Steals is usually one of those forgotten categories in a typical Fantasy Basketball Rotisserie League draft. You watch the percentages carefully. You make sure you get the top guys for points and three pointers. You make sure your big men are good rebounders. You make sure your point guards get good assists. You hope that someone that you picked, most likely one or two of your guards, gets you enough steals that you can compete.

I’m not sure why we treat steals like this, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it is because nobody else worries about it much either, so you aren’t competing with people who are specifically picking for steals.

What that really means is that you can lead this category by being the only one specifically picking for it!

The good news is that you don’t really have to give up anything either, because many of these guys excell in other categories as well. You just need to make sure that you pick a couple of those players based on their steals and not just by which player had three or four more assists than the other guy.

Tier 1

1. Shawn Marion (156) – This, among other superb numbers in other statistical categories, is why Shawn Marion is always in the top 3 picks.
2. Andre Iguodala (152) – Also great in a lot of categories. Won’t go later than the second round in most leagues.
3. Ron Artest (149) – One of the top defensive guys in the league. Might be available as late as the fourth round.
4. Gerald Wallace (144) – A low free throw percentage is about the only thing that mars otherwise great numbers. Shouldn’t go later than the third round.
5. Gilbert Arenas (139) – Another one of the first round picks that excels in steals.
6. Baron Davis (135) – Injuries last year hampered his stats, but Baron Davis is always among the leaders)
7. Caron Butler (134) – Don’t forget about Caron Butler when you draft. He’s finally starting to get love in Fantasy circles.
8. Monta Ellis (132) – His other categories are decent, but he really excels in steals. A fresh face among the standard lot.

Tier 2

1. Rajon Rondo (128) – For a point guard, his assist numbers certainly weren’t very good. The rest of his numbers weren’t good at all either. With Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen running with him this year, it’s hard to say what the rest of his numbers will be, but I bet his steals numbers are still top notch.
2. Jason Kidd (127) – A first round pick every year, he has great steals to go along with great assists and good rebounds.
3. LeBron James (125) – First round pick again this year, LeBron has great stats in every category, including steals.
4. Allen Iverson (123) – Probably around a third round pick, the rest of his numbers aren’t nearly as good as they used to be. But his steals are still top notch.
5. Smush Parker (119) – It’s hard to say how productive he’ll be in Miami, but with as injury prone as the rest of the team is, I’d say there is a decent chance that his numbers will be good this year. Certainly worth a shot if he is available in the eighth round.
6. Chris Paul (118) – Late first round/early second round pick. Not worth it, even for his good steals and assist numbers.
7. Raymond Felton (118) – Getting better and better, Felton might be worth a look if he falles to the seventh round. He’ll be working with Jason Richardson, which might help a lot of his numbers.
8. Jamaal Tinsley (117) – If he gets the time, he gets the numbers. Lately he hasn’t been getting the time. Might be worth a look as a late round pick, for his potential alone.

Tier 3

1. Rafer Alston (129) – Usually in the top tier, it’s hard to say if he will get enough playing time to get productive numbers this year. I dropped him down a couple of tiers, but he may not even be on the radar at all.
2. Kobe Bryant (111) – Always one of the top defensive guys in the league, which is especially nice considering he is also one of the top offensive guys in the league.
3. Ben Wallace (111) – Didn’t play well for Chicago last year, but he has been a first round Fantasy pick in the past. Might be worth looking at if he falls to the 6th or 7th rounds based on potential alone.
4. Ruben Patterson (110) – Self-proclaimed Kobe stopper some years back. He has good defensive abilities, but his other stats are pretty volatile based on how much playing time he gets.
5. Andre Miller (110) – Great assist numbers go with good steal numbers. A good pick for point guard if you need one in the sixth round and he is still there.
6. Manu Ginibili (109) – Excellent numbers all the way around. Not sure why he is falling to the fourth or fifth round in most drafts.
7. Dwyane Wade (107) – These numbers could be higher if he wasn’t injured all the time. Still good, though.
8. Josh Smith (101) – His free throw percentage is horrible, but also owns the honor of being the second best blocks guy in the league (after Marcus Camby)
9. T.J. Ford (101) – Nice assists to go with his nice steals. He doesn’t really get you much else, though, which is why he is going in the seventh round in most leagues.