime a dozen, SF is a baker’s dozen. Lebron James is the name here... but I could count 25 or so SF’s worth taking in the draft.

1. Lebron James: Again, James can be selected anywhere in the top 3 and you could easily justify the pick. Nothing changed in Cleveland, so expect James to do what he has done since his rookie season, dominate.
2. Shawn Marion: I saw one ranking with Marion above James… I wanted to upload a virus to their server! I have a feeling that Marion isn’t going to do what he is supposed to do because of a healthy Wade and new additions Beasley, Chalmers and Jones. Marion is still the second best SF, but don’t be surprised if he disappoints.
3. Danny Granger: I like Danny to really explode this season. He wants a contract extension and that is normally motivation enough for a career year. Add that to Jermaine O’Neal being gone and Jamal Tinsley not stealing shots, and you have a shot at fantasy stardom from Granger.
4. Caron Butler: Butler is without Gilbert Arenas yet again this season, so he is a very valuable fantasy SF. Antawn Jamison is there, but Butler should see stats very similar to the ones he put up last season.
5. Rashard Lewis: The Magic lost Kenyon Dooling and Maurice Evans (nothing important), but brought in Michael Pietrus to go with Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu. Expect Lewis to be a big 3-point threat and help out a little in rebounds, steals and FG%, but know that his nightly stats can be erratic at times.
6. Carmelo Anthony: Anthony goes below Lewis because Lewis will get you the long ball on top of the regular stats. Melo will lead the Nuggets with 28-30 points each night, while snatching 8 or so rebounds and a steal, so don’t worry if you miss on Granger or Butler, Anthony is still available to score in bunches.
7. Paul Pierce: People want to rank Pierce in their top 5 and he just isn’t that player anymore with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rojan Rondo in town. He was dealing with a laundry list on injuries last season and losing James Posey might be more of a problem than people think, although Darius Miles should help out if he can be consistent. Rookie J.R. Giddens is a headache, so Pierce might see a slight dip in his overall stats this season.
8. Rudy Gay: His dunks aside, Gay has the skills to be huge in fantasy leagues this season. Gay is locked into a starting job with nobody to push him for minutes, and he made the most of his minutes last season by putting up 20 points, 6 rebounds and a steal per game. Expect more of the same with a possible slight bump in points and boards.
9. Corey Maggette: Some might want Turkoglu or Josh Howard here, but I like Maggette’s scoring ability over theirs. Maggette signed a big deal with the Warriors this off-season, but his injury concerns are always present. With Baron Davis gone and Monta Ellis hurting, Maggette and Stephen Jackson will be asked to carry a big role with the team.
10. Josh Howard: I would rather put Turkoglu here, but only because Howard has made some ignorant comments about players and their drug habits. Howard could easily put up 20 points and 7 boards a game as he did last year, if he could keep the sticky icky out of his body long enough to play his game on the court.

PF: At PF you want scoring, FG% and rebounding. Some even provide solid blocks and FT% too. A lot of the top PF’s also qualify at C, so they provide a multi-position bonus.

