Week 18 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: NBA Centers

No doubt you are still sorting through the fall-out of an explosive trade deadline. Rotoballer has you covered.  The following centers, whether of the “sleeper” variety or just cashing in temporarily on an unforeseen opportunity, almost certainly deserve attention across the various formats during Week 18 of the campaign.

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List

Waiver Wire Center for Right Now

Alex Len (PHO, C) - 31% Owned

Len was looking like a strong stash heading into the All-Star Break, and he has come out exceptionally strong. In two starts, he has averaged 34.7 minutes, 9.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks, with a .471 FG% and 1.000 FT%. Len benefited in two big ways on the trade deadline, as the trade of Miles Plumlee left him the uncontested starter at center, and the trades of Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas will reduce the number of 3-guard lineups run by the Suns which may have left out Len (the Morris twins, in particular Marcus, should also see a boost from this factor).

Len is a must-own from here on out, as he projects to put up very good efficiency numbers with nice rebounds and blocks. The heavy minutes should also allow him to average close to double-digit scoring.

Tyler Zeller (BOS, PF/C) - 31% Owned

A nice consolation prize if Len is unavailable, Zeller doesn’t rebound or block shots anywhere near what Len does, but he is even better from an efficiency standpoint, with very good averages in both FG% (.557) and FT% (.828) on plenty of attempts per minute. Right now, the minutes will be coming in droves for Zeller. With Jared Sulliger out for the season and Kelly Olynyk hobbled, there are now a pile of frontcourt minutes to go around in Boston. Zeller will be relied on to carry the load for the time being, so that means huge fantasy numbers.

I wrote about what kind of numbers he can put up earlier last week in Rotoballer’s NBA Category Specialists column, so I will stay light on the numbers here. Instead, I will speculate that I think he will continue to be worth rostering even when Olynyk returns to full strength. Zeller and Olynyk will share center minutes, and could even see the court together sometimes when Brandon Bass is sitting. As for Bass, I think a Celtics team without much to play for might rather see what its younger players can do down the stretch, rather than piling minutes on the veteran. This could also play in Zeller’s favor as the year goes on.

Zeller is a must add for what he can do right now, and should remain a very strong hold if he plays well and shows he deserves the playing time.

Waiver Wire Centers in Deep Leagues

Alexis Ajinca (NOP, PF/C) - 3% Owned

All you need to know about Ajinca is that Anthony Davis will miss the next 1-2 weeks, while Ryan Anderson will be out the next 2-4. Ajinca should have a chance to start in standard sized lineups, and in six starts this season, he has averaged 21.2 minutes, 8.5 points, 6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks. On the season, his rates are very strong – a Tyler Zeller-esque .572 FG% and .810 FT%. Even with both Davis and Anderson out, it seems unlikely he will regularly post 30 minute outings, but if he gets near that he extrapolates to a 10 point, 7 rebound, 1 block type guy with very good efficiency.

In the short term, Ajinca may flirt with standard league value, and is a must add in deep leagues while Anthony Davis remains out.