When most managers draft for rebounds, they figure they’ll be picking up centers and power forwards. And with very few exceptions, they would be right. Since you have to pick up 3 or 4 of these guys anyway, you probably better make sure you get good bang for your buck. You can afford to wait on picking up these guys until the fourth or fifth rounds usually (because many of them don’t get you much more than rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage anyway), but don’t wait so long that you don’t get any of the best guys. If you don’t have at least two of the top 25 rebounders in the league, you may be in trouble, so watch your list carefully and start picking them up if they start going fast. We have a better assortment of good players with center eligibility this year, so I don’t think you’ll have to reach too much in your picks this year.

Here is a list of the top 25 rebounders from last year and some notes on what you should know about them…

Tier 1

1. Dwight Howard (1008) – He also shoots 60.3% FG, scores 1443 points, and got 156 blocks. Unfortunately, he shoots a lot of free throws at a rate last year of 58.6% and turned it over a whopping 317 times. Even though you’ll want to pick him up in the 4th round, you can’t afford to do it.
2. Kevin Garnett (975) – All of Garnett’s numbers are stellar. Not sure what will change now that he is on the Celtics with two other All-Stars.
3. Tyson Chandler (904) – 62.4% FG, 129 blocks. Nothing else. He’ll be available in the sixth or seventh round, so you ought to seriously consider him here if you don’t have enough rebounders. Don’t be scared of his low FT%. He doesn’t shoot that many of them.

Tier 2

1. Carlos Boozer (867) – 56.1% FG and 1549 points last year are strong pluses. Doesn’t really get blocks. His free throw percentage will pull you down, but it isn’t as bad as many of the others in the top 2 tiers.
2. Tim Duncan (845) – 54.6% FG, 1599 points, 190 blocks last year. His free throw percentage is bad, and he shoots and misses a lot of them.
3. Ben Wallace (821) – Ben had a relatively bad year for Chicago last year. Not sure if we should expect more of the same, or if he will return to his stats during the Detroit years, which were stellar. Don’t worry about his poor FT%. It won’t hurt you much.
4. Marcus Camby (816) – 231 blocks led the NBA. For rebounds and blocks alone, he is worth a strong look in the second round.
5. Amare Stoudemire (786) – His numbers are very similar to Garnett’s. The only knock against him is that his free throw percentage is a little low, but it has been steadily improving.
6. Shawn Marion (785) – Excellent numbers all around, as every Fantasy Hoops fan knows.
7. Andris Biedrins (762) – He’s such a newcomer, it’s hard to know if his stats will improve or not. With a sixth pick, you can probably afford to take a chance.
8. Emeka Okafor (757) – Constantly injured, but his rebounding numbers seem pretty good in spite of that. Also got 172 blocks last year.
9 Al Jefferson (744) – Many people are picking him as high as the second round with his move to Minnesota. I wouldn’t pick him any higher than the 5th round until he proves something.
10. Elton Brand (744) – Injured this year. Not sure when he will return. You can pick him late and throw him on your bench for a late push, if you think he’ll be back this year.
11. Chris Bosh (741) – Everybody picks him in the second round or higher, usually to their detriment. He may finally be worth such a second round pick this year.
12. Samuel Dalembert (733) – He also got 159 blocks, but not much else. He is a pretty good pick in the late 5th/early 6th round if he is available and you need rebounds and blocks.

Tier 3

1. Dirk Nowitzki (693) – Always a great pick!
2. Zach Randolph (688) – Not sure what to expect out of him in a Knicks uniform, but I suspect more of the same. He got 1608 points last year and had good percentages, but he didn’t get any blocks really.
3. Drew Gooden (681) – Doesn’t get much besides rebounds, but he is available in the 8th round in most leagues.
4. Nick Collison (666) – Ditto of Drew Gooden

5. Jermaine O’Neal (661) – Low FG% for a power forward. Good blocks, though, and he is a pretty decent scorer when he isn’t injured.
6. Jason Kidd (655) – Any PG who makes this list deserves HUGE kudos. Everyone knows what they get with Kidd.
7. Udonis Haslem (654) – Ditto of Drew Gooden, except he might be available even later.
8. Chris Wilcox (629) – Ditto of Drew Gooden.
9. Josh Smith (621) – A swingman with monster numbers. 207 blocks, 101 steals, and over 1100 points. His free throw percentage is a big concern though. Second round is way to early to be picking him until that improves.
10. Jeff Foster (608) – What’s a team without pulling Jeff Foster off of the free agent list when you’re hurting for rebounds. He gets absolutely nothing EXCEPT rebounds. But he often averages above 10 per game. Not worth drafting, but you may have to pick him up later on.