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 13
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.
De’Aaron Fox (G – SAC): 70.50 fantasy points
Fox was excellent on Tuesday, dropping 32 points, two rebounds, six assists, and two steals on 12/24 shooting with 6/10 from deep. Fox plays just two games for the entire week, making this an easy lock decision. Fox has put up far superior fantasy lines already this season, but with Domantas Sabonis taking his game to the next level and Keegan Murray being in the midst of a true breakout season, the gaudy fantasy totals Fox was putting up consistently to start the season seem like nothing but a distant memory. Case in point, this is the most fantasy points he’s put up in all of 2024. He had just one turnover. This is a lock.
Choice: Lock
Scottie Barnes (G/F – TOR): 50.50 fantasy points
Barnes had a solid fantasy outing on Wednesday night, but better lines should be ahead with Pascal Siakam being given away to the Indiana Pacers for a questionable collection of assets. Scottie put up 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block but is capable of much more explosive outputs. The line itself is worthy of strong lock consideration, but the five turnovers sapped too many points to be comfortable locking these points in with two games left to play this week.
Update: Scottie played on Thursday night and put up 68 fantasy points. He lost 12 points from an unsightly six turnovers but put up a strong enough total to lock in.
Choice: Pass
Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL): 34.00 fantasy points
I planned on passing up this fantasy total at first glance, but after a closer look, a 15 point, nine rebound, and one block night is actually a great night for Onyeka. 34 fantasy points are not going to get very many excited, but Onyeka remains a backup who sees limited minutes, making his production sporadic. Okongwu has topped 34 fantasy points just once in his past 10 games. With that in mind and Clint Capela healthy and still on the Hawks roster, we will lock in this total for Week 13.
Choice: Lock
Duop Reath (C – POR): 37.50 fantasy points
Duop had another solid fantasy outing on Wednesday, putting up 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists against the Brooklyn Nets. He was able to shine despite Deandre Ayton being healthy due to the latter being late to the arena. Reath has flashed massive fantasy points league potential and is infinitely more valuable in Sleeper’s Lock-In mode but is all but certain to go back to being inconsistent with Ayton ready for a full workload. This type of total is the best we can hope for as long as Jerami Grant remains on the roster, keeping Ayton, who has frustratingly always been more of a finesse big anyways, at the five. This is a lock.
Choice: Lock
Early locks
While there were, of course, some non decision decisions again this week, a couple of our players got locked in early in the week. Victor Wembanyama put up 79.00 fantasy points on Monday that got locked in without much hesitation. He is obviously capable of more, but who is going to argue with 26 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and five blocks? This would have been an 85 fantasy point night if he could have avoided the three turnovers. My other early lock is Julian Champagnie, who put up a lock-worthy 32 fantasy points on Monday. Anytime someone who plays 20 minutes or less a night cracks the 30 fantasy point barrier, they should be locked post haste.
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.
