2019 Fantasy Basketball Rookie Rankings: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, more sleepers for redraft, dynasty leagues

Jon Impemba

2019 Fantasy Basketball Rookie Rankings: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, more sleepers for redraft, dynasty leagues image

It’s that time of year again! The beginning of the NBA season is a new start for everyone, especially the top rookies. Headlined by Zion Williamson, there are several first-year players who should matter in fantasy basketball leagues in 2019-20. Obviously, if you're in a keeper or dynasty league, virtually all rookies are worth at least adding somewhere on your draft cheat sheet

Below you will find a preview of Fantasy Alarm's 2019-20 rookie rankings. For the full rookies list -- and rankings at every position -- get a free one-week subscription to Fantasy Alarm and check out its ultimate fantasy basketball draft cheat sheet!

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2019 Fantasy Basketball Top Rookies

Zion Williamson, NOP PF: Of course this article is going to start off with maybe the most hyped player to come out of a draft in some time, as the Pelicans won the lottery and drafted Williamson to be the new face of their franchise following the trade of Anthony Davis to the Lakers. What do we know about Williamson? He's an athletic freak. What he lacks in height (6-7), he makes up with his ability to jump out of the gym. That athleticism is going to lead to plenty of dunks in the NBA. If I had to make a comparison, I would maybe take a look at what Blake Griffin did as a rookie, which was average 22.5 points while grabbing 12.1 rebounds per game. I don’t think those numbers are out of reach for Williamson whatsoever. (Update: Williamson will miss the first six-to-eight weeks of the season because of a knee injury.)

De'Andre Hunter, ATL SF: Hunter was the No.4 overall pick by the Hawks and could/should very well see meaningful minutes in the frontcourt after they traded away Taurean Prince this offseason. Hunter will join an exciting starting five that includes Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins to create a very athletic and talented young core. I think it’s reasonable to expect double-digit scoring with some three-point upside from Hunter in his rookie season, as he shot 41.9 percent from beyond-the-arc in college.

2019 DRAFT RANKINGS:
Point guard | Shooting guard | Small forward | Power forward | Center | Overall

Ja Morant, MEM PG: The Grizzlies went and traded away Mike Conley to open the door for Morant to be the new face of the franchise after selecting him with the No. 2 overall pick. The Grizzlies made a lot of interesting moves this offseason in their effort to rebuild their organization, bringing in such players as Josh Jackson from Phoenix and Jae Crowder from Utah to pair with last year’s rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. and center Jonas Valanciunas. Morant is a great facilitator, averaging 10 assists per game during his final year at Murray State. I think seeing him average double-digit assists this season may be a lot to ask, but if he ended the year averaging 17 points with seven assists per game, that would seem right.

RJ Barrett, NYK SG: Did the Knicks actually get this one right? Barrett was taken with the No. 3 pick out of Duke and is immediately projected to be the team’s starting shooting guard. The Knicks made a ton of signings this offseason after losing out on the Kyrie Irving/Kevin Durant combo and failing to get the No. 1 overall pick. They acquired Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Eflrid Payton in the offseason. The veterans are all pretty high-usage players when on the floor, and maybe that caps some of Barrett's upside, but I am still expecting plenty of shots to come from Barrett here as the Knicks look to rebuild their franchise behind their No. 3 overall pick.

MORE: Top sleepers | Cheat sheet

Tyler Herro, MIA SG: Herro should be among the first guards off the bench with the ability to play both PG and SG when necessary. He is somebody that is going to come off the bench to shoot and provide an offensive spark for the second unit. He should be very active from three-point range, and that alone should keep him fantasy relevant. He is somebody going pretty late in drafts right now, with an average ADP of 160.5, but to me he is worth taking with one of my last picks in hopes that he finds his way to some playing time given the injury histories with Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters.

For more top rookies -- plus rankings at every position -- visit Fantasy Alarm for a FREE one-week premium subscription.

Jon Impemba