6. Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Wendell Carter Jr. has become a yearly sleeper.
Most of the time, fantasy basketball sleepers don’t stay sleepers for too long. Following their breakout campaign, most players see their draft ranking skyrocket in the following season — oftentimes, pushing a player even further than their expected value. That makes the case of Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. all the more puzzling.
Maybe Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are the flashy new toys in town, but there’s a fair and competent case that Carter Jr. is still the best player on this team. A versatile big who can play the four or five, Carter Jr. is an excellent rebounder, post player and defense who shows marked improvement every season.
Still just 23 and entering his fifth year in the league, there’s another compelling argument that Carter Jr. is far from a finished product and should continue to improve heading into this year. From February on, Carter Jr. averaged 18.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Magic. Although he’s not someone who’s going to contribute a ton of defensive stats on average, he’s a highly-impactful player whose statistical output far outweighs his limitations.
Average draft position is 76.8 on Yahoo, 110.1 on ESPN.