by Gerrit Ritt

And there aren't any more difficult positions to deal with than the point guards. You could make a case for six of them to be drafted in first round this season, with guys like Tony Parker and Jason Kidd falling just short.

It's easily the deepest position as well, with as many as many as 20 or so worthy of being fantasy starters, and that's not including Gilbert Arenas once again, who'll miss the first month of the season — or more.

That said, getting one of the top guys is important. Franchise players are everywhere, so don't be left behind by passing up on them early, because they will go early.

Top 20 Point Guards

1. Dwyane Wade, Miami

When he's healthy, there's nobody better. And he proved during the Olympics he's good as new. With Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley there to help him, this has all the making of being a monster season for D-Wade. I'd be shocked if he didn't go for 25 points, 7-8 assists, 7-8 rebounds, 2-3 steals and a block every night. What that equals is a top five pick, maybe even as high as third behind LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

2. Chris Paul, New Orleans

The best pure point guard in the league, Paul will give you everything but blocks this year. He's a big-time scorer, ranks first in the NBA in both assists and steals, and shoots over 35 percent from three-point land. He's the man who gets it all started for the Hornets, with every play running through him. It's natural that his numbers are just going to continue getting better.

Deron Williams has all the tools needed to be a top 10 pick in fantasy drafts. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

3. Deron Williams, Utah

Would it be blasphemous for me to say this guy's better than John Stockton? Is that wrong? Will I be dragged into the streets of Salt Lake and beaten? I probably won't. The God-fearing people of Utah would never do that to me. However, I understand how saying Williams is better than the league's all-time leader in assists and steals could be construed. However, when it's all said and done, I don't see it being too farfetched. His point totals will be better. His rebounding will be decidedly better. He averaged 10.5 assists a game last season, and he shoots better from the outside. What's not to love?

4. Steve Nash, Phoenix

When Nash is this far down the list, you know this is a pretty damn strong list. The two-time MVP of the league is a fantasy dream. His shooting percentages are through the roof, as are his assists and three pointers. He scores plenty of points to make you feel good about yourself as well. He'll never be a rebounding machine, however, and he obviously won't get you any blocks, but those are small prices to pay for him being as dominant as he is in other positions. He's still easily a first-round fantasy player.

5. Baron Davis, Los Angeles Clippers

The newest Clipper will be re-born this season as he comes back to play for one of his hometown teams. The only other offensive force on L.A. is second-year start Al Thornton, meaning Baron will have the green light all season long. Barring injury, which is always a concern with him, this has all the makings of being his best year ever. Scoring over 25 points and dishing out 8-9 assists a night could be easily attainable. He shoots threes, hits a high percentage of his free throws and is a defensive star in both the rebounding and steals categories. A pure beast in every definition.

6. Allen Iverson, Denver

Even with Carmelo Anthony around, A.I. still finds a way to score over 26 points a game, over seven assists and right at two steals a night as well. Like most point guards, he doesn't block shots, but he makes up for it in free throw percentage and that high point total. If Melo ever leaves town, which has been a rumor, than A.I.'s numbers go up even further. Denver's a perfect place for him.

7. Tony Parker, San Antonio

This is the year I really see Parker taking more of a scoring role in the Spurs offense. Manu Ginobili's gonna miss some time at the beginning of the season, Brent Barry's gone and the rest of the team is made up of defensive specialists. You're gonna get even more low-scoring games in San Antonio this year, but Parker's going to pick up the slack the rest have left. No reason for him not scoring 20 points a game for the first time, while the assists remain in the 7-8 range and the shooting percentages continue to be stellar. I wish he shot any threes at all, but that FG shooting and the steals he gets easily make up for that.

