We have the point guards in the books, so it is now time to look at the the best fantasy forwards in the game today.  I am going to combine SF and PF, since in today’s NBA most teams do not have a clear cut power forward/ small forward anymore, but versatile forwards who play all frontcourt positions. 

These rankings are produced with the understanding that all players are healthy, but I clearly recognize below who is the injury proned players and who is a gamer.

1. Kevin Garnett- 31 years old and just traded to Boston with two other star players - guess what, it ain’t gonna matter.  Garnett is still going to be a fantasy beast and maybe even more so in the East where he can clean the glass with ease, get numerous putbacks per game, and up his already impressive assists average with kick out passes to Paul Pierce and Ray Allen who will be just drooling no longer seeing double teams.  On top of that Garnett knows this is his chance for a ring so he will be motivated to play at his best.  The only category which may drop slightly for him is scoring, but still expect at least 20 ppg and while having dominating rebound, assist, block and FG% numbers.
2. LeBron James- Could fall in the shooting guard section, but James has been starting at SF for the past year.  In most drafts you are going to see this kid go first overall and you can’t go wrong picking him.  While on one hand we know he could drop a triple double on any given night we also realize that he is still improving which is scary and validates his pick.   Garnett will rebound more, Kobe will score more, but noone has more of an all-around game than LeBron James.
    
3. Dallas Dirk  - If he is eligible for center in your league it is a no brainer on Dirk and your laughing.  His three point  production has dropped slightly in the last couple years (in terms of makes, not percentage), but with that he has been going to the hoop more and improving his FG%.  His scoring has only gone up, so you may have to trade a few threes for better shooting percentage.   The only stat category you will get little production in is assists, as Dirk is not a playmaker, but he averages 8+ rebounds a game and shoots 90% from the line.
4. Shawn Marion - The Matrix put up another complete fantasy season and is one of the only players to significantly impact 5 categories like he does.  He is never at the top of cheat sheets, yet seems to lead most rating systems during the year.  He produces points, rebounds, blocks, steals and even threes.  The Matrix does it all.  My only concern this season is all of the trade talk.  If Phoenix is winning and making a run at the finals he will play at a top level, but if his name continues to surface as a player on the way out, it normally affects a players focus and intensity.  Phoenix has brought in Grant Hill who will also eat into a few of Marion’s minutes.  At the end of the day Marion always has an excellent season but I think his stats may slightly drop this year.
   
