Fantasy Basketball 2020: Deep NBA Sleepers for Week 1

Talen Horton-Tucker was one of the stars of the short NBA preseason. 

The second-year Los Angeles Lakers player will not be close to the team's starting lineup, but he could carve out more playing time in the early part of the regular season. 

Los Angeles is coming off the shortest rest period of any NBA team, and the Lakers begin the 2020-21 campaign with one of the league's busiest slates. 

With three games on the Week 1 schedule, the Lakers may need to manage minutes, which would open the door for Horton-Tucker to impress in regular-season play. 

The Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans are also part of the group that plays three times in the coming week, and there are a few deep sleepers you can pick out from those rosters to benefit your fantasy basketball rosters. 

Talen Horton-Tucker, SF, Los Angeles Lakers

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

The first week of the Lakers' title defense could give us an idea of how impressed the coaching staff was with Horton-Tucker's preseason play. 

Los Angeles faces a Tuesday-Friday-Sunday stretch that concludes with a late-night meeting against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

During that three-game run, Frank Vogel could call on Horton-Tucker to share minutes off the bench with Kyle Kuzma at small forward. 

Anthony Davis heaped praise on Horton-Tucker's preseason performances by stating how impressive he has been dating back to the bubble, per Spectrum Sportsnet:

"He's been great from day one, even in the bubble last year. He's been great for us. And he's a kid who wants to learn, a kid who wants to go out there and compete and get thrown into the fire. He doesn't shy away from matchups, he doesn't shy away from big moments, he listens and that's all you can ask for from a guy who is a young player."

Even though the Lakers have a day off between their games with the Mavericks and Wolves, Vogel and his staff could manage the minutes of their starters to be fresher later in the season. 

Given the loaded schedule and Horton-Tucker's preseason output, it could be worth giving him a look, especially as a low-salary option in daily fantasy contests. 

Bryn Forbes, SG, Milwaukee

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Bryn Forbes could be one of the more intriguing offseason additions by the Milwaukee Bucks.

The guard out of Michigan State averaged 11 points per game in his final two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, and he should receive a decent chunk of playing time off the bench this season. 

In the last two years, Forbes increased his three-point shooting output, which suits the Bucks' offensive style. He shot a career-best 42.6 percent from deep in the 2018-19 season. 

Milwaukee's Christmas Day matchup with the Golden State Warriors could be a shooter's dream, as both squads try to get up and down the court fast to set up open three-point attempts. 

The Bucks' final game of the week against the New York Knicks could be the perfect spot for Forbes and the second-string players to shine, if the starters bust out a large advantage. 

If Forbes provides depth behind Khris Middleton and Donte DiVincenzo, he could be a nice piece to have off the bench in season-long leagues and as a value play in DFS Christmas contests.

JJ Redick, SG. New Orleans

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

New Orleans' addition of Eric Bledsoe from Milwaukee should affect JJ Redick's role.

Redick is still a valuable veteran to have on the young roster, but he is stuck behind Bledsoe on the depth chart, which devalues him a bit in fantasy leagues. 

Redick may be more used to the backup role than he would have been in previous seasons since he started 36 of his 60 games last season. 

In the 2019-20 campaign, the shooting guard shot 45.3 percent from both the field and three-point range. If those numbers remain near the same, he could form a nice veteran duo at the position with Bledsoe. 

The Pelicans have a pair of tough matchups to start versus the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, so they could rely on their veteran shooters more to potentially open up an advantage. 

The closing matchup of the week against the Spurs could be the most beneficial for the Pelicans, and that may be the perfect spot to call on Redick to rest some starters and carve up an opposing defense through accurate shooting.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Basketball Reference