Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Guards - Draft Values for 2026-2027

September 17, 2026

Brian Dailisan discusses some of his favorite sleeper picks at guard for the 2026-2027 NBA fantasy basketball season. Players discussed include Ausar Thompson, Ty Jerome, Immanuel Quickley and more.

The middle and late rounds of a fantasy basketball draft are where category needs begin to matter more than name value. A manager who leaves the early rounds short on assists or steals cannot fix the problem by simply drafting the next familiar scorer. The better move is to find guards whose roles and statistical strengths can beat their current prices.

For this list, a sleeper is not an unknown player. It is a player whose Yahoo average draft position, or ADP, sits below a reasonable range of outcomes in standard 12-team category leagues. The ADP figures below come from Yahoo's Basic ADP for all drafts, and Yahoo position eligibility determines who qualifies as a guard.

Every player is going between picks 91 and 121, so none requires an early investment. Some are balanced roto options, while others make sense only for a specific build. That distinction matters because a useful nine-category target can lose appeal when turnovers are removed, and a specialist can hurt as much as he helps if drafted onto the wrong roster.

Late Round Sleepers: Guards

Ausar Thompson, SG/SF/PF - DET

• Yahoo ADP: 91.2
• 2025-2026 Stats: 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.9 blocks

Ausar Thompson is the most build-dependent name on this list, but he also owns one of its highest ceilings. In 26.0 minutes per game last season, he averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks while making 52.5% of his field-goal attempts. Few guards available around pick 90 can reshape two defensive categories that quickly.

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The bill arrives in free-throw percentage and three-pointers. Thompson made only 57.1% of his free throws and averaged 0.1 triples, so balanced teams must be careful. He is much more attractive for punt-FT% builds that banked enough points early. If Detroit raises him toward 30 minutes, a top-60 finish is realistic; if he remains near 26 minutes, he is closer to a volatile top-90 specialist.

Ty Jerome, PG/SG - MEM

• Yahoo ADP: 95.7
• 2025-2026 Stats: 19.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks

Ty Jerome produced a remarkable line in a tiny sample last season. Across 15 games, he averaged 19.7 points, 2.8 three-pointers, 5.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in only 22.6 minutes. He also made 47.4% of his field-goal attempts and 87.5% of his free throws while committing 1.8 turnovers per game.

Ja Morant's move to Portland creates a clearer pathway to touches, and Jerome does not need 34 minutes to pay off at this price. A role around 27 minutes could support roughly six assists, strong percentages, and useful scoring.

The obvious objection is durability: 339 total minutes are not enough to erase his recent injury history or guarantee the rate stats will hold. Jerome has top-40 per-game upside, but his safer expectation is a mid-round line with missed games mixed in. He is especially appealing in leagues with an IL+ spot.

Immanuel Quickley, PG/SG - TOR

• Yahoo ADP: 99.1
• 2025-2026 Stats: 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists

Immanuel Quickley offers the cleanest blend of price, role, and category coverage here. He played 70 games last season and averaged 16.4 points, 2.5 three-pointers, 4.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.3 steals. His 1.5 turnovers per game were also a major advantage for a lead guard in nine-category formats.

Toronto's addition of Kawhi Leonard may lower Quickley's touches when both are active, but it should not remove him from the starting lineup or take away his playmaking duties. Quickley's 82.1% mark at the line also has room to rebound toward his 85.2% career rate.

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A repeat of last season would beat a ninth-round cost, while modest gains in assists or free-throw percentage could push him toward the top 50. His value would fade if Leonard stays unusually available and Toronto shifts more creation work to Scottie Barnes.

Jalen Suggs, PG/SG - ORL

• Yahoo ADP: 108.3
• 2025-2026 Stats: 13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.7 blocks

Jalen Suggs already showed the per-game production managers hope to find after pick 100. He averaged 13.8 points, 2.1 three-pointers, 5.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 27.6 minutes last season. That combination of assists and defensive numbers helped him return borderline top-50 nine-category value on a per-game basis.

Health is the reason he remains available near the end of the ninth round. Suggs played 57 games last season, and Orlando has little incentive to stretch his workload after several injury-interrupted years. His 2.7 turnovers also make him slightly cleaner in eight-category leagues.

