NBA Waiver Wire: Four-Game Fantasy Basketball Sleepers (11/10 - 11/16)

This weekly column is geared toward anyone playing in a head-to-head format, and especially those of you in weekly lineup leagues. It is a great idea to keep up with which players are scheduled to play four games during the upcoming week, as fantasy basketball managers can use this information to gain an advantage in games played over an opponent. Simply put, the more games played, the more potential there is for production.

Based on their respective four-game schedules, the following four players should be viewed as “sleepers” for next week. Advising fantasy owners to play the likes of LeBron James or Anthony Davis is a waste of time and effort; hopefully it is common knowledge that studs of that nature should be in lineups regardless of how many games they are slated to play.

 

Top Four-Game Sleepers (11/10 - 11/16)

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based On Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues

Chris Copeland (IND, SF/PF) - 50% Owned

In last week’s column, I mentioned Donald Sloan, who has seen his ownership level rise but is still available in too many leagues. Sloan makes for a great play again this week, but now I am going to give some love to his teammate, Chris Copeland.

The Pacers would probably be leading the NBA in injuries if it were not for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Paul George broke his leg, George Hill and David West have yet to play a game this year, and Roy Hibbert left the game on Saturday after playing only 11 minutes due to an injury. The backups are hurt too, as C.J. Watson, C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey are all missing in action. Enter Chris Copeland.

Copeland was coming off the bench to start the year, but has recently been inserted into the starting lineup. Over his last three games, he has played at least 37 minutes. The Indiana small forward has been jacking up shots at an incredible rate, as the Pacers simply have no other scoring options right now. He has scored double-digit points in every game this season, and has attempted at least seven three-pointers in all but one.

Keep in mind, this is an offensive player; he is unlikely to shoot for a high field-goal percentage or offer much help in the defensive categories. However, Copeland will continue to be an excellent source of points and threes, with a few rebounds mixed in. The upcoming schedule includes dates with Utah, at Miami, Denver and at Chicago. He is worth owning in all standard leagues.

 

DeMarre Carroll (ATL, SF/PF) - 56% Owned

This guy is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Carroll is known to be an excellent defender, but his offensive game is not bad either. He does everything well, and it is about time everyone knows about it.

Through his first four games, Carroll is averaging 12.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals. He is also averaging 2.0 threes per game, shooting a ridiculous 50 percent from behind the arc. Despite the Hawks deep wing rotation, DeMarre has averaged 34 minutes a game as the starting small forward. These numbers are all pretty much in line with what he did last season.

Carroll does not take a ton of shots, but is a highly efficient player, as his 52.8 field goal percentage indicates. His defensive ability keeps him on the court, but he has proven the capability the make plays on offense as well. This week’s schedule features games at New York, Utah, Miami, and at Cleveland. Carroll is about as consistent as they come, and will be a great play this week and beyond.

 

Iman Shumpert (NY, SG/SF) - 34% Owned

Similar to DeMarre Carroll, Shumpert is best known for his defensive prowess. However, he has been hot on the offensive side of the ball lately. His minutes are on the rise, and so are his numbers. Through his first six games, he is averaging 12.8 points and 2.0 threes on an otherworldly 60 percent shooting from downtown. While that is not sustainable, owners would be wise to ride him while he is hot.

Perhaps the main reason for his uptick in production is that coach Derek Fisher has been using him as the starting point guard over the last couple of games. Injuries to Jose Calderon and Pablo Prigionicombined with the disappointing play of Shane Larkin inspired the change. Shumpert has played point guard his whole life, and looks comfortable in that role. He has dished out five or more assists over his last three games, and has been a solid contributor in rebounds and steals as well.

Whether he sticks as the starting point guard or not remains to be seen, but either way he should continue to hold value at least as long as Jose Calderon is out, and possibly beyond that. The schedule next week includes all home games with dream matchups against defensively challenged teams, including Atlanta, Orlando, Utah, and Denver. Pick him up and enjoy the ride this week.

 

Jeremy Lamb (OKC, SG/SF) - 17% Owned

I mentioned earlier that the team in Oklahoma City is a walking infirmary right now. Kevin Durant and Anthony Morrow have yet to suit up this year. Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson, and Perry Jones have all gone down with injuries. Lamb himself was injured to begin the season, and is just now getting healthy.

Coach Scott Brooks was forced to throw him into the fire, playing Lamb a whopping 41 minutes as the starting shooting guard in his first game back. He responded by making eight of his 15 shots for 17 points, three rebounds, a three and a block. He attempted six threes in the game, so he figures to be an asset in that category going forward. Lamb is a scorer and has shown the ability to step up when given the playing time.

The downside is that Lamb offers very little outside of points and threes, but if you need help in those categories he is a terrific add. His upcoming schedule reads at Milwaukee, at Boston, Detroit, and Houston. He will continue to get all the minutes he can handle until guys get healthy, and should be a solid play this week.