Fantasy Basketball Preview: Power Forwards

It's been a long time since my last post in the fantasy preview series, and I apologize for that. The power forward group is where most fantasy owners will get their rebounds and boost their field goal percentages since the current crop of centers is fairly weak. Without further delay, here are my rankings for power forwards in terms of overall fantasy value. The Top 10 Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) - Dirk's career numbers speak for themselves: 22.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.3 treys, 47.2 FG%, 87.2 FT%, 1 block, 0.9 steals, and only 1.9 turnovers. The German has been consistently dominant for years now, and there's absolutely no reason to suspect that that will change this season. A healthy Dirk usually finishes in the top 5 in terms of fantasy production. Chris Bosh (Toronto) - A 20 and 10 guy night in and night out who shoots surprisingly well from the charity stripe. Bosh can also get about a block and a steal per game, and he rarely has an off night. Bosh has been a force on th boards and on offense over the past few seasons, and he's still young enough to keep improving. A safe pick who may lose a bit in terms of scoring due to the arrival of Hedo Turkoglu. Amar'e Stoudemire (Phoenix) - Big-time scorer who grabs about 9 boards per game and shoots well from both the floor and the free throw line. Amar'e can also get a block or two a game, and I expect him to be more productive than last season now that Shaq won't be around to slow down the offense. If he stays healthy, Amar'e should have a big year (after all, he can leave after this season, and he will want to raise his stock with good performances). Kevin Garnett (Boston) - KG missed significant time last season with injury issues, but he'll return healthy and fired up for the new season. Garnett is a monster on the boards, he passes well for a big fella, and he's a great source of steals and blocks (1.4 and 1.6 over his career, respectively). His scoring has dipped a bit lately, but 17 or 18 points per game is not an unrealistic prediction for him this season, and he shoots well from the floor and the free throw line. Garnett also has had fairly low turnover rates over the past two seasons (1.9 and 1.6 per game). Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) - A rangy big man who can give you at least 18 and 8.5 per night, Gasol is yet another big man with a soft touch from the floor and the charity stripe. The Spaniard swats a fair amount of shots (1.7 per game over his career), and his firld goal percentage has been well over 50% since he's been a Laker. Gasol's rebounding was very good last season (9.6 per game), and he has seemed to answer the critics who used to call him "soft" Tim Duncan (San Antonio) - Similar to Gasol but with improved rebounding and blocking. However, Timmy's field goal percentage is much lower (although it is still quite good), he turns the ball over a bit more, and his free throw shooting is pretty poor. Still, Duncan will rack up the double-doubles when healthy, and he's been a consistently valuable fantasy player for years. The arrival of Richard Jefferson might cause him to take fewer shots, but he should still be a fantasy force this season. Antawn Jamison (Washington) - About 20 and 8 over his career are solid numbers by themselves, and the trey and a steal that accompany those numbers make Jamison a well-rounded fantasy option. Jamison's free throw shooting is only so-so, but he had just shy of 9 boards per game last season after 10.2 the year before, and, now that Agent Zero has returned to health, expect Jamison to focus more on rebounding again. Carlos Boozer (Utah) - Boozer only played in 27 regular season games last season, and Paul Millsap appears to be the power forward of the future in Utah, so this pick might be something of a shocker. Wherever Boozer plays next year, though, he will be expected to put up 20 and 10 night in and night out, with a steal a game for good measure. Boozer's free throw shooting is somewhat poor, but the scoring and rebounding he provides make him a valuable fantasy asset. David West (New Orleans) - West is good for 20 points and 8 boards a night, and he can score both inside and outside. He is an exceptional free throw shooter for a power forward (84.1% over his career, 88.4% last season), and while his defensive numbers are not much, West offers plenty of good and no real weaknesses. Zach Randolph (Memphis) - An absolute nightmare for real NBA coaches to deal with because of his lack of D, selfishness, and chemistry issues, but a valuable asset to a fantasy coach who doesn't have to worry about all that. Randolph has proven himself to be a consistent 20-10 guy no matter where he plays, and his free throw and field goal percentages over his career are decent enough at 46.6% and 77%, respectively. The Next 10 David Lee (New York) Rashard Lewis (Orlando) Troy Murphy (Indiana) Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers) Elton Brand (Philadelphia) Al Harrington (New York) Paul Millsap (Utah) LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland) Kevin Love (Minnesota) Jeff Green (Oklahoma City) Others To Consider Marvin Williams (ATL), Boris Diaw (CHA), Tyrus Thomas (CHI), Anderson Varejao (CLE), Kenyon Martin (DEN), Charlie Villanueva (DET), Luis Scola (HOU), Udonis Haslem (MIA), Jordan Hill (NY), Jason Thompson (SAC)