NBA Waiver Wire: Four-Game Fantasy Basketball Sleepers (11/17 – 11/23)

November 16, 2014

In his weekly NBA Waiver Wire column, Brad Baird focuses on four fantasy basketball sleepers that are each slated to play four games during the upcoming week (11/17 - 11/23).

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.

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

Top Four-Game Sleepers (11/17 - 11/23)

Victor Oladipo (ORL, PG/SG) - 82% Owned

Oladipo made his season debut on Friday, coming off the bench to score 13 points in 25 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Saturday, he was inserted into the starting lineup at point guard, in favor of struggling rookie Elfrid Payton. Oladipo responded by scoring 18 points with seven rebounds, seven assists and a steal. He played 32 minutes in this one and attempted 18 shots, by far the most on the team.

The Magic are sorely in need of a playmaker in the backcourt, and Oladipo fits the bill. The number two pick in last year’s draft is capable of filling up the stat sheet on a nightly basis. Payton has a lot of potential, but is still a work in progress and not a threat to Oladipo’s playing time.

The schedule for Oladipo and the Magic next week includes dates at Detroit, versus the Clippers, at Charlotte and home against Miami. Get him in your lineups.

Miles Plumlee (PHO, PF/C) - 39% Owned

Plumlee got off to a very slow start this season. He began the year with little playing time due to poor effort and/or foul trouble. However, he has quietly turned things around.

In his last five games, Plumlee has played at least 32 minutes. He is not taking a ton of shots, but has been very efficient, yielding a high field-goal percentage. His rebounding has also been terrific, pulling down at least seven boards in each of his last five games, while also averaging a block per game over that same span.

The schedule next week is what makes Plumlee particularly enticing. He gets tasty matchups at Boston, at Detroit, at Philadelphia and at Indiana. Although all of these games are on the road, none of these teams are very strong defensively. If you are in need of center, give Plumlee a look.

Michael Carter-Williams (PHI, PG) - 87% Owned

There are a lot of parallels between Carter-Williams and the aforementioned Oladipo. MCW also began the season injured, and has recently made his return. Coach Brett Brown is bringing him off the bench, but he is still playing around 30 minutes a game while averaging 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.5 threes so far.

It is only a matter of time before Carter-Williams makes his return to the starting lineup, which could happen as soon as this week. When he does, expect those averages to go up. His current usage rate is 34.2, which ranks him second in the NBA behind only Kobe Bryant. It is a very small sample, but like Kobe, Carter-Williams is pretty much the only real threat on a very bad team.

It is important to mention that with the good comes the bad with Carter-Williams, as he is going to be a liability in the shooting percentages. In leagues that count turnovers, he will kill you in that category as well. However, if you can overlook these flaws, MCW will be a major asset in all other areas.

Carter-Williams' docket for next week features games at San Antonio, versus Boston, versus Phoenix and at New York. He should be in all lineups going forward.

Courtney Lee (MEM, SG/SF) - 65% Owned

Lee is quietly having a spectacular start to the season. He enters the weekend shooting an incredible 53.9 percent from the field and 91.7 percent from the line. In addition, the 29-year-old journeyman is currently averaging 14.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.3 steals and only 0.9 turnovers per game. Lee contributes in every category, and more importantly will not inflict damage in any category.

Lee has been coming off the bench the last couple of games, with Tayshaun Prince getting the start. Owners should not worry though, as Prince has produced very little in limited action while Lee continues to log heavy minutes due to his defensive ability.

Next week, the Grizzlies draw the Rockets, Raptors, Celtics and Clippers. Get Lee active this week.