Fantasy Basketball 2022: Deep NBA Sleepers After December 26
The holiday season might be winding down, but that doesn't mean all gift-giving has finished.
As savvy fantasy basketball managers know, the waiver wire is loaded with intriguing options in the form of ascending players or injury fill-ins.
Fresh off a loaded NBA slate on Christmas and a busy Monday night, let's spotlight a few sleepers—rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—who should be prominently positioned on your fantasy radar.
Donte DiVincenzo, PG/SG, Golden State Warriors (43% Rostered)
DiVincenzo was picking up steam before a shoulder injury sidelined Stephen Curry, but that glaring void in Golden State's offense has given DiVincenzo an even bigger opportunity to produce.
He has done exactly that.
Over his last five outings—three that Curry missed—DiVincenzo has averaged 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He's also tallied 3.6 triples per night on 50.0 percent shooting, converted 85.7 percent of his free throws and swiped 1.4 steals.
His stock is rising, and there's no reason to think that'll change before Curry gets the green light to return.
Dennis Schröder, PG, Los Angeles Lakers (17% Rostered)
On a game-to-game basis, Schröder isn't the most comfortable option for your fantasy team.
That's fine. Give him a full week, and it's more likely than not he'll end up with a helpful stat line.
He's a peaks-and-valleys player. Four times this season he has netted at least 18 points. In the games immediately following those eruptions, he has averaged just 9.8 points.
Again, though, it's not about the individual good games and rough ones, it's the total picture. His is becoming increasingly more appealing. Over his last six games, he's up to 15.2 points on 47.2/42.3/85.7 shooting. There isn't much else worth mentioning beyond maybe his 4.3 assists, but if you need scoring, he can provide it.
Jeremy Sochan, PF, San Antonio Spurs (32% Rostered)
Sochan is interesting, and not just because his struggles from the foul line have grown so great that he's resorted to one-handed shooting at the stripe.
There aren't a ton of players who can touch as many parts of the stat sheet as San Antonio's first-year forward. And with Sochan seeing more floor time of late, that versatility is becoming even more apparent in his box scores.
He is up to 27.8 minutes per outing over his last four games, and in that time he has averaged: 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, 0.8 threes and 0.5 steals. That's a ton of production, and it's even been fairly efficient. He's shooting 47.7 percent over this stretch, committing just 1.8 turnovers and he's even hit eight of his last 11 free-throw attempts.
If he keeps this run going much longer, his rostership is going way up.