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 (4/25)
Paolo Banchero (F – ORL): 19.5 points (alt line)
Paolo Banchero has been excellent in the first round, but his inspired play hasn’t been enough to help the Magic topple the Boston Celtics, even with Jayson Tatum sidelined. The Magic, of course, are dealing with their own injury issues, most notably to starting point guard Jalen Suggs and key reserve Mo Wagner. Paolo has scored 36 and 32 points in the first two games of this series and is actually a solid play at his full line of 27.5 and his 24.5 alt line. However, the probability based value still lies with the 19.5. Push the More on Paolo for Friday night’s NBA action.
Pick: More
Jaylen Brown (G/F – BOS): 19.5 points (alt line)
Jaylen Brown should star again tonight. Jayson Tatum (wrist) is out of the lineup again, which will leave significant volume to be made up. Jaylen, of course, won’t force matters, but he should be much closer to the 19 field goal attempts he took in Game 2, as opposed to the 14 he took in Game 1. The multiplier here is better than expected as the full line sits at just 23.5, which is a value in itself. However, Brown scored just 16 points in Game 1 and averaged significantly fewer points on the road versus at home during the regular season, with a 24.5/18.9 points per game home/road split. Jab the More on Jaylen for Friday night basketball.
Pick: More
Giannis Antetokounmpo (F – MIL): 0.5 double doubles
Giannis continues to do all he can to help the Milwaukee Bucks stay competitive, but so far, the Pacers have been too much to handle. The series shifts to Milwaukee on Friday night, and with Giannis’ running mate Damian Lillard now in his second game back from injury, he should have more competent help as the Bucks attempt to make this a series. Giannis has recorded a double double in both games of this series, going off for 36 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1 before exploding for 32 points and 18 rebounds in Game 2. Grab the More on Giannis for Friday night at Sleeper Picks.
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.
