The last time we took a look at Fantasy hoops sleepers, it was nearly two months away from the start of the season, which meant we were working with inherently limited information. With first tip less than two weeks away now, the league-wide picture is a lot more clear today than it was back then.
What that means is, we can start to get out of the realm of the theoretical and look for more sure bets. We've got enough average draft position information to have an idea of the landscape around the Fantasy hoops industry, which means finding inefficiencies and undervalued players is the way to go.
With this second and final batch of sleeper candidates, we'll first look back at one call from the Sleepers 1.0 piece worth reconsidering and one worth doubling down on.
Well, maybe not ...
Pierre Jackson/Isaiah Canaan/Tony Wroten, G, 76ers
The general idea that whoever earns the starting point guard job in Philadelphia has a great path to Fantasy relevance remains worthwhile. However, the specific players mentioned don't look particularly likely to pay dividends at this point. Jackson, working his way back from an Achilles tear last season, has been limited by a groin injury in training camp and isn't guaranteed a roster spot. Wroten is still recovering from an ACL tear that will likely keep him out until at least early November, if not significantly longer. Long-shot Kendall Marshall is also returning from injury and hasn't played in the preseason either.
That leaves Canaan, who hasn't given us much reason to be a excited in either the preseason or his regular season stints. Canaan has just 18 assists in 113 preseason minutes, and has strangely struggled with his shot as well, making just 29.6 percent of his 3-pointers as of Wednesday. Canaan may be able to average a dozen points and continue to hit some 3-pointers, but he doesn't do much on top of that, making him just a late-round option in all formats. Let's hope some of the other guys in this group get healthy soon enough to take the job; each likely has greater upside.
Doubling down
Maurice Harkless, F; Meyers Leonard, C, Trail Blazers
The Blazers are still very much trying to figure out their rotation in the preseason, and you have to like a lot of what we've seen from these two, among others. Harkless has showed once again the ability to fill up the box score whenever he gets the opportunity, and Leonard has doubled down on his development as a stretch-five last season by canning nine 3-pointers in his first four games and average double digits in scoring. The Blazers also have the likes of Ed Davis, Mason Plumlee, Allen Crabbe and Noah Vonleh as sleeper candidates, and this is going to be a key team for Fantasy players to monitor early in the season. One of these guys could win you your league, including one name we haven't mentioned yet.
New faces
Brandon Jennings, G, Pistons (ADP: 103)
There are a ton of questions swirling around Jennings entering the season, not least of which is when he will be able to play. He has targeted late-November as his hoped-for return date from a ruptured Achilles, which means he seems likely to lose an entire month to begin the season. The second-biggest question, of course, is whether he will even have a consistent role now that Reggie Jackson is locked up to a big long-term contract. Jennings averaged 19.8 points and 7.0 assists per game after Josh Smith was waived, and proved to be a pretty good fit for Stan Van Gundy's offense before his injury, which makes him a very intriguing option even in light of these questions. We've seen Jennings play with another ball-dominant guard in Monta Ellis, so it isn't out of the question the Pistons can do the same thing. As a late-round flier, Jennings has more upside than most.
C.J. McCollum, G, Trail Blazers(ADP: 113)
We already started to see the breakout with McCollum last season, when he scored in double figures in seven of the final eight games of the regular season last year, and then followed it up with 11 3-pointers in the final three games of the Blazers' postseason series loss to the Grizzlies. Damian Lillard is going to get as many shots as he wants on this Blazers' team this season, and McCollum is probably going to get all of the rest of them. McCollum might have a chance to put up similar numbers to what Wesley Matthews managed in 2014-15, but is being drafted 26 spots after Matthews -- despite Matthews' recovery from a torn Achilles likely to stretch well into the season.
Jerian Grant, G, Knicks (ADP: 123)
This is what Eye On Basketball's Matt Moore had to say about Grant after watching the 76ers-Knicks preseason game Monday:
Jerian Grant is going to be really good. There's a certain undefinable quality when you watch a guy and he makes plays not with skill or athleticism, but that willingness to commit himself 100 percent to the play. He wasn't reckless, but he got on the floor for loose balls and forced the issue. He's strong and fast, but he's also smart, and that's going to really help him. In a few years I can see him being one of those dependable quality point guards that just helps you win. Not everyone has to be a lights out shooter.
Grant wasn't a great shooter in college, but he did manage to make 34.5 percent of his attempts over four seasons, while playing consistently huge minutes -- 35-plus per game in each season. That huge role in college should help him translate to the NBA well, and he showed the ability to get to the free-throw line a bunch, while adding solid assists and defensive numbers. With the injury-prone Jose Calderon representing his biggest obstacle to playing time, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Grant earn a sizeable role almost immediately. I would prefer taking him a bit later than the 11th round, though it is worth pointing out that he has gone undrafted on average in two of the three providers listed, so you probably don't have to reach that far to end up with him; he went 144th overall in our recent Roto mock draft.
Alec Burks, G, Jazz (ADP: 132)
With Trey Burke and a bunch of untested options at point guard, the Jazz need players who can create for themselves and others off the dribble, and that is what Burks can do. He doesn't post huge assist numbers, and is generally hunting for his own shot when he attacks the rim, but that isn't a bad thing on a Jazz team that needs to squeeze out points any way it can. He also flashed an improved 3-point shot before his injury last season, and that could truly be the key to a breakout for him. Either way, Burks is one of the rare off-dribble creators on this roster, which could help him carve out a consistent enough role to make him worth starting.
Stanley Johnson, F, Pistons(ADP: 137)
Rookies are almost always bad bets for Fantasy. It's easy to buy into the hype and potential they bring to the table, but the truth is, most aren't difference makers and shouldn't be drafted with the intention of starting. However, if you can snag someone like Johnson in the late round, there's almost no risk, and he very well may emerge as a starting Fantasy option at some point. Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy has been singing Johnson's praises all offseason, and Johnson seems to have carved out a big role in the rotation; he has even spent spot time at point guard! With only the underwhelming Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jodie Meeks serving as real threats on the wings, Johnson could be playing 30 minutes per game before long.
Rodney Hood, G, Jazz (ADP: 147)
Hood is another player who started to break out late last season, but his draft position doesn't reflect that yet. He averaged 16.7 points, 3.4 assists and 1.7 3-pointers per game in April, and has a chance to really break out on a Jazz team that pretty desperately needs scoring in general and 3-point shooting in particular. You'd like to see more defensive and rebounding production from Hood, but if he can emerge as the second scorer the Jazz need, he'll easily outperform his draft position.
Myles Turner, C, Pacers (ADP: 156)
The Pacers are pinning a lot of their hopes for this season on Turner, a 19-year-old raw center prospect who hardly broke the 20-MPG barrier in his lone season at Texas. He flashed interesting skills, most notably sh0t-blocking and 3-point range, but struggled badly with consistency and was considered a project when the Pacers took him. However, with Jordan Hill, Ian Mahinmi and Lavoy Allen the only other true big men on the roster, Turner has a real opportunity to earn big minutes this season. He might get off to a slow start, but if you can afford to stash him, Turner's rare blend of skills on both sides of the floor could provide value late in the season.
