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 (2/9)
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): 0.5 double doubles
Jokic vs Domantas Sabonis is going to be a treat. Both are elite double double plays today, but with Sabonis pulling an early season Jokic and expiring overnight consistently, we opted for Jokic here. Jokic has put up at least 10 and 10 in 43 of his 50 games played and in 12 of his last 13. Expect the walking triple double threat to be one on today against the co-leader in triple doubles. The Joker went bonkers when he played Sabonis earlier this season, racking up 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists in the type of MVP-level performance Domantas has yet to be able to put together consistently. Jab the More on Jokic for Friday night’s action.
Pick: More
Amen Thompson (G/F – HOU): 7.5 rebounds
Amen Thompson is set to get another start for the Rockets tonight. Fred VanVleet will miss another game with an adductor strain. Amen has been a force on the boards over his last five games and is an elite rebounder for his position when he’s running the point, thanks to checking it at 6’7″. Amen has six or more boards in each of his last five games and had 13 in his start against Indiana. Thompson had hauled in 13 or more rebounds in the two games he’s played 30+ minutes in this season. Tap the More on Thompson for Friday night.
Pick: More
Onyeka Okongwu (F/C – ATL): 12.5 points
Clint Capela is set to miss another game for the Atlanta Hawks, which means Onyeka will get another start. Okongwu has scored 15 or more points in each of his last five games and is all but certain to eclipse 12 points, providing he stays out of foul trouble. Onyeka has faced the 76ers three times already this season but played under 20 minutes in two of those contests. In his lone contest with more than 20 minutes played (35), Onyeka put up 19 points and 11 rebounds. He should have an easy path to a total in the mid to high teens with Joel Embiid sidelined and is an absolute value at 12.5 points. Opt for the More on Okongwu for Friday night basketball.
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.
