Welcome to Sleeper Picks. Sleeper’s newest offering promised plenty of entertainment and action, and they delivered. We will break down our top three picks for tonight’s NBA action. Sleeper is quickly becoming one of the most popular season-long fantasy platforms, and they are expanding into other areas based on demand. Each week in this space, we’ll talk about some strategy for the new platform while providing our favorite NBA more/less picks.
NBA Sleeper Picks Player Predictions (12/6)
Donovan Mitchell (G – CLE): 27.5 points
Mitchell has been excellent for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks on .448 shooting. He has scored more than 30 six different times this season, bumping his average from the 24-25 range to 27.1. He has scored under 28 in the other nine games this season, pushing the Less into value territory. Tonight, he will face off against an Orlando Magic team limiting the shooting guard position to the fourth fewest points per game at 20.82 per contest. Dap the Less on Donovan for tonight’s matchup against a surprisingly stingy Orlando Magic defense.
Pick: Less
Deni Avdija (F – WAS): 11.5 points
Avdija at 11.5 points with Jordan Poole expected to be sidelined with an ankle injury, has some immediate intrigue. Deni scored just nine points against Atlanta the last time Poole missed a game but took just eight shots. Deni already has two 22 point games this season (his season high), proving that he is more than capable of exceeding 11 points when he is more aggressive from the field. Fade this total if Poole is active, but if he sits as expected, this total becomes worth a long look. Tap the More on Avdija for Wednesday night.
Pick: More
Scottie Barnes (G/F – TOR): 19.5 points
Barnes seems to be heating back up for the Toronto Raptors, scoring 23 or more points in each of his last two games. He is averaging 19.6 points per game on the season, but a prolonged slump belies his true potential on a nightly basis. Barnes has had three separate stretches of games under 20 points. Raptors fans consider it a disappointing night if he doesn’t drop at least 20. That is how much Barnes has grown as a scorer. Barnes has a tougher matchup tonight against a Miami team surrendering 22.5 points per game to the small forward position. The Heat are top 10 in limiting points from the position but still allow enough for Barnes to click the More. Bump the More on Barnes for Wednesday night’s action.
Pick: More
Writers note: The lines are constantly changing on Sleeper (and sometimes expiring), so there is a high probability that one or all of the numbers may no longer be the same when you open your app. There are excellent values when they are first posted, with the only catch being that they are not all released at the same time. Vigilance could provide a solid return on investment this season, literally.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
