X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

NBA Waiver Wire: Four-Game Fantasy Basketball Sleepers (1/12 – 1/18)

By Mike (Flickr: Washington at Orlando 015) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This weekly column is geared toward anyone playing in a head-to-head format, and especially those of you in weekly lineup leagues. It is a great idea to keep up with which players are scheduled to play four games during the upcoming week (1/12 – 1/18), as fantasy basketball managers can use this information to gain an advantage in games played over an opponent. Simply put, the more games played, the more potential there is for production.

Based on their respective four-game schedules, the following four players should be viewed as “sleepers” for next week. Advising fantasy owners to play the likes of LeBron James or Anthony Davis is a waste of time and effort; hopefully it is common knowledge that studs of that nature should be in lineups regardless of how many games they are slated to play.

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based On Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Leagues.

 

Top Four-Game Sleepers (1/12 - 1/18)

Robert Covington (PHI, SF/PF) - 56% Owned

The Philadelphia 76ers are a terrible team. Everybody knows they are still in tank mode to try and get a high draft pick, but they still have to put five guys on the court. They have no depth, but there are a couple of talented players on this roster. It is about time that more people started paying attention to Covington.

What is there not to like about this guy? He does everything. Over the last month he has been a top 30 player, posting averages of 15.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 2.8 treys per game in that span.

One of Covington’s major assets is his ability to hit three-pointers in bunches from the forward position. A closer look reveals that more than half of his field goal attempts this season come from beyond the arc. He is shooting 42.3 percent from downtown, so he should continue to be an elite player in that category.

Covington has had two games with five or more steals this month. He has been tremendous and it is a crime that he is not owned in more leagues. Fire him up this week, as he gets matchups with Atlanta, at Toronto, New Orleans, and at Detroit. He consistently logs huge minutes on a nightly basis, so there is no reason to believe he is going to slow down. Covington is definitely in the running for waiver pickup of the year.

 

James Johnson (TOR, SF/PF) - 11% Owned

Johnson is an interesting case. Throughout his NBA career, he has been very solid when given playing time. Yet, somehow he has found it hard to keep a roster spot at times, let alone get on the court consistently.

Again this year, Johnson is getting to play as a result of an injury, in this case to DeMar DeRozan. Once more, he is showing what he can do. He is a decent scorer, but his primary value comes in the defensive categories.

Johnson has been a top 100 player this season, despite the fact that he is averaging just over 20 minutes a game. Imagine what he could do with a starting gig. Well, you do not have to, because the Raptors put him in the starting lineup on Saturday. Johnson responded with 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. That will do.

There is some risk involved with Johnson. DeRozan is nearing a return, and someone will get bumped back to bench. In spite of his strong play, Johnson is no lock to keep his starting job. However, there is a chance that Johnson does stick with the starters, and Terrence Ross is the odd man out.

Either way, Johnson will be worth using next week if you need help in the defensive categories. The Raptors will do battle with Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and New Orleans. All four games are at home. If you have the roster space, Johnson may be worth holding onto until we see how the situation plays out upon DeRozan’s return.

 

Jarrett Jack (BKN, PG/SG) - 51% Owned

Usually, the Jack's value is dependent upon the health of Deron Williams. However, when Williams came back from injury last month the Nets opted to keep Jack in the starting lineup, with Williams coming off the bench. The return of Williams did not seem to bother Jack, as he continued his strong play.

Now, Williams has a broken rib and is out indefinitely. This is a terrible blow for Williams owners, but it solidifies the value of Jack. There is no one else in Brooklyn to compete for minutes at the point guard position, so Jack will continue to see big minutes.

He has been hot of late too, with two double-doubles in his last four games. Next week Jack will face Houston, Memphis, at Washington, and Washington again. It is a tough draw for Jack, but he will still put up numbers. He should be owned everywhere right now, at least until Williams gets back. There is a chance that Williams gets traded as well, giving Jack some stash appeal.

 

Nene Hilario (WAS, PF/C) - 51% Owned

Nene is a frustrating player to own. He is a constant injury risk. It is only a matter of time before he breaks again and misses a significant amount of playing time. However, when healthy he is capable of filling up the stat sheet, so we should take advantage while we can.

