It’s the final weekend before the NBA regular season begins, which means you’re coming here for your fantasy basketball drafts.
Should you draft Wendell Carter Jr. this season? Here’s the latest outlook, projections, and rankings for the Orlando Magic Center.
Should You Draft Wendell Carter Jr. in Fantasy Basketball?
After averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds a few years ago, Wendell Carter Jr.’s production dropped off over the last two seasons. This is partially due to the fact that he was battling numerous injuries, but it’s also due to the Orlando Magic’s deep frontcourt. Last season, Carter averaged 9.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game. Perhaps most concerning is the fact that Carter shot just 23.4% from 3-point range — a huge drop off from the previous season when he made 37.4% of his triples.
Carter was an underrated fantasy asset when he was playing nearly 30 minutes per game for Orlando, but now with the Magic also carving out minutes with Moe Wagner, Goga Bitadze, and Jonathan Isaac at center, Carter is a bit less appealing from a fantasy perspective. Newcomers Desmond Bane and Tyus Jones should provide spacing and playmaking to help Orlando’s offense take a big step forward, but the uncertainty around Carter’s playing time makes him tough to trust. However, if you believe Carter can bounce back and shoot the ball better, he’s worth a late-round speculative pick to provide some center depth.
Looking for more fantasy basketball outlooks? Head over to our NBA landing page for analysis on 200 players.
What Are Carter’s Fantasy Basketball Projections This Season?
Based on our proprietary metrics here at PFSN, we project Carter to score 1,841.0 fantasy points this season, with him averaging 9.8 points per game.
This includes 3.6 field goals per game, 0.7 three-pointers per game, 2.0 free throws per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, 0.8 steals per game, and 0.6 blocks per game.
Where Does Wendell Carter Jr. Rank in the Upcoming Fantasy Basketball Season?
Carter is ranked 110th overall and 24th at his position. The five players ranked ahead of him overall include Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, De’Andre Hunter, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Jalen Suggs.
The five players ranked behind him overall include Cam Whitmore, Zaccharie Risacher, P.J. Washington, Collin Sexton, and Keldon Johnson.
The five players ranked ahead of him at his position include Naz Reid, Kel’el Ware, Isaiah Hartenstein, Zach Edey, and Jakob Poeltl.
The five players ranked behind him at his position include Walker Kessler, Daniel Gafford, Yves Missi, Dereck Lively II, and Brook Lopez.
