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 Walker Kessler this season? Here’s the latest outlook, projections, and rankings for the Utah Jazz Center.
Should You Draft Walker Kessler in Fantasy Basketball?
Walker Kessler has been one of the NBA’s most prolific rim protectors since entering the league in 2022. Over his first three seasons, the seven-footer averaged 2.4 blocks per game, second-most in the league during that span.
Kessler is coming off a career year, posting averages of 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting an efficient 66.3% from the field for a floundering Utah squad. However, the 24-year-old was limited to just 58 appearances due to a mix of injuries and rest as the Jazz threw in the towel on their season en route to an NBA-worst 17-65 finish.
Despite Utah adding veterans Jusuf Nurkić and Kevin Love over the offseason, Kessler remains firmly entrenched as the rebuilding team’s starting center, positioning him for a potential top 40 to 50 fantasy campaign. Still, fears of a late-season shutdown and Kessler’s lackluster free-throw percentage (52.0%) could cause him to slip a round or two in standard drafts, with him best optimized in non-shooting-oriented team builds in category formats.
Looking for more fantasy basketball outlooks? Head over to our NBA landing page for analysis on 200 players.
What Are Kessler’s Fantasy Basketball Projections This Season?
Based on our proprietary metrics here at PFSN, we project Kessler to score 1,761.8 fantasy points this season, with him averaging 9.6 points per game.
This includes 4.2 field goals per game, 0.1 three-pointers per game, 1.2 free throws per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, 0.4 steals per game, and 2.0 blocks per game.
Where Does Walker Kessler Rank in the Upcoming Fantasy Basketball Season?
Kessler is ranked 119th overall and 25th at his position. The five players ranked ahead of him overall include Collin Sexton, Keldon Johnson, Obi Toppin, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel.
The five players ranked behind him overall include Davion Mitchell, Dylan Harper, Daniel Gafford, Jonathan Kuminga, and Yves Missi.
The five players ranked ahead of him at his position include Kel’el Ware, Isaiah Hartenstein, Zach Edey, Jakob Poeltl, and Wendell Carter Jr..
The five players ranked behind him at his position include Gafford, Missi, Dereck Lively II, Brook Lopez, and Joel Embiid.
