Fantasy basketball rankings: Top 50 SFs
For more fantasy basketball coverage, check out theScore's 2018 Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit, with player rankings and new content released daily.
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 | LeBron James | LAL |
| 3 | Kevin Durant | GSW |
| 4 | Kawhi Leonard | TOR |
After the ill-fated Jason Kidd experiment (and the short-lived Joe Prunty era), the Milwaukee Bucks have a new coach in Mike Budenholzer with a track record of maximizing his players' abilities - particularly highly skilled frontcourt players. Under Budenholzer's guidance, former Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap blossomed as a four-time All-Star, starting with his age-28 season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is already a more prolific fantasy player on both ends of the court than Millsap ever was - and he's still just entering his age-24 season. Antetekounmpo averaged nearly 27 points with 10 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. Streamlining any aspect of his game (and adding a bit of range on his shot) could push the Greek Freak to a higher plane of fantasy greatness.
Tier 2 - Starters
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Paul George | OKC |
| 6 | Ben Simmons | PHI |
| 7 | Jimmy Butler | MIN |
| 8 | Draymond Green | GSW |
| 9 | Khris Middleton | MIL |
| 10 | Klay Thompson | GSW |
| 11 | DeMar DeRozan | SAS |
| 12 | Tobias Harris | LAC |
| 13 | Gordon Hayward | BOS |
Paul George spent his first season with the Oklahoma City Thunder adjusting to life as Robin to Russell Westbrook's Batman, a dynamic the five-time All-Star hasn't experienced for the better half of a decade. Understandably, his field-goal percentage fell from 46.1 to 43 percent while his total shot attempts per game dropped from 18 to 17 (his assists stayed flat at 3.3 per game).
Still, George is one of the preeminent 3-and-D wings in the league, and despite his role on offense being minimized slightly last season, he still tallied two steals and 0.5 blocks while connecting on 3.1 threes per game. If Westbrook manages to integrate George into the Thunder offense a bit better in Year 2 together, George can make the leap to Tier 1. He's already doing all the little things that set a player's fantasy value apart.
In the span of a year, the Los Angeles Clippers transitioned from a core featuring Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, JJ Redick, and Jamal Crawford to none of the above. Tobias Harris, acquired from the Detroit Pistons in the Griffin blockbuster, has the strongest case to emerge as the team's de facto star in terms of scoring production. In 32 appearances with the Clippers down the stretch, Harris averaged 19.3 points on 47.3/41.4/80 shooting splits. He should crack 20 points per game for the first time in his career.
Tier 3 - Depth
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Otto Porter | WAS |
| 15 | Aaron Gordon | ORL |
| 16 | Dario Saric | PHI |
| 17 | Tim Hardaway Jr. | NYK |
| 18 | Robert Covington | PHI |
| 19 | Gary Harris | DEN |
| 20 | Harrison Barnes | DAL |
| 21 | Will Barton | DEN |
| 22 | Taurean Prince | ATL |
| 23 | Kyle Kuzma | LAL |
| 24 | Andrew Wiggins | MIN |
| 25 | Jayson Tatum | BOS |
| 26 | Nikola Mirotic | NOP |
| 27 | Tyreke Evans | IND |
| 28 | Nicolas Batum | CHA |
| 29 | Evan Fournier | ORL |
| 30 | Joe Ingles | UTH |
| 31 | Jaylen Brown | BOS |
| 32 | Brandon Ingram | LAL |
| 33 | Josh Richardson | MIA |
| 34 | TJ Warren | PHO |
| 35 | Carmelo Anthony | HOU |
| 36 | Jabari Parker | CHI |
| 37 | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | LAL |
| 38 | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson | BKN |
Aaron Gordon is right on the cusp of making the jump to Tier 2, but the Orlando Magic's continued insistence on adding talent to an already crowded frontcourt keeps his outlook muddled. Gordon averaged 17.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, one steal, 0.8 blocks, and two made 3-pointers per game last season. He will battle for real estate around the hoop with not only the likes of Nikola Vucevic and 2017 draftee Jonathan Isaac, but 2018 No. 6 pick Mo Bamba as well.
On the other hand, Gordon did hit 33.6 percent of his 3-point attempts last year, and he's certainly one of the most athletic frontcourt players in the league. It's at least plausible that new head coach Steve Clifford could deploy the 23-year-old primarily as a small forward this year. This logjam could've been avoided had the Magic drafted a guard instead.
Tier 4 - Bench
| RANK | PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Jonathon Simmons | ORL |
| 40 | Al-Farouq Aminu | POR |
| 41 | Caris LeVert | BKN |
| 42 | James Johnson | MIA |
| 43 | Thaddeus Young | IND |
| 44 | Danilo Gallinari | LAC |
| 45 | Dion Waiters | MIA |
| 46 | Ersan Ilyasova | MIL |
| 47 | Josh Jackson | PHO |
| 48 | Kelly Oubre Jr. | WAS |
| 49 | Kent Bazemore | ATL |
| 50 | Marvin Williams | CHA |
Since missing the entire 2013-14 season with a torn ACL, the Clippers' Danilo Gallinari has averaged 16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and two assists per game while being a credible long-range scoring threat. He's also missed an averaged of 33 games per season, including missing all but 21 games last season, his first in L.A. If you have plenty of injury slots in your league, Galinari is worth a late-round flier. When he's healthy, he's a fine depth forward.
Honorable mentions: Jonathan Isaac (ORL), Wilson Chandler (PHI), Bogdan Bogdanovic (SAC), Trevor Ariza (PHO), Kyle Anderson (MEM), Justise Winslow (MIA), Rudy Gay (SAS).
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)