The NBA season tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 19 with a TNT doubleheader featuring the defending champion Bucks hosting the Nets and a star-studded Warriors-Lakers nightcap. All told, seven of the top-20 players in our top-200 overall fantasy rankings will be in action, which guarantees a stat-stuffing start to the year. Before you can properly enjoy the opening night festivities, you need a 2021 fantasy basketball cheat sheet to have at your ready during your draft. Fortunately, we’re here to help with links to our positional rankings, breakout sleepers, draft steals, top rookies, and a list of the best fantasy basketball team names (coming soon).
There’s no perfect draft strategy or way to build your fantasy basketball team, but no matter which positions and categories you like to target first, you need to know the top players and undervalued gems for every spot in your lineup. Our rankings and sleeper lists can help you build a complete roster that will be ready for whatever challenges the 2021-’22 NBA season brings.
Check back for updates ahead of opening night, and good luck this year!
2021 Fantasy Basketball Cheat Sheet: Rankings
Top 200: Jayson Tatum is No. 11 and Darius Bazley is No. 134. If you need to know more than that, I guess you’ll just have to click the link.
Point guard: Pretend there are roughly 45 red flags by Kyrie Irving’s ranking and adjust accordingly.
Shooting guard: If viral post-game sound bites were a fantasy category, Anthony Edwards would be much higher than he is here.
Small forward: The “Battle of the Bridges” highlights this list, as Mikal and Miles are back-to-back. Way more interesting that KD vs. LBJ for the top spot, right?
Power forward: A two-time MVP at No. 1 and a rookie at No. 8? Yeah, it’s safe to say PF is top heavy.
Center: International team affiliations of guys in the top 10: Serbia, Dominican Republic, Cameroon, Lithuania (2), USA, Montenegro, France, Switzerland, Bahamas. Don’t see that every day.
2021 Fantasy Basketball Top Rookies
Rookie rankings: From the top-10 rookie studs to nine more deep-league/dynasty stashes, we have this stacked first-year class covered.
2021 Fantasy Basketball Team Names
Best team names: Coming soon
2021 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers
Top draft-day steals: Whether it’s an established player ready to make “the leap” or a guy who could vastly outperform his ADP, you shouldn’t overlook these fantasy contributors.
One sleeper from every team: Some teams have no good options; others have multiple candidates. Either way, we pick one potential sleeper from all 30 NBA squads.