1. Amare Stoudemire: Any PF that logs 24 PPG, 10 RPG, 1 SPG and 2 BPG is worthy of the top slot in the rankings. I’ve heard crazy talk of people taking Stoudemire #1 overall, and that is overdoing it in my opinion. Top 5 yes, top 3, no.
2. Kevin Garnett: Garnett got the monkey off his back last season by winning the title, but the days of taking KG #1 overall are long gone. Garnett can easily put up a double-double each night, while adding a steal and block also. Garnett is great for a fantasy team, just don’t jump too high to draft him.
3. Dirk Nowitzki: Dirk is rock solid and he offers stats good enough to justify a late 1st round pick or an early 2nd rounder. His 3-pointers have gone down in recent seasons and his defense is lacking at best. But, bad defense aside, Nowitzki offers 24 points and 8 boards a game.
4. Elton Brand: Moving to the East will be a huge boost for Brand. I’d say we could see 20 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks a game, with a steal and a few assists thrown in. Simply put, Brand signed a huge deal and the East isn’t exactly a powerhouse.
5. Tim Duncan: Duncan would have once been the top overall PF pick, but those days are finished and Duncan is too nice of a player. Coach Popovich likes to play Duncan no more than 34 minutes per game, he is now 32-years-old with and his free-throw percentage is iffy at best. Add all that up and Duncan is not worthy of a 1st round pick.
6. Al Jefferson: The only thing that kept me from putting Jefferson above Duncan is Duncan’s blocking ability. Since Jefferson qualifies at both Forward and Center, he is a high 2nd round pick. Simply put, Jefferson is a fantasy stud!
7. Carlos Boozer: With Deron Williams in line for a big season, Carlos Boozer too should enjoy a great season. Did I mention Boozer is in a contract year? Not to too fine a point on it, but Boozer should put up huge numbers in order to secure a max deal next season.
8. Chris Bosh: The addition of Jermaine O’Neal knocked Bosh down the rankings a bit. Jose Calderon is coming into his own and J.O. demonstrated in Indiana that he demands his fair share of shots per game. O’Neal is an upgrade over Rasho Nesterovic, which means Bosh’s scoring will take a hit.
9. Antawn Jamison: With Arenas gone for most of the season, Jamison should enjoy the same 21 point/10 rebound nights again this season. Nothing has changed from last season for the Wizards, Arenas is injured again and nobody has left or been added worth mentioning. So, more of the same is in line for Jamison.
10. Josh Smith: Smith should see a bump in his stats after signing an offer sheet with the Grizzlies, but having it matched by the Hawks. Josh Childress is gone and Smith is logging nearly 17 points, 3 blocks, 8 rebounds and 3 assists a game these days. Look for all the same with an addition point or two a game.

C: By far the hardest position to find quality at. Once you get outside the top 10 fantasy centers, you officially waited too long to draft one!

1. Dwight Howard: Howard was a fantasy monster last season, making him an easy pick at the #1 fantasy center this season. Getting 21 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks a game is what I see for Howard. Just be prepared to pretty much punt FT% and turnovers in your rotisserie league.
2. Yao Ming: The main problem with drafting Ming is you know he will miss about a quarter of the season with some kind of injury. I’m kind of getting tired of being burned by Ming and his fragile body, so I am not drafting him unless he is available in round 3 and the PF’s that qualify at C and Howard are all gone.
3. Marcus Camby: Cotton Camby has been surprisingly healthy the last two seasons. The Nuggets gave Camby to the Clippers for nothing more than salary cap relief, so he may have a chip on his shoulder. Camby is going to see a drop in rebounds playing next to Kaman, and that is one of the two categories he contributes in. Now, expect 10 boards and 3 blocks a game with sporadic scoring.
4. Andrew Bogut: Bogut sined one of the biggest contracts in franchise history, so you know he will be the starting center for years to come. If he can keep up last season’s impressive block jump, he should post 15 points, 10 boards and 1-2 blocks per game this season too.
5. Greg Oden: It is VERY risky for me to give a true rookie this high of a ranking. But, Robert Parish is set to put up 10 points, 12 rebounds and 2 or more blocks per game. Get that kind of production from a center and you’ve got a fantasy stud! Oh, yes, I know I called him Robert Parish, but they look like twins!
6. Andris Biedrins: Ronny Turiaf is now a Warrior, but he is little more than a breather when your real center is tired. Biedrins should offer a double-double with a block or so per game, so you could do worse. Just don’t wait much longer to get your starting center.
7. Andrew Bynum: Bynum really emerged last year before getting an injury ended his breakout season. Bynum is a huge injury concern with that gimpy knee, but he is turning 21 this month and with Kobe, Gasol and Lamar Odom on the roster, Bynum can sit back and let the game come to him.
8. Samuel Dalembert: It is hard to see how the addition of Elton Brand will affect Dalembert’s numbers. Sammy-D averaged a double-double with two blocks last year, so take off a point per game and a rebound per game and that is what to expect from him this season.
9. Mehmet Okur: Nothing has changed in Utah, so look for Okur to put up 15 points and 7 boards again this season. The real added beauty in Okur is that he can hit the 3-pointer, which is a rare feat to see in a true center. Now if Okur could only get his blocks up, we’d be in business.
10. Tyson Chandler: I am going to pick the Hornets to win the title this season, so I wish I could rank Chandler higher than this. I’m giving Chandler around 11 points, 12 rebounds and 1-2 blocks per game this season. The FG% is awesome at 60%, but having a matching FT% is what is holding him back here.

