Fantasy: 5 safe late-round picks who will raise your floor
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If you've made it through the first 100 or so picks of your fantasy draft and realize you've made more than a handful of risky selections, you can negate some of that risk by drafting safe, established fantasy producers with solid numbers in pretty much every category.
Here are five well-rounded generalists that can help stabilize your roster:
PG/SG Darren Collison, Pacers
Darren Collison's star shines brightest as the capable on-ball guard for a mediocre team. For a rebuilding Pacers squad with few building blocks aside from Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo, the likely scenario for the 30-year-old is that he continues to average a line of 14-3-5 as he did through three seasons with the Kings.
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Collison's fantasy profile is, despite standing a flat 6-feet tall, he's managed to connect on 46.9 percent of his shots for his career, including 50.9 percent of his 2-pointers since 2014-15.
With a discerning sense of when to shoot and when to pass, with at least some contributions in 3-point shooting and steal totals as well, Collison should see the right combination of playing time and usage rate to continue to be a solid bench guard in fantasy.
theScore Rankings: 112 Overall, PG37
FantasyPros ADP: 109 Overall, PG38
PG/SG Seth Curry, Mavericks
Over the past two seasons, Seth Curry's per-36 production held steady despite seeing his minutes per game nearly double from 15.7 to 29. In his first season with the Mavericks, Curry averaged 13-3-3 with two made 3-pointers and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field.
While 3-point percentage isn't typically a category in standard fantasy formats, Curry's encouraging 43.2 percent shooting from the arc means he'll be able to log minutes as both an on-and-off-ball guard, which will help him avoid a logjam for playing time in a new-look backcourt.
The Mavericks drafted Dennis Smith Jr. with the No. 9 pick, and liked enough of what they saw from Yogi Ferrell to sign the diminutive scorer to a deal as well, but Curry has established himself as a legitimate player in today's NBA, and coach Rick Carlisle has a reputation for trusting veteran players over unproven youngsters.
theScore Rankings: 117 Overall, SG42
FantasyPros ADP: 132 Overall, SG30
SF/PF Al-Farouq Aminu, Trail Blazers
Al-Farouq Aminu is the glue guy for the Portland Trail Blazers and can do the same for your fantasy team. Able to play either forward spot, he was tasked with filling the gaps around All-Star-caliber guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, which largely entailed defending opposing forwards and taller perimeter players, rebounding, and the occasional 3-pointer.
Aminu averaged just 8.7 points last season, but contributed 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 made 3-pointers, one steal, and 0.7 blocks per game. His rebounding potential in particular should continue to be impressive for the undersized four.
theScore Rankings: 133 Overall, SF47
FantasyPros ADP: 199 Overall, SF75
SF/PF Marvin Williams, Hornets
Twelve years after going No. 2 overall in the 2005 draft, Marvin Williams seems to have found a home for his floor-spacing talents. Over the past two seasons, the Hornets' starting power forward averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 made 3-pointers, 1.1 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 85.4 percent on free throws.
With Dwight Howard coming to town, expect an even larger need for Williams' 3-point shooting. If he can get back to the 40.2 percent clip he showed off in 2015-16, Williams' scoring output could improve to 13 or 14 points per game.
On the defensive end, Howard is still a deterrent in the paint. As long as opposing players are hesitating just a split second longer before taking a shot or passing the ball, there will be an opportunity for long-armed forwards like Williams to bolster his steal and block totals.
theScore Rankings: 133 Overall, PF45
FantasyPros ADP: 133 Overall, PF58
PF/C Gorgui Dieng, Timberwolves
Dieng averaged 10-8-2 in his first season in Tom Thibodeau's system, and recorded his third straight campaign with at least one steal and one block per game.
He also shot 16-for-43 on 3-point attempts, a rate of 37.2 percent. Considering he only took 27 threes through his first three seasons, it's hard to gauge whether Dieng's effective 3-point shooting percentage could scale with an increased output of shots, but it's still a sign that the Senegalese-born forward is finding new ways to contribute at 27.
Even though Karl-Anthony Towns' continued development and the addition of Jimmy Butler will put a hard cap on Dieng's scoring potential this season, they can't take away his defensive contributions. The combination of rebounding, solid shooting percentages, and overall defense makes Dieng an easy fit for any fantasy roster.
theScore Rankings: 101 Overall, C33
FantasyPros ADP: 76 Overall, C23
(Average Draft Position figures courtesy: FantasyPros)
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)