Mark C’s Dynasty Rankings – Dec 2023

Welcome to my first updated set of dynasty rankings for the 2023-2024 NBA season! This will just be the updated rankings with small notes and tidbits. However, in the next few weeks, I plan on releasing an article detailing some of my methodology, as I want to help you all understand why I rank players the way I do. In addition, I’ll detail some of the biggest risers and fallers through the lens of the methodology I discuss.

Once again, tiers are a loose guideline. Players within a tier are somewhat close together in my eyes, with factors such as team state (contending or rebuilding), stat preference, upside, and aging playing a role in stratifying players. Don’t sweat over the actual ranking too much – the general range in which players fall is much more important than the specific ranking. In this version I’ve also included rank changes to log trends.

We’ve also had some players enter and leave my top 350. I’ve noted them below, with their previous rank in parentheses. Note that for formatting reasons, the new players entering the top 350 have their ranks as “0” in the full rankings.

Goga Bitadze – 236 (N/A)

Duncan Robinson – 259 (N/A)

Craig Porter Jr. – 268 (N/A)

Sam Hauser – 278 (N/A)

Reggie Jackson – 284 (N/A)

Derrick Jones Jr. – 289 (N/A)

Kevin Love – 294 (N/A)

Haywood Highsmith – 310 (N/A)

Vince Williams Jr. – 311 (N/A)

Nicolas Batum – 330 (N/A)

Simone Fontecchio – 332 (N/A)

Keon Ellis – 344 (N/A)

Kevin Porter Jr. – N/A (137)

Thomas Bryant – N/A (292)

Ty Jerome – N/A (280)

Chris Duarte – N/A (289)

Jock Landale – N/A (311)

Davion Mitchell – N/A (316)

Gary Payton II – N/A (318)

Devonte’ Graham – N/A (325)

Blake Wesley – N/A (331)

Kenrich Williams – N/A (339)

Alec Burks – N/A (340)

Jordan Nwora – N/A (349)

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on Twitter or on the SportsEthos Premium Discord! Enjoy the rankings below!

