Jarrett Allen

Allen looks like one of the best young centers in the league and an important building block for the Cavaliers. He averaged a career-high 32 minutes per game last season, putting up averages of 16.1 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. He also shot an impressive 67.7 percent from the field, while not hurting fantasy managers with his 70.8 percent mark from the free-throw line. Although many teams in the league have shifted towards deploying smaller lineups, the Cavaliers are locked into going big with Allen starting alongside Evan Mobley. They clearly had success with that formula, making the playoffs last season despite a rash of injuries. Allen was no exception, playing just 56 games of his own. He doesn't have a history of injuries, though, playing at least 70 games in each of his first three seasons in the league. Allen might not be in the top-tier of fantasy centers, but he comes with an extremely high floor, making him someone worthy of an early-round selection.

In January of 2021, the Nets dealt Allen to Cleveland as part of the blockbuster, multi-team deal that sent James Harden from Houston to Brooklyn. Allen then started 40 of 51 games for Cleveland and posted 13.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over 30.3 minutes per contest. That production led the Cavs to sign Allen to a hefty five-year agreement this summer. That long-term deal seems to indicate that it's Kevin Love -- and not Allen -- who will lose minutes to Cleveland's new rookie, Evan Mobley. Frankly, Mobley's slight frame (7-foot, 215 pounds) will be aided by Allen's beefy presence in the post. With the 23-year-old Allen and the 20-year-old Mobley, Cleveland might be set on the block for years to come. Allen shot an impressive 61.8 percent from the field last season on 7.7 attempts per game (and 8.2 with Cleveland). He's a bruising, old-fashioned center who still has plenty of upside. Allen will yet again be a fantasy asset for any team searching for traditional big-man stats. Just don't expect giant scoring numbers, as Allen is probably the third or fourth scoring option behind Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and the rarely-healthy Love.

With the way Allen has improved steadily over his three NBA seasons, it seems at this point that the only thing preventing him from taking another big step forward is DeAndre Jordan's presence on the Nets. After Jordan opted out of the Orlando bubble last season, Allen averaged 13.4 points, 13.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game over the course of seeding play and the Nets' brief playoff stint -- a notable uptick from his season-long line of 11.1 points, 9.6 boards and 1.3 blocks. With Jordan back from his illness and Kevin Durant set to make his Nets debut after missing all of last year, Allen will again be stuck with minutes that rarely climb out of the mid-20s. That won't stop him from averaging close to a double-double with a good number of blocks, so there's still plenty of value here for fantasy purposes -- just not as much as Allen might like with restricted free agency coming up next summer (assuming he doesn't receive an extension before this season begins). It's also worth noting that Allen's free-throw shooting has declined steadily since his rookie year, from a respectable 77.6 percent all the way down to last season's ugly 63.3 percent. If that trend holds, it'll hurt his fantasy value in category leagues.

Allen saw improvement across the board in his sophomore campaign, emerging as the Nets' full-time starting center as the team made the postseason for the first time since 2015. The former Texas one-and-done posted career-highs in points (10.9), rebounds (8.4), assists (1.4) and blocks (1.5) across 26.2 minutes per game while shooting 59 percent from the floor. While under most circumstances, the expectation would be for Allen's role to grow even more in his third season, the Nets signed center DeAndre Jordan to a four-year, $40 million contract this offseason. And with the Nets shifting from the mindset of wanting to develop young talent to being a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, Allen will have to earn every minute he plays this season while facing legitimate competition at center from the veteran Jordan. While it's certainly not an ideal situation for the third-year player, Allen still has the trust of and experience of working with head coach Kenny Atkinson on his side, plus built-in chemistry with Brooklyn's returning personnel, so the big man should still be in line to see minutes in the high-20s again this season.

Despite being a late-first-round selection, Allen enjoyed a strong rookie season. It got off to a somewhat slow start, as the big man averaged just 18.2 minutes across his first 50 games of the year. However, as he was slowly integrated into the rotation and gained some added comfort, Allen wound up averaging 9.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks across 24.0 minutes in his final 22 games after the All-Star break. That provided an early glimpse into what Fantasy owners can expect heading into 2018-19. Allen is set to open the year with the top unit and considering his age, upside, and the Nets' lack of premier big men, he should have every opportunity to log minutes in the upper-20's most nights. After finishing 22nd in the league in blocks per game last year while playing just 20.0 minutes per night, look for Allen to solidify his place as one of the league's best young rim-protectors. The offseason addition of Ed Davis means Allen will have some competition for playing time, but developing Allen should be the Nets' priority, and it's unlikely that Davis will be a major drag on Allen's overall role.

Allen, the 22nd overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft, is just 19 years old after spending one standout season at Texas. He averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a freshman, showcasing his ability to clean the glass and protect the rim. While he still needs to get stronger and develop more as an offensive player, he's a high-upside prospect, and the Nets will likely do everything they can to push his development along during his rookie year. That said, Allen isn't exactly ready to jump into a major role right away. Coach Kenny Atkinson already announced Timofey Mozgov will start at center to open the year, meaning Allen will have to fight for reserve minutes with the likes of Quincy Acy and Trevor Booker. Allen is currently the favorite to land backup duties, but that will still restrict his overall potential as a Fantasy target. At this point, Allen is much more valuable in dynasty formats.