Hey Razzball nation! We’re getting towards the end of the sleeper stream, so I hope you’ve enjoyed so far! There probably will only be one more sleeper article from me after this one, so look out for that next week. My first RCL league draft is coming up on Saturday, so I figured I would just help everyone out and post some of the obvious early ranking screw-ups in Yahoo’s NBA projections. With no prep you can get screwed over by these ranking problems, but with a little knowledge you can abuse their rankings harder than DeAndre Jordan posterizing Brandon Knight! At any rate, lets dive in!
Sleepers:
PJ Tucker
PJ had a very under the radar breakout last year as he put up solid mid-round value after the break. Tucker isn’t a flashy player by any standards, but his consistent contribution across the board, with solid percentages, make him a valuable fantasy commodity. Plus, with Markieff likely on the way out, PJ’s workload could get an even bigger boost. The main advantage with Tucker is the guaranteed minutes in 30+ range, and this almost guarantees his consistency. JB has him ranked 90th overall right now, and that’s a fair spot, but I like him a touch higher. He should be an easy draft day steal.
Enes Kanter
The Thunder re-signed Kanter for 4 years $70 million this off-season. This definitely shows the confidence they have in him, and for good reason! Kanter’s play was nothing short of elite for the Thunder, and while this was with Kevin Durant off the court, some of the numbers are sustainable. While it’s not a stat reason, a new team, for a player that has been stifled, means a lot. The passion Enes played with while in OKC was obvious to anyone watching. This translated to averaging nearly 20 and 11 after the all-star break. With KD healthy this year, the scoring will obviously come down, but the boards should continue to hang around 10, and KD is a willing passer as well. Plus, many looks for Kanter came off offensive rebounds, averaging about 5 a game. Serge Ibaka is a perimeter oriented player on offense, so the paint belongs to Enes. He doesn’t provide much in the other categories, but his percentage contributions are very welcome from a big man. Definitely a mid-round target with a high floor to keep in mind.
Ryan Anderson
This is a tough one since Anderson has struggled with injuries in his career. That being said, Ryan Anderson has been undergoing a high intensity strength and conditioning program, and word out of camp has it that he has leaned out, and is in great shape. If he can manage to stay healthy, he fits in great with Alvin Gentry’s fast paced perimeter oriented offense. Plus, Gentry said that he is going to try to get Ryan a lot more involved on offense, so all signs point up if he can stay healthy. On the positive side, he is only 27, so a breakout with a healthy year is not out of the question. If he’s on the board after the 100th pick then grab him. If you have the guts to take him earlier, then I wouldn’t be against it, it’s simply a high risk/high reward pick.
Ersan Ilyasova
Ersan is a very similar case to Ryan Anderson, and I would value the two similarly. The plus side to Ersan is the fact that he shot 39% from three last year. He also has the starting PF job locked down in Detroit, with very little competition. On top of that, he’ll be playing for Stan Van Gundy, meaning treys galore! However we have another case of a high risk/high reward player based on injury history. He’s another risk I’d be willing to take after we get out of the top 100, based mostly on the system and guaranteed starting gig.
Yahoo Early Targets
Before I show you the list, I just briefly scanned the rankings for my own prep, so if I missed anyone, feel free to share in the comments to help everyone out. I’m simply going to put up the list of players and what pick they can be found at in a Yahoo draft. The majority are, at the very minimum, a round lower than where they should be taken. If you want a better idea of their values, feel free to check JB’s in depth rankings here: Official Razzball 2015-2016 Fantasy Basketball Rankings
One more thing! These rankings constantly change throughout the preseason as more Average Draft Position (ADP) data comes in, so the numbers may not be exactly correct if you wait too long. However, most of the players listed will still come at heavy discounts for the foreseeable future.
So here we go! (I apologize for being too lazy to put them in table form, but again, this is just my personal rough prep)
John Wall – 16
Rudy Gobert – 25
Draymond Green – 27
Eric Bledsoe – 33
Andre Drummond – 40
Chris Bosh – 41
Rudy Gay – 43
Derrick Favors – 59
Kemba Walker – 65 (Borderline laughable)
Isaiah Thomas – 75
Deron Williams – 78
Andrew Wiggins – 82 (Definitely laughable!)
Terrence Jones – 91
Reggie Jackson – 102
Bradley Beal – 104
Nikola Mirotic – 123
PJ Tucker – 133
Danilo Gallinari – 128
Jordan Clarkson – 144 (This is a travesty, considering Russell is projected in the top 100…)
Myles Turner – 170 (Another miscarriage of justice!)
Mo Williams – 186