A healthy Suggs can finish inside the top 60 without a huge scoring leap, but another stop-and-start season would leave managers chasing replacements. Draft him as an upside guard only if the rest of the roster has a solid durability base.

Andrew Wiggins, SG/SF/PF - MIA

• Yahoo ADP: 110.3
• 2025-2026 Stats: 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 1.0 blocks

Andrew Wiggins is not a traditional sleeper, but Yahoo's guard eligibility and his price make him difficult to ignore. He averaged 15.4 points, 2.0 three-pointers, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks last season. That balanced production was good enough for a top-60 nine-category finish despite a modest 30.3-minute role.

Miami sent Tyler Herro to Milwaukee in the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, leaving Wiggins as one of the team's main perimeter options. The presence of Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo limits his scoring ceiling, but Wiggins does not need a major usage spike to beat pick 110.

Another season near last year's rates would make him a steady top-80 option, with top-60 upside if his minutes climb. If Miami keeps him near 30 minutes and leans more heavily on its younger wings, the profit margin becomes much thinner.

Deep League Sleepers: Guards

Brandin Podziemski, PG/SG - GSW

• Yahoo ADP: 114.1
• 2025-2026 Stats: 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals

Brandin Podziemski is not the flashiest option, which is part of the appeal. He played all 82 games last season and averaged 13.8 points, 1.9 three-pointers, 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals. His production improved late, including 15.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game over the final three months.

Jimmy Butler III's recovery from a torn ACL should leave extra perimeter work available early in the season. That gives Podziemski a path to 30 minutes and a balanced line that fits roto teams particularly well. Butler's eventual return may lower the ceiling, and Podziemski lacks one dominant category to protect his value if his minutes slip.

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Still, a durable guard who contributes in five counting categories is a useful 10th-round bet. If Butler's timetable accelerates or Golden State reduces Podziemski's role, he becomes more of a top-120 floor play than a true value.

Cason Wallace, PG/SG/SF - OKC

• Yahoo ADP: 114.3
• 2025-2026 Stats: 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals

Cason Wallace is a late-round answer for managers who need steals without absorbing high turnovers. He averaged 1.9 steals and only 0.9 turnovers in 26.6 minutes last season, adding 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 three-pointers. That profile was more useful in nine-category leagues because his ball security carried real weight.

Oklahoma City traded Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins during the offseason, leaving Wallace with a plausible route to a few more minutes. He will not become a high-usage creator on a deep roster, so managers should not draft him for points or assists.

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The upside comes from reaching 28 to 29 minutes, keeping the steals near an elite level, and improving on last season's 43.2% field-goal mark. He is skippable in eight-category leagues or on teams already strong in steals, but he can return top-90 nine-category value in the right build.

A repeat of last season would beat a ninth-round cost, while modest gains in assists or free-throw percentage could push him toward the top 50. His value would fade if Leonard stays unusually available and Toronto shifts more creation work to Scottie Barnes.

Fred VanVleet, PG - HOU

• Yahoo ADP: 120.9
• 2024-2025 Stats: 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals

Fred VanVleet is the final-round gamble with the clearest build-specific payoff. He missed all of last season after tearing his right ACL, but ESPN has reported that Houston expects him back as its starting point guard. VanVleet has also said he expects to be available for the preseason, although his workload still needs to be monitored throughout camp.

In his last healthy season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 2.7 three-pointers, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and only 1.5 turnovers. The 37.8% field-goal mark was painful, but that weakness becomes irrelevant in a punt-FG% build.

Marcus Smart and Reed Sheppard give Houston alternatives if VanVleet is limited, so this is not a risk-free comeback bet. At pick 121, though, managers can accept a slow start for a realistic top-90 outcome and much stronger value in punt-FG% formats.

There is no perfect sleeper for every roster. Quickley and Podziemski fit comfortably into balanced builds, while Thompson and VanVleet make more sense with a clear category strategy. Wallace is especially useful in nine-category leagues for his steals and low turnovers. Jerome and Suggs offer plenty of upside, but their durability concerns are difficult to ignore. Keep an eye on camp reports and Yahoo ADP because a sleeper is only a sleeper while the price still leaves room for profit.

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