Alex Burns' Updated Fantasy Basketball Rankings and Draft Analysis

Well, we made it! After a three-month layoff with no hoops, the NBA returns in just a few short days. Believe it or not, it will actually be the third NBA season to take place in the last 373 days! Regardless, the return of hoops can only mean one thing: Fantasy Basketball is back!

The odds are you have a fantasy basketball draft coming up. Hopefully, you have already begun research and preparations but on the off chance that you haven't, I got you.

Below you will find my 9-Category Head-To-Head rankings for the upcoming 2021-2022 season. After closely analyzing every offseason trade, injury, free-agent signing, and preseason performance, this is where I land. In addition to my rankings, I'm going to highlight multiple players I am either higher or lower on than the consensus and share my reasoning. Let's jump right in!

Updated Fantasy Basketball Draft Rankings

These rankings are for 9-category scoring and head-to-head (H2H) leagues

My Guys - Fantasy Basketball Draft Rankings

I am higher than the consensus on the following players:

Richaun Holmes (C, SAC) - RB Consensus: 44, Alex Ranking: 34

You should already know the drill by now. Holmes is an absolute cheat code in category formats. He gives you rock-solid numbers in blocks and rebounds while providing ELITE efficiency along the way. Take a look at his numbers from last season: 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 63% from the field and just under 80% from the free-throw line. Those numbers managed to vault him all the way to number 33 in per-game fantasy value, ahead of guys like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Donovan Mitchell. He's smack dab in his prime at 27-years old and the Kings just signed him to a four-year, $46.5 million extension in the offseason. Enough said. Holmes to the moon!

Dejounte Murray (PG, SAS - RB Consensus: 48, Alex Ranking: 39

Murray came into his own last season and posted career-high marks of 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.5 steals operating as the Spurs' de facto point guard. DeMar DeRozan is now gone, setting him up for a massive workload. I'm expecting Murray to lead the team in usage and even one-up his career-best numbers from last season. Would it surprise me to see him flirt with 20/7/7/2 numbers on 45/35/80 splits? Absolutely not. This is his team now and he is beaming with upside. He's easily a top-40 guy for me this season.

Mo Bamba (C, ORL) - RB Consensus: 114, Alex Ranking: 83

Oh boy! Now we're really having some fun. Simply put, Bamba might have the most fantasy basketball upside out of anyone this season. His 'slow start' in the NBA is a thing of the past after the way he ended last season. Over the final 23 games, Bamba put up 11.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on just under 50/40 splits. Granted Wendell Carter Jr. was in and out of the lineup during that span, but Bamba really turned heads and helped win a lot of championships. As impressive as he was, it pales in comparison to his recent performance in the preseason. Check out his numbers through four games: 11.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks on 54% FG and 42% 3PT in under 21 minutes per game. Unreal. As you can tell, those stats are similar to how he ended last season, the only difference being this time he was more efficient and almost averaged 4.0 blocks per game. The Magic recently extending Carter and paying him $50 million cannot be ignored, but it's clear that Bamba doesn't need a whole lot of playing time to be an elite contributor in category formats. Give me all the shares!

Evan Mobley (C, CLE) - RB Consensus: 109, Alex Ranking: 93

I'll be honest. When the Cavaliers selected Mobley third overall in this year's draft, it was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. After all, they have Jarrett Allen, Kevin Love, and Ed Davis on the roster. But then I watched him play. Mobley has elite upside as a rim protector and rebounder, while also possessing the ability to step back and knock down the three when called upon. Take a look at this footage from the big fella at practice recently:

Watching him outplay Allen in the preseason was the final straw for me. He instantly became the better value over the former, who is currently being drafted as the 65th overall player according to CBS, Yahoo, and ESPN ADP. Much like the aforementioned Mo Bamba, Mobley should see 20-25 minutes per game this season and offer a ton of production in blocks, steals, and FG%.

Joshua Giddey (SG, OKC) RB Consensus: 134, Alex Ranking: 115

Man, I am so giddy to draft Giddey this season. I swear he is a lot better than my lame attempt at making a dad joke. In all seriousness, he might even be too low at 115. Giddey was selected by the Thunder with the 6th overall pick in this year's draft and now finds himself in a terrific opportunity to produce right away. The Thunder are basically void of playmakers outside of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and it just so happens that's what Giddey does best. From the flashy passes to his propensity to crash the glass and get rebounds,  I get strong LaMelo Ball vibes when watching him play and I'm confident he'll have a similar fantasy impact this season. Still only 19-years old, Giddey finished the preseason with 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on 52% FG and 40% 3PT. For what it's worth, Ball finished his preseason last year with 8.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 26% FG and 27% 3PT and went on to win ROY. I guess this just means Giddey is a shoo-in for MVP this season. Okay, maybe not...yet.

My Fades - Fantasy Basketball Draft Rankings

I want nothing to do with the following players at their current ADPs

Russell Westbrook (PG, LAL) - RB Consensus: 44, Alex Ranking: 78

I have to say, it's an impressive feat to average a triple-double in a season and somehow manage to finish outside the top-75 in per-game value. Yet, that's exactly what Westbrook accomplished last season. While his averages of 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists look great on paper, his 4.8 turnovers and 43/31/65 shooting splits canceled all of it out. Now sharing a court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles, I don't see a world in which Westbrook comes close to last season's production in the assists and rebounds category. Combine that with his dreadful 20 turnovers (5.0 TPG) in the preseason and we're not off to the hottest start. It shouldn't be a hot take to say he won't finish as a top 100 guy this season. I will happily pass every time on his current ADP of 20. No thanks!

LeBron James (SF, LAL) - RB Consensus: 32, Alex Ranking: 43

Ja Morant (PG, MEM) - RB Consensus: 58, Alex Ranking: 66

Are you ready for your mind to be blown? Ja Morant finished outside the top 200 in per-game157) value last season. That's right, he finished at 206, behind fellow teammates De'Anthony Melton (137), Dillon Brooks (146), and Grayson-freaking-Allen (157). While it would be blasphemous to rank someone as electrifying and talented as Morant outside the top 100 even, it's okay to admit he just isn't a good fantasy basketball player. Truth is, he really only provides solid assist numbers. Outside of that, he shoots poorly from the field, from three, and from the free-throw line, while also failing to average more than 0.9 steals per game in his first two seasons. Yes, Morant is one of the brightest young stars in the league, but I am steering clear in fantasy. He does get a little value boost in points leagues, however.

Keldon Johnson (SF, SAS) - RB Consensus: 100, Alex Ranking 113

Much like the aforementioned Ja Morant, Johnson just doesn't do much outside of barely double-digit scoring and an average amount of rebounds. He finished last season with 12.8 points and 6.0 rebounds but didn't contribute much on defense and shot poorly from three. With Thaddeus Young and Doug McDermott now in the mix, Johnson could struggle to post top 150 numbers let alone top 100. He finished last season at 195 in per-game value and it will be a tough feat for him to finish better given he does nothing spectacular. I will gladly let others draft him this season.