Compiling this list really opened my eyes to how many talented Small Forwards there are this year; this is definitely the strongest crop in recent memory.  Without further ado here is the list:

LeBron James - Arguably the #1 pick in fantasy drafts, LBJ is destined to have another MVP type year with Shaq now in town. Despite his potential #1 overall status, there are two or three names on this list that ay very well perform LeBron James…..especially in a roto-league setting where LeBron’s poor FT% becomes a serious detriment

Kevin Durant - Kevin Durant seems like a top 3 talent in the NBA, and he is about to make that distinction in fantasy as well. Already a top 10 fantasy player, KD will be playing at his more natural 3 for the entire year which should boost his overall numbers in every category. We all witnessed the transformation when the Thunder moved him from shooting guard to small forward……KD became the player he was rumoured to be almost instantaneously

Danny Granger - Former MIP Danny Granger is already a fantasy stud. He is among the league leaders in scoring and three pointers made which help make Granger a 1^st round pick. Add to that his rebound and shot-blocking skills. Granger is another player that benefits greatly when his team does not try to play him out of position at the 2.

Carmelo Anthony - Melo is a fantasy beast with Chauncy Billups in town. Fantasy G.M’s waited patiently for years for Melo to crack that elite fantasy player status and he finally did after Chauncey arrived in town to play with Carmelo and his hometown team.

Shawn Marion - Shawn Marion is rated here mostly because years of being the top fantasy player is hard to forget. He will not repeat his Phoenix numbers in Dallas but is going to the best situation for him to make a serious fantasy impact. Numbers around 14 and 9 are expected from Shawn Marion this year. He should rejoin the 1 steal, 1 block, 1 three club.

Gerald Wallace - A Fantasy STUD who just can’t seem to knock his concussion problem. One more spill could be the ends for his career, but G-Dub is a fantasy monster when healthy. He regressed a little when J-Rich came to town but still displayed his multi-category stat stuffing skills that made him a fantasy darling. A good candidate to get injured and also to be traded in-season, there is a certain amount of risk that comes with taking him before someone like Rudy Gay, but G-Dub can put in top-10 fantasy months; Rudy likely will not.

Rudy Gay - Rudy Gay: Full of promise and potential this explosive swingman seemed destined to make a Danny Granger type of jump last year but O.J Mayo changed that by taking a high volume of shots. If O.J Mayo affected Gay’s value in a negative way, one can only imagine that A.I and Z-Bo will further mitigate Rudy Gay’s value.

Paul Pierce - Double P is the #1 option on this All-Star Celtics team, and despite adding even more firepower to this squad PP will still get his and provide right around the same value he brought to teams last year with his FG% seeing a slight rise.

Ron Artest - Ron Artest landed on the perfect team. In the world of Ron Artest, respect is key. Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson have Ron Artest’s respect, and that is exactly what will make this marriage work. Ron Artest doesn’t project to put up gaudy numbers, but his steal numbers will make him a top 10 Small Forward this season.  We project something close to 15 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 spg, 1.2 3pg, 1 bpg; and yes Ron Artest will be on his best behaviour.

Rashard Lewis - Rashard Lewis’ value is going to take a serious hit with VC in town. But with that said Small Forward is still not that deep and he should see a 16 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 3pg season. However with his pay, and Otis Smith already tabbing VC as the go-to-player for the Magic we expect Rashard Lewis to grow disillusioned rather quickly and turn into a Pistons Sheed type of player, content with taking the long-bomb rather than working the ball in the post. He’s always been a chucker, we just expect chemistry issues with Rashard and VC to be a major storyline out of Orlando this year.

Hedo Turkoglu - Hedo will replicate his last year numbers in this offense despite being a more important offensive cog (which is hard to believe considering many consider him the Magic’s main offensive cog last year as opposed to D-12). With his point-forward skills and the collection of talent around him Turk might actually see a slight uptick in assists and rebounds as the ball will likely see his hands on a large percentage of the offensive play calls.