No position in fantasy basketball got rearranged this offseason quite like center. Giannis Antetokounmpo changed conferences in a blockbuster, Joel Embiid showed up to camp a different size, Victor Wembanyama got medically cleared after a scary health scare, and the Lakers wrote a nine-figure check for a rim protector who has never averaged more than 25 minutes a game. With training camps underway across the league and the Oct. 20 opener closing in, here is a tiered look at the position for fantasy managers drafting soon.
Tier 1: The Unquestioned Top Three
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets. Nothing changed in Denver, and that is the point. Jokic remains the engine of the Nuggets offense and the only center in basketball who is drafted as a true first-round asset across category and points formats alike. Jonas Valanciunas backs him up, which means Jokic’s workload projects to look almost identical to last season.
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs. Wembanyama had his 2025-26 season cut short by deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, a scare that required surgery and ended his year after 46 games. He has since been cleared by both the Spurs and the league office, and head coach Mitch Johnson confirmed he will be a full participant in training camp. Teammates have described him as stellar in recent full-court runs. The medical clearance is the headline; if it holds through camp, Wembanyama is a legitimate first-round pick at center for the first time in his career.
Joel Embiid, 76ers. Embiid is the biggest variable at the top of the rankings, and also the most interesting story of the summer. He reported to Philadelphia’s camp noticeably slimmer, with team sources describing a deliberate offseason body transformation, and he has been a full participant in early practices. He now shares the floor with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, which should mean fewer isolation possessions but potentially a lighter physical workload across 82 games, a trade fantasy managers should welcome given his injury history. The ranking here assumes the conditioning translates to availability; anyone drafting Embiid is still drafting some risk.
Tier 2: All-Star Production, New Context
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Heat. Milwaukee’s franchise cornerstone is now a Miami Heat, dealt in a package that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakucionis to the Bucks along with three future first-round picks. Antetokounmpo is typically rostered as forward-center eligible, and in Miami he will share the frontcourt with Bam Adebayo rather than dominating touches the way he did in Milwaukee. Adebayo has publicly dismissed spacing concerns about the pairing, but fantasy managers should expect a slight dip in usage even with the talent unchanged.
Alperen Sengun, Rockets. Nicknamed Baby Jokic for good reason, Sengun is widely regarded as the league’s second-best passing center behind Jokic himself. Entering his sixth season in Houston as the clear starter, he offers rare assist and steal production for the position and should again be one of the first true bigs off the board after the top tier.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks. Towns has now averaged more than 20 points a game for ten consecutive seasons, a streak that speaks to his floor as a fantasy center even in years when the Knicks’ offense runs through other players. His three-point volume at the position remains a category-league separator few other bigs can match.
Tier 3: High Ceiling, Real Questions
Bam Adebayo, Heat. Adebayo’s rebounding, defense and passing stay valuable no matter who else is in Miami’s frontcourt, but the arrival of Antetokounmpo genuinely complicates his scoring outlook. He is worth drafting for the floor he provides, not for a repeat of his usage rate from a year ago.
Walker Kessler, Lakers. Los Angeles acquired Kessler from Utah in a sign-and-trade built around unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 plus swaps in 2028 and 2030, then signed him to a four-year, 130 million dollar deal. He projects as the Lakers’ starting center and one of the league’s premier shot-blockers and offensive rebounders, but he has never played extended minutes on a team expected to compete immediately. The contract signals the Lakers’ confidence; the fantasy profile is still unproven at this workload.
Domantas Sabonis, Kings. Sabonis underwent season-ending surgery in February to repair a torn meniscus after appearing in just 19 games, during which he still averaged 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He has since been cleared and said at Kings media day that he is healthy and pain-free heading into camp. The complication is that Sacramento has fielded trade calls involving Sabonis from multiple teams over the summer, including a reported near-miss with Toronto. Draft him for the talent, but know a midseason trade is a real possibility that could change his offense overnight.
Draft Strategy Takeaway
The position’s floor has rarely been higher, but so has its variability. Health swings will decide whether Embiid and Wembanyama return first-round value, offensive pecking order will decide whether Adebayo and Sengun’s teammates cut into their counting stats, and Sabonis carries the added wrinkle of a possible trade. In redraft leagues, that argues for locking in Jokic early and then prioritizing situational clarity over name recognition once the run on centers begins. Kessler and Towns, whose roles are already defined, are safer picks than the ceiling-chasing names around them.