Fantasy Basketball 2019: Deep NBA Sleepers After March 28
March 28, 2019
It's never too late to acquire a late boost in a fantasy basketball matchup, especially during the championship round.
Managers in public leagues have a few days to tweak their lineups before the end result. If you're trailing and need a gem buried on the waiver wire, there are players heating up late in the regular season.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson has tweaked his starting lineup. The switch should help owners on the hunt for triples and rebounds. A power forward on a non-playoff club provides a unique combination of statistics.
We'll dig deep for three sleeper pickups available after March 28. Each selection is owned in less than 25 percent of Yahoo public leagues but provides enough production to draw attention in the transaction trends.
PF/SF DeMarre Carroll, Brooklyn Nets (11 percent owned)
DeMarre Carroll started his second game of the regular season in a 148-144 double-overtime loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Atkinson replaced Caris LeVert with the 10th-year veteran. He's logged 35 and 36 minutes in the last two outings.
According to Newsday's Greg Logan, the Nets head coach may change the lineup based on the matchup. "I haven't made a decision if we stick with that or bring Caris back in. It could be a game-to-game basis," Atkinson said after a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday.
In the meantime, fantasy owners should swipe Carroll off the scrapheap for help in three-pointers, points and rebounds. In his two previous outings, he's knocked down seven triples, scored 33 points and came down with 11 boards.
The Nets play the hot-and-cold Boston Celtics Saturday at the Barclays Center, fighting for a playoff spot. If Atkinson moves Carroll to the bench, managers should still benefit in the same categories. For most of the year, he's served as a solid offensive spark in the second unit.
PF Maxi Kleber, Dallas Mavericks (13 percent owned)
Maxi Kleber offers fantasy owners a rare triples-blocks combination. He's not Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez in those categories, but the 6'11", 240-pounder found his stroke in the last two contests, logging 33 points, which included eight three-pointers.
The Dallas Mavericks gave up on their playoff chances long ago, but managers can salvage some value on the fantasy waiver wire. This squad doesn't have a favorable schedule, with the Oklahoma City Thunder coming up Sunday, but the second-year forward played 33 productive minutes against the Sacramento Kings Tuesday.
Head coach Rick Carlisle seems content with Kleber as a stretch 4. Although he's coming off the bench, the big man provides a lift in multiple categories, averaging three triples, 12.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and shooting 58 percent from the floor over the last week.
SG/SF Dion Waiters, Miami Heat (12 percent owned)
Justise Winslow is day-to-day with a thigh injury, and he's also dealing with food poisoning. The 23-year-old has missed the previous six games; his absence allowed Dion Waiters to take on more ball-handling duties in the starting lineup. Keep in mind guard Goran Dragic continues to come off the bench since returning from knee surgery.
Miami lost to the Orlando Magic Tuesday, but Waiters led the Heat in scoring with 26 points. The guard had a hot hand, draining 5-of-11 from beyond the arc. He's knocked down 16 triples in his last four outings. Even more impressive, the seventh-year swingman shot above 50 percent from the field over the previous two contests.
The Heat will come to Madison Square Garden in the thick of a playoff race to play a hapless New York Knicks squad headed toward a lottery pick. Fantasy owners should take advantage of Waiters' hot streak. He's averaging four three-pointers, 18 points and converting 50 percent from the floor over the last week.