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!
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Sleeper NBA Lock In: Lock or Pass Week 16
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.
Onyeka Okongwu (F/C – ATL): 55.50 fantasy points
Onyeka went off against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, racking up 19 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks with one connection from deep and just one turnover. It is Onyeka’s second-highest fantasy output of the season, making it an easy lock decision even with Clint Capela slated to be sidelined through the weekend.
Choice: Lock
Julian Champagnie (G/F – SAS): 20.50 fantasy points
I passed on a 29.50 fantasy point night, hoping for more, so I certainly will not be locking this total in. Champagnie is hit or miss due to playing limited minutes, but 20.50 points is not lock-worthy, even with only one game left in the truncated week.
Choice: Pass
Jaden Springer (G – BOS): 27.50 fantasy points
Springer was on my team before the trade to the Celtics and was inserted into my lineup due to a myriad of injuries. Springer is no lock to make his debut this weekend, and even if he does, he is likely to have a limited role as a depth piece in the guard positions. Eight points, four rebounds, and one assist gets absolutely no one excited, but adding two steals and a block salvaged his fantasy night against the Warriors. With a lack of appealing alternatives, I will be locking this total in.
Choice: Lock
Non-decision decisions
Players I passed on without a second thought include De’Aaron Fox (41.50), Scottie Barnes (38.50), Bilal Coulibaly (7.00), and Victor Wembanyama (32.00). Coulibaly is sporadic, but the other three are the cornerstones of my dynasty team, and I expect much more from each of them. None of the fantasy point totals were even worth considering.
Early Locks
My early locks this week were Jakob Poeltl (33.50) and T.J. McConnell (37.00). My entire squad is struggling with injuries and down play, so this is going to be a tough week to try to pull out a win.
Trades
As mentioned above, Springer has been moved to the Celtics, stymieing any burgeoning fantasy value that was developing in Philadelphia. Dennis Schroder and Thaddeus Young both got traded to the Brooklyn Nets and will see their fantasy value affected by the move. Schroder may have a chance to start, but Thaddeus may go back to being sparingly used. Quentin Grimes looks like he will get a boost in fantasy value in Detroit, while Gordon Hayward should magically become healthy within the next week for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It remains to be seen what kind of role they have planned for him but it feels safe to assume that he will be leaned on as a bench scorer.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.