Center sleepers, fantasy basketball 2026-27
8 centers you can take after the fifth round whose production per minute plays like an earlier pick. Kel'el Ware leads at 45.1 fantasy points per 36 minutes, ranked 112th on our board. Every number is from real 2025-26 box scores.
| # | Player | FP/36 | MIN | FP/G | Rank | Slot | 9-cat | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kel'el Ware CMIL | 45.1 | 22.1 | 27.7 | #112 | 10.04 | #52 | 22 |
| 2 |  Day'Ron Sharpe CBKN | 44.3 | 18.7 | 23.0 | #161 | 14.05 | #179 | 24 |
| 3 |  Derik Queen CNOP | 42.1 | 25.0 | 29.2 | #98 | 9.02 | #130 | 21 |
| 4 |  Kyle Filipowski CUTADTD | 41.0 | 23.4 | 26.6 | #122 | 11.02 | #135 | 22 |
| 5 |  Jalen Smith CCHI | 39.8 | 20.7 | 22.8 | #164 | 14.08 | #159 | 26 |
| 6 | 35.9 | 21.9 | 21.8 | #185 | 16.05 | #161 | 21 | |
| 7 |  Moussa Diabaté CCHA | 35.3 | 26.0 | 25.5 | #134 | 12.02 | #110 | 24 |
| 8 |  Noah Clowney PFBKN | 30.0 | 27.0 | 22.4 | #167 | 14.11 | #206 | 22 |
FP/36 is fantasy points per 36 minutes (2025-26 blended with this season as games are played). Rank and slot are our own board order in points leagues and where it lands in a 12-team draft, not ADP. 8 of 42 centers ranked 61 to 200 meet the rule.
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The case for each
- Kel'el Ware played 22.1 minutes a night across 77 games in 2025-26 and scored 45.1 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 37.6 a game, the level of the No. 42 player on the board, against his No. 112 rank today.
- Day'Ron Sharpe played 18.7 minutes a night across 62 games in 2025-26 and scored 44.3 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 36.9 a game, the level of the No. 43 player on the board, against his No. 161 rank today.
- Derik Queen played 25.0 minutes a night across 81 games in 2025-26 and scored 42.1 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 35.1 a game, the level of the No. 50 player on the board, against his No. 98 rank today.
- Kyle Filipowski played 23.4 minutes a night across 77 games in 2025-26 and scored 41.0 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 34.1 a game, the level of the No. 55 player on the board, against his No. 122 rank today.
- Jalen Smith played 20.7 minutes a night across 53 games in 2025-26 and scored 39.8 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 33.1 a game, the level of the No. 64 player on the board, against his No. 164 rank today.
- Collin Murray-Boyles played 21.9 minutes a night across 57 games in 2025-26 and scored 35.9 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 29.9 a game, the level of the No. 92 player on the board, against his No. 185 rank today.
- Moussa Diabaté played 26.0 minutes a night across 73 games in 2025-26 and scored 35.3 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 29.4 a game, the level of the No. 97 player on the board, against his No. 134 rank today.
- Noah Clowney played 27.0 minutes a night across 66 games in 2025-26 and scored 30.0 fantasy points per 36 minutes. At 30 minutes the same rate is worth 25.0 a game, the level of the No. 139 player on the board, against his No. 167 rank today.
All fantasy basketball sleepers · Center rankings · C busts
Common questions
Who is the best center sleeper in fantasy basketball for 2026-27?
Kel'el Ware: 45.1 fantasy points per 36 minutes on 22.1 minutes a night, ranked 112th on our board (slot 10.04 in a 12-team draft).
How are the centers on this list chosen?
Eligible at C, ranked 61 to 200 in points leagues, at least 40 games in 2025-26 on 12 to 28 minutes a night, 26 or younger on opening night and not listed Out, sorted by fantasy points per 36 minutes. Ranks are our own board order, not ADP.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 10:41 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number