Over his last four games, Nene is averaging 13.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks on 60.5 percent shooting. Many are worried about his timeshare with Kris Humphries, but they should not be. Nene is still seeing minutes in the upper 20s, which is plenty enough for him to do some damage. The Wizards are smart to keep his minutes down just a tad, in an effort to keep him on the court.

Next week the Wizards go up against San Antonio, at Chicago, Brooklyn, and at Brooklyn again. These are two sets of back-to-backs, but the Wizards do not typically rest him in those like some other teams do, so he should be good to go. As long as he is playing for Washington, he should be playing for you.

 

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Noah Fant5 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Update Coming On Saturday
6 hours ago

Kyle Farmer Agrees With Rockies On One-Year Deal
Nick Madrigal7 hours ago

Non-Tendered By Cubs
Austin Hays7 hours ago

Non-Tendered By Phillies
Michael Tonkin7 hours ago

And Twins Avoid Arbitration
Brock Purdy7 hours ago

Week 13 Status Uncertain
Santiago Espinal7 hours ago

Avoids Arbitration With Reds
Connor Joe7 hours ago

Pirates Expected To Non-Tender Bryan De La Cruz, Connor Joe
Griffin Canning7 hours ago

Braves Non-Tender Griffin Canning
Kyle Finnegan7 hours ago

Nationals Non-Tender Kyle Finnegan On Friday
Dylan Carlson7 hours ago

Rays Non-Tender Dylan Carlson
Sam Hilliard7 hours ago

Rockies Avoid Arbitration With Sam Hilliard, Lucas Gilbreath
Brendan Rodgers8 hours ago

Rockies Non-Tender Brendan Rodgers, Cal Quantrill
Mike Yastrzemski8 hours ago

Avoids Arbitration With Giants
Jordan Romano8 hours ago

Blue Jays Non-Tender Closer Jordan Romano
Dustin May8 hours ago

Dodgers Sign Dustin May To One-Year Deal To Avoid Arbitration
Walker Kessler8 hours ago

Might Return To Action Saturday
Kyle Filipowski8 hours ago

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jordan Clarkson8 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Saturday
Miles McBride8 hours ago

Questionable To Face Jazz
Dane Dunning9 hours ago

Staying In Texas
Joel Embiid9 hours ago

To Remain Out On Sunday
Nikola Jokic9 hours ago

Returns To Action Friday
Tyler Wade9 hours ago

Staying In San Diego
Gavin Sheets9 hours ago

Non-Tendered By Chicago
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope9 hours ago

No Longer On Injury Report
Joey Wiemer9 hours ago

Traded To Kansas City
Wendell Carter Jr.9 hours ago

Considered Questionable For Saturday
Brady Singer9 hours ago

Shipped To Cincinnati
Jonathan India9 hours ago

Traded To Kansas City
Tre Mann9 hours ago

Listed As Out For Saturday
Torrey Craig9 hours ago

Available Versus Hawks
Nick Richards9 hours ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
Jarace Walker10 hours ago

Ready To Face Bucks
Ben Sheppard10 hours ago

Misses A Third Consecutive Game
Anfernee Simons10 hours ago

Returns To Action Friday
Ja Morant10 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Saturday
Jerami Grant10 hours ago

Ready For Action Friday
Marcus Smart10 hours ago

Questionable For Saturday
Deandre Ayton10 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Yves Missi10 hours ago

Will Not Play On Friday
Stephen Curry10 hours ago

Available Versus Pelicans
Scoot Henderson10 hours ago

Absent On Friday
Rashod Bateman11 hours ago

Added To Week 12 Injury Report
Vince Dunn11 hours ago

Could Be An Option For Kraken Next Week
TOR11 hours ago

Alexander Nylander Joins Maple Leafs On One-Year Deal
George Kittle11 hours ago

Cleared For Week 12
Jason Dickinson11 hours ago

Expected To Play On Saturday
Cam York12 hours ago

Expected To Return Saturday
San Francisco 49ers12 hours ago

Nick Bosa Won't Play Against Packers
Mason McTavish12 hours ago

Remains Out On Friday
Brock Purdy12 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Tage Thompson12 hours ago

