Continuing our series of ranking players for the upcoming 2020/21 NBA Fantasy Basketball, we’ve amassed all the data and crunched the numbers to bring you the top 50 ranked forwards! These players are all forward eligible according to Yahoo Fantasy so some of these may differ depending on which provider you use to do your fantasy leagues.

The Tier system is continued here to make sure when you’re drafting your players you know who fits into the same tier, a note on this, the guard tiers are much deeper so if you’re not going to get a good forward from tier 1 and 2, make sure you attempt to get 2 from tier 3!

Tier 1

1. Anthony Davis – He has had a season to assimilate with the Lakers and just won a championship. Lebron is going to miss some time and take a back seat this season so take the man that will do it all. Davis will average 30 points with elite free throw percentage, field goal percentage and a couple of 3’s. He’ll grab 15 boards and a couple of blocks as well. If he’s not going top 3 in your league you have to steal him.

2. Giannis Antetokuonmpo – Has re-signed with Milwaukee and needs to take the next step this year, won’t be No.1 until he fixes his free throw percentage. Aside from that Giannis averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists with a steal and a block. If Giannis fixes that FT% or you’re punting free throw percentage, you can take giannis wherever you like.

3. Nikola Jokic – This is the year for Nikola Jokic, he was fantastic in the bubble and is always great late season to wards the playoffs. He has his body ready to start the season and looks in great shape, he doesn’t hurt you in any category so he’s looking for 24 points,12 rebounds and 8 assists on good percentages this year.

4. Jayson Tatum – Jayson Tatum broke out last year and was such an impressive scorer. Remove Gordon Hayward from the equation, and effectively remove Kemba for a lot of the season too, add in Tatum’s consistency and durability and there really isn’t many reasons to not take him at pick 10 in your draft.

5. Lebron James – Lebron has said that he may miss up to a month of the regular season. Not sure how true this is at the moment, especially since he played a few minutes in preseason and he loves Christmas Day. Still think that he will take a backseat to AD when he’s back so it seems right to have him as the 5th best forward if you take in all these factors.

6. Kevin Durant – The chances of coming back from an achilles injury and being as explosive as before are almost next to none. Durant’s early preseason games look good, however, Brooklyn will be careful with the man who didn’t play an NBA game for over 550 days. His stats are there, but he’s going to get a lot of rest days we think.

Tier 2

7. Kawhi Leonard -Will Kawhi Leonard play back-to-backs this season? That’s a question we’d like a definitive answer too but more than likely that’s a no. But when he’s on the court he’s up there with the best for fantasy. Averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists on elite percentages in his minutes, so if you’ve got the last pick in your snake draft he’s worth considering as the first pick of the next round.

8. Paul George – Just got paid as much as the number 1 guy on teams do, so expect that value from him in fantasy. PG doesn’t miss games and has that added value when Kawhi doesn’t play so we like him as the top of the second round picks.

9. John Collins – Has dropped a little with all the new signings. GM Travis Schlenk is pro John Collins and has publicly stated he is the starting Power Forward. It’s still a little worrying. But, Collins’ upside for fantasy is still enormous because there isn’t much he can’t do. Think of him as Bam Adebayo but he adds 3’s to the mix.

Listen to “Fantasy Draft Prep: Top 50 Forwards in the NBA Ranked!” on Spreaker.

10. Joel Embiid – The only thing stopping Embiid from being a first-round pick is his health. He misses more games than he plays and in a season that will at some point have some of your players affected by COVID-19 are you willing to take the risk? If the answer is yes, Joel will average somewhere close to 28 points and 12 rebounds with blocks, 3’s and good free throw percentage. If he stays healthy you’ve got yourself a first-round pick in the second round.

11. Bam Adebayo -Bam is a hard one to get a read on because the sky’s the limit for him, however, Obviously the lack of 3’s and high turnovers hurt his value. But, Bam is elite at putting up counting stats such as assists and rebounds as well as steals and blocks. Bam plays box score bingo every night.

12. Jimmy Butler – Consistent performer, doesn’t usually have huge stats but consistently grinds away to get 20 points 5 rebounds and 5 assists. His huge value comes from his elite free throw rate (took 9 a game) and the fact he won’t miss games.

13. Zion Williamson – There is a huge hype around Zion this season, he showed flashes last season of the devastating impact he can have in 4 minute stretches.Coach Stan Van Gundy has said he doesn’t have an official minutes limit so unleash him.

14. Nikola Vucevic – We love vooch as a sweet shooting big, pairing him with a guard such as Steph Curry is an A+ move to focus on 3’s, points and FT%. We’d have Vooch higher but there is a risk he is traded at some point.

