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 (2/14)
Amen Thompson (G – HOU): 8.5 rebounds
Amen Thompson is set for at least one more start for the Houston Rockets this season, as Fred VanVleet has been ruled out through the all-star break with an adductor strain. Amen has been inconsistent in the scoring and assists department but has been a dynamo as a rebounder. It should come as no surprise that a 6’7″ point guard is elite on the boards, especially given that he has a ridiculous 7’0″ wingspan (for context, the 7’0″ Lauri Markkanen has a 6’11” wingspan). Thompson has hauled in nine or more rebounds in each of his last four games, seeing his line jump from 6.5 to 8.5 in the process. Amen has made five starts this season and is averaging more rebounds than points, with 11.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. I’ll admit that I thought that the Rockets were stunting Amen’s development by bringing in Fred VanVleet to start, but Houston has been one of the surprises of the first half of the season due to their mix of veterans and young talent, and Amen clearly isn’t ready as a scorer or facilitator. Tonight, Amen will square off against a New York Knicks team dealing with a rash of injuries and that will be without three of their five starters in Mitchell Robinson (and Isaiah Hartenstein, who has been starting for him this season), Julius Randle, and OG Anunoby. Tap the More on Thompson for Wednesday night basketball.
Pick: More
Gary Trent Jr. (G/F – TOR): 1.5 three pointers
Trent has been making himself a bag since the Toronto Raptors decided to break up their collection of individual talent that never quite fit as a team. The return for a former All-NBA player like Pascal Siakam notwithstanding, Trent has seen a massive role expansion since OG Anunoby, Pascal, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn were traded, and Spencer Dinwiddie was waived in order to save a measly $1.5 million playing time bonus. I’ll bemoan not being able to reroute someone who obviously had interest around the league for at least a second round pick another time. Trent has drained two or more three pointers in 10 of his last 12 games played and is an excellent bet to extend his streak against a Pacers team that he already has a two three pointer night against this season. Indiana allows 2.14 three pointers per game to the small forward position. Tap the More on Trent for Wednesday night.
Pick: More
Evan Mobley (F/C – CLE): 13.5 points
This would have been the More on Paolo Banchero assists, but the Magic were not listed this morning, so I opted for another one of the top young bigs in the NBA in Evan Mobley. Mobley continues to play under 30 minutes a night, so he hasn’t quite gotten back to the all-star level play we expect from him. Still, Mobley has been impressive since his return from injury. He has scored 14 or more points in five of six games since returning and has hauled in 10+ rebounds in five of those six. Mobley should be good for at least 14 tonight against a Chicago Bulls team relinquishing 24.12 points per game to the power forward position. Mash the More on Mobley for Wednesday night’s action.
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.