Fantasy Basketball-Top 5 Sleepers You Need to Know-11/01/14

The first Friday night of the NBA season was highlighted by LeBron and the Cavs bouncing back to get an overtime win against the Bulls. There were some other interesting games as well including the defending champs going down on the road in Phoenix and big games from Blake Griffin and Rudy Gay in their teams wins. Not all the fantasy stars were big names, though, as fantasy basketball sleepers continue to emerge.

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Whether you’re playing season-long fantasy basketball and looking to hit the waiver wire or are filling out your daily competition roster with cheap options, there are some significant sleepers starting to emerge who can give you serious production at less cost than the bigger names.

To help you keep tabs on players stepping up, each day at Fansided we’ll help you out with the top five sleepers you need to know from the night before. The big-name stars aren’t covered in this post, but if you need daily value or help from the waiver wire, you’ve come to the right place.

Here are the top five fantasy basketball sleepers who put up solid stat lines last night:

SG. Milwaukee Bucks. O.J. Mayo. 1. player. 89. After a horrible first year in Milwaukee, Mayo looks like he is ready for a bounce back year in the first two games of the season. Last night’s production came against the lowly Sixers, but his big night is a sign of positive things to come. He made 8-13 from the field while knocking in five three-pointers on his way to 25 points. He also produced peripheral stats with five assists, three rebounds, and a steal. He’s owned in less than 15% of ESPN standard leagues, and he’s one of the better names on the waiver wire if he keeps getting time and eventually moves into the starting lineup.

SF. Chicago Bulls. Mike Dunleavy. 2. player. 24. In last night’s loss to the Cavs, Dunleavy played 40 minutes and almost had a triple-double. The veteran Duke alumnus made four three-pointers on his way to 14 points to go with nine rebounds, eight assists, two blocks, and a steal. There are some other SF options on the Bulls roster (Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic) who could eventually take some of his playing time, but as long as he gets heavy minutes Dunleavy will be a multiple-category producer.

156. Since he’s coming off the bench, Thompson’s production will be inconsistent this season, but last night he reminded everyone of his upside playing 36 meaningful minutes and contributing to the Cavs win in Chicago. Thompson had 16 points and 13 rebounds (12 offensive boards) while piking up a pair of assists, and two blocks. After a quiet opener, the first two games show both the downside and the upside of the Cavs young forward who still has loads of potential. If injury opens a starting spot, he’ll be straight fantasy gold, but until then playing him is a roll of the dice with the upside he showcased last night.. PF. Cleveland Cavaliers. Tristan Thompson. 3. player

Indiana Pacers. Donald Sloan. 4. player. 100. If you are in search of assists on the waiver wire or looking for a cheap PG who gets plenty of minutes, Sloan could be the pickup you’re looking for. He’s started the season with a pair of strong efforts and can be counted on to hold down the PG spot until George Hill returns. Last night, Sloan had seven assists to go with 12 points and five rebounds. He contributes good rebound numbers for a point guard and is worth a look as a short-term addition until the Pacers replace him in the starting lineup.. PG

5. player. 66. Len played 32 minutes off the bench for Phoenix last night while starter Miles Plumlee only played 15. Len finished with ten points and 11 rebounds and will be worth a bickup for big-man numbers if he keeps getting so much run in Phoenix. At this point, Len is a watch-and-see in standard leagues and a matchup play in daily leagues.. C. Phoenix Suns. Alex Len

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