Most fantasy owners have only ever toiled in redraft leagues. Year after year of the same old, relying on the position of your draft pick and smarts to determine your fate for the year. I grew tired of this and from my very first season in a dynasty league I was hooked. Why toil with the hand that your dealt when you can build your masterpiece the way you see fit.
With the right mix of youth and statistically targeted vets, you can build a juggernaut that will leave you near the top of your standings for years to come. The one thing you must do, is research the strengths and weaknesses of your opposition. If they have a player you really want, you can seek to trade for another player that they may like, to then use as bait to get your guy.
It’s great if you only play fantasy ball for fun, it’s a nice way to keep abreast of what is happening around the league but let’s face it, if you’re only out to have fun, you’re probably not going to find yourself with the league championship, It takes a little effort and research to bring home the prize.
The Changing of the Guard
For the last decade we have had the same names and the same faces atop the fantasy rankings. Little by little new guys have crept in, but this year, we are in a state of flux. Some of the old guard are starting to slow, guys like Dwayne Wade, Zach Randolph, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant are about to slip into obscurity. There simply isn’t much left in the tank when it comes to guys that are on the wrong side of 35. We have seen the emergence of guys like Steph Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Brandon Knight, Nikola Vucevic, Andre Drummond, Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, Draymond Green and Kawhi Leonard along with a small sample of guys like Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, Nerlens Noel, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gorgui Dieng who appear to be the future of fantasy team anchors for years to come.
Top 100 Dynasty Players
1. Stephen Curry GSW PG/SG
2. James Harden HOU SG
3. Anthony Davis NOR PF/C
4. Kevin Durant OKC SF
5. Russell Westbrook OKC PG
6. Chris Paul LAC PG
7. DeMarcus Cousins SAC PF/C
8. LeBron James CLE SF/PF
9. Kyrie Irving CLE PG/SG
10. Kawhi Leonard SAS SG/SF
11. John Wall WAS PG
12. Klay Thompson GSW SG/SF
13. Jimmy Butler CHI SG/SF
14. Damian Lillard POR PG/SG
15. Marc Gasol MEM C
16. Paul Millsap ATL PF
17. LaMarcus Aldridge SA PF/C
18. Jeff Teague ATL PG
19. Rudy Gay SAC SF
20. Gordon Hayward UTA SG/SF
21. Nikola Vucevic ORL PF/C
22. Serge Ibaka OKC PF/C
23. Chris Bosh MIA PF/C
24. Kyle Lowry TOR PG/SG
25. Blake Griffin LAC PF
26. Andre Drummond DET PF/C
27. Paul George IND SF/PF
28. Kevin Love CLE PF/C
29. Brook Lopez BKN C
30. Draymond Green GSW SF/PF
31. Al Horford ATL PF/C
32. Brandon Knight PHO PG/SG
33. Derrick Rose CHI PG
34. Rudy Gobert UTA C
35. Carmelo Anthony NYK SF/PF
36. Kyle Korver ATL SG/SF
37. Chandler Parsons DAL SF
38. Victor Oladipo ORL SG
39. Trevor Ariza HOU SF
40. Mike Conley MEM PG
41. Danny Green SAS SG/SF
42. Andrew Wiggins MIN SG
43. Nerlens Noel PHI PF/C
44.Goran Dragic MIA PG/SG
45. Eric Bledsoe PHO PG/SG
46. Greg Monroe MIL PF/C
47. Monta Ellis IND PG/SG
48. Derrick Favors UTA PF/C
49. Pau Gasol CHI PF/C
50. Wesley Matthews POR SG/SF
51. Hassan Whiteside MIA PF/C
52. Ty Lawson DEN PG
53. Gorgui Dieng MIN PF/C
54. DeAndre Jordan LAC C
55. Tobias Harris ORL SF/PF
56. Jabari Parker MIL PF
57. Bradley Beal WAS SG
58. Kemba Walker CHA PG
59. DeMar DeRozan TOR SG/SF
60. Karl Anthony Towns MIN PF/C
61. Tyreke Evans NOR SG/SF
62. Khris Middleton MIL SG/SF
63. Jrue Holiday NOR PG
64. Nicolas Batum CHA SG/SF
65. Jonas Valanciunas TOR C
66. Isaiah Thomas BOS PG/SG
67. Giannis Antetokounmpo MIL SG/SF
68. Dwight Howard HOU PF/C
69. JJ Redick LAC SG/SF
70. Rajon Rondo SAC PG
71. Alec Burks UTA SG
72. Reggie Jackson DET PG/SG
73. Michael Carter-Williams MIL PG/SG
74. George Hill IND PG
75. Emmanuel Mudiay DEN PG
76. Markieff Morris PHO PF/C
77. Enes Kanter OKC PF/C
78. Jordan Clarkson LAL PG
79. Thaddeus Young BKN SF/PF
80. Jahlili Okafor PHI PF/C
81. Kenneth Faried DEN PF
82. Ricky Rubio MIN PG
83. DeAngelo Russell LAL PG
84. Wilson Chandler DEN SG/SF
85. Tyson Chandler PHO C
86. Terrence Jones HOU PF
87. Brandon Jennings DET PG
88. Julius Randle LAL PF
89. Elfrid Payton ORL PG
90. Robin Lopez NYK C
91. Tony Wroten PHI PG/SG
92. Kevin Martin MIN SG
93. Danilo Gallinari DEN SF/PF
94. Lou Williams LAL PG/SG
95. Marcin Gortat WAS C
96. Ersan Ilyasova DET PF
97. Eric Gordon NOR SG
98. Deron Williams DAL PG
99. Al Farouq Aminu POR SF
100. Myles Turner IND C
There are always omissions from any ranking, this particular list takes age as a major consideration. Obviously there are many ways you can go, you can try for the all in approach with veterans and win now, you can try for a spread and also have a great chance, or you can take the 2 to 3 year approach and try to land the best young players you can muster. Luckily in fantasy you don’t have to worry about salary caps and your guys demanding a huge pay rise once they prove themselves worthy of rostering. The old guard haven’t made the list, guys like Kobe and Dwayne Wade. Although these guys will still contribute this year, you cannot out stock on them playing every game or even remaining healthy.
If you’re after a little advice, hit me up on Twitter @wwfantasyteam.
Steph Curry top banner photo credit: rocor