8. Andre Miller, Philadelphia

Man, I really didn't see myself ever putting Miller up this high on fantasy lists again, but then he got moved to Philly and became reborn in that Mo Cheeks offense. He was the shining star of the team's winning streak last season, giving the Sixers a surprisingly high seed in the playoffs. Miller chalked up nearly seven assists a night, while scoring 17 a game and grabbing down four boards and over a steal a game as well. And those numbers were much higher than that down the stretch. He'll have another huge weapon to work with in '08, as Elton Brand will assuredly give him an extra two assists per.

A trade to Cleveland will open things up for Mo Williams, who could thrive alongside King James. (Gary Dineen / Getty Images)

9. Mo Williams, Cleveland

This was easily one of the best moves of the offseason. I can't imagine there being a better compliment to LeBron than Mo. He not only immediately becomes the best point guard the King's ever played with, but he's also a deep shooting threat the other team has to respect. That feature of his game will open up things for LeBron to do his damage, and a lot of that will be him kicking the ball out to Williams to shoot the three ball. This is going to happen all season long. I'm going to be all over Mo come draft time this season, as I can see him going for 18 a night, with 3-4 threes and 7-8 assists.

10. Jason Kidd, Dallas

I don't care how old he's getting or how embarrassing his shooting's become, when a guy puts up nearly a triple-double every single night, that's getting you places. Even I could stumble upon 10 assists a game alongside all those scoring options in Dallas. If you can stomach the tragic shooting percentages, Kidd will be a fine pick for you. The steals are still there, the rebounding's genius and he'll even block the occasional shot, which is rare for a point guard.

11. Monta Ellis, Golden State

If not for his offseason injury, Ellis would probably be a second round fantasy selection and somewhere closer to seventh or eighth on this list. However, given the fact he'll miss the first few weeks of the season, he becomes a solid sleeper pick who'll continue dominating the league once he returns to the lineup. He's a scoring machine, dishes out enough assists to make you happy and his field goal percentage is better than most centers (53 percent). He attacks the basket with a purpose and finishes as well as anybody in the NBA.

12. Brandon Roy, Portland

This team is going to be fun to watch this season. They have all kind of weapons now that Greg Oden's back, and both Martell Webster and LaMarcus Aldridge have another year's experience under them. Roy will be the catalyst, with the offense moving through him. I like him getting close to seven assists with near 17-18 points a night while shooting at his normally high percentage. He's also a strong rebounder, who will give you solid numbers there all season. He actually has all the pieces in place to climb up this list as the year goes on. No reason he can't be a top 10 guy for the next 7-8 years.

13. Chauncey Billups, Detroit

He keeps getting it done, whether it seems that way or not. His 17.0 points was his third-best total in 11 seasons in the league, as were the 6.8 assists, 1.3 steals and his 40 percent three point percentage. He shoots 92 percent from the charity stripe as well, so I can't see what the problem is here. He could start for my team, that's for sure. And I hate the Pistons.

14. Jose Calderon, Toronto

This is just what Calderon needed. T.J. Ford was finally shipped away (to Indiana), which officially gives Jose the reigns of the Raptor offense. He should flourish with it. Even while splitting time somewhat last season, Calderon still put up 8.3 assists a game, which ranked fifth in the entire league. Now, with a revived Jermaine O'Neal alongside him, he may get up to 10 a night. His scoring will assuredly improve to more than 11 a game too, while his free throw percentage stays above 90 percent. This is his year. Watch him fly.

Rajon Rondo should be able to play more freely now that he has a championship ring on his finger. (Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images)

15. Rajon Rondo, Boston

Rondo's an interesting case. You know his points will never be huge, thanks to having three All-Star scorers next to him every night. But with a world title season's worth of experience under him, expect a lot more in every other category. His assists will obviously go up (5.1), as will his rebounds (4.2), and his free throw and field goal percentages have nowhere to go but up. With a ring already on his finger, this could be the year his numbers begin to skyrocket.

16. Devin Harris, New Jersey

Harris sneaks up on you. You wouldn't think he scores more than 15 points a night, but he does. He also averages more than five assists too. His steal numbers are really nice, and he has nice percentages as well. He's just a solid player all around, and all those numbers were decidedly better after being traded to New Jersey halfway through last season. Given a full year with Vince Carter and rookie Brook Lopez, he may be able to put up some really exciting numbers.

