Fantasy Basketball 2021: Ranking Sleepers for NBA Week 11
NBA players' statuses have felt like they have changed by the hour over the past few weeks.
The long list of absences caused by positive COVID-19 tests and injuries have sent fantasy basketball players on daily treks to the waiver wire.
Some of the positions of need can be barren at this point of the season because so many backups and replacements from the G League are being used on a nightly basis. There are a handful of those players still widely available on the waiver wire, and they should be picked up for spot-start duty in fantasy lineups while teams get healthier.
The Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons are two of the teams that must be targeted from that perspective.
Detroit's gameday roster is primarily made up of G League-caliber players, and it lost Frank Jackson to an ankle injury Wednesday.
Miami is dealing with countless injuries and has called upon players like Omer Yurtseven to fill in the scoring depth behind Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson.
Ranking Sleepers for Week 11
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10. Chimezie Metu, PF, Sacramento
9. Jalen McDaniels, SF/PF/C, Charlotte
8. Jaden McDaniels, PF, Minnesota
7. Gary Payton II, PG/SG, Golden State
6. Deni Avdija, SG/SF, Washington
5. Isaac Okoro, SG/SF, Cleveland
4. Donte DiVincenzo, PG/SG, Milwaukee
3. Bones Hyland, PG/SG, Denver
2. Hamidou Diallo, SG/SF, Detroit
1. Omer Yurtseven, C, Miami
Hamidou Diallo, SG/SF, Detroit
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Hamidou Diallo's 59 points in the past two Detroit Pistons games makes him one of the most viable waiver-wire candidates.
The Kentucky product has taken full advantage of his increased minutes while a handful of his teammates are unavailable.
Diallo and Saddiq Bey are the two primary scoring options in the Detroit offense, and more pressure will be put on them to score if Jackson misses any time with the ankle injury he suffered against the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
The 23-year-old logged more than 30 minutes in each of his past five games, and he might maintain that level even when Cade Cunningham returns to the floor. Detroit needs a third scoring option behind the 2021 draft's No. 1 overall pick and Bey while Jerami Grant is out injured. Diallo could be the perfect answer to that problem.
Diallo reached double figures in nine of his 11 appearances in December. That consistency should be rewarded with more playing time in Detroit and a higher roster percentage in Yahoo fantasy basketball leagues.
Omer Yurtseven, C, Miami
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Omer Yurtseven has been a rebounding machine for the Miami Heat in recent weeks.
No one would have expected to even think about uttering that sentence at the start of the NBA season, but that is where we are at given the roster shortages.
Yurtseven produced back-to-back double-doubles Sunday and Tuesday against the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. He likely would have been in the mix for another one Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, but that game was cancelled because the Heat only having seven available players.
The center should feature in a heightened role when Miami returns to the court because he is one of the few players the franchise can rely on for production every night. He has at least 12 rebounds in each of his past six games, and his point production went up in his two most recent trips to the hardwood.
Yurtseven's consistency makes him a solid waiver-wire addition until Miami returns more depth to the floor.
