Last Updated 11/26/10
- Blake Griffin (19.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 51.1% FG%): With nine double-doubles, one amazing performance, and an injury to John Wall, Blake Griffin ascends to the top of the rookie rankings. He's a proven double-double threat every time he steps on the court and he's greatly outperformed his average draft position. Griffin has a good shot of being this year's top rookie. He's moved up to #14 in FBB's player ratings.
- John Wall (18 points, 9.1 assists, 2.8 steals): On a per-game basis, John Wall is still slightly outperforming Griffin. This is mainly because of his high number of steals, where he currently ranks second in the NBA behind Chris Paul. But due to a recent foot injury, Wall missed a few games and slid all the way to #55 in our player ratings. Wall and Griffin will battle all season for top rookie honors.
- Eric Bledsoe (8.9 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals): After Wall and Griffin, the rookies fall off quite a bit. Still, Bledsoe has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy owners. Injuries to Baron Davis and Randy Foye opened the door for Bledsoe to start and play big minutes and he's taken advantage in a major way. Bledsoe's shooting has cooled off, but he's remained a dependable all-around performer. The upcoming return of Baron Davis may hurt his value, but he has a strong chance to finish in the top five of these rankings at the end of the season.
- Landry Fields (10.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 55.9 FG%): If anyone's a bigger surprise than Bledsoe, it's Fields who has leapfrogged more hyped rookies like Evan Turner, DeMarcus Cousins, and Derrick Favors. Fields' value comes from his all around contributions. At this point, he has a great shot of finishing in top three of this year's class and he's the type of player who'll help in category-based leagues for years to come.
- DeMarcus Cousins (10.6 points, 6.9 rebounds): The main things hurting Cousins' value are his terrible FG%, which is at just 38.5%, and his propensity for fouls. As Cousins gets more familiar with the NBA game, he has the potential to make a huge leap up in value. Of all the rookies on this list, Cousins has the most upside for this season if he can put it all together.
- Evan Turner (8.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists): Turner's been the most inconsistent player in this rookie class. He has the skill set to be a double-double threat, but he's struggled to adapt to his role on the 76ers. He's played particularly poorly when playing alongside Andre Iguodala and it may take a trade for Turner to be a better fantasy player this season.
- Wesley Johnson (9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists): Johnson's numbers have been right around where we projected. What keeps him ranked this low is his rebounding, which should be a bit higher given his great rebounding in college. That is usually a stat that translates well to the NBA, but it hasn't so far in this case even though Johnson is playing more minutes than most of the players ahead of him on this list. In addition, Wesley is shooting just 41.5% from the field and 62.1% from the free throw line. Johnson is a decent player to have in most leagues due to the minutes he's playing and his ability to chip in in a number of categories. Just remember, he has very little upside so the numbers you see now are what you should expect for the remainder of the season.
- Al-Farouq Aminu (7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 48.9 FG%, 50% 3P%): After being a non-factor in the early going, Aminu has come on very strong and has become the Clippers' starting small forward. Much of his value has come from his hot shooting, especially from downtown, but he is a strong prospect to move into the top 150 of our player ratings. Aminu currently sits at #158.
- Derrick Favors (7.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 53.2% FG%): Favors' value has taken a sharp hit with the emergence of Kris Humphries. He's getting 20 minutes a game, but not being active enough to be a reliable fantasy player this season. Favors could potentially fall out of the top 10 when Troy Murphy returns from injury. Fantasy owners may be forced to dump Favors if he becomes New Jersey's third option at power forward.
- Ishmael Smith (4.5 points, 3.1 assists): Smith was able to get some good games in earlier this season due to the injury to Aaron Brooks. His future value is close to nil, though, as he'll be relegated to the third string point guard once Brooks returns. Even now, the Rockets are leaning heavily on Kyle Lowry.
