Late-Round, Scroll-Down Candidates

Below is a list of some of our staff’s favorite players to target late in drafts. You likely won’t find these players being selected in every draft, or even near the top of our rankings, but we’ll make the case for why each one is worth considering. This article will be continually updated throughout the offseason as roster moves and other developments impact players’ outlooks.

Daniss Jenkins (PG, Detroit) – Unlike many of the players on this list, you don’t have to imagine what elite production could look like from Jenkins. In 16 starts with Cade Cunningham out last season, Jenkins averaged 18.7 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 3.6 RPG in 35.1 MPG. The role was incredibly strong, with a 23.4% usage rate and 31.4% assist percentage during those games. There is likely no path to fantasy relevance for Jenkins while Cade is healthy. But if something were to happen to Cade, Jenkins has already shown that he can deliver top-50 value with an expanded opportunity. The setup isn’t quite as clean this season after the Pistons drafted PG Ebuka Okorie with the 17th pick. However, there would still be a massive opportunity for Jenkins in that scenario, giving him a ceiling that is difficult to find in the final rounds of drafts. While there are plenty of backup point guards with contingent upside, few have shown the consistent ceiling that Jenkins demonstrated last season.

Obi Toppin (PF, Indiana) – Production for Obi is not really a question. He’s averaged around 1.0 DraftKings and FanDuel points per minute with the Pacers. The big roadblock to Obi having more fantasy relevance has been minutes. Ignoring his brief stint last season returning from injury, he’s averaged just 19.6 and 21.1 minutes per game in his previous two seasons with Indiana. No matter how great the production can be, it is just very hard to be fantasy-relevant with minimal minutes, and Rick Carlisle is notorious for not pushing minutes. But the frontcourt depth is a bit lacking even with the trade for Ivica Zubac last season, as Carlisle has made it clear he was not so trusting of backup C Jay Huff. If Obi were to find his way even to just the mid-20s in minutes this season, look for him to be an appealing last-round pick.