Hornets point guard Chris Paul produced a season second only to Isiah Thomas in terms of its overall excellence last year. AP Related Links LeBron leads multi-talented group of SFs Kobe, Wade tops among shooting guards Paul leads list of the dozen best point guards Most dangerous possible busts of 2008-09 Best potential sleepers for the season ahead Complete 10-team, 10-round mock NBA draft

By Eric Wong, RotoEvil.com, Special to SI.com

Since the average league has 12 teams, you should obviously get one of the top 12 players at each position. What does this mean? Well, you're going to be in big trouble if you don't draft one of these guys, but if you can manage to grab two of them, you'll have a significant advantage over your competition.

(If you're looking for more on Chris Paul and everything you need to know about the fantasy season ahead, check out the 2008 NBA Fantasy Draft Kit.)

1. Chris Paul, Hornets

How good was CP3 last year? He became just the second player in NBA history to average 20-plus points (21.1), 10-plus assists (11.6), and 2.5-plus steals (2.7) per game. The other guy to accomplish this feat was Isiah Thomas in 1983-84 (also at the age of 22), but Paul averaged just 2.5 turnovers vs. 3.7 for the former Piston. His shooting percentages are rock solid, his three-point shot is improving and his confidence is sky high right now. If you don't take Paul No. 1 overall, you're making a big mistake.

2. Deron Williams, Jazz

He doesn't rack up steals, but Williams is still a superstar point guard. He shot 49 percent or better from the field in every month except for April, and his 80 percent FT shooting will be even more valuable as he gets to the line more often this season. Playing against Paul and learning from Jason Kidd on Team USA will only help his game to grow, and at 24 years old, his best years are still ahead of him. He's also missed just four games in his career, which is why he's a safer pick than the older guys behind him.

3. Baron Davis, Clippers

Davis will likely put up better per game stats than Deron William, but he's missed a lot of games in the past, making him a riskier pick. I like how he's lost weight and is now in his hometown, and having the league's top shot-blocker behind him will allow him to finish in the top 3 in steals once again. However, he's on a new team with a stricter coach, which will probably hurt his stats a bit. Choosing between him and Allen Iverson is simply a matter of preference.

4. Allen Iverson, Nuggets

At 33 years old, Allen Iverson is still going strong. He used to be a field-goal percentage killer, but that has improved quite a bit since moving to Denver. He's likely going to play more point guard this year, so expect an increase in assists. However, without Marcus Camby there to back him up, he could average a career-low in steals.

5. Jose Calderon, Raptors

When T.J. Ford got hurt last year, Calderon seized the opportunity. In 56 starts, he averaged 13 points, 1.2 steals, 1.2 threes, 9.1 assists and just 1.9 turnovers, while shooting a blazing 53.1 percent, 45.3 percent on threes and 91.1 percent from the stripe. It will be hard for him to duplicate those phenomenal percentages, but his steals, threes and assists could easily go up further. If your league counts turnovers or assist/ turnover ratio, you could even make a case for Calderon being the second-best point guard after Paul.

6. Steve Nash, Suns

In '07-08, Nash finished second in assists, second in three-point percentage, fifth in free-throw shooting and sixth in made threes, and he'll likely go down as one of the most accurate and efficient shooters of all time. His 2.2 treys per game was a career-high, and new Suns coach Terry Porter has talked about giving Nash even more shot attempts in '08-09. However, Phoenix has also said they plan on limiting the two-time MVP's minutes and occasionally resting him to keep him fresh. He's still an elite PG, but all of the guys above him are going to play as many minutes as possible.

7. Jason Kidd, Mavericks

After 14 NBA seasons, a lot of people are starting to wonder how much Kidd has left in the tank. My answer? He's got more than enough to help out your fantasy team in '08-09. Swapping out Avery Johnson for Rick Carlisle should help a lot, as Carlisle will allow the Mavs to run more, thus allowing Kidd to excel in the open court. His upside isn't great and he won't score many points, but he's still a solid No. 1 point guard.