Fantasy Basketball: 5 players dramatically outplaying their draft position

Fantasy Basketball: Mason Plumlee

Although Mason Plumlee was the starting center for the Hornets last year, his fantasy relevance was essentially negligible. Plumlee’s ADP was 138 this year, meaning he went undrafted in many leagues. With some early flashes from Nick Richards and Mark Williams’ potential lurking in the background, I never considered adding Plumlee; to his credit, the 32-year-old has been steady this year.

In nine-category leagues, Plumlee’s Yahoo rank is 52 with averages of 12.7 points, 9.6 boards, 3 dimes, and a hair under a block and a steal a game.  His free throw shooting tanks his value, but for the right build, Plumlee’s stellar field goal percentage can be incredibly useful. There have been flashes of Mark Williams finally being freed, so this might be a final sell-high moment for fantasy managers, but Plumlee has still provided sneaky value at the center position this year.

Fantasy Basketball: Nic Claxton

Claxton is a more distinguished ADP smasher this season, currently sitting at a Yahoo ranking of 37 in nine-category leagues despite an ADP of 127. It’s no secret Claxton was a sought-after sleeper considering how thin the Nets’ frontcourt is, but his recent defensive prowess has been a revelation.

Last month Claxton had the 2nd most blocks in the league with some eye-popping lines like 17 points, 10 boards, and six blocks on near-perfect shooting.  In fact, he had back-to-back games with six blocks catapulting himself to first-round value for the second half of December.  Not only is Claxton making unexpected waves in fantasy, but he’s helping the Nets’ recent dominance.

Fantasy Basketball: Tyler Herro

There might be no moment more indicative of Tyler Herro’s step forward this season than his game-winner against the Utah Jazz.

2021’s 6th man of the year had a Yahoo ADP of 74 which he’s been crushing providing third-round value with averages of 21 points, 6 boards, 4.6 dimes, and a steal with excellent percentages.  Over the past thirty days, Herro even sits as a top 20 player frequently stepping up with Jimmy Butler’s sporadic absences.  Either way, it’s clear everyone needs to stop sleeping on Tyler Herro.  From last year’s all-star snub to his high ADP Tyler Herro has emerged as a top-tier talent.