Continues To Sit On Friday
Kevin Hayes12 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Kris Letang12 hours ago

Might Return On Friday
Ladd McConkey12 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
CeeDee Lamb12 hours ago

Cleared To Play In Week 12
Sam LaPorta13 hours ago

Off The Injury Report, Cleared For Week 12
Jake Ferguson13 hours ago

Ruled Out With Concussion
DeVonta Smith13 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Brock Purdy13 hours ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
T.J. Hockenson14 hours ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison14 hours ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins14 hours ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans14 hours ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers14 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Sam Darnold14 hours ago

Cleared For Sunday
D'Andre Swift15 hours ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen15 hours ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Isiah Pacheco15 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Dedniel Núñez16 hours ago

Dedniel Nunez Progressing Nicely, Could Pitch In Winter Ball
Tabatha Ricci17 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan17 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Muslim Salikhov17 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Song Kenan17 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang17 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz18 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
MacKenzie Weegar20 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini20 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov21 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan21 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski21 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes21 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo21 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Carlos Ulberg1 day ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir1 day ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes1 day ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA1 day ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo1 day ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson1 day ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov1 day ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg3 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole3 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
Charles Oliveira5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler5 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva5 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy5 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop6 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig6 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal6 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic6 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Mike Evans - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Injury Reports For Week 12 (Friday Updates): Mike Evans, Isiah Pacheco, Tyreek Hill, George Kittle, CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Hurts, Calvin Ridley, more

It's now Friday of Week 12, meaning the final injury reports for all teams have been released. We now have the official designations of each player dealing with injuries ahead of their Week 12 contests, meaning we have the best information we'll have until unofficial speculative reports and final active/inactive lists are released. There are […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch: Top College Fantasy Football Players Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to another season of Fantasy Football Dynasty Watch, where I highlight the best and brightest performances from the college football week. The Big 12(16) took center stage this week and Tennessee fell to the ranks of most SEC contenders with two losses. Here are the players who showed out that you may have […]


Video: Week 12 Booms, Sleepers, and Streamers - 2024 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Analysis

And here...we...go... The YouTube team is dropping fresh fire content for the weekend ahead with our top Week 12 booms, sleepers, and streamers! NFL Network and RotoBaller contributor LaQuan Jones gives in-depth fantasy football advice, breaking down some of his high-upside, sleeper, and value plays as we head into Week 12 of the new fantasy […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 12 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 12 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 12! There will be a whopping six teams on bye this week (Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets), so that means fantasy managers might need to look deeper on their benches. This Week 12 matchups […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule: Best Fantasy Football Defense Streamers and Matchups (Weeks 12-17)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 12 - Top Lineup Plays Include Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Puka Nacua

It’s already Week 12, although the end of the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough for teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers, to name a few. On the other hand, clubs like the Bills, Chiefs, and Lions are only a few weeks away from officially punching their tickets to the postseason.   In […]


Braelon Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules for Waiver Wire Streamers, Stashes (Weeks 15-17)

Planning too far in advance to align your fantasy football players for an optimal playoff performance comes with many pitfalls. However, positioning yourself for good fortune in Weeks 15 through 17 should be a key piece of your strategy if you're in line to make the bracket. Fantasy players still have time to trade for […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

The King's Week 12 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel shares his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league participants. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to highlight that some of your must-start players have a good chance of supplying […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Anthony Richardson, Brian Robinson Jr., Courtland Sutton, and more

How's it going, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our DraftKings Main Slate article. Known around the fantasy football world as "Bye-Mageddon," Week 12 certainly offers up some unique challenges from a DFS perspective. Don't worry, we'll work through those difficulties to find the best plays we can on this slate. These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, Will Dissly

Week 12 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups Include Tua Tagovailoa, J.K. Dobbins, Ladd McConkey

Week 11 was pretty kind to us in this space. We correctly labeled Justin Herbert as a boom pick. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on the ground. It culminated with a QB8 finish. We also nailed Kirk Cousins and Tony Pollard as busts. Cousins and the Falcons […]