Daniel Gafford

Gafford spent most of last season as Washington's starting center. The Arkansas product got the nod in his first 45 appearances but wasn't logging true starter's minutes, garnering just 21.2 per game. He averaged 9.2 points on 68.6 percent shooting, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 assists in those first 45 games. Once Thomas Bryant was fully healthy and the Wizards traded for Kristaps Porzingis - both occurring in February - Gafford mostly appeared off the bench. His workload only saw a slight decline, as he played 18.2 minutes per game in his final 27 appearances. A similar situation should unfold this season. Kristaps Porzingis figures to start at center, leaving Gafford backup minutes at the five. Porzingis can also play power forward, so the two may spend some time on the court together. Ultimately, Gafford is unlikely to hold relevance in standard leagues, as he ranked 154th in per-game fantasy production last season. However, there's still some upside for Gafford if Porzingis gets injured, and he frequently does, so managers in deep leagues (especially best ball) can take a chance on him if he draws a decent number of starts.

It was not a pretty start to the 2020-21 campaign for Gafford, as he barely saw the floor in the first half of the season with Chicago. The 6-foot-10 big played just 12.4 minutes per game while scoring only 4.7 points in 31 games. However, Gafford still managed 1.1 blocks per game despite the limited action. The Arkansas' product's season immediately changed after he was dealt to Washington at the trade deadline. Gafford quickly carved out a role with the Wizards, as he averaged 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game. However, his best moments came in the play-in-games and Playoffs, where he posted 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game. In the postseason, he recorded a block in each game, while rejecting five shots in two separate games. While Gafford enters the new year on a high note, it will be far from a cake walk to the starting center job in 2021-22. The Wizards acquired big-man Montrezl Harrell in the offseason wand still have another talented young big in Thomas Bryant, who's still working back from a torn ACL. While Gafford will face stiff competition for minutes, with Bryant on the shelf to begin the season and the rest of the rotation yet to be established, Gafford should have an opportunity to compete for the starting center job. For fantasy managers, the hope is Gafford sees enough minutes to creep closer to 2.0 blocks per game.

Gafford unsurprisingly filled a modest role during his rookie 2019-20 campaign, averaging 5.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 14.2 minutes over 43 games while working behind Wendell Carter at the five. Carter's injury-prone ways did extend into the 2018 seventh overall pick's sophomore campaign, but fellow big Cristiano Felicio vultured some of the opportunities the former's absence afforded and Gafford also dealt with a thumb issue of his own. The Arkansas product did make significant strides in his second and final college season as a scorer and rebounder, and he impressively averaged at least two blocks per contest in his pair of campaigns with the Razorbacks. However, he figures to once again have relatively modest opportunities to display his wares at the NBA level in the coming season unless a significant injury sidelines Carter for extended time.

A sophomore out of Arkansas, Gafford landed on the Bulls with the 38th overall pick in the 2019 Draft. Last season, the 6-foot-11, 233-pound center was voted onto the First Team All-SEC (Coaches) and SEC All-Defensive Team. He started all 32 of his appearances, averaging 16.9 points on 66.0 percent shooting, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 blocks. In five summer league appearances, Gafford kept up those numbers, averaging 13.8 points on 68.3 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks across 24.9 minutes. After Wendell Carter Jr., the Bulls' No. 2 center spot seems to be up for grabs, with Gafford competing against Luke Kornet and Cristiano Felicio. There's a strong chance Gafford will be able to secure the reserve center role, and he could have fantasy relevance in deep leagues as a result. That said, it's unlikely he contributes outside of field-goal percentage, rebounding and shot-blocking.