The 2017-18 NBA season is right around the corner now, which means fantasy basketball leagues are filling up. Regardless of whether or not your league has drafted, you might want to consider these sleeper options on your team. We’re doing a division by division breakdown of the sleepers, so here’s a look at the Southwest.
This is a division that features some of the league’s big hitters with the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. While the Spurs ans Rockets are generally well-known commodities, there are some good sleepers to be had on the Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks. Let’s dive into the teams in the Southwest and look for the players that are being undervalued in fantasy.
Pau Gasol, San Antonio Spurs
Gasol is no longer an elite fantasy option by any means. That said, he’s still more valuable than many perceive him to be heading in to this season. Gasol averaged 12.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game for San Antonio last season. While he is now 37-years-old, he still has enough left in the tank to be a consistent contributor while playing decent minutes. The Spurs will be careful not to give him too many minutes in an effort to avoid wearing him down before the postseason. That will be a good thing for the veteran big man, who is a quality sleeper option that could produce at a very high level in spurts.
Clint Capela, Houston Rockets
Capela set career-highs last season when he averaged 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game for the Rockets. Capela is still just 23-years-old so he is only now entering the prime of his career. The addition of Chris Paul could boost his production even further as an excellent option to finish at the rim. Paul and James Harden are both capable of getting him the ball under the basket. Capela could be a sneaky good sleeper option in the Southwest division this season.
Tyreke Evans, Memphis Grizzlies
Evans has struggled with injuries and inconsistent performances over the past few seasons. While he isn’t worth taking a risk on early, there is value taking him later in fantasy drafts. Evans is an ideal situation with Vince Carter in Sacramento and Chandler Parsons unable to stay healthy. Consider two things: usage rate and the fact that the Grizzlies need the one key thing he can add, which is points. He’s offense on a team that is typically reliable on defense but is struggling at the other end of the floor. But Evans is a creator and should be useful in fantasy. Evans isn’t a safe option by any means but the upside is there as a potential sleeper pick.
Rajon Rondo, New Orleans Pelicans
Only five NBA players averaged at least six points, five rebounds and one steal per game last season. Rondo was one of them. Rondo could be the perfect fit in New Orleans where he will have the opportunity to feed Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Jrue Holliday so his assist totals should stay relatively high this season. Rondo isn’t an elite option by any means but the upside could be there for a talented veteran that is in an excellent situation with the Pelicans. They need him to be a key contributor but most people are drafting him like he’ll be an afterthought on this offense. He won’t give you tons of points but he’ll offer value in other categories.
Nerlens Noel, Dallas Mavericks
Noel decided to bet on himself with a one-year, $4.1 million qualifying offer with the Mavericks. That means Noel is playing for a new contract in Dallas this season. Noel became the first qualifying player to average at least 15.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per 36 minutes since David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon in the early 1990’s. Noel has the potential to play starting minutes for the Mavericks. If he flies under the radar he could be worth taking a chance on as a sleeper fantasy option this season.
The 2017 NBA futures are out. It’s been a wild offseason already, but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest NBA betting lines right here.
