Position Primer: Shooting Guard
By Matt Buser, Yahoo! Sports Oct 8, 7:00 pm EDT
Position Primers: PG | SG | SF | PF | C
This is the second in a series of fantasy basketball position primers in preparation for the 2008-09 season. In the five primers, we will examine the statistical production fantasy owners should expect in general from players at each position, discuss a general draft strategy for each, and break down players by tiers.
Average Stats
Note: The stat averages listed below are the combined averages of the top 25 players at the position in season-ending “Rank” from each of the past three seasons.
| POS | FG% | FGA | FT% | FTA | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | Rank |
| SG | .457 | 1144 | .817 | 382 | 1.55 | 19.3 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 1.22 | 0.42 | 2.23 | 38 |
Volume offense is what you tend to get at SG – it is tops in points, threes, field goal and free throw attempts, as well as free throw percentage. The position was second (behind SF) in average rank – the elite scorers tend to do well in fantasy – but it was also due to a strong showing in assists (2nd) and steals (3rd). The position was second-to-last where you might expect – turnovers, field goal percentage, and blocks.
Draft Strategy
Things remain unchanged at the top of the position – Kobe Bryant is a top-three pick in most formats and packs as much punch as anyone in the game. After Kobe, you’ll be able to choose from multi-category contributors and volume offense at virtually every stage of the draft – from Andre Iguodala or Kevin Martin early to Hedo Turkoglu or Michael Redd later to John Salmons or Ben Gordon even further down the list. Single-category contributors such as J.R. Smith (threes) and Ronnie Brewer (steals) are late-round targets.
The rankings (below) are based on the nine Yahoo! default categories (FG%, FT%, 3PTM, PTS, REB, AST, STL, BLK, TO), with the general assumption that you are trying to win and/or be competitive in each of the nine categories.
| TIER 1 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| Kobe Bryant | 3 | Kobe can be argued No.1 overall on consistency of excellence alone | |
| Dwyane Wade | 119 | Very strong Olympic showing was huge; camp can bring even more clarity | |
| Danny Granger | 12 | He’s the man with O’Neal out of town; post-break numbers were silly | |
| Allen Iverson | 8 | Great system fit and will be needed for big-time numbers as much as ever | |
| TIER 2 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| Kevin Martin | 45 | roto | Elite offense in for an uptick as the clear No.1 option; roto-friendly game |
| Jason Richardson | 11 | Much-improved %’s buoyed rank; he’ll only repeat if that doesn’t change | |
| Andre Iguodala | 27 | He’s already near the upper escelon and Brand’s presence will only help | |
| Paul Pierce | 18 | Doesn’t need to score 20-plus any more, but overall line didn’t suffer | |
| Joe Johnson | 37 | Post-trade (Bibby) numbers over a full season would be on another level | |
| Vince Carter | 30 | Appears very motivated at this point, and we all know it’s up to him | |
| TIER 3 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| Brandon Roy | 62 | Incremental improvements expected, but team depth limits fantasy upside | |
| Hedo Turkoglu | 36 | Full scope of game was finally on display and his situation hasn’t changed | |
| Mike Dunleavy | 20 | roto | Team’s system sure suits him; be sure to monitor status reports (tendinitis) |
| Michael Redd | 65 | Top-tier offensive contributor has upside from here; down season in 07-08 | |
| Kevin Durant | 63 | Love the offensive talent, but I’m not banking on 9-cat contributions (yet) | |
| Ray Allen | 42 | Should reprise role as league’s elite 3PTM specialist, but upside is gone | |
| Mike Miller | 78 | Role and subsequent fantasy impact figure to be roughly the same | |
| Corey Maggette | 77 | Has to stay healthy, but figures to flourish in wide-open GSW offense | |
| Josh Howard | 51 | Upside remains, he just seems less likely to reach it at this point | |
| Luol Deng | 112 | Looks like serious bargain after tumultuous season; Rank of 18 in 06-07 | |
| TIER 4 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| Jamal Crawford | 48 | D’Antoni system bodes well but FG% likely to remain Achilles’ heel | |
| Stephen Jackson | 55 | h2h | Plentiful overall line will be offset with single-largest FG% detriment |
| Jason Terry | 38 | roto | Figures to remain an efficient source of offense despite unsettled role |
| Randy Foye | 224 | Factors are in line for breakout season; could emerge as serious bargain | |
| Peja Stojakovic | 39 | roto | Amazing 0.8 TO last season and plenty of 3PTM, but marginal in most areas |
| Richard Hamilton | 74 | Solid and steady, but unspectacular; doesn’t get much safer at this point | |
| Tracy McGrady | 127 | h2h | Where’s T-Mac? with health already in question, fairly far down the ranks |
| TIER 5 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| Kirk Hinrich | 94 | It certainly can’t get any worse than 07-08; solid upside gamble here | |
| Leandro Barbosa | 52 | roto | Very sytem-dependant and things are different with the Suns; X-factor |
| John Salmons | 89 | Artest’s departure opens up a consistent significant role | |
| Ben Gordon | 80 | Hard to see much room for upside given the team’s depth chart | |
| Francisco Garcia | 76 | Will play multiple positions and see consistent minutes, even as a reserve | |
| Anthony Parker | 53 | roto | Roto glue guy sneaky-good contributor, but potential for timeshare |
| O.J. Mayo | - | Bulk offense will be there, but be wary of efficiency and 9-cat overall line | |
| J.R. Smith | 120 | Ludicrous 5.3 treys per 48 minutes in 07-08, but no guarantees of more PT | |
| Raymond Felton | 98 | New regime could breathe new life into Felton’s game, but remains risky | |
| TIER 6 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| Ronnie Brewer | 59 | Inconsistent and role is TBD, but you won’t find more STL this late | |
| Raja Bell | 82 | Overall regression but default target for 3PTM at this stage of the game | |
| Grant Hill | 60 | May move to bench as team wants to limit regular season minutes | |
| Ricky Davis | 91 | Crowded depth chart, but Ricky always finds a way to produce in fantasy | |
| Ramon Sessions | 298 | Unbalanced hype-to-sample-size ratio, but AST opportunities abound | |
| Manu Ginobili | 17 | Likely won’t be 100% before Jan 1, but | |
| James Posey | 102 | A great fit for the Hornets, but his game doesn’t always transfer to fantasy | |
| Mickael Pietrus | 157 | Should approach career high in minutes, but low-priority in team offense | |
| Delonte West | 201 | roto | Warrants a speculative draft pick while battling for starting SG spot |
| Rashad McCants | 123 | Talented offensive player but scope of opportunity doesn’t look huge | |
| Monta Ellis | 26 | Hard to picture his ankle allowing him to approach 100% at all in 08-09 | |
| TIER 7 | 07-08 | Bias | Notes |
| DeShawn Stevenson | 101 | Defensive specialist who can knock down some 3PTM, but that’s it | |
| Daniel Gibson | 159 | Best-case is single-category specialist (3PTM) with Williams on board | |
| Michael Finley | 150 | Will plan plenty while Manu is out, but he’s not offering a lot these days | |
| Louis Williams | 141 | Offensive talent but there’s only so much PT and shots to go around | |
| Rudy Fernandez | - | Love the kid’s game, but who does he steal enough minutes from? |
07-08: season-ending Yahoo! rank (default 9-cat cumulative value)
BIAS: Notes when a player’s 9-cat line is more favorable in roto or h2h leagues; if blank, the player’s overall impact is relatively even in both
