Welcome to Sleeper NBA Lock-In mode. To learn more about Lock-In mode, read our article here. This season, we will be discussing Lock or Pass decisions once per week in this column. Don’t miss out on the fun! Draft your team today!
Try Sleeper NBA Lock-In Fantasy Basketball now 
Sleeper NBA Lock In: Lock or Pass Week 12
What is Lock-In mode?
Lock-In Mode is a new way to play fantasy basketball that allows fantasy managers to Lock-In a player’s fantasy points following a game or choose to take the risk that they will score more fantasy points in one of the remaining games that week. You can Lock-In just one game per week and cannot Lock-In bench players.
This introduces a new layer of strategy to fantasy basketball while also making fantasy basketball more of a weekly endeavor with daily upkeep as opposed to daily management game that requires one to be on top of injuries and rest days to maximize output. This is great for those who are not available every evening or night to make lineup changes as needed and for those who just do not appreciate the daily grind that season-long fantasy basketball often requires.
Jalen Green (G – HOU): 50.00 fantasy points
Jalen Green was solid on Wednesday, putting up 16 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and one steal against the Chicago Bulls. Green has become more inconsistent since the Rockets acknowledged that Alperen Sengun is currently their best player and has not topped even 40 fantasy points in any of his previous four games. This is Green’s third-highest total since November, and due to the aforementioned change in circumstance, this is a very good line for Green. 50 points or more is going to be an automatic lock for Green until he starts to show more consistency.
Choice: Lock
Onyeka Okongwu (C/F – ATL): 50.00 fantasy points
Onyeka was excellent on Wednesday night, racking up 19 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks on 7/10 shooting. This was his highest fantasy output all season, so this is an easy lock decision. Hopefully, the Hawks will finally move Clint Capela before next month’s trade deadline, but until then, 50+ fantasy points will be an auto-lock on Okongwu.
Choice: Lock
Victor Wembanyama (C – SAS): 67.50 fantasy points
Wemby had his first triple double on Wednesday and did so in just 21 minutes. However, the limited minutes meant his triple double was of the 16 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assist variety. The assists are fantastic, and the rebounds are great, but the 16 points on 6/16 shooting drained his fantasy potential. This was still worth lock consideration as it’s his highest fantasy total in his last five games, but this is Wemby, so we all know he is capable of much more explosive fantasy numbers. I will hold my breath and pass on this one.
Choice: Pass
Quentin Grimes (G/F – NYK): 39.50 fantasy points
Grimes was excellent on Tuesday night, putting up 17 points, four rebounds, one assist, and three steals against the Portland Trail Blazers. It appears that I made the right decision in locking him before Thursday night’s game, as Grimes managed just 19 fantasy points in 14 minutes of play. Grimes is barely playing enough minutes to warrant starting, but I am dealing with injuries to Kyle Lowry, Jakob Poeltl, Derrick Rose, and Gordon Hayward, among others. The 39.50 fantasy points is Grimes’ second-highest fantasy output of the season, which made this an easy lock decision.
Choice: Lock
T.J. McConnell (G – IND): 48.50 fantasy points.
McConnell has been excellent starting in place of the injured Tyrese Haliburton, most recently racking up 14 points, two rebounds, eight assists, and two steals with zero turnovers against the Washington Wizards. He may very well have superior lines in the two games he has left this week, but this is his fourth-highest fantasy output of the season, making this hard to pass on. I will lock this one in and continue to evaluate what his lock benchmark should be now that he is starting.
Choice: Lock
Dennis Schroder (G – TOR): 36.50 fantasy points
Schroder got the start on Wednesday night due to the Raptors being down both Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl. He responded with a rock-solid fantasy performance of 22 points, one rebound, and four assists. Yes, he is capable of more as a starter, but if he is off the ball most of the time, this is about as good as we can expect. Dennis will go back to the bench when Siakam returns (which could be as soon as this Friday), so I will take the opportunity to lock in a decent enough line.
Choice: Lock
Join a league today: Fantasy basketball re-imagined
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