Mark C’s FREE Dynasty Category Rankings – December 2023

Rank	Player	Rank Change	Age	Team	Notes
1	Nikola Jokic	0	28.8	Denver	King of Fantasy. Rare combination of elite boards, assists, FG% at center spot. Doesn't hurt you really in any categories. Plenty of years left in the tank for elite contribution.
2	Luka Doncic	0	24.8	Dallas	Hurts in FT% but can build around that. Elite triple double stats and has improved FG% and steals to be positives. Luka still hasn't entered his prime years yet.
3	Tyrese Haliburton	2	23.8	Indiana	Haliburton has upped his pull-up numbers and scoring load, which was really the only thing missing from his fantasy game.
4	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	0	25.4	Oklahoma City	It looks like the steal rate was real. It won't stay this high, but it helps round out his fantasy game. I'm splitting hairs between Haliburton and SGA.
5	Victor Wembanyama	-2	20.0	San Antonio	The Spurs guard situation has been horrible, which has led to Wembanyama having a tough shot diet. Don't be discouraged by the low FG% - everything else is exactly what we want to see.
6	Jayson Tatum	0	25.8	Boston	Uber-consistent player with both stats and playtime. High volume of threes keeps FG% down a bit. Great all-around game with little fantasy holes.
7	Joel Embiid	0	29.8	Philadelphia	Injuries and career longevity a concern, but played 68 and 66 games last two years. Elite big man stats (boards, blocks, FG%) with great FT% and points is an amazing combination. I'd expect a few more elite years.
8	LaMelo Ball	0	22.3	Charlotte	The recent ankle sprain injury is worrying as these continue adding up, but I can't ignore the gains Ball has made in his finishing and FG%. There's a buy-low window here if you can stomach some of the injury risk.
9	Chet Holmgren	4	21.6	Oklahoma City	Chet is producing across every category in just his rookie year. He already looks so polished and still has room to grow.
10	Anthony Edwards	-1	22.4	Minnesota	Still only 22 yet already has a 14th finish in 9-cat total-game value. Durability and minutes played huge pluses for someone this young and talented. Great scorer who has improved deep ball and steals. Efficiency should continue to rise as he ages into prime. Lack of high-end assists is my only major concern and may led Ant to be a top-10 or 15 player rather than a top-5.
11	Trae Young	-1	25.3	Atlanta	Category winner in assists and FT% keeps Trae high for me. Solid points, steals, threes as well. Hurts in FG% and blocks, but a good stat combination for punt builds.
12	Giannis Antetokounmpo	-1	29.0	Milwaukee	Blocks have jumped back up, and everything looks like what we're used to even with Lillard in town.
13	Devin Booker	4	27.1	Phoenix	Booker has been tasked with greater playmaking usage, and he has responded admirably. Should led Phoenix to entrust Booker with this role going forward.
14	Donovan Mitchell	0	27.3	Cleveland	An elite scorer who made some strides in efficiency and steals to round out fantasy game. Those improvements may not stick fully but allows for upside compared to other shooting guards.
15	Scottie Barnes	22	22.4	Toronto	Some of Scottie's percentages still leave me wary of his scoring output (midrange and three-point numbers specifically). But Scottie has earned more usage and looks more comfortable getting to his spots. Tack onimproved steal and block rates and the fantasy breakout is here.
16	Karl-Anthony Towns	-1	28.1	Minnesota	The Wolves look more put together this year, and Towns' fantasy game has bounced back nicely. Gobert inherently limits his ceiling, but Towns remains a reliable dynasty player.
17	Alperen Sengun	29	21.4	Houston	Sengun has proven himself to be worthy of being an offensive hub. Udoka has installed a defensive scheme that plays to his benefit, and the Rockets have surrounded him with capable defenders. Sengun looks to be locked into a Sabonis-like fantasy set for many seasons.
18	Jaren Jackson Jr.	-6	24.3	Memphis	His potential to up scoring (points, threes, and efficiency) will be true key for Jaren to be fantasy superstar. Still decent in those cats today, but that's the improvement area. Blocks are his calling card.
19	Darius Garland	-3	23.9	Cleveland	Youth and assists help push Garland up the rankings. Has room for a little growth in usage and efficiency but perhaps not as much as you would think. A reliable fantasy player who isn't even 24 nor in his prime yet. The turnover bug is hopefully a blip.
20	Tyrese Maxey	41	23.1	Philadelphia	Perhaps this is an overcorrection but Maxey just looks the part of a lead guard. Could grow in the playmaking department still. The assist to turnover ratio is what really gives me full confidence in Maxey.
21	Bam Adebayo	-3	26.4	Miami	Well-rounded big whose only fantasy flaw is lack of threes. A chance his blocks and assists could bump up, but if not Bam still has a solid floor.
22	Evan Mobley	-1	22.5	Cleveland	Mobley's finishing has improved, but we haven't seen the offensive self-creation improve too much. Without that aspect, it's hard for me to see as high a ceiling for Mobley.
23	Anthony Davis	2	30.8	LA Lakers	Only injures push him down. AD provides everything you want from a big man along with great scoring on top.
24	Lauri Markkanen	4	26.6	Utah	Lauri is doing exactly what he did last season again. With a larger sample it's more trustworthy. Strong points, threes, and boards base, and Lauri doesn't hurt you as much in defensive stats as you might think.
