The first few games of the NBA season have already provided some great highlights and compelling stories. The Western Conference in particular is dominating the early season headlines; from James Harden in Houston to the winless Lakers in Los Angeles.
Often overlooked in the highlight reels are those players who are contributing to their team without the fanfare of say a Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant. The first few games can offer early insight into how a player is fitting in with his team and how one is adjusting to being a starter. These players are fantasy gold for a GM as they come cheap and contribute like stars.
Known as sleepers in fantasy terms, these players are often playing in the shadows of over-hyped players; yet they quietly put up solid numbers. For fantasy owners in daily leagues or salary cap leagues, identifying sleeper picks as the season progresses affords you more salary cap flexibility and increases your overall worth as you buy low and sell high.
Here are a few Western Conference players who are making an early mark, pick these guys up cheap, ride it out and look to add points and value to your fantasy squad.
Greivis Vasquez – New Orleans Hornets
This second year product from Maryland is going to be seeing a lot of court time in the absence of Eric Gordon. Thus far in three games, Vasquez has logged over 35 minutes per and posted double digit assists in two of them. His first three games stat line is as follows;
v. San Antonio: 8 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds and a steal.
v. Utah: 13 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds and a block.
v. Chicago: 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds
Greivis Vasquez looks to have a firm grasp on his starting position in the Hornets backcourt. He plays hard every night, knows his role in the offense and scores when the opportunities are there. Throw in double digit assist totals and 5 boards a night; look to add Vasquez now while the buying price is low.
Al-Farouq Aminu – New Orleans Hornets
In his second year as a New Orleans Hornet, Al-Farouq looks to have earned more minutes this season. He actually started 21 games towards the end of last season where he posted 8 ppg, 7 rpg and 1.7 steals per. Whereas last season Aminu was only averaging 22.4 minutes per game; this season thus far he is seeing over 35 minutes of court time a night. In his increased role, Aminu is asserting himself more offensively as he is proving to be a nice compliment to Anthony Davis. Take a look at his last three games;
v. San Antonio: 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals
v. Utah: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
v. Chicago: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks
Watch for Al-Farouq to be Anthony Davis’ running mate all season long, in this situation he is deserving of being an early season sleeper.
Omer Asik – Houston Rockets
Free agent signing of the Rockets before the Linsanity set in and the ‘Beard’ arrived in town, he was seen as a defensive specialist who would clog the lane and grab a few rebounds. Thus far through three games, Asik has shown his willingness and ability to grab more than just a few rebounds. His offensive game is a work in progress to say the least; however, he can rebound and block shots no problem. Once Asik figures out that seven-footers don’t do layups, seven-footers need to dunk the ball; the points will come. How a guy grabs nine offensive boards in a game yet fails to score is a bit baffling. Here are Asik’s stats through three games.
v. Detroit: 33 minutes, 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal.
v. Atlanta: 35 minutes, 0 points, 19 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and a steal.
v. Portland: 35 minutes, 4 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks.
For the price at the center position, Asik is a bargain. Allows fantasy GM’s to save money to pickup more skilled players. There is no reason why Asik won’t continue to rebound like this and still get those block shot stats and who knows he might even chip in the occasional basket as well.