In preparation for the 2016-17 Fantasy Basketball season, it's time to get to know some of the new guys in the player pool.  The 2015 draft brought in a massive influx of fantasy relevant NBA talent, from a burgeoning super-star at the top of the draft (Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns) to a hidden jewel in the middle of the 2nd round (Miami's Josh Richardson).  While this draft doesn't have as much guaranteed talent in the lottery, it does feature its own star at the top and a depth of intriguing players who could make an impact from out of the 2nd round.

The Raptors were lucky in the lottery, but they were also unlucky. The missed out on the top two tiers of players, but they received the first pick of the third tier of players. They traded for the pick back in 2013 when they dealt Andrea Bargnani to the Knicks. So essentially they traded nothing to get a free shot at a young player who has the potential to be a solid big man in the NBA in the near future.

NBA Rookie Fantasy Profile: Jakob Poeltl

Position: PF/C

Team: Toronto Raptors

Draft Spot: 1.09

Analysis: The Toronto Raptors were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but they received the ninth overall pick in this draft because of a 2013 trade with the New York Knicks. The Raptors missed out on the top two tiers of players, but they got a nice consolation prize with the first pick of the third tier of players. That pick turned into Jakob Poeltl, who is an athletic big man out of Utah.

Poeltl is a bit more NBA ready than some of the other prospects drafted before him, but he isn’t in a situation where he will see immediate minutes. He’ll likely receive a few minutes behind Jonas Valanciunas at center, but the addition of Jared Sullinger to fill the minutes at power forward along with incumbent rotation mainstay Patrick Patterson hurt Poeltl's odds of having an immediate impact with any minutes outside of center. If the Raptors deal with injuries, specifically to Valanciunas, who has been a bit injury prone in his career, Poeltl could carve out a decent role. Still, he’s better suited as a waiver wire pick up in the case of an injury than a re-draft league selection.

Poeltl’s situation may not be ideal for his immediate impact, but he does have great upside in dynasty leagues. He has elite size, as he stands at 7’1 and he’ll continue to add muscle for the Raptors. He has a solid jump shot coming out of college and it will likely expand to the three-point line during his NBA career. He shot 65.8% from the field in his two years at Utah.  After averaging a horrific 44.4% on free throws his freshman year, he improved to a respectable 69.2% his second year. He also averaged a double double on a per 40 minutes basis. Last, Poeltl’s elite size will give him elite block upside, and he could eventually become a nightly double double candidate for the Raptors in a few years.

Bottom Line: Could immediately produce some points, rebounds, blocks, and good FG% if he's given minutes. Not awful in FT%. Will likely struggle finding playing time, though. Should be avoided in standard re-draft leagues because of the lack of minutes.