It doesn't take a fantasy basketball expert to understand that some of the most critical moments in the fantasy season take place during the first few picks of your draft. A mistake in the first few rounds can sink your chances of winning before you've even began. That's why in this article we've decided to focus on the top 6 players at every position. In the end, you'll have a clear idea of who the best players are for your needs at each position, and you will have a look at how the first round of the draft should break down with the top 14 fantasy options for this year. The lists are easy to follow and can be used during your draft to help guide you quickly to your next pick.

Now, the NBA has a page that ranks each and every player in the NBA in terms of their fantasy value. They have developed a mathematical formula that accounts for all the possible stats a player can accumulate and then it spits out a final number. The higher the number, the better the value. Terrific! So come draft time, all you have to do is go to that page and pick your players in the order they are listed!

Well…not quite. While the system is good there is no substitute for the human brain. It does not take into account offseason moves, injuries, age, and basically anything that would affect players’ statistics this season. It also will not take into account the needs of your team. However, someone with a trained eye can work with the list and disseminate it properly using, above all, good judgment. Here are your Top 6 positional lists:

Note: All rankings are intended for Head-to-Head leagues and include stats from the 2008-2009 season.

My favorite position – and not just because it’s what I played throughout my career in high school and college. But let’s face it, it tends to be the most skilled and demanding position with some of the most entertaining players in the NBA. Good point guard play is fun to watch. But that's basketball.  This is fantasy basketball.  The point guard position is very deep so don’t go out of your way to get one early when you can get a top quality guy later (unless that person happens to be Chris Paul). You may be better off going for a center near the top of the draft if you can since the good ones will dwindle quickly. Remember, your point guards should get you assists and steals above all else.  Points and 3's are bonuses but you can get those from your shooting guards and small forwards.  Here are the top six floor generals for this season.

1. Chris Paul

22.8 points, 11.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 50.3%FG, 87%FT

2. Deron Williams

19.4 points, 10.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 47%FG, 85%FT

3. Steve Nash

15.7 points, 9.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 50.4%FG, 93.3%FT, 43.9%3PT

4. Brandon Roy

19.8 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 46.5%FG , 80.3%FT

5. Rajon Rondo

11.9 points, 8.2 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 50.5%FG

6. Devin Harris

21.3 points, 6.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 44%FG, 82%FT

Named appropriately, the role of a shooting guard is to shoot, which means this is where you usually find your leading scorers in the NBA. If you really need points, you'll probably be picking up a shooting guard. But it's nice to find scorers who will also get you all-around stats, especially in the beginning of the draft. It's a big (rookie) mistake to pick one-dimensional scorers in the early rounds. You want your top shooting guard to hit threes and score, but also grab some rebounds and dish some assists, and put up defensive numbers too. Shooting guards are about the least valuable position on a fantasy roster. Many NBA players can fill this position and if you need some additional scoring from free agency during the season (which is usually all you can get in the deep leagues) then they are most likely shooting guards. That said, here are the top 6 shooting guards for your fantasy team this year.

1. Dwayne Wade (PG, SG)

30.2 points, 7.5 assits, 5.0 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.3 blocks, 49% FG shooting

2. Kobe Bryant (SG)

25.1 points, 4.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 45.9%FG, 85.6%FT

3. Andre Iguadola (SG, SF)

18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 47.3%FG

4. Joe Johnson (PG, SG)

21.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 43.7%FG, 82.6%FT

5. Vince Carter (SG, SF)

20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 43.7%FG, 81.7%FT, 38.5%3PT

6. Caron Butler (SG, SF)

16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals, 45.3%FG, 85.2%FT

While extremely talented at the top of this list, after the first few picks you can get guys of comparable statistics further down on the draft board. For example, Gerald Wallace will give you very similar stats to Josh Smith. Paul Pierce may not be a much better option than Rudy Gay, Shawn Marion, or Antawn Jamison. Like shooting guard, small forward is a very deep position and is easy to fill. For that reason, it will be helpful if your small forward can play other positions like power forward or shooting guard. Danny Granger has added value since he is able to play so many different positions while Carmello is really just a scorer who can only play Small Forward.

1. LeBron James (SF)

28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, 48.9%FG

2. Kevin Durant (SG, SF)

25.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 47.6%FG, 42.2%3PT, 86.3%FT, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks

3. Danny Granger (SG, SF, PF)

25.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 44.7%FG, 40.4%3PT, 87.8%FG, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks

4. Carmelo Anthony (SF)

22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 44.3%FG, 37.1%3PT, 79.3%FT, 1.1 steals

5. Paul Pierce (SG, SF)

20.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 45.7%FG, 39.1%3PT, 83%FT, 1.0 steals

6. Gerald Wallace (SF, PF)

16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 48%FG, 80.4%FT, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks

The top 6 on this list are all monsters, but for different reasons. Dirk, for example, will give you all kinds of stats you wouldn't expect from someone at his position. Meanwhile, Amare, next on the list, will only get big man stats but he will explode in these categories. Decide whether you want to be a jack of all trades or dominate the big men and defensive categories. Here are the top 6.

