Top 15 '08-'09 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers

You don't win by getting a Chris Paul or a Kobe Bryant in the 1st round! Instead, you win by getting players in the middle rounds or late rounds who are undervalued and eventually outperform their rankings. Let us take for example Hedo Turkoglu and Mike Dunleavy who were both drafted in latter rounds of drafts last year but they performed like players who should be drafted in 4th or 5th rounds. To have gotten players like them in the last few rounds would have been great...LAST YEAR but not this year. It is a whole new ballgame this year and players have moved, developed and traded so here is a lit of fantasy basketball sleepers you should not forget in your draft THIS YEAR.

Robin Lopez - C (Suns)

Shaq is getting old and it's just a matter of time before he starts complaining about a new injury just to rest his body for the playoff. With this, center Robin Lopez can get additional minutes and have a better fantasy line. Draft him if you need rebounds, blocks and good fg% but just draft this guy if you are in a deep league. People who draft in Yahoo! Public league won't draft this guy yet so just keep your eye on him in the waivers.

Matt Barnes -SF (Suns)

Coach Terry Porter is still thinking of either starting Grant Hill or Matt Barnes but I believe that Barnes will win the job come November. He has been playing great defense during the Suns' training camp and will continue forcing turnovers. He will be a great source of 3s and steals. Chip in 5 rebounds per and your set to draft this guys in the 12th-13th round of any Yahoo! Public draft.

Wilson Chandler - SF/PF (Knicks)

After having a great April last season and a huge summer league, Chandler looks to capitalize on that to make him a permanent starter for this Knicks team. Mike D'Antoni has already praised this kid and only Q.Rich is blocking his way into that starting 5. Look for him to make it by December while also averaging close to 13 ppg, 6 rpg, close to a steal, a block and a three-pointer every night. There are only 5 Knicks that should be drafted right now in standard leagues and Chandler is one of them.

Charlie Villanueva - SF/PF (Bucks)

Charlie V. took a step back last year when he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. With Yi Jian Lian traded to the Nets, look for Villanueva to bounce back and become a Donyell Marshall-type of player. As a starter he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds. He looks to be the starter now in Milwaukee and it looks like he will try to match those numbers again. He is a great pick up if you need points, rebounds and some 3s but just don't count him to be a consistent player.

Andray Blatche - PF/C (Wizards)

In 15 starts last season, Andray Blatche averaged 11.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.9 blocks. With Brendan Haywood out for months, look for Blatche to get more minutes and possibly become a starter with just Ethan Thomas in his way. When you need some defensive numbers late in the draft, Blatche will provide you that. In most leagues, you may draft him as early as the last few picks of the 10th round.

Ramon Sessions - PG (Bucks)

Even with Luke Ridnour projected as a starter, Ramon Sessions could end up playing more minutes and having a more important role. This kid has such great passing skills that against Chicago last season he dished out 24 assists to go with 20 points and just 2 TOs. I'm expecting him to still be an assist machine this season especially with more scorers in the Bucks right now. He is drafted in the last 2 rounds of most drafts so if you need assists that late, Sessions is your man.

Louis Williams - PG/SG (Sixers)

The deal was reportedly worth more than $25 million over five years. Williams, who averaged 11.5 points in 23 minutes last season, should see an increase in his minutes this year. The Sixers did not pay this kid that much money to have sit on the bench and the addition of Brand will greatly improve his overall game. Look for him average at least 14 points, 4.5 assists, a little over a steal, while reaching 45% FG. He is usually drafted in the latter part of some Yahoo! Public leagues so don't go grabbing him in the middle rounds. He'd be a great addition to your team for some deeper leagues.

Amir Johnson - SF/PF (Pistons)

Detroit coach Michael Curry has said that Amir Johnson has won the starting PF job over Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess. "Amir does things without having to have the ball," Curry said. "He's able to pick up baskets through his activity, by running the floor and playing off the other four guys." The Detroit lineup is quite crowded though but spending a late round pick for this guy will be worth it if you need some defensive numbers. As long as he gets at least 20 minutes a game look for him to get close 2 blocks a game.

