2014-15 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: NBA Category Specialists - Blocks

Okay Fantasy Basketball managers, this is where we dig deep in an attempt to uncover late-round Draft Value of the "Category Specialist" variety. The focus here will be on players who could standout for their defensive prowess and ability to rack up blocks in the 2014-15 NBA Season.

Category Specialists

When it comes to category-based H2H fantasy basketball leagues, often having great strength in one statistic is more useful than being simply adequate in several different areas. A certain type of player can help shore up a roster's weakness, or possibly play to the strength of a team while sharing a weakness in the "punt" categories.

The following is a list of the type of guys that should be available late in your draft, or on waivers, that can contribute strongly to one category. However, I am doing this with an eye towards overall potential, as you will ideally want all of your early draft picks to have some upside as a Top-50 player if things break right for them. With that said, there will be no mention of specialists with capped value such as the Grizzlies' Tony Allen (steals).

Blocks Specialists (With Upside)

Position Eligibility Based on Current Yahoo! Fantasy Player List

K.J. McDaniels (PHI, SF)

It is one thing to end up with some random center that is capable of contributing 1.5 blocks a game at a position where you are probably already getting some swats. However, it is a much better type of thing to end up with a small forward capable of 1.5 blocks a game, on a team where minutes are available to the point where he could get enough run to put up some additional respectable numbers in other categories.

McDaniels, the first of five second-round selections made by the 76ers in this year’s draft, is a swing man who plays with a high energy level on defense that has endeared him to Head Coach Brett Brown. So far this preseason, he has shown an ability to block shots and then some, racking up 14 of them in just seven games. He is also averaging a steal per game and is at least trying to shoot threes (3-of-18).

A propensity for getting into foul trouble could haunt McDaniels during his rookie campaign. However, that is a risk you can afford to take at his low cost.

McDaniels' floor is as a guy who can provide some scarce blocks at the thin SF position (and also SG, once a certain fantasy provider that rhymes with Achoo gets off their butts and realizes he has been playing half his minutes there). His ceiling is, well, who knows with the 76ers. They could allow him to chuck up four three-point attempts and/or play 35 minutes a game. Strange things can happen with terrible teams, often leading to unexpected fantasy magic.

Gorgui Dieng (MIN, C)

There should be no need to sell you on Dieng, as anyone whose Wikipedia article starts off with “Gorgui Sy Dieng (pronounced GOR-gee Jeng, born January 18, 1990), nicknamed The Greatest Living Human Being” is worth having on your fantasy team.

Last season, Dieng put up one 20-20 game, another 20-rebound game for good measure, a five-block game and a run in April that saw him average 2.0 blocks a game over a nine-game stretch. The catch – and what is depressing his fantasy value to begin this year – was that those stats were largely produced in stretches where he was given massive minutes in the absence of Nikola Pekovic.

Pekovic is now back and ready to take up a large chunk of the minutes at center for the Wolves, so we just cannot count on regular 35-minute games in which Dieng can pile up two or three blocks along with rebound totals in the high teens.

That potential lack of time on the court has been routinely priced into Dieng's draft stock, so the cost attached is typically better than reasonable. With a floor of around 1.5 blocks and 7.0 rebounds per game, there is great value to be gained here. Along with that, you are getting a free lottery ticket on his sky high ceiling. Enjoy the blocks from Dieng for now, and cash in big time if (when?) Pekovic gets hurt again.

Rudy Gobert (UTA, C)

Everyone jump on the hype train! No player’s stock has risen more this summer than Rudy Gobert, whose spectacular play for the French national team helped lead to their stunning upset of Spain in the FIBA World Cup, and whose continued excellence in the preseason has turned the heads of basketball junkies around the league.

While playing around 21 minutes per game for the Jazz this preseason, Gobert is averaging 1.7 blocks and 9.1 rebounds. The offensive game is not there yet – he pretty much only scores if he gets the ball right under the basket – but that is sometimes all you need as a big man. If he were to find his way into starter's minutes in 2014-15, you could be looking at a 3.0-block, 12.0-rebound and 1.0-steal type of player.

Sure, Gobert would still only project to be around 9.0 points a game if he were placed in a starting role, but as Larry Sanders and Andrew Bogut owners can attest, a guy who can single-handedly win you blocks in any given week is easy to forgive for a lack of scoring.