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Fantasy Basketball: Week 1 Player Rankings

Justin Phan

This is the first installment of weekly positional rankings for the 2010-11 season. Moving forward, you'll get my weekly ranks each and every Sunday, which will weigh each player's current value with his strength of schedule for the upcoming seven-day timeframe. Let me reiterate that these are indeed rankings for the single upcoming week - though they will generally reflect a player's current overall value, long-term considerations such as injury risk or break-through potential are thrown out the window. And as with all Yahoo! rankings, these are based on hard science and thousands of simulations. What you see below is what our giant ranking machine has spit out. Do not question our methods.

POINT GUARDS

1. Dwyane Wade(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
2. Chris Paul(notes) - MIL, DEN, SAS (3)
3. Stephen Curry(notes) - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
4. Deron Williams(notes) - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
5. Jason Kidd(notes) - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
6. Chauncey Billups(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
7. Monta Ellis(notes) - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
8. Rajon Rondo(notes) - MIA, CLE, NYK (3)
9. Steve Nash(notes) - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
10. Brandon Jennings(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
11. Russell Westbrook(notes) - CHI, DET, UTA (3)
12. Beno Udrih(notes) - MIN, NJN, CLE (3)
13. Jason Terry(notes) - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
14. Mo Williams(notes) - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
15. Darren Collison(notes) - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
16. Baron Davis(notes) - POR, GSW, DAL (3)
17. Jamal Crawford(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
18. Andre Miller(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
19. Aaron Brooks(notes) - LAL, GSW, DEN (3)
20. Devin Harris(notes) - DET, SAC, MIA (3)
21. Mike Conley(notes) - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
22. Jrue Holiday(notes) - MIA, ATL, IND (3)
23. Raymond Felton(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
24. Rodney Stuckey(notes) - NJN, OKC, CHI (3)
25. Luke Ridnour(notes) - SAC, MIL, MEM (3)
26. Lou Williams - MIA, ATL, IND (3)
27. Mario Chalmers(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
28. Derrick Rose(notes) - OKC, DET (2)
29. Tyreke Evans(notes) - MIN, NJN, CLE (2)
30. D.J. Augustin(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
31. Ty Lawson(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
32. Jameer Nelson(notes) - WAS, MIA (2)
33. Gilbert Arenas(notes) - ORL, ATL (2)
38. Daniel Gibson(notes) - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
35. Toney Douglas(notes) - TOR, BOS, POR (3)
34. Mike Bibby(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
36. John Wall(notes) - ORL, ATL (2)
37. Jeff Teague(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
39. Jarrett Jack(notes) - NYK, CLE (2)
40. Tony Parker(notes) - IND, NOR (2)

The artist formerly known as “Flash” is still dealing with a hamstring injury and won’t be at 100 percent to start the season, but the Heat are the only team to draw four games this week so he’ll be king for a week regardless ... I can’t envision Nash getting off to a quick start with three of the bottom 10 teams in ease rankings on tap ... Udrih is a sneaky good play with Tyreke suspended for the season opener and two very beatable matchups in New Jersey and a post-Lebronalyptic Cleveland ... Mo gets dropped after recent concerns over his conditioning and rehab from a groin injury after missing five days of practice. He is considered questionable for the season opener ... I need to see some good games out of Collison in a Pacers uniform for me to fully trust him. The counting stats need to be there for the near three turnovers a game to be worth it ... It’s not looking good for Felton, who is not only having trouble picking up Mike D’Antoni’s offense, but also draws three active defenders in Kidd, Collison, and Jennings .. Seeing Ridnour/Lou over Rose/Reke and Augustin/Lawson over Jameer/Arenas may seem out of whack on first glance, but that added game makes a huge difference ... Teague owners will have to be patient – his time will eventually come. It’ll be a matter of weeks until he unseats Bibby as the starter.

SHOOTING GUARDS

1. Dwyane Wade - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
2. Joe Johnson(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
3. Kobe Bryant(notes) - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
4. Brandon Roy(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
5. Monta Ellis - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
6. Paul Pierce(notes) - MIA, CLE, NYK (3)
7. Kevin Martin(notes) - LAL, GSW, DEN (3)
8. Ray Allen(notes) - MIA, CLE, NYK (3)
9. Jason Richardson(notes) - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
10. John Salmons(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
11. O.J. Mayo(notes) - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
12. Jason Terry - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
13. Caron Butler(notes) - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
14. Stephen Jackson(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
15. Carlos Delfino(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
16. Jamal Crawford - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
17. Eric Gordon(notes) - POR, GSW, DAL (3)
18. Dorell Wright(notes) - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
19. Nicolas Batum(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
20. Andre Iguodala(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
21. Raymond Felton - TOR, BOS, POR (3)
22. Trevor Ariza(notes) - MIL, DEN, SAS (3)
23. Austin Daye(notes) - NJN, OKC, CHI (3)
24. Rodney Stuckey - NJN, OKC, CHI (3)
25. Lou Williams - MIA, ATL, IND (3)
26. James Harden(notes) - CHI, DET, UTA (3)
27. Arron Afflalo(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
28. Manu Ginobili(notes) - IND, NOR (2)
29. Reggie Williams(notes) - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
30. Tyreke Evans - MIN, NJN, CLE (2)
31. Hedo Turkoglu(notes) - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
32. Anthony Morrow(notes) - DET, SAC, MIA (3)
33. Wesley Matthews(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
34. Mike Dunleavy - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
35. Rudy Fernandez(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
36. Gilbert Arenas - ORL, ATL (2)
37. C.J. Miles(notes) - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
38. Daniel Gibson - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
39. Ron Artest(notes) - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
40. Ben Gordon(notes) - POR, GSW, DAL (3)
41. Evan Turner(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)

