(Round numbers are based on the round the player was picked in my recent 12 team draft.)
Paul Millsap- round 13
Millsap was the last pick of the draft, player number 156. However, he was a solid contributor for Utah off the bench last year, averaging 8.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in only 20 minutes a game. I expect his playing time to increase this year leading to an increase in production. Millsap also contributed with 5 double-doubles and 4 twenty point games.
Antonio McDyess- round 13
McDyess averaged 8.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last year as the Pistons starting PF. If he is the starter this season, look for him to match these numbers. The Pistons have Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson behind him at PF, and one could rise up and take the starting job away. If that happens, look for one of these players to push towards 10-12 points and 8-10 rebounds as a starter.
Daniel Gibson- round 13
Gibson is a good late pick for a league that counts 3-pointers and 3-point percentage for points. Gibson is coming off an injury late in last season, but he should be as good as he was last year (10.4 points and 44% on 3-pointers), and will probably improve. Gibson will be coming off the bench for the Cavs because Coach Mike Brown likes having offense coming off the bench. Gibson is the perfect complimentary shooter for Lebron James and Mo Williams slashing styles.
Rashad McCants- round 12
McCants is the highest scoring sleeper in this article after averaging 14.9 points per game last year. However, because of the Timberwolves trade for Mike Miller, McCants will likely be the team’s 6th man this year. That will probably mean that his scoring average will go down a little. McCants also shoots over 40% on 3-pointers.
Ricky Davis- round 11
Davis is probably the most versatile player on this list. He averaged 13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists for Miami last year, and the numbers should be similar for the Clippers. Davis will be backing up Al Thornton and Cuttino Mobley on the wings along with rookie Eric Gordon, but Davis was a backup last year as well, so it should not have a drastic effect on his numbers.
Mike Conley- round 11
Conley had a solid rookie year averaging 9.4 points and 4.3 assists for the Grizzlies. This season, Conley will have Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Hakim Warrick, Antoine Walker, and Marc Gasol to feed the ball to. While this core is young, it can also be explosive and lead to a lot of assists. Conley should also be able to improve on his scoring average in his second season.
Andres Nocioni- round 11
Nocioni has always been one of my favorite players in the league because of his energy and toughness. However, those are not fantasy stat categories. Nonetheless, Nocioni has value in fantasy leagues due to him averaging 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season coming off the bench for Chicago.
Drew Gooden- round 11
Gooden had a good season last year averaging 12 points and 8.6 rebounds, but those numbers increased to 14 points and 9.3 rebounds in the 18 games after his trade to Chicago despite his minutes staying steady. Gooden should be good for at least 13 and 8.5 this season, but I would not be surprised to see him approaching 15 and 10 in a full season with Bulls.
Kirk Hinrich- round 11
Hinrich will be playing shooting guard for the Bulls this year next to number 1 pick Derrick Rose. Hinrich averaged 11.5 points and 6 assists last season, the lowest in both categories for his career. While the assists will probably go down into the 5s with Hinrich focusing on playing shooting guard, his scoring average should return closer to the 15.7-16.6 range that he averaged in the previous 3 seasons.
Jameer Nelson- round 10
Nelson should continue to be a solid PG for the Magic. With players like Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and recent acquisition Mickael Pietrus, Nelson should be able to improve on his average of 5.6 assists per game from the last season. Nelson’s scoring average last season of 10.9 points is the lowest of his career since he became a starter, and I expect it to increase up to the 12 point range.
Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox- round 10
Collison almost averaged a double-double last season in Seattle with 9.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. While Oklahoma City should be awful this year, Collison is worth a late round pick in a fantasy draft this year.
Wilcox averaged 13.4 points and 7 rebounds per game for Seattle last season. Wilcox has consistently been in this range since he was traded to Seattle 3 seasons ago. Expect more of the same from him. After these two and Kevin Durant, you should avoid OKC like the plague.
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