Juan Carlos Blanco offers up his Week 6 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers, and his NBA Week 6 Sleeper Picks might include waiver-wire pickups who’ve fallen through the cracks into free agency, including Denver Nuggets SG Gary Harris.
Despite what is at least one COVID-related postponement each night, the NBA rolls on into Week 6. One silver lining the slew of individual absences tied into health and safety protocols has brought about is that it’s often opened up opportunities for lesser-known players that can be found as viable streamers on your league’s waiver wires. In fact, we’ll focus on one such player this week as part of our trio of suggestions.
These players are the best fantasy basketball sleepers for the week of January 25 2021, which may include possible fantasy basketball waiver-wire pickups.
Week 6 NBA Fantasy Basketball Sleepers
Gary Harris, SG, Denver Nuggets
Harris started the season with some fairly solid swings in his production, posting single-digit scoring tallies in three of his first six contests. However, the defensive-minded guard has picked it up considerably since then, averaging 13.5 points (on 51.3 percent shooting, including 43.6 percent from three-point range), 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists across the subsequent eight contests.
Harris is still in the midst of getting his steals back up to his career norms, but his much sharper shooting in recent contests is certainly encouraging, given he can be relatively scoring-dependent at times with his fantasy production.
The Nuggets have a four-game schedule this coming week, and the opposing Mavericks, Heat, Spurs and Jazz are allowing shooting percentages of 46.5 percent or greater in the last three games. Moreover, Dallas and Miami are yielding three-point shooting success rates of 42.3 and 41.3 percent, respectively, over that same sample, while the Spurs are tied with the Bucks for the fourth-highest three-point percentage allowed for the season (38.6 percent).
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Justin Holiday, F, Indiana Pacers
Holiday’s production has always been capped by his inefficiency, but he’s rectified that issue in impressive fashion this season. The veteran wing is holding down the starting shooting guard job with 50.4 percent shooting, including 41.6 percent from three-point range.
Holiday just posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double that also featured a pair of steals against the Raptors on Sunday. That pushed his season averages to 11.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. making him a decent multi-category contributor at the moment.
Holiday’s usage hasn’t necessarily seen an appreciable bump with the trade of Victor Oladipo to the Rockets, but Caris LeVert’s current medical condition and corresponding indefinite absence does give Holiday some strong job security at shooting guard.
The Pacers’ upcoming four-game week features a rematch against those same Raptors on Monday, followed by a two-game set versus the Hornets and a battle against the 76ers to close out the ledger. Charlotte does present a tough matchup shooting-wise due to Terry Rozier’s defense, but that’s also led to two-guards averaging an NBA-high 6.7 assists per game against the Hornets. Additionally, it’s worth noting the 76ers enter the week giving up an NBA-high 42.0 percent success rate from behind the arc to shooting guards.
Jarred Vanderbilt, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves
Juancho Hernangomez is projected to remain out due to COVID-19 protocols to at least start the week, which should continue to afford Vanderbilt starts at power forward. In that role over Minnesota’s last two games, the third-year big has averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals across 24.0 minutes.
The difference for Vanderbilt in the last two contests has been a notable bump in offensive usage, as he’s put up a total of 23 attempts in those games after averaging just 3.5 in his first two turns in Hernangomez’s stead. The Kentucky product does almost all his scoring near the basket, and as such, he’s shooting an efficient 61.0 percent.
Vanderbilt could also benefit from some favorable matchups on his four-game week – he’ll start by facing a Warriors team that’s even more fast-paced than his own T-Wolves in the first two games, and it’s worth noting Golden State checks in allowing the second-highest offensive efficiency (28.9 percent) to power forwards, along with the fourth-most points (23.1) and second-most rebounds (12.9) to the position. Sunday, Vanderbilt is also slated to tangle with a Cavs team allowing the fifth-highest offensive efficiency to fours (27.1 percent) and elevated 47.2 percent shooting to PFs as well.
Done picking Week 6 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers?
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