I've tried to gather some deep sleepers for you who'll be owned in less than 5% of the leagues as I write this. These are players you can get from the Free Agent list in deeper leagues (13+ teams). Grab them, see what they'll bring to the table and either keep them or deal them as soon as you get a nice offer for them. Here's a real useful list of sleepers.
1. Lavoy Allen (1% owned). He's your starting Philly center for the season. No, I don't think we'll see Bynum back on the court anytime soon. This mean the recently resigned sophomore gets all the minutes he can handle as the main big on a young Sixers squad. Playing alongside Young, Lavoy will be able to grab quite a few rebounds. Don't expect more than 10 points from him. Heck 10 is even too much. But he will get you a nice FG% (55% or more), while playing good defence (check what he did against KG on May 18). This will show up in some blocks (1.0+ and steals probable about half a steal per game)After starting some games last year, he'll be back stronger and maybe ready to man the center position for the Sixers.
2. Alec Burks (1% owned). Burks looks like a better version of Ronnie Brewer. That said, he also lacks the range, like Brewer, although he's show improvement there. Burks will get you FT, Pts, Stl, Reb. The downside? He's stuck behind Hayward and Marvin Williams.
3. Tobias Harris (2% owned) Looking for D? Look somewhere else. If you want scoring and good percentages, Harris is your man. Chances are he'll be starting alonside Ilyasova sooner than later and score over 15 points a game, paired with 48%fg and over 80%ft. He'll shoot the occasional 3pt and won't hurt your in the to cat.
4. Cole Aldrich (0% owned) Perkins is nearing the end of his useful career fast. Already way past his fantasy expiry date, he's a shell of his former self. Aldrich had a great preseason, and in limited minutes he's played very well last season. Aldrich is a smart player who know his limitations. A decent scorer, strong and very nice shot blocker. This is what OKC will look for when playing Cole and cutting down Perk's minutes. Expect Aldrich to play around 15 minutes a game this season and gradually take over.
5. Martel Webster (1% owned) Forever a tease, sometimes compared to Ray Allen early in his career, Webster never was able to stay on the court long enough to impress. He's still a great shooter though, and it shouldn't be too hard to crack the Wizards rotation, or even start. Without many great shooters on the squad, Webster will get a chance for redemption.
6. Andrew Nicholson (2% owned) Orlando is a mess and will play for lottery picks. By November Hedo, Qrich, Harrington and other will be gone. Nicholson will get every chance to show what he's worth.
7. Kosta Koufos (4% owned) McGee got paid. He's still a moron though and George Karl prefers players who do what they're supposed to do. That's Koufos. He doesn't do many things well, but he does what Denver needs him to do. Set picks, defend the post and rebound a lot. With many fearing the three headed monster (McGee, Kosta, Mozgov), expect Koufos to play about 25 minutes a game and get you 8 usefull rebounds and a little over a block a game.
Then there's five players who might be taken, unless you're in a smaller league. Still it can earn you big rewards if you're able to snag them up and use that last roster spot on them. They are owned in less than 20% of the leagues:
1. Jae Crowder (6% owned) Do I need to explain this one? Dude is more than just hustle. He scores well, showed some range and plays a VERY Roto friendly game. With half the team in wheelchairs or suffering from Alzheimer, Crowder will get a chance to provide.
2. Marvin Williams (19% owned) I was actually surprised Marv was owned in almost 20% of the leagues. Still, he'll surprise many people. Of all the Utah player, Marv has looked most impressive in most preseason games. He's a great fit for Utah's current playing style and brings them exactly what they need. Expect him to start showing why he was a #2 pick (although he won't show you why he was drafted over Paul & Deron). I'll say this: he'll be in the top 6 of most productive roto players for the calls of '05.
3. Patrick Patterson (7% owned) Scola's gone. Heck 80% of the team is gone. I don't see Morris take over the spot and the Rockets will need inside scroing, and don't look for Asik to provide it. Patterson has huge arms and hands. I can see him score, block, rebound well enough, with nice percentages, to end up in the top 70.
4. Robin Lopez (14% owned) Anthony Davis or Ryan Anderson might play sf since Aminu keeps sucking it up. This opens up a spot for Lopez in the middle. Look for Lopez to produce when given enough confidence, think Perkins in Boston stats: 8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks.
5. Chase Buddinger (7% owned) Love is out for a while and Minnesoate's roatation is a mess. Buddinger always plays well when given a chance. Good FG, loads of 3pts and a reb, ast, stl and even blk here and there.
