Finding sleepers are key in any fantasy sport, especially in fantasy basketball. We all know who the stars are and for the most part, there’s not much change at the top. Drafting LeBron James or Anthony Davis is nice, but anyone can do that.
It’s all about having a strong roster top to bottom and finding players that can exceed their draft value. The below five mix of forwards and centers have an excellent chance of providing value rounds ahead of where they will probably be drafted. Don’t let them slip past you.
And if your league has already completed its draft, try and acquire them via trade before their value begins to rise.
Ben Simmons (PF – PHI)
If you follow the NBA and play fantasy basketball, you know about Ben Simmons. It’s not like I’m going to be introducing you to an unheard-of gem. Simmons is going to be drafted in the middle rounds of all leagues. His inclusion on this list is due to the fact that middle-round value is just the tip of the iceberg for this young star.
We haven’t seen a player like Simmons in a long time. He might be 6’10 and 240 pounds but he moves around the court like an all-star point guard. His court vision is superb and he can also body up and grab plenty of rebounds.
If you take a look at his stats from his one collegiate season at LSU, you’ll get a glimpse at just how good this Aussie can be. He averaged right around 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists for a pretty bad LSU Tigers team that didn’t even make the NCAA tournament. Now Simmons has a core of good young players around him and that should only benefit him.
His offensive game is still an unfished product, especially from beyond the arc, but his all-around ability to run an offense should lead to plenty of easy buckets for himself as well as others. Don’t expect many 3s or a high free throw percentage, but he’ll more than makeup for it with averages in the vicinity of 15 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
The upside here is enormous. Do yourself a favor and take him a round or two early. You won’t regret it.
Aaron Gordon (SF/PF – ORL)
For the last couple seasons, Aaron Gordon has been a popular breakout pick. That hasn’t quite happened yet, but the way he finished last season hints that this year should be the year. In 24 games after the all-star break, Gordon averaged 16.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.7 APG, and near one three and steal per game. This Orlando team is in dire need of a star player and Gordon is the only one on the roster with that potential.
I know what some of you are thinking, “So what? He had a good two months.” Well if that didn’t convince you, just take a look at how he’s performed this pre-season. I five games, Gordon averaged 18.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and nearly two three-pointers per game while shooting 53.6% from the field and 43.9% from downtown.
I know it’s an incredibly small sample size but that’s exactly what Gordon is capable of this season. He’s proving to everyone that he’s much more than just a really good dunker.
Jaylen Brown (SG/SF – BOS)
The biggest knock on Jaylen Brown when he was drafted was that he didn’t have much of an outside game. There was no denying that he was incredibly athletic and explosive in the paint, but his overall offensive was very raw. However, as the season progressed, his outside game vastly improved. Before the all-star break, Brown shot only 42.7% from the field and 30.4% from deep.
After dominating the summer league, Brown is in line to start alongside Kyrie Irving in the new look Boston Celtics backcourt. With continued improvements on the offensive end, Brown could very easily finish as the third highest scorer for Boston. His superb athleticism will help him contribute solid defensive stats as well.
When it’s all said and done, Brown could end up with averages around 15 points and five rebounds to go along with one steal, block, and three-pointer per game. That makes for some good late-round value.
Alex Len (C – PHO)
The sooner the Phoenix Suns get rid of Tyson Chandler, the better. In just 20.3 minutes per game, Len averaged 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks. Those numbers alone are reason enough to give him a late-round flier. And if Phoenix finally comes to their senses and give him 30+ minutes per game, he has the potential to provide solid mid-round value.
So, let’s play a little game of “what if?” Shall we? If Len was made the full-time starter and was fully let loose, he’d get minutes somewhere in the low to mid-30’s or so. Well, when you look at her per-36 averages, they look pretty damn good and have for the past few seasons.
Last season, Len’s per-36 averages were 14.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. On top of that, he increased his field goal percentage to 49.7% and was serviceable (for a big man) at the line shooting 72.1% there last season. Len has top-75 fantasy upside. He just needs the Suns to realize that too.
Richaun Holmes (C – PHI)
Like Len above, Richaun Holmes is another per-minute fantasy gem that just needs a chance to show what he can do. Homes’ per-36 averages for his two-year career are 16.1 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG, and 1.8 BPG. You’d take that on your fantasy team, right? Of course you would. The problem is that he’s stuck behind superstar center, Joel Embiid, in Philadelphia’s rotation.
There is a bright side, however, and that is the fact that Embiid is about as durable as a wet piece of paper. Embiid has only managed to play 31 games in his three-year career and missed his entire first two seasons. Even if Embiid stays fully healthy this season, there are still going to be plenty of rest games as the 76ers will look to keep their star big man healthy and on the court.
The talent here is worth taking a risk on in the end rounds of drafts. He’s still likely to get 20-25 minutes a night as a backup and will be a rock solid DFS play when he starts on Embiid’s rest games. Give him a look as a high-upside big man, especially if you drafted Embiid early.
Eric Cross is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Eric, check out his archive and follow him @EricCross04.
