The center position is deeper than you might think, meaning you don't have to worry if you don't get one of the top-tier bigs in your 2021 fantasy basketball draft. There are at least 15 high-quality fantasy Cs, headlined by reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic. Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, Domantas Sabonis, and Bam Adebayo round out the top five in our rankings. Even beyond that elite group, Nikola Vucevic, Rudy Gobert, Clint Capela and Deandre Ayton will be walking double-doubles who provide counting stats to other categories, and there are some intriguing potential breakouts and sleepers further down the list.
With the NBA regular season set to tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 19, it's time to start scouting for your fantasy basketball draft. If you're looking to dissect your draft position-by-position, we have you covered.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: 2021 fantasy basketball cheat sheet
Here are our top-40 center rankings for the upcoming season.
2021 FANTASY BASKETBALL RANKINGS:
Point guard | Shooting guard | Small forward | Power forward | Top 200
Fantasy Basketball C Rankings 2021: Top players, breakout sleepers at center
Position eligibility based on ESPN settings
MORE FANTASY SLEEPERS: One from each team | Top 10 draft steals | Best rookies
| Rank | Player | Team |
| 1. | Nikola Jokic | DEN |
| 2. | Karl-Anthony Towns | MIN |
| 3. | Joel Embiid | PHI |
| 4. | Domantas Sabonis | IND |
| 5. | Bam Adebayo | MIA |
| 6. | Nikola Vucevic | CHI |
| 7. | Rudy Gobert | UTA |
| 8. | Clint Capela | HOU |
| 9. | Deandre Ayton | PHX |
| 10. | Jonas Valanciunas | NOP |
| 11. | Myles Turner | IND |
| 12. | Richaun Holmes | SAC |
| 13. | Jarrett Allen | CLE |
| 14. | Jusuf Nurkic | POR |
| 15. | Kristaps Porzingis | DAL |
| 16. | Chris Boucher | TOR |
| 17. | Brook Lopez | MIL |
| 18. | Mason Plumlee | CHA |
| 19. | Mitchell Robinson | NYK |
| 20. | Robert Williams III | BOS |
| 21. | Khem Birch | TOR |
| 22. | Isaiah Stewart | DET |
| 23. | Jakob Poeltl | SAS |
| 24. | Thomas Bryant | WAS |
| 25. | Steven Adams | MEM |
| 26. | James Wiseman | GSW |
| 27. | Wendell Carter Jr. | ORL |
| 28. | Mo Bamba | ORL |
| 29. | Nerlens Noel | NYK |
| 30. | Ivica Zubac | LAC |
| 31. | Daniel Gafford | WAS |
| 32. | Andre Drummond | PHI |
| 33. | Alperen Sengun | HOU |
| 34. | Enes Kanter | BOS |
| 35. | Cody Zeller | POR |
| 36. | Naz Reid | MIN |
| 37. | Derrick Favors | OKC |
| 38. | Hassan Whiteside | UTA |
| 39. | Jaxson Hayes | NOP |
| 40. | Dwight Powell | DAL |
