Top 5 Underrated Fantasy Basketball Players

Fantasy football is easily the biggest and most competitive fantasy sport around these days, probably due to the amount of attention that is required of it for just one day a week. Fantasy basketball involves picking the best players that will perform for an entire week. It's a needs a lot more attention and time than fantasy football and a lot of owners are looking for pick ups mid way through the season for a playoff push. Here is a list of the 5 most under rated fantasy performers for basketball:

1. Devin Harris (PG, New Jersey Nets) - The Nets are going to be a cellar team in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, primarily because they got rid of all their big contracts in hope of landing LeBron James or Dwayne Wade next summer. In the meantime, they got rid of their star, Vince Carter, and are left with a bunch of role players. Devin Harris is this teams point guard and will be the star player in the 2009-2010 season. He'll get most of the touches on offense and he'll be looked upon to score the majority of the Nets points, along with handling the rock. He's also a decently aggressive rebounder.

2. Michael Redd (G, Milwaukee Bucks) - Another cellar team in the Eastern Conference who just recently lost one of its stars, Charlie Villanueva. Redd has been a bright spot for this organization for years now and is really the only legitimate threat in the starting lineup. No one else will be loomed upon to score the majority of the teams points more than Redd in Milwaukee, and this big guard will be looking to cash in on another payday soon, so expect big numbers from this guy.

3. Emeka Okafor (C, New Orleans Hornets) - He finally gets a move to a winning team and will be the main passing target for Chris Paul this upcoming season. Fantasy owners seem to drift from Okafor due to the other great centers in the league, but with Yao out, Shaq sharing the rock with LeBron, and Dwight sharing the ball with everyone down in Orlando, Okafor will be a surprise top center this year. He will easily be a 20, 10 guy and will have a breakout year with help from the rest of the lineup.

4. Russell Westbrook (PG, Oklahoma City Thunder) - Yes, Kevin Durant will demand the ball and get the majority of the touches on offense, but Westbrook will be the guy giving him the rock. He'll average close to ten assists this year and when Durant and Green aren't open he's their number three scorer. He'll have a bigger breakout year this year than he did last year, and look for him to put up solid numbers week in and week out as the teams play maker.

5. John Salmons (G/F, Sacramento Kings) - The Kings new toy will play second fiddle to star Kevin Martin but Salmons is a scorer and rebounder. He'll probably average around 18 points per night this year and get close to ten boards. I'm not saying draft Salmons number one overall, but pick him up mid season if you're looking for a quick spark. With a not so deep Kings team, look for Salmons to get a lot of playing time and a lot of stats.