As long as Kobe is out there on the court playing, there’s no real reason not to put him right near the top of the list ... Iguodala gets dinged significantly because of a wrist injury that may force him to miss the season opener ... Delfino is going to have absolutely field days this week from deep against the Hornets, Wolves, and Bobcats, all of whom were in the top-10 in three-pointers allowed ... On the flipside, Ariza is in for an absolutely miserable time this week as he goes up against the two best perimeter defenses in the league (Spurs, Bucks), then goes on to draw Arron Afflalo in his third game ... Same goes for Belinelli, who has been omitted despite going off in the preseason ... I’m fully on board with Daye at this point and believe he warrants universal ownership in standard-sized leagues ... I’ll be very curious to see who emerges with more value out of Matthews and Rudy Fernandez this week. Both will have the opportunity to produce against a group of exploitable defenses ... Evan Turner is expected to come off the bench with Iguodala and Jason Kapono(notes) as the nominal swing starters, but may be thrust into a starting role with Iguodala’s injury. Three areas where Turner needs massive improvement before he could be a viable starter: shooting, cutting down on fouls, turnovers.

SMALL FORWARDS

1. LeBron James(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
2. Kevin Durant(notes) - CHI, DET, UTA (3)
3. Danny Granger(notes) - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
4. Gerald Wallace(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
5. Carmelo Anthony(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
6. Joe Johnson - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
7. Brandon Roy - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
8. Paul Pierce - MIA, CLE, NYK (3)
9. Andre Iguodala - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
10. Rudy Gay(notes) - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
11. Danilo Gallinari(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
12. Lamar Odom(notes) - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
13. Andrei Kirilenko(notes) - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
14. Jason Richardson - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
15. John Salmons - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
16. Caron Butler - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
17. Stephen Jackson - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
18. Jeff Green(notes) - CHI, DET, UTA (3)
19. Carlos Delfino - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
20. Dorell Wright - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
21. Nicolas Batum - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
22. Antawn Jamison(notes) - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
23. Trevor Ariza - MIL, DEN, SAS (3)
24. Austin Daye - NJN, OKC, CHI (3)
25. Reggie Williams - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
26. Marvin Williams(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
27. Hedo Turkoglu - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
28. Anthony Morrow - DET, SAC, MIA (3)
29. Carl Landry(notes) - MIN, NJN, CLE (3)
30. Boris Diaw(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
31. Mike Dunleavy - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
32. Corey Maggette(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
33. Thaddeus Young(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
34. Luol Deng(notes) - OKC, DET (2)
35. C.J. Miles - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
36. Ron Artest - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
37. Jamario Moon(notes) - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
38. Ersan Ilyasova(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
39. Evan Turner - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
40. James Jones(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)

Granger (ankle) will be ready for the season opener, and as long as he’s healthy, he’s a threat to put up top-five per-game value ... You can’t help but love the setup for Odom this week as he’ll face some undermanned and undersized frontcourts that will be overwhelmed by his combination of size and athleticism ... Jamison should be a bit slow out of the gates after a miserable preseason where he dealt with knee tendinitis and shot just 21.1 percent in five games ... I’m intrigued by the role Marvin Williams will play in Larry Drew’s new motion offense and will be watching closely to see if he can follow through on that one three, one steal potential he flashed in the preseason ... Moon might end up being under-ranked at 37, but I’d like to see how he does with starter’s minutes after living in LeBron’s shadow for the larger part of last season ... Another guy I’ll be watching closely is Thaddeus Young. I like the break-through potential there, but his value takes a sizable hit if this bench role Collins has him in is a long-term arrangement.

