Rankings are all well and good, but how close are players in value, really? Is the gap between the top-ranked point guard and the fourth-ranked point guard chasmic? How about the gap from 17-29? Tiers can help to illustrate a closer approximation of value and show which players share similar ranges of outcomes. This is the first in our series of positional tiers (assume 9-cat format), and we’ll be breaking down each position one-by-one over the next week.

Note: Some of these players play more minutes at SG but are included because they have PG eligibility on Yahoo

Top-150 Player Rankings with Notes

Tier 1: Best of the Best

Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, James Harden

These guys are the cream of the crop in the realm of PG’s this season. There’s a legitimate argument to put Curry and Dame in a tier of their own (or Curry in a tier by himself, for that matter), but Harden definitely belongs in this group. Luka’s inclusion depends on his ability to improve his FT% and turnovers, but the monstrous counting stats can’t be simply brushed off.

In this glorious tier, Curry is the only one who rivals Nikola Jokic for first-pick honors in fantasy drafts this season.

Tier 2: Elite Options

Trae Young, Fred VanVleet, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, LaMelo Ball

These guys are just a step below the top-four options mentioned above. The two biggest risers here are SGA and FVV, who could be ready to take the next step forward and finish as second-round guys this season. We know what Young, CP3, and Kyrie can do, but fantasy managers and basketball fans alike are sure to be following LaMelo’s season closely to see how he follows up a spectacular, ROY season.

Tier 3: Star Floor Generals

LeBron James, Jrue Holiday, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, Malcolm Brogdon

The King sinks to Tier 3 this season for a number of reasons. He’s entering his 19th season, Russell Westbrook was added with the likely intent of lightening James’ usage and giving him some time off, and he’s starting to show signs of being mortal. Over the last three seasons, LBJ’s games played are: 55, 67, and 45 respectively. He’s not falling off a cliff, and he’s a borderline second-round fantasy pick yet again. He finished as the eighth player with PG eligibility last season in per-game average, and I have him 11th for 2021-22. He can still be great on a per-game basis, but I’m expecting a slight decline. The rest of the guys in this tier are proven fantasy studs.

Fantasy Basketball Injuries to Monitor

Tier 4: Great Guards

De’Aaron Fox, Lonzo Ball, Russell Westbrook, C.J. McCollum, Mike Conley, Terry Rozier, Ja Morant, Tyrese Haliburton, Kyle Lowry, Dejounte Murray, Darius Garland, Derrick White, Collin Sexton, Cade Cunningham

This is the biggest tier of them all, and it’s for good reason. There are so many great PG’s this season with very diverse skillsets. If you haven’t grabbed a PG to this point in your draft and instead landed elite frontcourt players or tremendous wings, now’s the time to get a sure-fire starter on your squad. There are some obvious risks tied to each of these guys, but any of them are capable of playing their way into the next tier up.

Tier 5: Good (but not great)

D’Angelo Russell, Marcus Smart, Spencer Dinwiddie, Reggie Jackson, Devonte’ Graham, Ben Simmons, Dennis Schroder

There are some quality options among this group of players, and if your best PG comes out of Tier 5, you might not be in bad shape. This is the last tier of players I’d be comfortable having as my top option at the position. Among them are guys ready to take on increased workloads (Smart, Dinwiddie, Jackson), a pair of Celtics, and a player who’s drawn the ire of more than one fantasy manager after a playoff collapse.

Tier 6: Serviceable Plays

Jalen Suggs, John Wall, Jordan Clarkson, Kemba Walker, Donte DiVincenzo

This group of point guards isn’t quite at the bottom, but they’re just a rung above. Suggs is yet unproven in the NBA, Wall has plenty of health concerns, and can Clarkson replicate the awesome Sixth Man of the Year Season he just had?

How will Kemba split time with Derrick Rose in the Knicks frontcourt, and can DiVincenzo continue to play solid enough basketball to warrant a spot in your lineups?

Tier 7: Late-Rounders

T.J. McConnell, De’Anthony Melton, Malik Beasley, Eric Bledsoe, Facundo Campazzo, Derrick Rose, Monte Morris, Seth Curry, Victor Oladipo

This is the group with the biggest question marks, and these guys shouldn’t be on your radar until the later rounds of fantasy drafts, if at all. McConnell will likely face more competition for usage this season, Melton is a per-minute darling with no clear path to minutes, and Beasley will cede some offensive opportunities to Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Campazzo and Morris will split minutes at PG with Jamal Murray out, Bledsoe is coming off a career-worst season, Curry is just a three-point specialist, Dipo is injured once again, and Rose will split time with Kemba Walker.

Using Early Yahoo ADP & Rankings to Your Advantage

Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.