Tier 3

15. Pascal Siakim – In our opinion Siakim is the man in Toronto this season, there are questions about his ability to consistently stand up when needed in the playoffs. With this chip on his shoulder Siakim should be going top 30 in your leagues.

16. Brandon Ingram – Was very impressive last year being a top 40 player. Think he will be the same again alongside Zion, Ball & Bledsoe. Projects to have a much similar statline just hope for a reduction of turnovers.

17. Shai Gilgeous – Alexander – This is his team now, Veterans in George Hill and Al Horford should provide him with some help but SGA is the man here. Averaged 20 points last year when playing alongside Chris Paul so the question arises whether he can take the load by himself. He’ll put up a lot of stats regardless but his fg% might take a hit.

18. Zach Lavine – New coach bodes well for Zach who was on fire last year averaging 25 points a game. Needs to add a few more assists and clean up his fg% to make him a top tier guy but Lavine is someone you can definitely grab as your 3rd pick in the draft.

19. Khris Middleton – Khris with a K averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists on just under 30 minutes a game last season. Milwaukee have cleared out their bench and will probably have to play him 30-35 a night. With the addition of Jrue we think he’ll be around the same clip with the extra minutes.

20. Andre Drummond – Contract year coming up for Andre, didn’t play enough with the Cavs last year but should start this year. He is a walking double double and most likely will win you rebounds, the ft% is a worry as always and as is the notion of him shooting 3’s. That will affect his elite fg%.

21. Jaylen Brown – Kemba will be missing to start the season and with Hayward now out of the picture the Celtic’s are going to lean on Brown to become a bonafide 25ppg scorer. He can definitely do it, just there really isn’t much else to his game fantasy-wise. I wouldn’t hate you for taking him a lot earlier.

22. Domantas Sabonis – Sabonis puts up a lot of counting stats especially rebounds, he loves rebounds. Overall solid guy with nearly a 20 point average and good fg%, the Turnovers hurt as does the lack of 3’s and defensive stats.

23. Christian Wood – Moving to Houston as the starting center or power forward will be elite for his value. He puts up stats in a hurry and should flourish in the fast paced houston offence. For more analysis on Christian wood read here

24. Draymond Green – Draymond is a great role player, he didn’t have the team around him to feed off and compensate for his deficiencies therefore he didn’t have a great year. Curry back, wiggins and Oubre alongside and a rim runner in Wiseman, Draymond will have a bounce back year.

25. Kristaps Porzingis  – ‘Zinger’ is an elite fantasy commodity… when he’s on the court. Missed back to back’s last year and had another long term injury. He’ll be ready in February and most likely on a minutes restriction. He’ll be great and put up value but if you’re in a roto league steer clear it’s not worth it.

Tier 4

26. Demar Derozan – Sporting an afro may help him this season, but in all seriousness the only reason he is this low is because we have the feeling he will get traded sooner rather than later. If not, he’s good for 22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists so could have some good value around pick 50.

27. Lamarcus Aldridge – Trusty as always, 18 points and 8 rebounds is probably what you can expect from Aldridge. He falls a little as the spurs are rebuilding so he will either get traded to a contender or possibly shut down or rested towards the crunch time of your playoffs.

28. Andrew Wiggins – Won’t be dropping the same stat lines as last year which were without Steph Curry, but he’s carved out a role as a capable starter on an average Golden State team. Expect more boards from him this year as he is expected to play minutes at PF when Draymond plays small ball center.

29. Clint Capela – There is a lot of frontcourt depth in Atlanta this year, Capela will be the starting C next to Collins but after that the rotation gets iffy. What we do know is that Capela is walking double double so if you want rebounds,blocks and fg% look no further.

30. Jaren Jackson Jr. – Won’t be ready till February but will be great when he plays. Spaces the floor so well and adds some extra triples at the PF/C spot. Downside is if Memphis isn’t going to make the playoffs he may be rested in the last week of your playoffs so he falls a bit in our rankings.

31. Kelly Oubre – Plays hard and is a great defender, he gets his hands in and gets a fair amount of steals to add value to points and 3’s.

32. Julius Randle – The only real relevant player on the Knicks in terms of winning games, He’ll play 30 minutes a night for now and fill up the counting stats of rebounds and assists. With Julius you need to watch both of the percentages as well as turnovers which drops his value.

33. Tobias Harris – Has looked flat at Philly and doesn’t have the ball enough to be a top tier talent. Tobias was great under Doc Rivers 2 seasons ago averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds on 50% from the field. If he can get back to that level he’ll be a great pick for you.