17. Jamal Crawford, New York

This is tough to call right here. As of now, Stephon Marbury is still on the Knicks' roster. If he plays, then Crawford's numbers will undoubtedly suffer. Why? Because Marbury's a stat whore — and a ball hog. Pick one. Without him around, though, Crawford's the No. 1 scoring option on this team. His threes are huge, the percentages are surprisingly high, and he still finds the time to dish out five assists a night. Again, this is all dependent on Marbury's status. Without him around, Crawford moves up at least 2-3 notches on this board.

18. Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix

He keeps doing his thing each and every year. If Steve Nash wasn't around, he'd be getting 35-40 minutes a night and scoring 18-20 points. However, for now he'll have to live with his backup status, which is still good for 15.6 points, 2-3 threes and a steal per game. Not many people would turn down those kind of numbers for a second point guard.

19. Mike Bibby, Atlanta

When he was finally spared by being traded to the Hawks last season, Bibby started playing like we remember him a few years ago. In 33 games with his new team, he put up 14 points and 6.5 assists a night while playing with an improving team of athletes who are only going to get better. Now turning 30 years old, he's in the prime of his career. In a lineup that will include such stars as Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Marvin Williams, there will be plenty of assists to be had and a lot fewer double teams than he faced while in Sac-Town. Those numbers should all improve in '08.

20. O.J. Mayo, Memphis

It was tough to decide where Mayo's supposed to go on this list, but I think this is fair. You know he's gonna play consistently, but you also have to know this is a really young team that will likely struggle most of the year. Rudy Gay's the star, and he'll be the one getting the big shots. Mayo will get his too, though, but he'll also have to share the backcourt with last year's No. 1 pick, Mike Conley, and two other talented point guards in Kyle Lowry and Javaris Crittenton. How many balls are there? Mayo's obviously too good to get only 20 minutes a game, but I wouldn't expect any more than 13-14 points a game and 4-5 assists, at least right away. The percentages will likely keep him down too.

Honorable Mentions

Stephon Marbury, New York: I won't lie to you — I wouldn't go anywhere near Marbury. However, when he does play, he's good for solid scoring, assists and steals. Is he anywhere near the same player he was five years ago, though? Doubtful. He played in just 24 games last season, scoring 13.9 points and dishing out 4.7 assists, while getting nearly a steal per night. What's the upside? Well, you give him a starting role, and he'll dominate the shots, which will give him 18 points or so a game, not to mention closer to 6-7 assists. Those aren't bad numbers. The negatives? Playing more than 50 games is always in question. The percentages are ugly, and he doesn't rebound anymore. Not to mention, he's a team killer. But if you're into that sort of thing, he can be a halfway decent second point for you.

T.J. Ford, Indiana: Similar to Calderon, it's time for Ford to finally be free and play without the other man looking over his back for playing time. He'll be the starter here with a bunch of young, athletic scorers running the break with him. The assist numbers could go through the roof.

Raymond Felton, Charlotte: Could be one of the more underrated fantasy point guards on here, and I'm not just saying that because I'm the only Bobcats fan in the state of California. All Felton's numbers went up last season, his third in the league, with his points eclipsing 14 a game and his assists a career-high 7.4, a total that ranked eighth in the NBA. With an ever-improving team around him, improving shooting percentages each year and almost 1.5 steals a night, he's one of the most consistent No. 2 point guards going right now.

Mike Conley, Memphis: It's inevitable he'll improve in his second season, basically because he didn't do much at all in year one. He'll have his work cut out for him, as Memphis has a loaded backcourt all of a sudden (Mayo, Lowry, Crittendon), but you know he'll be getting his PT. You don't bench No. 4 overall draft picks on a last-place team. He's a deep sleeper, but one who could pay off.