Top 5 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Small Forwards
These players may not be the first names that come to mind when thinking of top small forwards for fantasy basketball, but any one of them could be a steal in your draft.
Nov 29, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) guards Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) during the second half of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony all lead a class of small forwards that is loaded with talent.
The position is so top-heavy that in this edition of top five fantasy sleepers, there will be some well-known names included in the list.
Even the second-tier of small forwards, which includes guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins and Rudy Gay are not quite sleepers, but could be overlooked compared to the star power of that top group.
Before we take a look at the top five “under the radar” options, here are a few players that just missed the cut.
Honorable Mentions
Danilo Gallinari: Always a good option when looking for three-point shooting.
Chandler Parsons: Well-rounded, fills up the stat-sheet, could fit in nicely in Memphis.
Justice Winslow: Will see more playing time in 2016-17, averaged 1.6 steals per game as a rookie.
Harrison Barnes: Could end up with higher scoring numbers in Dallas this season.
Oct 15, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) drives the ball down court in front of Chicago Bulls forward Bobby Portis (5) in the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
5. Jabari Parker
After an underwhelming 2015-16, in which Parker was coming off a torn ACL from his rookie season, the No. 2 overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft is poised for a big year in Milwaukee.
The Bucks will need him to step up in a big way this season, as Khris Middleton is expected to miss six months, leaving a significant gap in scoring on the roster.
Parker averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 rebounds last season, but having his first full year of experience under his belt makes him ready to make the leap in 2016-17.
Given all of these factors, look for the 21-year-old to announce his presence as a rising star in the league, a “go-to guy” in crunch time, and expect his scoring numbers to see a boost.
Oct 10, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Hornets won 98-86. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
4. Nicolas Batum
2015-16 was a bounce-back season for Batum from start to finish. He averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebound, and 5.9 assists per game with the Charlotte Hornets.
After some of Charlotte’s losses to free-agency, the Hornets don’t look like as much of a threat in the Eastern Conference playoff race and it would not be a surprise for Batum’s assist numbers to take a hit.
However, if he can score somewhere in the range of his 15 per game average from last season, he’s still a great option for a mid-to-late round pick at small forward.
2016-17 will be a chance to see if Batum’s last season was more of an anomaly or if he can keep up that outstanding production.
Although it might be a bit unrealistic to expect Batum to duplicate those numbers, anything close to them would make for a solid pick in the later rounds.
Oct 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) dribbles the ball as San Antonio Spurs guard Patricio Garino (29) defends during the fourth quarter of the game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons 86-81. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
3. Tobias Harris
The most encouraging sign regarding Harris is how much his play improved by joining the Detroit Pistons in February of 2016.
After averaging 13.7 points per game in Orlando, Harris scored 16.6 per game in his 29 appearances with the Pistons in the second half of the season. If Harris only continues that scoring production in 2016-17, it would put him near the top 10 of small forwards in points per game.
Pistons fans have reason to be hopeful that by having less than half a season under his belt with his new teammates, his numbers could even increase this year.
For fantasy basketball players, this is worth taking a flyer on in the later rounds, as the 24-year-old appears to be trending the right direction and could be in store for an even better season.
Now that Harris is more acclimated to his Pistons’ teammates, that second half of 2015-16 might be just the beginning of great things to come.
Oct 14, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Indiana Pacers 114-106. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
2. Aaron Gordon
Although he is best-known by casual basketball fans for his monster jams in the Slam Dunk Contest, Gordon can flat out play.
He showed that in the second half of 2015-16, rattling off 13 double-digit rebounding performances from the month of February and beyond.
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The 21-year-old posted 12 double-doubles, 11 of which came in the second half of the season.
Similar to Harris, it’s that second-half production that makes him an intriguing candidate for the later rounds of fantasy drafts.
It’s also no coincidence that the Magic felt comfortable enough to trade Harris and Gordon’s play elevated when he took over a bigger role.
The Magic front office was confident enough in a 20-year-old to deal away one of its core players, and the team did not miss a beat with Gordon taking on more playing time.
The one cautionary sign for Gordon is that the arrival of Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo will likely cut into his rebounding numbers, but look for his scoring to increase, as now he has a full season to be a main contributor for Orlando’s offense.
Even if Gordon does not post double-doubles routinely, his scoring should be somewhere in the 12-14 points per game range and his rebounding totals should still be as high as most small forwards in the league.
At 21 years old, Gordon has a high ceiling and could be a steal in your draft.
Oct 13, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin (7) defends against Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) during a preseason game during the first half at Barclays Center. The Celtics won 100-97. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
1. Jae Crowder
The Boston Celtics are in a great position to challenge for the second seed in the Eastern Conference and Crowder is one of the main reasons for that.
Alongside Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and a deep roster, Crowder is one of the main parts of the heart and soul of the Celtics.
The first area where he stands out in fantasy basketball is steals, as he averaged 1.7 per game in 2015-16.
Even if he didn’t do much more than that, a specialist on your roster to grab steals is always a plus.
However, Crowder can score with some of the better small forwards in the league, as he averaged 14.2 points per game last season. He scored 20 or more points on 12 separate occasions in that stretch.
He also averaged 5.1 rebounds per game in the 2015-16 campaign.
The biggest reason for encouragement surrounding Crowder in this upcoming season is that the Celtics did not have that third guy to complement him and Thomas last season.
Now that Horford is there, it takes away from the attention that would normally go on those two and should free up Crowder for more opportunities to either knock down jumpers, score from close range or get to the free throw line.
Some would say that the arrival of Horford will take away from Crowder’s scoring totals, but in watching the Celtics in 2015-16, it was far too easy for opponents to load up on the two main scoring options and make the rest of the roster try to beat them.
This should help Crowder be more efficient, if not lead to higher scoring totals in 2016-17.
He is 26 years old, nearing his prime, and has a chance to establish himself as a top-tier small forward on a contending team in 2016-17.
My advice would be grab him before the rest of your fantasy league starts to catch on to what a tremendous talent the Celtics have.
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