5. Chris Bosh  - What, no Duncan in the top 5?  Don’t worry Timmy D is next but Bosh has earned his way into the top 5 and we expect him to continue to improve further this season.  Bosh has taken the Raptors on his back, and in doing so has made himself into a solid fantasy forward.   He is a solid 20-10 guy now, with excellent FG%, and decent blocks.  He plays with high intensity so don’t expect his motivation to improve to stop yet.  I am putting this ranking together based on each player entering the season healthy, but Bosh needs an asterisk next to his name.  He is dealing with plantar facitis already, a foot ailment he dealt with last season and resurfaced only two days after playing with the FIBA team which is not a good sign.  If there is any mention of this issue closer to the start of the season you have to drop Bosh a few spots because this injury can linger on, and on, and on…
6. Paul Pierce - WIth Ray ALlen in town we have to assume that PSquared will permanently shift to the SF slot and hence need to be ranked against all forwards.  Pierce brings a very versatile game to the table as he contributes points, threes, steals, assists, free throws and rebounds.  He is a typical 25-5-5 guy with a couple steals and threes a game.  Very underated numbers.  With Garnett and Ray Allen in town, expect his points to drop a couple, but expect his FG% to go up, as he will be getting many more open looks than he is used to.
7. Tim Duncan- Tim Duncan is still doing what he does best.  He scores at a 20+ ppg pace, rebounds in the 10-12 range, and is an excellent source of blocks.  If those are the categories you need, do not hesitate on Duncan.  Little pieces of his game continue to slide (FG% slightly dropping, FT% really low now and his shot is moving more to the outside) as he gets older, but you can’t go wrong drafting the big fundamental if you can find a source of threes and free throws elsewhere.
8. Lamar Odom- If Odom could only stay healthy an entire season he would be considered among the fantasy greats.  He can rebound like a power forward, and play the point guard position on the next play.  He can be the playmaker as a passer, or step out and drop the three.  If he has all these stats why is at #7, when Marion can slip into the top 4?  Two reasons - first his health, as already mentioned he rarely plays 70 games let alone 82.  Second he must share the ball with Kobe and until that changes there are going to be certain nights where he plays nowhere near his fantasy potential as he is stuck watching Kobe like the rest of the team.
9. Al Jefferson- Al Jefferson jumps into the top 8 with a second half last season that included daily games of 20 points and crazy rebounds (in one 4 game stretch he went 18, 14, 13, 16).  He is a natural rebounder and it seems can put up 20 rebounds as easily as he can score 20.  He has a knack for blocks, averaging 1.5 a game last year in limited minutes.   Jefferson could prove to be worth more than a #8 position but two factors are an unknown right now.  How will he respond to being traded to Minny?  He was growing comfortable in Boston and was a big part of the offense. and two, can he stay healthy enough to adapt to his new teammates?  He entered into the NBA never having turned an ankle, but now constantly hurts both, which then leads to other ailments.  He got passed most of this last year, but has not lost his injury tag yet.
10. Jermaine O’Neal- May have center status in your league and if he does he is even more valuable.  Jermaine will never be on my fantasy roster again (burned too many times with injuries when I needed him) but he is very much worth drafting.  He is a legit 20-10 player who has become a league leader in blocks.  You can’t go wrong with that combination when he is on the floor.  But as mentioned, he tends ot play 30 games, then breaks down for 8, then plays 25 and breaks down for 5 and then is day to day for the remainder of the season.  I have seen it too many times.  Though Jermaine may be on the move this offseason I think that will have little impact on his numbers, most teams interested are after the exact same stats he is producing now.
11. Josh Smith - Another new comer to the top 10.  Smith’s all around game simply can’t be ignored.  He plays in Atlanta so has been seen very little, and most people think he is just a dunker, but he is putting up numbers across 5 categories and is amongst the league leaders in blocks - unheard of from the SF position and a huge boost if you have started to draft a relatively small team.   There are lots of shots to share in Atlanta, but Smith will continue to be one of the first options with the way his game is improving.
12. Caron Butler - Was a top five fantasy player last season before breaking his hand.  Needs to show he can return to that form (seemed as though he was overachieving) but he appears very comfortable playing along side Arenas.
13. Luol Deng - Could become a huge offensive force next season after dominating in the playoffs.  Needs to add more to his game than scoring and rebounds, but is still young.  This could be his year to really take center stage.
14. Carlos Boozer - If he could just get blocks Booz would fly up this list.  An extremely hard worker, who dominates the glass.  Scoring and rebounds are no problem, he just needs to round out another category.
15. Carmelo Anthony - If he did a few more little things like he can score the rock he would be HUGE for any team.  He still seems fairly one dimensional as a scorer, though he excels at that dimension and could be on the verge of leading the league in scoring soon. 
16. Gerald Wallace - Has the all around game of both a Marion or Odom, but doesn’t bring it every night and is constantly hurt.  If he can get past those issues he is top 10.
17. Antawn Jamieson - Gets little respect in fantasy circles, but if you need scoring, rebounds and threes from a forward position he is ideal.
18. Rashard Lewis - In a new city (Orlando) but that should have little effect on his game.  Needs to rebound more to move up this list, but can carry you in scoring and threes.
19. Josh Howard - Not usually forgotten anymore on draft night, but you still forget how complete his game is.  A major scorer now, but he also contributes boards, steals and threes. 
20. AK47 -   Once a top 5 fantasy player he has fallen as fast as his offensive game has.  Was a typical decent player on a bad team and now that Utah has options, AK is no longer needed to score.  BUT, his blocks alone warrant a decent draft pick even ig he only averages 10 ppg. 
21. Zack Randolph - He gives you three things - Points (can score in the post from anywhere and on anyone), rebounds (good for 10 a game) and FG% (all his points come from the paint or close jumpers).  Big question mark that needs to be watched in preseason is how he gels with Eddy Curry who has a very similar game.
22. Ron Artest - Ron Ron will score on anyone when his head is in the game, and will contribute threes and boards, but his main benefit is steals.  Is a league leader every year, but is also on the verge of being suspended on any given night.  Draft at your own risk.
23. Andrea Bargnani - Depending on how this season goes in Raptor Land, Andrea may gain center status and if that is the case he will be very valuable.  He is an excellent passer and shoots a ton of threes which you can’t usually get out of a big man, but he doesn’t rebound or block like a big man - yet.  This is only his second season.
24. Mike Miller - Seems like a strange spot for Mike Miller, but anyone that can dominate one category and carry a team in that category deserves mention before the end of the top 25.  Miller is an excellent three point shooter.  He will provide points and some assists/ steals, but he can win you threes all by himself.
25. Charlie V - I am going to give CV a chance to redeem himself this season and prove top 25 value.  I will chalk last seasons struggles to a being hurt while also adapting to a new team.  CV can score, rebound and shoot 3’s, so if he can get it together in Milwaukee, he will be worth more than a #24 spot.25B - David West - Had to get West’s name in here.  Was hurt much of last year, but he has become an extremely solid scorer and rebounder who could be 20-10 this season.  As mentioned, injuries limited him all last year (even after he returned he played hurt) but he has never given any indication of being injury proned before.  Could be a steal by this point of the draft.