34. Michael Porter Jr. – I’ve talked him up everywhere but Michael Porter Jr. is going to be an absolute fantasy stud for years to come. Isn’t afraid to let it fly and loves to rebound the ball and jump high to block some shots. He’s mainly for points, 3’s, fg%, and boards now but the sky’s the limit for him and his season. I might be grabbing him around pick 55.

35. Aaron Gordon – 1 Year away from breaking out, that’s been Aaron Gordon for the past 2 years. His first 2 games in pre-season have been good without putting up eye-catching stats. He can block shots which pumps his value up, and if he continues to try and shoot 3’s his value will only increase. We’re happy to take the punt on him.

Tier 5

36. Gordon Hayward – Unsure of how everyone fits in in Charlotte, Hayward looks decent so far in his pre-season games but feel the logjam is going to cost him some production. This doesn’t mean he won’t be a decent pickup for your team around the 75 – 100 mark.

37. Myles Turner – Turner plays a different role with Sabonis alongside him, blocks and FG% are the main sources of income with a helping of points and rebounds. The blocks is the really nice part.

38. Danilo Gallinari – We know exactly what Gallinari is, elite for FT%, 3’s and Pts in the later rounds, does come up with some boards too. Anything else he adds is a big bonus. He will be the number 1 option coming off their bench and won’t be afraid to let it fly.

39. TJ Warren – Plantar Facistis is a horrible injury that takes constant work and can flare up at any time. TJ Warren is described as week to week currently but he’s probably someone who if you can’t afford injuries you don’t touch with a 10 foot pole. In saying that Warren was unreal in the bubble and looks to be primed for a big year if he can get on the court at all.

Tier 6

40. Caris Levert – Was elite last year with no Kyrie or Durant, obviously has to take the back seat to these two guys and will most likely anchor the bench unit. He’ll be great in his minutes as he always has been, he just won’t get enough of them.

41. Brandon Clarke – Good backup PF/C with an elite FG%. Has an increased early role while JJJ is sidelined with the knee issue. If you want to bet on JJJ not being healthy, take Brandon earlier than this as Memphis may be careful with their franchise cornerstone if they are not playoff contenders.

42. Blake Griffin – Blake’s had a poor couple of seasons with injury, that’s why we’ve dropped him down this far. There’s also some uncertainty with him being shopped to other teams and the situation he finds himself in. However, if you want to take the risk on him being back to lob city Blake, we don’t mind it.

43. Lauri Markannen – Was pretty poor last season to be honest, but we’re attributing that to Boylen’s system and not Lauri’s ability. We think he’ll provide some decent value as a late-round pick, He will most likely be the third scorer on this team behind Zach and Coby White however he should get some run when those two aren’t on the court as well as the number 1 scorer. Will provide some decent rebound numbers too.

44. Robert Covington – Has a reduced role on the Trailblazers and won’t be getting the centre minutes anymore with Nurkic locking that down. He’ll be great for steals and blocks as well as 3’s, we’re projecting him to sit back on his Philly days.

45. Richuan Holmes – This guy is all hustle, he works so hard for rebounds, buckets, and blocks. Uncertainty over his role with Bagley and possibly Whiteside ahead of him in the rotation but he was a top 50 guy last year. Bagley’s injury history is enough to grab Richuan late in your draft.

46. RJ Barrett – Looked very handy for the Knicks so far. Don’t think he’ll average 21 points a game but he looks to be the best young player on this Knicks roster. You can do worse things than take a punt on RJ.

47. Kevin Love – Klove is going to be good when he’s on the court for you. He hasn’t played over 75% of a season since 2015-16 and in a year where injury spots are like gold you can’t afford to have someone who is constantly injured clogging up your roster. It’s also worth noting that at 32 years old Love is a shutdown candidate around fantasy playoff time, he might average 18 and 10 but the missed games will hurt.

48. Davis Bertans – Davis just got paid to throw up as many 3’s as possible, so if you need 3’s in your team you can take him a lot higher than this. The only problem with Davis is that outside of 3’s he’s not much value to your team. If you want 4 3’s a game get him in.

49. Tyler Herro – Lit up the bubble with his confidence and electric shooting, He doesn’t fill out any other stats apart from points and 3’s at the moment, so if that’s what you’re chasing pick him up.

50. OG Anunoby – Cleared out Ibaka and Hollis-Jefferson so OG’s role is now well defined. He has to deal with Siakim becoming the leader and Van Vleet taking a step forward but we think he’s going to put up top 100 value pretty easily.