1. Dirk Nowitzki (PF)

25.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.8 blocks, 47.9%FG, 89%FT

2. Amare Stoudemire (PF, C)

21.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1.4 blocks, 53.9%FG, 83.5%FT

3. Al Jefferson (PF, C)

21 points, 11.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 1.7 blocks, 49.7%FG, 73.8%FT

4. Tim Duncan (PF, C)

19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.7 blocks, 50.4%FG, 69.2%FT

5. Elton Brand (PF, C)

13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 1.5 blocks, 44.7%FG, 67.6%FT

6. Kevin Garnett (PF)

15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks, 53.1%FG, 84.1%FT

There are two choices for first pick at Center and they represent two different strategies. A Pau Gasol pick leaves you open to all possibilities and allows you to pick a direction with your next draft pick. A Dwight Howard pick may cause you to surrender free throw percentage, but he will go a long way toward locking up blocks, rebounds, and FG percentage, which presents many other possibilities. It’s difficult to choose between Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard but I will try to solve this dilemma for you. Dwight Howard is still showing significant improvement each year. Pau is older and will likely see his stats decrease slightly from last year with more guys demanding the ball in LA (Artest and a healthy Bynum). Perhaps more significantly, Dwight Howard brought his Free Throw shooting percentage up to 59.4% last year (yes, it was an improvement). He is a very hard worker and has made free throws his main focus during the offseason. Coach Van Gundy expects him to hit somewhere between 70-75% this year.  Even if he does that is still a little bit of a blow when he is putting up 11 free throws per game, but it won't necessarily take you out of the running week after week. Therefore, if I’m up to pick and I need a center and both players are there, I’m banking on Dwight.

1. Dwight Howard (PF, C)

20.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1 steal, 2.9 blocks, 57.2%FG, 59.4%FT

2. Pau Gasol (C)

18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1 block, 56.7%FG, 78.1%FT

3. Chris Bosh (PF, C)

22.7 points, 10 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1 block, 48.7%FG, 81.7%FT

4. Brook Lopez (PF, C)

13 points, 8.1 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 1.8 blocks, 53.1%FG, 79.3%FT

5. Emeka Okafor (PF, C)

13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 1.7 blocks, 56.1%FG, 59.3%FT

6. LaMarcus Aldridge (PF, C)

18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, 48.4%FG, 78.1%FT

1. Chris Paul – He is the top prize this year if he is healthy (and there is no reason to think he won’t be). Do not be fooled by LeBron’s reputation and highlight reels. The numbers don’t lie; Paul had more fantasy value last year and there is less change and uncertainty in the team he is playing for this year.
2. LeBron James – I won’t be disappointed to have the second pick with LeBron here.
3. Dwayne Wade – I won’t be disappointed to have the third pick with Wade here.
4. Kevin Durant – Was one of the best last year and is only 21. The sky is the limit.
5. Dwight Howard – If Dwight can continue to improve his free throw shooting, and perhaps his offensive game, his fantasy value will shoot through the roof. But if not, you may as well throw free throw percentage out the window and concentrate on locking up other categories.
6. Danny Granger – Like Durant, he is young and has a high ceiling. Fantasy veterans know about him but not a lot of casual NBA fans. You could steal him lower depending on the quality of league you are in.
7. Kobe Bryant – He has started his downward trend and with Artest and a healthy Bynum, Kobe will happily continue that trend and save up for the playoffs. I wouldn’t recommend picking him above this spot.
8. Pau Gasol – Very solid in almost every category. Doesn’t do anything great but does everything well. A great antithesis to Dwight Howard.
9. Dirk Nowitzki – Gets some big man stats and hits threes. Marion’s arrival may affect some of his production but he should still put up similar stats to last year’s – which, by the way, were top 10 quality.
10. Deron Williams – Many have asked who is the better player between Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Well, in the fantasy world there’s no question. But Deron is the top consolation prize at point guard.
11. Amare Stoudemire – He seems to be doing fine after recovering from eye surgery. Expect what you normally get from Amare – amazing big man stats with the added bonus of fair free throw shooting. Beyond that, not much.
12. Chris Bosh – Should stack the stat line – more of the same for Bosh.
13. Steve Nash – Getting older, but he has nobody of note to back him up. The Suns have no choice other than to play him most of the game. Dragic will only spell him for brief moments and Barbosa will mostly play the 2. There are no other options on the current roster.
14. Al Jefferson – How far can he come back from his knee surgery? That is the big question for this big man. He is the riskiest pick on this list but he was too good last year to pass up on, so he slides in just ahead of several other prospects to finish out the first round.

If you missed it, check out my previous column on this year's Fantasy Basketball Draft where we highlight 25 players that will be factors in this year's fantasy draft boards.

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.