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 (12/25)
Damian Lillard (G – MIL): 24.5 points
Damian Lillard has scored 33 or more points in three of his last five. Averaging 26 points per game in the season, I was ready to take the More at the opening number of 25.5. However, 24.5 is much more appetizing as Lillard has hit 25 points on the dot twice this season while he has yet to reach 26 points on the dot. Lillard had a poor shooting night against the Knicks on Saturday, draining just six of his 16 shots, but had much more success in his other two games against New York this season, dropping 30 and 28 in the two home games. Lillard should hit at least 25 points tonight with relative ease providing he avoids another .375 shooting night. Tap the More on Lillard for Monday afternoon.
Pick: More
LeBron James (G/F – LAL): 0.5 points
Sleeper Picks has a promo line for Christmas that all users can claim. It’s been a while since we have seen a universal line that wasn’t exclusively for first-time users, so take advantage. The recommendation here is to hold off on locking this one in until as close to game time as possible, as we are hoping that Tuesday’s lines get posted before tip-off, specifically for the Sacramento Kings and their walking double double Domantas Sabonis. This is a one-time use promo, so the goal here is to attach it to two lines with the highest probability possible. Sabonis double double fits that bill whenever it is listed. LeBron will hit the one point needed and Sabonis has hit 86 percent of the time this season, which means you just need one more play to take home some Christmas week winnings from Sleeper Picks.
Pick: More
Dereck Lively (C – DAL): 8.5 points
Lively has put up 10 or more points in five of his last six full games and should be good for at least 10 against the Phoenix Suns. Lively was enjoying an expanded role before he got hurt and teased us with his true upside with a near triple double of 20 points, 17 rebounds, and seven blocks against Oklahoma City in early December. Lively played at least 28 minutes in each of the five games he scored 10 or more points in his last six. Lively is day to day with an ankle injury but his listing on Sleeper Picks suggests he may play. Since he plays the late game, pairing this with the LeBron promo is not recommended, as Lively not playing could affect your multiplier. Dap the More on Lively for Monday night.
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.