Fantasy: 5 sleeper picks worthy of a late-round flier

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The top of any fantasy draft is fairly straightforward, but the best fantasy owners distinguish themselves with their late-round picks.

Here are five players worth targeting in the final rounds of your fantasy draft:

C Dewayne Dedmon, Hawks

The Hawks have to get 96 frontcourt minutes out of some combination of Dedmon, Ersan Ilyasova, Miles Plumlee, Mike Muscala, Luke Babbitt, and rookie John Collins. Other than Dedmon, Ilyasova is really the only big capable of playing more than 20 minutes a night. Someone is going to have to rebound for this team, and Dedmon figures to fill that role.

With the Spurs last season, he averaged 9.3 rebounds and 7.3 points per game when he played at least 20 minutes (26 games). If he sees closer to 30 minutes a night on a consistent basis - and, again, look at that big-man rotation - Dedmon will produce similar stats to established fantasy centers like Steven Adams and Jonas Valanciunas.

theScore Ranking: 92 Overall, C30
FantasyPros ADP: 177 Overall, C54

SG/SF Norman Powell, Raptors

After a promising rookie season, Powell didn't quite break out in 2016-17, but with Terrence Ross traded away last season, Cory Joseph swapping for C.J. Miles, and DeMarre Carroll now on the Nets, there's a good chance the Raptors' long-limbed wing will evolve into Toronto's sixth man.

And, oh boy, if Powell gets the minutes, he could be a fantasy dynamo. In 21 career games in which he's logged at least 30 minutes, he has averaged 17.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists - Victor Oladipo-type numbers.

Of course, he'll rarely have an opportunity to be the man, sharing the court with one or both of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan at times. If the Raptors can lean on Powell just enough to keep him roster-worthy in fantasy, though, he'll be worth stashing to see if he forces his way into a more significant, consistent role.

theScore Ranking: 160 Overall, SG61
FantasyPros ADP: 180 Overall, SG66

SF/PF Thaddeus Young, Pacers

In all the talk about Paul George being traded to Oklahoma City, and the Pacers retooling around younger players like Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo, fantasy owners seem to have forgotten about 29-year-old Thaddeus Young.

Young averaged 15.1 points, nine rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 2015-16 with the Brooklyn Nets, who had a similarly talent-strapped lineup. Coming to a Pacers squad that was already heavily invested in George and Turner, while also bringing in Jeff Teague to run the point, did not help Young's individual scoring and rebounding profile.

The bottom line: Young is a classic "good stats, bad team" player. If the sore wrist that hampered his jump shot down the stretch last season is fully healed, he could average close to 15 points and eight rebounds per game.

theScore Ranking: 129 Overall, PF52
FantasyPros ADP: 134 Overall, PF59

PG/SG Kris Dunn, Bulls

Last year, Dunn had to share the backcourt with four other players who were at their best with the ball in their hands: Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

With the injured LaVine not expected to be ready to start the season, Dunn will have carte blanche to establish himself in a Bulls backcourt with few long-term pieces in place.

You could do worse than taking a final-round flier on a ball-dominant guard who was drafted No. 5 overall just one year ago. If Dunn shows no noticeable improvement from last year's statistical profile, he's an easy Week 2 drop.

theScore Ranking: 143 Overall, PG45
FantasyPros ADP: 190 Overall, PG48

PF/C Thon Maker, Bucks

The 7-foot-1 Maker has length you can't teach, but to raise his rebounding potential and withstand the grind of a full 82-game season, he needs to beef up from his sub-200-pound listed weight.

In the five games that Maker logged at least 20 minutes, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and one steal, and shot 10-for-20 from 3-point territory. Coach Jason Kidd seems intent on giving him a chance to break out, starting him at center through the Bucks' final 31 regular-season games and all six playoff matches. He should be drafted in 12-team leagues or larger.

theScore Ranking: 178 Overall, C50
FantasyPros ADP: 173 Overall, C53

(Average Draft Position figures courtesy: FantasyPros)

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)