So if you're still confused, in a nut shell all a Z-score is, is a standarized, relative score. The scoring champion Kobe Bryant obviously has the highest Z-score for PTS, and Ben Wallace the lowest, because he had the lowest amount of PPG.

We convert to the Z-score so we can do the same for all other 9 stats and add them together. This statistical analysis gives you the following rankings based on last seasons play:

Ha! You see Kirk Hinrich at 39?! I knew he belonged. (Yes, there are other's you could add in who would probably crack the top 50, but not many). Other than that, we do have alot of surprises. For one, it confirms my belief that Dwyane Wade is the most overrated fantasy player in basketball. If you think about it, it makes sense, he provides mostly scoring, which is readily available among many players. He gives you some assissts and a decent FG%, but he has nothing to offer as far as 3-pointers, and as a guard he's limited in blocks and other big men stats.

The fact that Gerald Wallace cracked the top 10 shows the importance of guys who can really get Blocks and Steals. Since the totals for those stats aren't nearly as hight as points or other stats, the few guys who can average 2 or 3 a night are so much more valuable because they are so few players who available to give you that. It's a completely objective way to judge a player's true value to your team in all stats relative to other players around them.

Of course no stat is perfect; because it's based all on the previous year's stats, there's no accounting for a player's improvement or the potential for a breakout season, or inversely, the chance that a player is on the decline or a one season wonder. It also doesn't account for a coaching change or change in basketball philosphy, i.e., are they reeling it in, or making like the Pistons are doing and planning on running? That knowledge could make Billups even more valuable than he appears to be. Finally, the last drawback is there's no way to compare a rookie against the guys already in the league, so that's another judgement call for the manager.

Summary:
For the most part, the players who will have the biggest impact on your team will be the star players on top of the game; the ones who are in their prime and whose numbers will be fairly consistent from year to year. Because this pattern generally holds up, you can standardize the numbers to find their relative value, and add them together to find their complete value for a fantasy team. While you may have to make some emergency overrides in special cases, like rookies, up and coming/aging players, a new coach, the Z Rating works exactly to the point of fantasy sports. There is no intangible value for a fantasy player, just numbers. The Z Rating is based off of those very numbers. Keep in mind, it is you're team, so have fun with it. Add your favorite player to the list, especially if that player is as great as, say, Kirk Hinrich.

Brandon Tower lives in New Jersey but roots passionately for his favorite team the Chicago Bulls.