👉 TAP TO SAVE 30% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

#1 Expert Projections
Save 30% Now
Import Your Leagues
Top-Rated Accuracy
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Three Undervalued Centers for Fantasy Basketball Drafts

With studs such as Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMarcus Cousins, and Al Horford at the top of the draft, centers are likely to go early in your fantasy draft.

However, if you miss out on a stud or do not like the downside to players such as Andre Drummond or DeAndre Jordan, there are a few late round players to target.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller has the best Premium NBA Subscription, only $29.99 for the full season. We have all the preseason tools to help win your drafts, and in-season tools to win your seasonal and daily leagues: Draft Kit, Premium Rankings, Sleepers List, Late-Round Fliers, Early-Round Avoids, DFS Cheat Sheets, Lineup Picks, Expert Lineups, Stacks and Avoids.

Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 6 free months of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW

 

Centers to Target in Fantasy Basketball Drafts

Enes Kanter, Oklahoma City Thunder

With the loss of Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka, everyone is rightly focusing on Russell Westbrook, however Kanter is also in line to see a huge boost in minutes and usage.  Last year Kanter posted a solid stat line of 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds in just 21 minutes.

He was used as a primary scorer off the bench with a usage rate of 25.4, however with Durant and Ibaka off the floor his usage rate jumped to 27.3.  The downside to Kanter’s game is his lack of defensive stats with just 0.4 blocks and 0.3 steals, however later in a draft you will not find all-around production from many centers.

Although preseason can be a bit tough to read, Kanter did have a monster double-double with 29 points and 10 rebounds on a remarkable 20 shot attempts.  He will provide great value with an average draft position (ADP) of 71.3 thus far.

 

Robin Lopez, New York Knicks

The reason Lopez has an ADP of 106 is because he does nothing that stands out to fantasy players.  He will not wow you with any one statistical area, however where Lopez shines is his incredibly consistent play.

Last season he averaged a solid 10.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals, but really proved his worth with a field goal percentage of 53.9% and a ridiculous 79.5% free throw rate.

Those numbers are even more note-worthy in roto leagues where a player such as Dwight Howard will sink you in one category while offering similar stats to Lopez in all other areas.  Lopez should also benefit in an uptick in pace with Chicago as opposed to the slow down tempo of the triangle offense he was in last year in New York.

 

Clint Capela, Houston Rockets

This pick is certainly a boom or bust pick that could help you win your league late.  In his first few years, the young Capela was relegated to a reserve role behind incumbent Dwight Howard, but now with Howard in Atlanta, he should be given ample chance to be the Rockets starting center.

Capela has always provided stellar per minute stats and has almost always produced when given the opportunity.  This is shown by the following: Player A per 36 minutes last year had 13.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals while Player B had per 36 minute numbers last year of 13.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 0.7 steals.

Player A is of course Capela, currently with an ADP of 115.3 while player B is DeAndre Jordan who has an ADP of 32.5. Given that Capela should see a spike in minutes close to around 30 and is playing in a the hyper-tempo style of Mike D’Antoni, he is a super sleeper last in drafts.  Just beware, for his career the Swiss big man is a 35.9% free throw shooter.

 


By popular demand, RotoBaller has aggregated all of our fantasy basketball NBA waiver wire pickups into a running list of NBA waiver options, so bookmark the page and check back often for updates.

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

#1 Expert Projections
Save 30% Now
Import Your Leagues
Top-Rated Accuracy
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Michael Penix Jr.