POWER FORWARDS

1. Chris Bosh(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
2. Dirk Nowitzki(notes) - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
3. Pau Gasol(notes) - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
4. Danny Granger - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
5. Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) - TOR, BOS, POR (3)
6. David Lee(notes) - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
7. Josh Smith(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
8. Gerald Wallace - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
9. Al Horford(notes) - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
10. Al Jefferson(notes) - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
11. Marcus Camby(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
12. LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
13. Kevin Love(notes) - SAC, MIL, MEM (3)
14. David West(notes) - MIL, DEN, SAS (3)
15. Nene Hilario(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
16. Rudy Gay - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
17. Zach Randolph(notes) - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
18. Kevin Garnett(notes) - MIA, CLE, NYK (3)
19. Lamar Odom - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
20. Paul Millsap(notes) - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
21. Andrei Kirilenko - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
22. Jeff Green - CHI, DET, UTA (3)
23. Anderson Varejao(notes) - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
24. Blake Griffin(notes) - POR, GSW, DAL (3)
25. Antawn Jamison - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
26. Luis Scola(notes) - LAL, GSW, DEN (3)
27. Tyrus Thomas(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
28. Carl Landry - MIN, NJN, CLE (3)
29. Al Harrington(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
30. Robin Lopez(notes) - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
31. Drew Gooden(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
32. Marvin Williams - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
33. J.J. Hickson(notes) - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
34. Boris Diaw - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
35. Channing Frye(notes) - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
36. Corey Maggette - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
37. Michael Beasley(notes) - SAC, MIL, MEM (3)
38. Thaddeus Young - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
39. Josh McRoberts(notes) - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
40. DeMarcus Cousins(notes) - MIN, NJN, CLE (3)
41. Elton Brand(notes) - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
42. Charlie Villanueva(notes) - NJN, OKC, CHI (3)
43. Wilson Chandler(notes) - TOR, BOS, POR (3)
44. Tim Duncan(notes) - IND, NOR (2)
45. Joakim Noah(notes) - OKC, DET (2)
46. Udonis Haslem(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
47. Shelden Williams(notes) - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
48. Andrea Bargnani(notes) - NYK, CLE (2)
49. Darko Milicic(notes) - SAC, MIL, MEM (3)
50. Ersan Ilyasova - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)

Power forward has to be the deepest position out there this year ... I expect it to be Varejao, not Hickson, who will take advantage of a slow start from Jamison and post top-75 numbers this week ... I was already down on Anthony Randolph(notes) to begin with, but he definitively gets the boot out of this week’s rankings with news that he is expected to miss the season opener with an ankle injury ... I’m being cautiously optimistic with Cousins and am weary of his large negative impact in free-throw percentage and turnovers. Plus news of Samuel Dalembert(notes) potentially getting back into game action by Friday at least temporarily puts a damper on his value ... Notables left off because of two-game schedules: Andray Blatche(notes), JaVale McGee(notes), Rashard Lewis(notes), Taj Gibson(notes), Amir Johnson(notes).

CENTERS

1. Chris Bosh - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
2. Pau Gasol - HOU, PHO, GSW (3)
3. Amar’e Stoudemire - TOR, BOS, POR (3)
4. David Lee - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
5. Brook Lopez(notes) - DET, SAC, MIA (3)
6. Al Horford - MEM, PHI, WAS (3)
7. Al Jefferson - DEN, PHO, OKC (3)
8. Marcus Camby - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
9. LaMarcus Aldridge - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
10. Kevin Love - SAC, MIL, MEM (3)
11. Nene Hilario - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
12. Zach Randolph - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
13. Marc Gasol(notes) - ATL, DAL, MIN (3)
14. Andrew Bogut(notes) - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
15. Anderson Varejao - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
16. Roy Hibbert(notes) - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
17. Luis Scola - LAL, GSW, DEN (3)
18. Yao Ming(notes) - LAL, GSW, DEN (3)
19. Al Harrington - UTA, NOR, HOU (3)
20. Robin Lopez - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
21. Drew Gooden - NOR, MIN, CHA (3)
22. Emeka Okafor(notes) - MIL, DEN, SAS (3)
23. J.J. Hickson - BOS, TOR, SAC (3)
24. Andris Biedrins(notes) - HOU, LAC, LAL (3)
25. Dwight Howard(notes) - WAS, MIA (2)
26. Chris Kaman(notes) - POR, GSW, DAL (3)
27. Channing Frye - POR, UTA, LAL (3)
28. Josh McRoberts - SAS, CHA, PHI (3)
29. DeMarcus Cousins - MIN, NJN, CLE (3)
30. Elton Brand - PHO, LAC, NYK (3)
31. Tim Duncan - IND, NOR (2)
32. Joakim Noah - OKC, DET (2)
33. Tyson Chandler(notes) - CHA, MEM, LAC (3)
34. Udonis Haslem - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
35. Andrea Bargnani - NYK, CLE (2)
36. Darko Milicic - SAC, MIL, MEM (3)
37. Serge Ibaka(notes) - CHI, DET, UTA (3)
38. Joel Anthony(notes) - BOS, PHI, ORL, NJN (4)
39. Nazr Mohammed(notes) - DAL, IND, MIL (3)
40. Jermaine O’Neal(notes) - MIA, CLE, NYK (3)

This group should be the most volatile throughout the season, as there are a lot of high-risk, high-reward types that may or may not pan out ... Biedrins will be better than he was last season, but given his preseason play, not by much. He has been largely overshadowed by David Lee and has often gone into an unassertive and complacent shell of his former self (which is saying a lot) ... Ranking Howard is asinine as usual – adjust his ranking depending on your league’s settings, but keep in mind he only has two games this week ... Kaman and Frye are two guys I don’t want much to do with this season ... If you’re in need of blocks and some rebounds then Joel Anthony is a quick short-term fix.

Follow Justin on Twitter @jphanned

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