DeSagana Diop

Diop is the only true center on the Bobcats roster and likely would have been their opening-night starter, but he’s still recovering from last January’s ruptured Achilles and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to return to action. When he does, he will likely see plenty of playing time even before his is fully healthy. He is a high-energy player with most of his value being on the defensive side of the court. Look for some decent rebounding and block numbers out of him this year.

Diop will have a more prominent role with the team this year, but he still is not going to be an impact player. He is a very good shot blocker, but his offensive game is severely limited. There will be better options out there who can do more than just block shots, so it would be best to stay away from Diop in your fantasy league.

A very good shot blocker but poor offensive player, Diop is on the team for defensive purposes, and could also find himself playing alongside Chandler at times. He will generate big offensive numbers -- his game is limited to put-backs -- but he is an exceptional shot blockser and will grab a handful of rebounds each game.

After a midseason trade to the Nets last year, Diop finds himself back in the familiar Mavericks’ uniform this season, having signed with the club over the summer. He’s an important part of the team’s interior defense, but since he’s averaged just 2.1 ppg over his career, his fantasy value is severely limited. He’s also an atrocious free-throw shooter, but he doesn’t take enough freebies to do any major damage. Diop is a source for blocks, but he simply doesn’t see enough minutes to be all that productive.

Diop has carved out quite the niche for himself during his time in Dallas, emerging as one of the league's top defensive centers, with no offensive skills to speak of. He can rebound and block shots in bunches, averaging 3.67 blocks and 14.2 rebounds per 48 minutes. However, he only averaged 2.3 points per game, with most of those coming on follow-up rebounds. Granted, he doesn't get a lot of playing time, but he has established himself as a defensive specialist at the center position. With Dampier out until December, you'll get consistent minutes out of Diop during the first month of the season. Pick him up if you're desperately in need of blocks and rebounds, but don't expect any scoring. Word on the street is that the Mavs might go after another big man to mitigate the temporary Dampier loss, so keep an eye on that situation.

Diop’s a better athlete than Erick Dampier and that will put him in the starting lineup more often, but that doesn’t make him a good fantasy play. First off, it’s very likely we see Diop and Dampier share this job; meaning neither will get much more than 20 minutes a game. He has very little post game on offense, and most of his minimal scoring will come from put-backs. Diop’s rebounding skills are sketchy, but he’s an excellent shot blocker.

Diop will back up Dampier at the center position. No fantasy value here unless Dampier gets hurt.

Diop has been injury-prone throughout his career. However, he has great size, and that's important by NBA standards, therefore, he always figures to be employed by someone, somewhere. In terms of his fantasy value, nothing has changed, it will be minimal once again this season.

Diop saw his playing time increase in season two, but it’s evident his game is still raw on the offensive end. He’s a shot-blocker, averaging 1.0 per game in 11.8 minutes, but we don’t see him getting enough playing time in 2003-04 to make him valuable.