Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this off-season, while everyone was gushing over the fantasy basketball potential of Milwaukee Bucks C Larry Sanders, I was one person who was adamantly against the youngster. I know he averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks last season. However, it wasn’t a large sample size and the center was simply too risky to waste a top pick on this fall.
Sanders started just 55 of his 71 games last season, but he was still being drafted within the top-10 big men in almost every fantasy format. Most thought he would walk onto the All-Star team, and as a result, he was drafted extremely early this year.
Well, it didn’t take long for Sanders to thrust himself into the fantasy bust category. He was posting just 2.7 points with 3.7 rebounds and was quickly placed on the bench. To make matters worse, Sanders injured his thumb in a fight at a nightclub over a bottle of spilled champagne and the VCU standout was forced to have surgery to repair the injured appendage. He has been sidelined since the beginning of December and has since found himself on the waiver wire in a large number of leagues.
Fortunately, Sanders has been working out twice a day and seems to be on the verge of coming back to practice any day. Head coach Larry Drew has been hinting that Sanders will return very soon, which would be ideal considering that Zaza Pachulia and Ersan Ilyasvoa will both be sidelined for sometime. Sanders would be able to walk into the starting lineup upon his return, and even better, he wouldn’t have anyone threatening his playing time.
Sanders is owned in just 38.5 percent of ESPN leagues and it is a bit surprising how quickly the fantasy world gave up on the supposed All-Star. He may not have been worth a pick in the first 10 rounds this fall, but he is certainly worth grabbing off the waiver wire.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
