Fantasy basketball season is very nearly upon us. Drafts have begun taking place across many folks leagues, and if they haven't they will be shortly. With draft boards being set in stone, it feels like a good time to take a look at the top fantasy basketball centers for the 2022-23 season.

The center position is home to some of the best fantasy basketball players in the NBA. Getting a good center is huge, because the drop off gets pretty significant from the top to the bottom, which you will see firsthand with this list here.

Still, you don't want to reach when it comes to picking a center just because you think you need one. In order to help you with your draft and overall evaluation of the center position, we crafted a list of the top 15 centers for fantasy basketball, so without further ado, let's get into the list.

15. Kristaps Porzingis

If nothing else, Kristaps Porzingis is a solid scorer at the center position. His efficiency isn't always great, but he should be an effective secondary option behind Bradley Beal with the Washington Wizards. Porzingis is still a strong rebounder, and he looked pretty good during his initial stint with the Wizards, so who knows, maybe he will be able to keep up that momentum this season.

14. Jakob Poeltl

Jakob Poeltl is the definition of a safe pick at center. He's an efficient paint scorer who can get rebounds, and he proved last season that he can handle a starting role for the San Antonio Spurs. With less talent surrounding him this season, Poeltl could have a bigger role, and it could make him deserving of moving up a few spots on this list.

13. Deandre Ayton

Deandre Ayton may not necessarily want to be on the Phoenix Suns, but he is, and he appears to be a strong option at center for the upcoming season. Ayton is a dangerous two-way threat in the paint, and if he can be on the same wavelength as his teammates, he's a dangerous player. Whether the tension boiling underneath the surface in Phoenix will hurt him remains to be seen, though.

12. Jonas Valanciunas

Jonas Valanciunas has proven to be quite a consistent center option over the past few seasons. He's basically the safer version of Ayton heading into the season; whereas his floor is better, Ayton's ceiling is higher. If you want guaranteed points and rebounds, Valanciunas is your guy at the center position.

11. Evan Mobley

Evan Mobley had a really strong rookie season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he is looking to follow that up with an even better sophomore campaign. Mobley can do a little bit of everything on offense, and he's shown the potential to become one of the best defenders in the game. Mobley's current ankle injury is a bit worrisome, but he's a safe pick at center, and he could be a breakout candidate this season.

10. Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo continues to get better with each passing season, and he's a crucial part of what the Miami Heat like to do on both sides of the court. Adebayo's playmaking took a step back last season, and it's worth wondering whether the Heat will go back running their offense through him in more sets this upcoming season. Either way, Adebayo is a safe option as one of the top centers in the league.

9. Domantas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis took a bit of a step back last season, but his ceiling as a top five center makes it tough to ignore him in drafts. Sabonis scores and rebounds at a very high rate, but his efficiency comes and goes, and his passing numbers weren't as good as they were during the 2020-21 season. Sabonis' ceiling makes him a top 10 center, but he's not the safest option available.

8. Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert isn't the flashiest center available, but he always delivers. Gobert delivers double-doubles on a nightly basis in the points and rebounds categories, and he is one of the best interior defenders in the league. Defensive stats can be a huge help in fantasy, and if you want a consistent source of blocks and steals, Gobert is your guy.

7. Anthony Davis

If Anthony Davis can return to the court and play like himself, it's tough to see him not being a top five center. But it's worth noting his recent battles with injuries, and even when he was on the court last season, he wasn't at his best (he shot just 18.6 from behind the arc). Davis has the potential to be a top 10 player, regardless of position, but the risks mean you should hold off on him in the early going.

6. Nikola Vucevic

Nikola Vucevic's first full season with the Chicago Bulls wasn't that great, but he still managed to finish as the sixth-highest scoring center in the league last year. Vucevic has the potential to be a very dangerous scorer, and his rebounding and defensive contributions remain great, but it remains to be seen whether he can bounce back this season. Either way, Vucevic's floor makes him a safe pick at center this season.

5. Pascal Siakam

Pascal Siakam will sneak into the center position this season, and coming off arguably the best season of his career, he's an easy top five player at the position. Siakam took steps forward in his scoring, rebounding, and passing last season, and he should continue to be a crucial piece of the Toronto Raptors gameplan on both sides of the ball.

4. Karl-Anthony Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns is a supremely underrated center this season. The top three players on this list will get all the attention, but Towns skills as a scorer and defender make him a borderline top 10 player this season. Towns should only get better now that he has another defensive helper alongside him in Gobert this upcoming season, making him a potential steal if he falls in your draft.

3. Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid just keeps on getting better. He led the league in scoring last season, while remaining a strong rebounder and a stout interior defender for the Philadelphia 76ers. Even with James Harden alongside him, Embiid is clearly the most dangerous player on the 76ers, and he is in line for another big season.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo's consistent greatness is getting ignored in some sense nowadays. His average statline over the past four seasons (28.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 5.8 APG, 56.3 FG%) are outrageous. Add in the fact he's averaging over a block and steal per game over that stretch, and it's clear why Antetokounmpo is one of the first players off the board. Expect more of the same this season.

1. Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic was the best player in all of fantasy basketball last season, and it wasn't particularly close. Jokic can score and rebound just like everyone else, but his passing abilities put him above everyone else. He will have more help this season with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returning, but there's no reason for you to not take Jokic with the first pick in the draft if you have it. The Joker easily comes in at No. 1 on this list of top fantasy basketball centers.