About the Author

I am a former collegiate basketball player, avid basketball fan, and fierce Fantasy Basketball competitor. I will be writing fantasy advice throughout this season with the assistance of my brother, who has professional playing experience, and who has won most of the highly competitive leagues he’s entered throughout the years. We know what it takes to win in the best leagues. We’ll give tips to drafting a great team, evaluating your team’s statistical categories (Stat Cats) and other teams’ trade proposals, and most of all, we’ll tell you when and how to capitalize on opportunities that arise through real-life trades and injuries throughout the season. Our aim is to provide you with all the best Fantasy information that you’d expect from professional websites, only without the hefty Insider fees. I will also do my best to answer any questions you may have throughout the season.

October is here, which means the 2009-2010 NBA Season is near. That also means that the time to draft this year’s fantasy roster is rapidly approaching. The following are some keys to ensuring your team is at the top of your league come April.

Note: When reading this article, keep in mind that the size of your league will be a major factor in which round guys get selected. My estimates are based around a 14-team league with 12-player teams. Also please be aware that the 5 players listed are not necessarily a top 5 – just the 5 I decided to highlight. I made an honorable mention list to include the players I ommitted for the sake of brevity.

Draft These Players Returning From Injury:

1. Elton Brand – It’s a Brand new year (sorry), and word is that Elton is eager to get back to where he was a few seasons ago – NBA All-star and US Olympian for those who don’t remember. Whether he gets back to his lofty career numbers remains to be seen, though I’d say the odds are better that Jimmy Fallon does tonight’s monologue with a straight face. Still, I expect Brand to rebound this year (pun intended). He says both his Achilles injury that kept him out of the 2007-2008 season and his shoulder injury from last season are healed and he is feeling “great.” His teammates and coaches are lauding his work ethic off the court and his great play on the court. Brand had been the epitome of consistency at his peak. This year, he once again appears poised to provide owners with consistent double-doubles, blocks and high shooting percentages – the same brand of basketball he had always been known for.

Verdict: It is difficult to win a fantasy league unless you draft a player or two who outperform their draft position. If you can nab Elton near the third round while his value is down, he is a good opportunity to get one.

2. Luol Deng – Another Duke product that hasn’t been right for a few years now. Amongst the worst kind of injury is the nagging one that isn’t severe enough to keep you out of games – at first. So instead players run on it until their game and their body – and eventually their confidence – suffers to the point where it must be addressed. That has been Deng’s issue with his stress fracture. He experienced some soreness in his first practice this week (Oct 1), which may be of some concern. But if he is able to have a healthier season, he should also benefit from Ben Gordon’s absence to produce stats nearer to his career highs of 19 points and 7 rebounds per game on 52% shooting in 2006-2007.

Verdict: For now, Deng looks ready to make somewhat of a comeback. That will make him worth a Round 4-6 selection

3. Al Jefferson – He was having an outstanding season putting up gaudy numbers in several categories before he went down: 23PPG on 50% shooting, 11 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks per game. If he can return to action close to the beast he was before, he will be worthy of a second round draft choice. The only competition at his position is Kevin Love so the floor is his as long as he stays healthy. Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn will be an upgrade at point to draw some of the attention and dish him the ball in the right spots.

Verdict: Al is worth the gamble so leave him high on your draft board, but the risk involved might drop him down a few picks.

4. Chris Kaman – Once teammates, he and Brand have been injury-plagued since parting. Kaman has missed nearly half the games the past two seasons, but he has put up monstrous numbers in boards and blocks when he’s been healthy. In ’06-’07 he averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds to go with nearly 3 blocks per game. He is a bit turnover prone and inconsistent, not to mention susceptible to injuries, so there is cause for concern, but he has the potential to be a major X factor on a winning squad if things work out for him.

Verdict: He is a good gamble around the 4th or 5th round.

5. Gilbert Arenas – Gilbert’s spent more time pushing his blogs on the public than he has pushing the ball up the court the past few years. Granted, he has talent for both. He played well enough in the final few games of last season to be certain of this much: He will hit threes, score, and get assists with the best of them while putting up percentages and turnovers with the worst of them. You must decide what your team’s needs are and which categories you are willing to take a hit to when drafting him. I will be most interested to see how his lateral movement affects his defensive prowess. His knack for thefts has always been one of his most valuable assets.

Verdict: I have a feeling Arenas will still get picked quite high in a lot of leagues. I think there are at least 5 better options at point guard at this point unless he fills a specific need for you.

Honorable Mention (Amare Stoudemire, Andrew Bogut, Monta Ellis, Greg Oden, Nenad Krstic)

This is page 3 of 5 of this article. Check out all the rest in the links below to ensure you are prepared for this year's fantasy draft. Then, be sure to come back before the start of the season for more keys to drafting a winning team, including how to form a draft strategy by understanding which popular players will single-handedly win or lose you a category. We’ll also highlight several overlooked and underrated fantasy players (commonly known as Sleepers), and unveil a top ten depth chart at each position.

Check out my article on the top 10 players in every category. This is a must-read for everyone who has enrolled in a fantasy league but hasn't had time to do their research yet. We've looked through all of the statistics and compiled a list of the best players in each category for you. Enjoy.

Check out my final pre-draft article right here.  I highlight the top 6 players at every position and give you the list of the top 14 picks in this year's draft.

Here is one last article as a bonus. It includes a long list of sleepers, the results of my first fantasy basketball draft, and more news and advice. I strongly recommend taking a look if you are serious about doing well in your fantasy draft. For much more, you should also check out Rick Buser's columns.