Kev Mahserejian offers up his Week 8 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers, and his NBA Week 8 Sleeper Picks might include waiver-wire pickups who’ve fallen through the cracks into free agency. Roster percentages refer to figures from Yahoo! Sports fantasy basketball leagues.
Week 8 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers
Danilo Gallinari, SF/PF, Atlanta Hawks (55% rostered)
By no means is Gallinari a “sleeper" but he is still available in almost half of the Yahoo! universe’s leagues. That should change immediately with De’Andre Hunter out indefinitely with knee surgery upcoming.
Hawks' De'Andre Hunter will undergo meniscus surgery on Monday, team says.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 7, 2021
Bogdan Bogdanovic is still out with his fractured knee, which might not fully heal this season. Gallinari has every opportunity to seize more usage and playing time even with a crowded frontcourt in John Collins, Clint Capela, and recently activated first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu present.
Gallinari has been a mediocre fantasy asset this year but is coming off a top-75 fantasy season and should be healthy now after dealing with an ankle issue. His average of 10.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists is not ideal for fantasy but the increase in playing time should help boost those general stats as he is only averaging 17.4 minutes-per-game.
Bump that up to the 25-28 minute range and we should see a similar Gallinari as last season given his similar two and three-point percentages. His free-throw percentage is nearly perfect on three shots per game. He can boost you there and with three where the possibility of carrying you in any given week is possible.
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Taurean Prince, SF/PF, Cleveland Cavaliers (10% rostered)
With Larry Nance Jr. out for the next 4-6 weeks with a fractured finger, Taurean Prince will look to step in as one of the Cavaliers’ primary forwards.
Reporting with @WindhorstESPN: Cleveland F Larry Nance Jr., is expected to be lost four-to-six weeks with a fractured finger on his left hand, sources tell ESPN. Nance will likely undergo surgery.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 7, 2021
Prince has been tossed around the league in recent years but may find a solid landing spot in Cleveland with their need at his position. Cedi Osman has proven quite mediocre and is not much of a threat unless Prince slumps. Kevin Love is still injured, and the rest of their bigs are all pure centers.
Prince’s versatility on the court will allow him to swing between the three and four. He has been granted over 30 minutes in four games as a Cavalier and has scored double0digit points in five. Prince will not carry you anywhere and his field goal percentage will be a bummer on a bad team but the points, rebounds, free throw, and steals will be worth it. He does not turn the ball over much and he’s even blocking shots here and there this year.
Grab him for the four-game week ahead.
Jae’Sean Tate, SG, Houston Rockets (7% Rostered)
This is probably not a name many are familiar with, but Jae’Sean Tate is making a statement in the NBA with hard-nosed basketball that has helped push the Rockets to one of the best defenses in the league. Tate is 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, and went undrafted in 2018. He is a 25-year-old rookie who has spent the past two seasons overseas — the definition of a grinder.
While Tate may not be the most skilled offensive player, he offers a solid field goal percentage just above 50%, can make the occasional three, and isn’t a FT sink as he hits 70.6% on just 1.5 attempts per game. Tate has started 12 of the Rockets’ 22 games thus far and will continue to as long as he keeps performing.
The loss of Christian Wood for the near future should keep Tate’s minutes and usage high, but oddly enough, Tate has underperformed in the four games he has started while Wood’s been out. Nevertheless, Tate’ played over 30 minutes in seven games this year and can offer some points, rebounds, and stocks.
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