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 (2/12)
Lauri Markkanen (F – UTA): 1.5 steals + blocks
This has become an elite play here at Sleeper Picks due to Lauri’s propensity to show up just enough to keep this number at 1.5. He can get into passing lanes enough to be an option on the 0.5 steals line, but he rarely nets more than one swipe and does not use his 7’0″ length to block shots enough to really be worried (zero blocks in his last 12 games). Markkanen has failed to hit two StOcks in 17 of his last 20, but with one steal in six of his last eight, this total will remain at 1.5, hopefully through the rest of the regular season. Light up the Less on Lauri for Monday night.
Pick: Less
Anthony Edwards (G/F – MIN): 25.5 points
Ant-Man continues to shine like a diamond for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has battled some inconsistency over the past month but is still as electric as ever, averaging 25.9 points per game. Edwards has scored 26 or more points in each of his last three games and in five of his last seven. Edwards got up for his last matchup against Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers, exploding for 33 points on 10/16 shooting while going 11/12 from the line. He may not top 30 again tonight but will have to go cold from the field or drift into passive mode to fail to hit 26 against Los Angeles. Hit the More on Edwards for Monday night basketball.
Pick: More
Onyeka Okongwu (C/F – ATL): 13.5 points
Onyeka has at least one more game as the starter at center, making him a smash play with Clint Capela sidelined. Onyeka fizzled his last time out (11 points) but had five consecutive games of 15 or more points. Okongwu had 11 points in 21 minutes against the Chicago Bulls earlier this season and should hit 14 or more relatively easy tonight. The Bulls have surrendered 22.6 points per game to the center position. Hit the More on Onyeka for Monday night.
Pick: More
Reminder
Whenever Nikola Jokic or Domantas Sabonis are playing the next day, be sure to start your ticket as soon as they come on the board. The multiplier regularly drops overnight before expiring completely before game time. These are the highest probability plays on Sleeper (Domantas is the highest) and should be viewed as free multiplier builders and should not be ignored in an environment where you are required to make two or more predictions. Jokic has recorded a double double in 43 of his 51 games this season and, as a walking triple double threat, is an excellent pairing with any of the plays listed above. Sabonis and Jokic will always be our top play of the day, but we will not always include it as a featured pick. React accordingly.
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.