LITTLE ROCK — Fantasy basketball is no longer the product of old, arthritic jocks daydreaming about their long-ago hardwood heydays. In case you've been in the deepest jungle of French Guiana since the mid-1990s, basketball fans across the nation come out of the woodwork in late October to engage in an annual ritual — the fantasy NBA basketball draft.

Fantasy basketball leagues bring all types together, even those normally averse to NBA basketball. Take Mohsen Manesh, of Fayetteville, who once signed up to play in an nba.com league with friends despite believing "fantasy statistical accumulation games are a scourge on our culture" because they focus participants' attention on sporting events "otherwise wholly irrelevant to their existence." Manesh, who said he became "easily annoyed" and "confused" by the league, was never active in it.

Others make it through a fantasy season despite a lukewarm attitude toward the real season, like cartographer Zach Johnson, of Lincoln, Ark., who says his favorite NBA team is the Seattle Blue Jays.

He recalls joining a friend's league in 2001. Johnson hoped he'd find it more interesting than watching actual basketball, because he related to some aspects of fantasy sports: crunching numbers and the "obsessive-compulsive following of the news, all while retaining the competitive aspects of the actual sport."

Standard leagues keep track of eight categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, 3-pointers, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.

TOP LEAGUES

The most popular leagues have traditionally been those run by Yahoo, nba.com and ESPN. This fall, though, it appears the latter two have taken a cue from Shaq and LeBron to team up for what promises to be the world's biggest, baddest fantasy basketball league.

Those wanting to play should recognize the difference between the two most popular point systems, as explained by espn.com:

1. Rotisserie, or "Roto": Teams are ranked from first to last in each statistical category. Points are then awarded according to the order in each category, and totaled to determine an overall score and league rank.

2. Head to Head: This type's most popular format allows you to select "X" number of statistical categories. For each scoring period, team totals are accumulated and a win, loss or tie is credited in each category based on the matchup results.

Whatever your preference, you have to draft well for fantasy success. Indeed, a couple hours of crunching numbers beforehand can prevent gnashing teeth later.

To prepare for live drafts, it helps to scour websites and magazines for information to develop a cheat sheet to use during the draft. In it, rank your own tiers of point guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers.

PICKING PLAYERS

Experts recommend focusing on players who can deliver in these categories: assists, steals, blocks and 3-pointers. Versatile point guards and swingmen are fantasy gold because they will contribute to most of these categories.

One such player is Little Rock Central alum Joe Johnson, who plays "point forward" for the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson averaged nearly six assists and two 3-pointers last year, while throwing in a steal and more than 21 points.

Notice well-rounded players in Johnson's mold — like Brandon Roy, Andre Iguodala and Caron Butler — follow closely behind the top 10 fantasy players below:

Yahoo! Sports and ESPN agree on the top four players:

1. Chris Paul 2

. LeBron James

3. Dwyane Wade and

4. Kobe Bryant.

(Sporting News switches Paul and James.)

Espn.com - which enlists the help of three fantasy gurus - ranks the

next six players:

5. Danny Granger

6. Kevin Durant

7. Dirk Nowitzki

8. Deron Williams

9. Amar'e Stoudemire

10. Chris Bosh

When it comes to selecting those rare prolific shot-blockers, it's smart to nab big men who are also accurate free throw shooters (e.g. Pau Gasol, Tyrus Thomas, Andrea Bargnani, Brook Lopez).

Fantasy studs get major minutes, so look at intrasquad competition to determine whether your potential draftee is going to get the playing time to show his stuff. For instance, Sporting News lists Brook Lopez as its fifth-ranked fantasy center primarily because he shoots well and will be the New Jersey Nets' second option after the team traded away Vince Carter this summer.

On a team loaded with quality big men, such as the Lakers or Celtics, Lopez wouldn't get nearly the minutes, and wouldn't be worth as high a draft pick.

BACK-UP DRAFTS

In the later rounds, look for specialty players with upside that you can count on to stay healthy. Former Razorback Ronnie Brewer is one such player. The 24-year-old swingman led the Utah Jazz in total minutes last year due to injuries to the team's bigger stars. Brewer, who averaged 13.7 points, will hurt you in 3-point shooting (26 percent), but is a boon in steals (1.7).

Fantasy basketball aspirants should also look at drafts who play on up-tempo teams, which generate more shots, points, rebounds, assists, etc. Some up-and-comers who look to benefit off their teams' torrid tempos include Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari of the New York Knicks, T.J. Ford and Mike Dunleavy of the Indiana Pacers and Monta Ellis and Anthony Randolph of the Golden State Warriors.

PLAYING THE GAME

Despite tepid interest by some, and nearly malevolent abhorrence by others, fantasy basketball has been a positive experience for some of its participants.

Joel Brown, of Fayetteville, said that his three years of playing has helped strengthen his knowledge and interest in the NBA.

"I do find myself rooting for fantasy players I otherwise wouldn't care much for," he said. But he also found he tended to draft players he liked from watching the NBA, and learned to like players who had provided reliable help for his fantasy teams. Examples include Chauncey Billups, as well as Caron Butler and David West — two all-stars he drafted "when they were still somewhat under the radar."

That brings us to the final advice: In a world mushrooming with information, the idea of "under the radar" in fantasy sports is fast becoming an anachronism. Sometimes it's best to forgo the rookie or bench player who's been tearing it up in summer league and preseason, and go with the old reliables. After all, arthritis hasn't slowed 'em yet.