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 (12/21)
Cade Cunningham (G – DET): 24.5 points
Cade has stepped it back up recently, scoring 25 or more in each of his last two, with a career-high 43 in his last game. Now, 24.5 is much too high for a lower-efficiency player who is averaging just 22.2 points per game this season. This would usually be a Less play as the number has been inflated due to the 43 point explosion. However, tonight Cade will take on a Utah Jazz team that allows the seventh most points per game in the NBA. They have been solid against the point guard position, allowing just 22.53 points per game, but Cade should see enough volume coming off a career night to hit at least 25. This is another feel and form play as opposed to our typical high probability play, so only tap this one in if you feel comfortable yourself. Clap the More on Cade for Thursday night.
Pick: More
Anthony Edwards (G/F – MIN): 26.5 points
Edwards has found his touch again and has scored 27 or more points in each of his last three games. 27 points is definitely higher than we would like due to his recent outage from the field, but he has picked it back up recently. He has a neutral matchup on tap tonight against the Lakers but is expected to be leaned on in the marquee matchup. Los Angeles is playing the second game of a back-to-back, so they may not have their full complement of players against the Western Conference leaders. Edwards should be able to match or exceed the 27 points DeMar DeRozan scored last night on the Lakers. Tap the More on Edwards for Thursday night.
Pick: More
Ja Morant (G – MEM): 28.5 points
The jump from 24.5 (or 25.5, depending on when you locked it in) to 28.5 in just one game is wild. Expecting Ja to drop 29+ in his first two games back is asking a lot, but Ja looked to be in midseason form against the New Orleans Pelicans and is set to take on one of the NBA’s worst scoring defenses in the Indiana Pacers. Indiana has surrendered 24.05 points per game to the point guard position this year, giving Ja, who is far from average, an excellent chance to hit the More on tonight’s total. He should be locked into a mini head-to-head battle with Tyrese Halliburton, something that should propel him to a big night. Ja showed little to no rust on Tuesday night and should be tearing it go for this one as the Grizzlies look to claw their way into the playoff picture. Jab the More on Ja for tonight’s game.
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.