25	Kevin Durant	-3	35.2	Phoenix	Shouldn't need to score as much in Phoenix but could provide more secondary stats, namely blocks and assists. A well-rounded fantasy game should exist for at least one more year for win-now teams.
26	Damian Lillard	-3	33.4	Milwaukee	With the move to Milwaukee, Lillard's scoring output has taken a slight hit. Still, some of that is related to shooting struggles rather than a drastic change in role.
27	Stephen Curry	-3	35.8	Golden State	Another win-now player and top-10 fantasy player. Expect 1-2 years with typical Steph fun. The departure of Poole means Warriors may rely on his scoring more.
28	Scoot Henderson	-8	19.9	Portland	Rookie teenage point guards are supposed to struggle. Be patient with Scoot.
29	Cade Cunningham	-10	22.2	Detroit	The Pistons are a complete mess, but Cade is part of that mess. I haven't been impressed by the aspects Cade can control and think the imagined fantasy upside with him is dwindling.
30	Paolo Banchero	-4	21.1	Orlando	Paolo's finishing has improved, but I need a larger sample on the three-point shooting before I believe it.
31	Domantas Sabonis	-4	27.6	Sacramento	Fox has taken a larger role on the team, but Sabonis is still vital to what the Kings do. Deficient in stocks and 3s but gives everything else nicely. Extension locks him into role on the Kings, and I'd expect similar production going forward.
32	De'Aaron Fox	7	26.0	Sacramento	Fox has upped his pull-up shooting from deep, leading to a marked increase in threes made. It's still a little early to know how real it is, but this would be a great boost to his fantasy stock.
33	Mikal Bridges	-2	27.3	Brooklyn	Bridges started the season slowly but has bounced back to what he was doing last season with Brooklyn. His assists have ticked up slightly as well, giving just a little more juice to his fantasy profile.
34	Kristaps Porzingis	-5	28.4	Boston	Lower scoring usage but more efficient scoring balances out for KP in Boston. A well-rounded big for any team.
35	Desmond Bane	-1	25.5	Memphis	A rare fairly efficient shooter who has shown great strides increasing his playmaking game. Additional modest gains in steals and assists can push his fantasy game even higher. Extension ties Bane to a Memphis system that utilizes him well.
36	Kyrie Irving	-6	31.7	Dallas	Off-court...concerns...and injuries are worrisome aspects. But per-game he's typically a top-10 player with elite efficiency and volume scoring. Should still have some prime years ahead, and Dallas needs his scoring and usage.
37	Ja Morant	-4	24.4	Memphis	Another player who brings the elite points-assists-usage trio. Has his warts (games missed due to injuries and off-court reasons) but still brings solid fantasy game. Nagging injuries are a little worrisome.
38	Myles Turner	-3	27.7	Indiana	A lot of Turner's value may be tied up in blocks, but playing more center helped his points, boards, and FG% to increase. Playing next to an elite table-setter in Haliburton can't hurt as well.
39	Dejounte Murray	-1	27.3	Atlanta	Even with a high usage player in Trae Young, Murray still produced top-40 numbers on a per-game basis. No real reasons to be concerned about his game going forward. New contract ties him to Hawks for the near-term.
40	Jalen Brunson	1	27.3	New York	Brunson has provided much of the same for the Knicks this year. Appears locked in as the focal point of this team.
41	Jaylen Brown	-5	27.2	Boston	Has started the year cold, but Brown has a long enough track record that I'm not overtly concerned. Good buy-low opportunity here.
42	Jalen Duren	33	20.1	Detroit	The Pistons have been whack to begin the year, but at least Duren has firmly been the starting center. Mixture of playmaking and athletic ability impresses - just needs to stay healthier.
43	Mark Williams	23	22.0	Charlotte	Has shown he's just a solid center who does center things well. Huge frame allows his to gobble up boards and be a solid rim protector.
44	Franz Wagner	11	22.3	Orlando	Should see scoring game continue to improve, along with better percentages. As Magic improve, so should Franz. Can easily see peak stat set of 23-6-4.5 with solid efficiency. A seamless fit with nearly any player types.
45	Jalen Williams	-5	22.7	Oklahoma City	Steals are down this year but otherwise has made nice little strides. Will need to continue growing his game further on an ascendent Thunder team.
46	Zion Williamson	-14	23.5	New Orleans	Zion has just looked different this year, and not in a positive way. The energy and athleticism has dropped noticeably, and with it some of his dynamtic scoring. The ceiling is lower for me here.
47	Ausar Thompson	23	20.9	Detroit	High-end blend of defensive ability and athleticism has already flashed itself. The scoring is a massive work in progress though, which keeps the ceiling a little lower.
48	Fred VanVleet	-3	29.8	Houston	VanVleet still drains your FG% and the steals have evaporated. But the role in this offense is fantastics and has lead to larger assist totals. I don't expect that to change in the near-term.
49	Nic Claxton	14	24.7	Brooklyn	3-cat stud producer in blocks, boards, and FG%. FT% woes are a worry but otherwise should hold value in aforementioned cats very well. Being only 24, I expect the blocks to maintain for some time.
50	Jamal Murray	-7	26.8	Denver	Hasn't been able to translate playoff success to regular season. May just settle into being a solid fantasy combo guard.

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December 22, 2023, 9:50 pm