Stephen Curry proved last season that he is still at the top of his game when he led the Golden State Warriors to their fourth championship in the past eight years. Curry finally took home his elusive NBA Finals MVP award, which was pretty much the only award Curry's trophy case didn't have.

Curry and the Warriors are poised to contend again, and the star point guard figures to play a big role in helping the team make another deep playoff run this season. If Curry can play like he did during Golden State's playoff run last season, it's tough to see anyone stopping the Warriors quest to repeat as champions this season.

Fantasy basketball owners are likely thinking Curry will be one of the first players off the board as a result of his postseason heroics from last season. And while many owners will be swooned by his name, Curry's fantasy outlook isn't as lofty as many folks are expecting it to be entering this season. Let's take a closer look at Curry's fantasy outlook and see why that is the case.

Stephen Curry's 2022-23 fantasy basketball outlook

There's no debating that the 2021-22 season was a success for Curry and the Warriors. After all, Curry did win another title. But from a fantasy basketball perspective, Curry took a bit of a step back, and it has to be considered heavily when crafting his outlook for the upcoming season.

Curry's fantasy output took a step back because he finally got some help on offense after having to do everything on his own the season before. Curry's per game scoring dropped from a league-leading 32 points per game during the 2020-21 season to 25.5 points per game. Curry wasn't taking as many shots per game, and his efficiency as a whole dropped.

Curry still shot a solid 43.7 percent from the floor, and contributed as a passer (6.3 assist per game) and a rebounder (5.2 rebounds per game). Curry continued his trend of adding a steal per game to his averages, adding to his already strong fantasy value. But overall, it wasn't the production we were accustomed to seeing from Curry from a fantasy perspective.

Fantasy basketball is a different game than the actual thing, which is why Curry's drop in production is worth taking note of. For much of his career, he had been one of the first players off the board, but now, Curry isn't worth a first round pick anymore.

For starters, Curry is already 34 years old, and will turn 35 midway through the season. The Warriors main goal is winning a title, and it's going to become increasingly important to preserve Curry for the playoffs. That will likely result in him missing games more often than other players, and he could even see his minutes drop in order to keep him fresh.

Stephen Curry was excellent in the postseason, but that doesn't factor into fantasy basketball, where Curry's numbers were far more pedestrian. Everyone is going to remember him putting the Boston Celtics to bed in the Finals, but again, that's not exactly how he was playing during the regular season.

Heading into the 2022-23 season, Curry is likely better suited being a third or fourth round pick than a first round pick. Chances are many folks will take him higher than he should go, which will make it tough to get good value when it comes to drafting Curry. He shouldn't necessarily be avoided, but unless you are drafting him on your own terms, there's no reason to jump the gun on Curry this season.

Curry showed he isn't regressing during his extraordinary postseason run, but he's not going to be used like he was during the postseason in the regular season. Curry played 34.5 minutes per game last season, and it seems unlikely he will play that much this season considering he has Jordan Poole coming off the bench behind him now.

The Warriors have the depth on their roster where they can afford to hold Curry back a bit during the regular season. It makes sense in the real world, but in fantasy, it limits Curry's value. He still is a very solid scorer who can hold his own as a passer and a rebounder, but there are better options at guard out there than him this season.

If you are a smart drafter, there's a decent chance you won't end up with Curry in any of your leagues. Many people can't believe he's a third or fourth round player, and are taking him way higher than he should be going. Drafting based on name value doesn't win you fantasy leagues, and if you decide to take Curry earlier than you should, your team will pay for it down the line.

Stephen Curry shouldn't be avoided, but there's no sense taking him before the third round this season. In most drafts, he will already be gone by then, but if he's still around, he has the upside to be a very worthwhile pick if he's taken in that range.