The 2015-16 NBA season is right around the corner and that means fantasy basketball leagues getting underway with drafts over the next couple of weeks. While even the casual basketball fan knows to draft Stephen Curry, James Harden and LeBron James if they are available, fantasy basketball leagues are won every year in the later rounds when the top teams fill out their rosters with underrated fantasy games and sleeper plays.
It is a lot more difficult to find the latter group of players on an annual basis but we have identified a handful of players with the potential to break out at some point this NBA season.
Here is a look at four players that you should draft late and stash on your roster as potential bargains:
Justin Anderson, Dallas Mavericks
Shooting Guard
The Mavericks lost their starting point guard Monta Ellis as well as center Tyson Chandler this offseason. They failed to adequately replace either one and Dirk Nowitzki isn’t getting any younger at 37 years old. That means that Dallas will be looking for players to step up and bridge the gap and rookie first-round pick Anderson is a prime candidate to step right in and contribute in year one. Anderson averaged 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.5 three-point shots per game in the NBA Summer League and head coach Rick Carlisle has said that he plans to give him time at both the two and three spot this season. Factor in that Chandler Parsons is coming off knee surgery and Wesley Matthews is coming off an Achilles injury, and we could be on the verge of the perfect storm that makes Anderson a potential sleeper star for Rookie of the Year. Don’t sleep on this guy as he’s going to get used a lot this year.
T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns
Small Forward
The 2014 first-round pick averaged just 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in his rookie season but he averaged 7.9 points and 2.7 rebounds over the final two months of the year. Head coach Jeff Hornacek called him the “biggest surprise” of the season. Warren averaged just 15.4 minutes per game last year but the combination of his high basketball IQ, ability to move the ball and the fact that he has such a high upside should mean more minutes in his sophomore season. He also looked great in Summer League, which can only bode well.
The fact that he is coming off the bench behind a player that wants to be traded in Markieff Morris means that his value could be even higher if a move is made.
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John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks
Center
Henson averaged 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists despite playing just 18.3 minutes per game in a backup role for Milwaukee last season but he has considerable potential heading in to his fourth NBA season. He could very well take on more minutes this year. The Bucks acquired Greg Monroe this past offseason but considering they signed Henson to a four-year, $44-million deal in the summer, it seems like they have plans for him to take on a more prominent role. Henson led the NBA in block rate last year and he certainly has the potential to be very good if he gets increased minutes.
Jerian Grant, New York Knicks
Point Guard
The 19th-overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft isn’t expected to start from the outset but the Knicks traded for that pick to add Grant as their future franchise point guard. It might not be long before he makes a fantasy impact. Grant is slated to come off the bench but Jose Calderon is coming off an Achilles injury while Langston Galloway is probably better off as a role player moving forward. Grant is an athletic point guard that played four years in college and has all of the tools to be a star at the NBA level, so target him as a late-round pick that you can stash on your bench and capitalize on as a sleeper pick this season.
