Anthony Davis Fantasy Outlook & Value 2019-20

Last season, Anthony Davis created some of the most bizarre storylines in the league with his very public trade request. This ultimately culminated in Davis essentially being benched in the final months of the season, before he was ultimately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers just before the draft. Despite all the drama that may have surrounded Davis last season, he’s still a superstar in the league capable of doing things that almost no one else can. Now that he’s with the Lakers, he forms possibly the most lethal duo in the league with Lebron James. While there are more complete and balanced teams in the league, many around the league think those two alone make the Lakers favorites.

“I don’t know what else everyone is pretending they’re looking at, but I don’t know who’s actually going to stop them.”

– Gilbert Arenas on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. pic.twitter.com/L92XNOdAS7

— The Lakers Review (@TheLakersReview) July 30, 2019

 

 

Davis, while individually dominant, has not had the team success he was probably hoping for entering the league. That should change on his new team, as he’ll have the benefit of playing with arguably the greatest player ever in Lebron. Both the Lakers and Davis will enter the season with immensely high expectations. The Lakers will likely need to at least make the conference finals and possibly more for this season to be declared a success. As for Davis, he’ll be expected to dominate alongside Lebron and prove he can be the guy to lead the Lakers in the future. Davis has always filled up the stat sheet and playing with Lebron should, in theory, make him even more productive. He’s been one of the top fantasy options for the last couple years and there’s very little reason that will change in L.A.

Anthony Davis Fantasy Stats

GP	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	FG%	FT%	3PT%	STL	BLK	TO	FPPG
56	33.0	25.9	12.0	3.9	51.7	79.4	33.1	1.6	2.4	2.0	56.1

Upside

Anthony Davis has a case for being the most physically gifted player in the league. Thanks to him playing as a guard for much of his childhood, he was able to develop skills that very few big men have. A premier talent on both offense and defense, it’s extremely likely Davis will once again have another All-NBA caliber season. Although winning the MVP with Lebron on his team is unlikely, it’s possible if Lebron decides to cruise through the regular season again and preserve his body for the playoffs. To be in the contention, he’ll have to clearly establish himself as the alpha dog on the team and lead the Lakers to a top seed in the west. It’ll be difficult, but it’s not impossible. His ceiling is a season where he averages 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

Floor

Star big men with Lebron haven’t always had the easiest transition, as Kevin Love and Chris Bosh can both attest to. There are reasons to think things will go better with Davis, as he’s more talented than both of them were and he won’t have to adapt to a third wheel role as they did. Still, there’s reason to think it could affect him early in the season. Another concern is his prior history with injuries. Although he’s mostly been healthy the past three seasons, he’s always seemed to have minor injuries pop up throughout the season. Early on in his career, he would routinely miss 15-20 games a season from these minor injuries. If this issue flares up again, it could affect his availability going forward. As great as he is, he can’t contribute anything in fantasy if he doesn’t play. His floor is a 25 point per game, 10 rebound per game, 2 assist per game, 2 block per game, and 1 steal per game season.

What to Expect

Anthony Davis is currently ranked as not only the best power forward in fantasy but the best player overall. Obviously he’s projected to be drafted in the first round, and he has an auction value of $61. While Davis may come with some injury concerns, he’s been mostly healthy the past three seasons. Davis is one of the most productive players in the league, and he happens to be incredibly versatile as well. Making him the centerpiece on your fantasy team should be a no-brainer.

Although no one doubts Anthony Davis’ talent, some people do question whether he has what it takes to win the chip. He’ll be looking to put those doubts to rest this year, and it feels like things are lining up nicely for him to do so. The NBA is more wide open than ever before with the Warriors’ dissolution, and the Lakers are a prime candidate to fill in the void they’ve left behind. Personally, I think both him and the Lakers will struggle a bit early in the season, but I believe by the end of the regular season they’ll have figured things out and will enter the playoffs as a top contender. I foresee a season where Davis averages 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.5 blocks, and a steal.