Falcons Don't Want to Rush Michael Penix Jr.'s Rehab
A.J. Brown

is a "Member" of the Eagles
Jonathon Brooks

Panthers Expect Jonathon Brooks to be Ready for OTAs and Minicamp
Alvin Kamara

Saints Going Through "Offseason Process" With Alvin Kamara
Alec Pierce

Can Alec Pierce Perform Like One of the Highest-Paid Receivers in the League?
Michael Pittman Jr.

a Buy-Low Candidate Following Post-Trade Dip
Rhamondre Stevenson

Should Still See Volume in Shared Backfield
NFL

Skyler Bell Hype Warrants Cautious Optimism
NFL

Chris Brazzell III's Pre-Draft Hype Comes with Volatility
Jack Hughes

Amasses Four Points Against Blackhawks
Viktor Arvidsson

Plays Key Role in Comeback Victory
Lane Hutson

Celebrates New Assists Record Sunday
Adam Fox

Collects Two Points in Sunday's Win
Jake Guentzel

Leads Lightning Offense Sunday
Mathieu Olivier

Exits Early With Upper-Body Injury
Michael Bunting

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Sunday
Aaron Rodgers

Steelers Expect Decision From Aaron Rodgers Before the Draft
Joe Pyfer

Extends His Winning Streak
Israel Adesanya

Loses Fourth Consecutive Fight
Nick Suzuki

Collects Three Points Against Hurricanes
Maycee Barber

Suffers Her First Knockout Loss
Frank Nazar

Scores Twice on Sunday
Alexa Grasso

Scores Highlight-Reel Knockout
Niko Price

Retires After UFC Seattle Loss
Keyonte George

Isaiah Collier Still Out Monday
Michael Chiesa

Victorious In His Retirement Fight
Max Strus

to Sit Out Monday's Game
Jarrett Allen

Won't Play Monday Night
Julian Erosa

Suffers First-Round Knockout Loss
Graham Gano

Giants Releasing Graham Gano
Jaylen Wells

Expected to Miss Rest of Season After Toe Procedure
Lerryan Douglas

Scores First-Round Knockout Win In His UFC Debut
Bub Carrington

Exits Early Sunday Due to Cramping
Will Richard

Won't Suit Up Sunday
Seth Curry

Active Against Nuggets
Quinten Post

Back in Action Sunday Night
Aaron Gordon

Won't Play Sunday
Trent Williams

49ers Making Headway With Trent Williams on Potential Extension
Mykel Williams

Expected to be Back for Training Camp
Nick Bosa

49ers Expect Nick Bosa Back for Training Camp
Myles Garrett

Browns GM Confirms Myles Garrett isn't Being Traded
Quinshon Judkins

Browns Hopeful Quinshon Judkins Will be on the Field "in Some Form" This Spring
Alex Bregman

Clobbers First Two Homers in Sunday's Loss at Wrigley
Tobias Harris

Likely to Sit Out Monday's Game
Yandy Díaz

Yandy Diaz Records Five Hits, Drives in Four in Win Over Cardinals
Ausar Thompson

Uncertain for Monday
Jalen Duren

Unlikely to Play Monday
Trey Murphy III

Out on Sunday
Dejounte Murray

Available Against Rockets
Miles McBride

to See Limited Minutes Sunday
Jaden McDaniels

Won't Play Monday
Anthony Edwards

Listed as Questionable for Monday
Collin Murray-Boyles

Misses Sunday's Action
Brandon Ingram

a Late Scratch on Sunday
RJ Barrett

Good to Go Sunday
Robert Williams III

Ready to Play Sunday
Jeremy Swayman

Remains in Bruins Crease Sunday
TB

Nicholas Paul Available Against Predators
Nikita Kucherov

Remains Out Sunday
Mason Lohrei

Unavailable Sunday
Dmitri Voronkov

Considered Week-to-Week
Artyom Levshunov

Out With Fractured Hand
Sidney Crosby

Practices Fully on Sunday
Geno Smith

"No Doubt" That Geno Smith is Jets' Starting Quarterback
George Kittle

49ers Hopeful George Kittle Will be Ready for Week 1
NFL

Eric McAlister Diagnosed With Fractured Foot
Zach Charbonnet

Could Return to a Wide-Open Backfield
Brian Thomas Jr.

