The guard position is the deepest it’s ever been in the NBA with so many immense talents showcasing their skills for the league’s 30 teams. While the depth is unquestioned, there are a handful of elite guards that have the potential to be absolute gamebreakers when it comes to fantasy basketball leagues.
Here is a look at the top five fantasy guards heading in to the 2017-18 season.
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
While some are concerned about lingering soreness in his left knee, Westbrook is an absolute beast and there is a good chance he will overcome whatever pain he is dealing with this season. Westbrook is coming off an MVP season in which he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists with a PER above 25 for the third year in a row. His outstanding numbers across the board make him an obvious No. 1 pick in fantasy basketball league drafts. With even more help around him, Westbrook will have an opportunity to match his incredible averages from a year ago. The flip side of the argument, though, is that you’re buying high (in terms of fantasy) on a player who did it all last year but won’t have to this time around.
James Harden, Houston Rockets
The Rockets also made some bold moves in the offseason including the addition of Chris Paul, whose creativity could really benefit Harden and company at the offensive end of the floor. Harden averaged 29.1 points, 11.2 assists and 8.9 rebounds with 3.2 three-point shots per game for Houston last season. While Paul could cut in to his assists a little bit, he should still put up some pretty impressive statistics this season and finish as the second-best guard in fantasy basketball leagues. If you’re looking at the guys on this list and wondering who might be a bit vulnerable for a drop-off, it’s probably Harden. We don’t exactly know how Paul will impact his fantasy value. The Rockets offense was so good last year that there isn’t much room to the upside. However, there is room to the downside with Harden, so keep that in mind.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Curry is another elite option whose bottom line is impacted by the help around him. While his numbers have been outstanding in recent years, the arrival of Kevin Durant has capped his overall production since he doesn’t need to carry the Warriors nearly as much as he did before KD’s arrival. Curry averaged 25.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds with 4.1 three-point shots per game last season. He should put up similar averages with Golden State this season.
Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
There is a substantial drop off after the big three but Butler’s arrival in Minnesota could help take his stock to another level. The assumption is that he can bounce back and play to his potential under head coach Tom Thibodeau this season. Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists with the Chicago Bulls a year ago and could put up even better numbers this season with a little more help. Considering those were the numbers he put up in an offense that really wasn’t doing much, on a team that was poorly coached and was falling apart, his prospects of putting up even better numbers is appealing.
While he isn’t an elite free throw shooter, Butler will help you fantasy basketball team when it comes to scoring and defensive statistics.
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Wall has really struggled to shoot the three-ball and that has kept him from taking the next step and ranking higher on this list. The Wizards point guard still averaged 23.1 points, 10.7 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game but he hit only 1.1 three-point attempts per game on 32.7-percent shooting. You have to love the assists as those are fantastic numbers. If you’re looking for a player to help you in that category, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone better.
Wall could contribute at a high level in a number of areas and is a very capable option at the point guard position. Just don’t expect him to help you when it comes to three-point shooting totals in fantasy basketball leagues this season.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