Tyrus Thomas - SF/PF (Bulls)

The Bulls may have three other big men who can start at the PF/C positions (Noah, Gooden and Gray) but I believe that Thomas will get his share of minutes this year to prove that he was worthy of being drafted 4th overall in 2006. This is a big year for him as we will more or less know if he is a bust or not. I am hoping not as according to the Sun Times, he's showing a lot of good things in camp. He will suffer from inconsistency but I am high on this guy. Expect averages close to 12 points, 6.5 rebounds, a little over a steal and close to 1.5 blocks.

Thaddeus Young - SF/PF (Sixers)

This kid has been great in the preseason and would be a very part of the Sixers' run to make it to the Finals. He is such an efficient and all around player that one day he will be one of the stars of the NBA. Right now he is just a 3rd-4th option behind Brand, Iguodala and Miller but he will do good when it comes to rebounding, FG%, steals and TOs (few). He is being drafted late in the draft but in a standard (12x13) league you may move him up one round up to the late 8th round or early 9th round.

Devin Harris - PG (Nets)

There are only two players I am confident in drafting from the Nets this year: Vince Carter and Devin Harris. There are just too many "good" players on the Nets team and everyone wants minutes. They have 6 solid big men but are thin in the guard position. That means that Devin Harris will not only start but will play lots of minutes. After the trade from Dallas, his 3 points per game increased. I'm confident he can continue shooting well from long distance and have a better year defensively - steals.

Lamarcus Aldridge - PF/C (Blazers)

He has looked great in training camp and is set for a big year. He is still being drafted in the 6th round of most leagues (12 managers, 13 players) but should have late 4th round to 5th round value. Should he fall in the 6th round and you are in need of a big man go grab him. He will be help you with points, rebounds, FG% and blocks. His FG% dropped a little last year to 48.4% from 50.3% but I expect him to go back to 50% with new and better players surrounding him. He should reach 50% FG, 20 PPG, 8.5-9 Rebs, 1.5 Blocks and I'm expecting him to have a steal per game this year.

Randy Foye - PG/SG (Wolves)

After an injury-riddled sophomore year, Randy Foye is ready to start his 3rd year from where he left off in the final months of last season. In 31 games after the All-Star break, Foye averaged 14.3 points, 1.6 3-pointers, 4.8 assists and 1.0 steal. Expect him to better those numbers this season and potentially having Brandon Roy-type numbers. This year I'm expecting him average at least 18 points, 1.6 3-pointers, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and a little over a steal. Despite a knee injury last year don't be afraid to use your pick on this guy, he will be a very solid mid-round pick.

Andrea Bargnani - SF/PF/C (Raptors)

Andrea Bargnani was recently awarded the Most Improved Player by the Toronto Sun. According to them, "The first overall pick of the 2006 draft arrived bigger, better conditioned, healthier and in a better frame of mind than at any point last season." This should be Bargnani's year to show everyone why he was chosen the 1st overall 2 summers ago. Although being the 3rd option behind Chris Bosh and newly acquired Jermaine O'neal, he will get plenty of looks especially from the midrange and 3-point area because of their PG, Jose Calderon. Another thing that's great about getting Bargnani is that he can play multiply positions.

Rodney Stuckey - PG/SG (Pistons)

When picking a player in any of your fantasy teams one of the things you should consider is the minutes given to a player regardless if he's a starter or not. With more minutes there would be likely more production coming from that player. As for Stuckey's case, he is not a starter but he will play 30 minutes a game, which is like starters' minutes. According to their coach, he is their "6th starter." If we base it on that, he is a favorite to win the 6th man award this year. A stat line of 11 ppg, 3 rpg, 5 apg, 1.8 spg with FG% in the mid-low 40s but with great FT% (volume) is something we can expect from this future star.

That's it! If I've missed some sleeper picks let me know or share with us in the comments area. Goodluck with your draft!