Busts: Proven players that don’t live up to the expectations.

Kobe Bryant: I know, I know, but the Lakers are a very good team with Bynum back. Very good teams tend to have a lot of blowout games, and that means Kobe will sit more in the fourth quarter. His finger is all messed up, his legs have ran more than a Kentucky Derby horse. Bryant is no longer a one-man fantasy league winner.

Marcus Camby: Cotton Camby has moved to the Clippers from the Nuggets, and that means he goes from 102.3 PPG in Denver down to 94.3 PPG in Los Angeles. Camby will also have to battle Kaman for rebounds and he is always one breath away from a long injury absence. Don’t take Camby as your #1 Center, look at some of those PF/C guys first.

Andre Miller: I know I ranked him in the top 10 for PG’s, but it was more because of Brand than Miller. I am giving him a bust ranking too because Miller is going to be 33-years-old in March, history has shown that he’s not a very good shooter, and the offense is sure to run more through Brand than him. The assists will jump a bit, but everything else will go down.

Mo Williams: Here is the one I feel good about. Williams moves to Cleveland to play alongside Lebron and everyone assumes that means fantasy greatness. Wrong! The offense starts and ends with Lebron and Williams is a shoot-first type of player, so don’t expect him to bring it up court and dish it off to anyone. Williams is going to be someone’s #1 PG, just make sure he isn’t yours!

Sleepers: Those guys you take earlier than you should, because you know something they don’t.

Kevin Durant: Yes, Durant has the low FG%/high TO rate that makes him shaky in a lot of leagues. But, Durant is the Lebron James of Oklahoma City and he looked better in the second half of last year than he did in the first. He has no off-court problems and the emergence of Jeff Green will help take some of the pressure off him. Don’t just too high, but expect more than last year.

J.R. Smith: Now, this is the ULTIMATE sleeper pick. Problem is, Smith could easily slip into a fantasy comma. Look, his stats increased each month from February to April in MPG, FT%, and Defensive rebounding, while his 3PT shooting percentage took a hit. If Smith can keep his flaky personality in check, his playing time should spike and that means this sharp-shooter could be a great late round pick for you.

Mike Conley: I wanted to find a way to rank him in the PG top 10, but I am not going to get crazy with him. Last season he missed big chunks of time with injuries, he had a high turnover rate, and being 20-years-old in the NBA is hardly ever a good thing. Any time a team burns a high pick on you, they are certain to give you more than enough chances to prove yourself. His main problems are Kyle Lowry and that Shaq-esk FT% he brings to the table.

Earl Watson: What will scare most fantasy players away from Watson is that he has never truly lived up to his hype and the Thunder took Russell Westbrook in the draft. But, Westbrook isn’t a true PG and I Luke Ridnour is finally out of the way. I don’t think Westbrook is going to make a viable starting PG in the NBA, so the job is Watsons to lose.

I know the top 10 players at each position can be a bit of an obvious call for those seasoned fantasy veterans. But, some of you tend to over think your picks and hopefully this cleared up a lot of those questions. Should you have more, feel free to email me and I will answer your question there. You could even have your question featured in next week’s article as the Question of the Week.

Coming soon... Jazz Fantasy on myJazz Connection
Jazz Fantasy Breakdown