Uncertain Future Could Make Him a Buy-Low Candidate
Kyle Larson

Is Likely to Pay Off for DFS at Martinsville
Christopher Bell

Could Have Another Top-10 Performance At Martinsville
William Byron

Is A Threat to Win Again at Martinsville
Chase Elliott

is A Solid DFS Option for Martinsville Lineups
Chase Briscoe

has Plenty of Upside for DFS Lineups at Martinsville
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Unlikely to See High-Leverage Opportunities in Near Future
Jacob deGrom

Feels "Much Better," Hopeful he Can Start This Week
Cole Hutson

Delivers Two Assists Saturday
Mikhail Sergachev

Ties Mammoth Record With Four Assists
Connor McDavid

Reclaims Scoring Lead With Three-Point Effort
Dmitri Voronkov

Unavailable Sunday
Aliaksei Protas

Suffers Upper-Body Injury Saturday Night
Ty Gibbs

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Ty Gibbs at Martinsville?
Ryan Preece

Is A Solid DFS Option for Martinsville Lineups
Josh Berry

Could Josh Berry Pay Off for Tournament DFS Lineups At Martinsville?
Carson Hocevar

May be Too Inconsistent to Start in Martinsville DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering for DFS At Martinsville?
Denny Hamlin

the Favorite to Win at Martinsville
Ryan Blaney

Should Contend at Martinsville
Tyler Reddick

Should Come Back Down to Earth at Martinsville
Joey Logano

Will Be Strong at Martinsville
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Looking to Rebound at Martinsville
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Showing Progress, Qualifies Fifth at Martinsville
Dylan Cease

Fans 12 in Blue Jays Debut on Saturday
Andrew Vaughn

Needs Hand Surgery, Expected to be Out 4-6 Weeks
Jacob deGrom

"Confident" he Will Make his Next Start
Jacob deGrom

Scratched From Saturday's Start Due to Neck Stiffness
Jeferson Quero

Brewers Calling Up Catching Prospect Jeferson Quero
Deyvison De Los Santos

Marlins Promote Deyvison De Los Santos to Major Leagues
Shea Langeliers

Hits Two Home Runs on Opening Day
Kevin Gausman

Picks Up No-Decision But Strikes Out 11 on Opening Day
Tanner Bibee

Day-to-Day, Could Make his Next Start
Shane Baz

Orioles Agree to Five-Year Extension
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Making Season Debut on Friday Against Angels
Tiger Woods

Involved In Rollover Car Crash
Tanner Bibee

Shoulder Issue Not Considered Serious
Joe Pyfer

Set For UFC Seattle Main Event
Israel Adesanya

Returns At UFC Seattle
Maycee Barber

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak To Eight
Alexa Grasso

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Dominic Canzone

a Top Pickup After Two-Homer Game
Niko Price

In Dire Need Of Victory
Michael Chiesa

Set For Retirement Fight
Chase DeLauter

Launches Two Home Runs, Emerges as Top Waiver-Wire Target
Lerryan Douglas

Set For His UFC Debut
Julian Erosa

Looks To Bounce Back
Tanner Bibee

Leaves Opening Day Start Early With Shoulder Inflammation
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Makes a Statement on Opening Day With 10 Strikeouts
Kevin McGonigle

has Four Hits in Impressive MLB Debut
Ryan Fox

a High-Upside Value in Houston
Marco Penge

a Boom-or-Bust Option in Houston
Aaron Rai

Looks to Bounce Back in Houston
Jason Day

a Volatile Option at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Harris English

Eyes a Bounce-Back at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Ben Griffin

Looks for Turnaround at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Rickie Fowler

Brings Strong Form Into Texas Children's Houston Open
Ryan Gerard

Can Continue Rolling at Texas Children's Houston Open
Pierceson Coody

Bounces Back at Valspar Championship
Rasmus Hojgaard

Trying to Get Back on Track at Texas Children's Houston Open
Michael Thorbjornsen

Playing Well Heading to Texas Children's Houston Open
Harry Hall

Looking for Consistency at Texas Children's Houston Open
Brooks Koepka

Continues Building Momentum
Scottie Scheffler

Withdraws From Texas Children's Houston Open
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF