Week 5 of the NBA season is already upon us, and whether you’re sitting pretty at 4-0 or looking to get your first win of the season, there are some moves you should consider making to beef up your roster. If you haven’t been following along, the NBA staff at FantasyPros are embroiled in a cut-throat, do-or-die, friendship-ending 12-team league over on Sleeper.
Ok, so maybe we’re not quite that competitive with one another, but there is still a lot of pride on the line. As I often do, I combed the waiver wire for some top-notch adds and found these five guys who are less than 50% rostered.
Without further adieu, let’s get to the five pickups you should make in Sleeper fantasy basketball leagues.
Players’ roster percentages on Sleeper are shown next to their names
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Bones Hyland (PG, SG – DEN) 2.8%
After starting the season almost entirely out of the rotation, Bones has logged 22 minutes per game across his last three. In that span, he’s averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 triples while shooting excellent 48/45/91 splits.
His upside is evident from his play in Summer League (19.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 3.5 triples, 40% from deep) and Preseason (15.2 points, 4.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 triples), and he’s finally beginning to come alive in the regular season.
Devin Vassell (SG, SF, PG – SAS) 10.3%
The defensive specialist enjoyed a moderately productive rookie campaign last season, but with increased playing time, he’s taken full advantage of his opportunities.
He’s averaged 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.9 combined blocks/steals, and 1.6 assists across 26.4 minutes in Year 2, though he’s been even better when given additional minutes. Vassell has averaged 19.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 combined blocks/steals, and 1.3 assists in four games with at least 30 minutes.
Killian Hayes (PG, SG – DET) 12.2%
Hayes started the season erratically, showing signs of promise while mixing in some rather poor performances. Has he finally turned the corner? It appears so, as he averaged 9.0 points, 7.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.0 steals in back-to-back games against the Raptors and Cavs to close out Week 4.
Hayes isn’t a guy who will bring consistency to your team (especially with Cade Cunningham continuing to grow), and he’s probably still a deep-league add at this point. Still, if you’ve got a strong constitution, Hayes has plenty of upside.
Luguentz Dort (SG, PG – OKC) 37.5%
Most famous for his stifling “Dorture Chamber” defense, Dort also has some offense in his game. Granted, he’s an inefficient volume scorer, but Sleeper doesn’t count shooting percentages. All we’re concerned with is raw production, baby!
For the second season in a row, Dort’s minutes and production have ticked up. He’s averaged 15.4 points and 4.1 rebounds across 32.3 minutes per game this season, but he’s been on fire as of late, going for 23.0 points, 4.3 boards, and 1.0 steals over his last three. Dort is worth an add, especially with Darius Bazley banged up.
Eric Bledsoe (PG, SG – LAC) 44.8%
After a disappointing 2020-21, Bledsoe is doing well back in Los Angeles. Over his last four, he’s averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 dimes, 4.8 boards, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block across 33.3 minutes per contest. With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely, Bledsoe has carved out a nice role for his once former team, and he’s worth an immediate pickup.
Isaiah Hartenstein (C, PF – LAC) 1.3%
Hartenstein has been pleasantly productive this season, and while he remains a deep-league add for now, he could eventually become a standard-league add if given more minutes.
I-Hart has averaged 7.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks over 16.4 minutes, but his signature game came when he posted a 12/12/4 line with three blocks over 25 minutes in last week’s win over the Timberwolves.
His per-36 minutes show just how productive he could be if given a more substantial role, 16.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.8 combined blocks/steals per-36 minutes.
Sleeper cracked the fantasy basketball code, if you play fantasy football, if you prefer building out a weekly strategy versus daily busy work, you’re going to LOVE Game Pick. Download the Sleeper app today and start a Game Pick league of your own.
Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.
