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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.
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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.
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