Top 20 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers for the 2012-2013 NBA Season

The following 2012 fantasy basketball sleepers are broken down by position and will come in very handy. Because you fantasy basketball heads loved the previous sleeper article so much and demanded we post more sleepers, we put in extra work to bring you double last year’s amount (10) of sleepers.

If you have any questions or want us to know what you think, let us know on Twitter @FantasyCouch or Tweet the fantasy basketball guru directly @FantasyHoopsMat. If you think we’re missing any NBA players make sure to check out our Top 100 Rankings. You will find fantasy basketball sleepers for all types of leagues, whether it’s a deep league, shallow league, rotisserie format, H2H scoring, category scoring or even if NBA players are awarded fantasy points.

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers – Guards (G)

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers - Kirk Hinrich (G)

  • Damian Lillard (PG) POR – Lillard should push Anthony Davis hard for the ROY. The Oakland native is primed for a huge season. He goes to the rack hard, is a good finisher and exactly what the Blazers need to relieve some pressure off of LaMarcus Aldridge. He will get solid steals & 3’s too.
  • Kirk Hinrich (G) CHI – With perennial All-Star Derrick Rose sidelined for the better part of the season, the Bulls turned to a familiar face and will try to maintain while Rose recovers. Look for a comeback year from Hinrich, averaging 13 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals and a three with respectable efficiency as a starter over his career.
  • Bradley Beal (SG) WAS – Paired with John Wall in the backcourt, look for Beal to feel right at home with the newly shaped Wizards. As of right now he looks like a poor man’s Eric Gordon, but has plenty of room for improvement. Beal should be a big factor in Washington’s plans.
  • Kemba Walker (PG) CHA – The young UCONN alumni bagged his first triple double during his rookie year, flashing the skills that made him the 9th pick in 2011. He was coddled last year, stunting his growth. The addition of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will help Kemba get out and run. The ‘Cats should be at least fun to watch.
  • D.J. Augustine (PG) IND – With George Hill currently at the helm for the Pacers, Augustine is forced to come off the bench. He is however, more of a true point guard than Hill. DJ could see similar sneaky results as we saw with Andre Miller backing up Ty Lawson in Denver.
  • Ramon Sessions (PG) CHA – Similar situation as to DJ Augustine, Sessions will be second in line in terms of depth chart for the franchise. The Bobcats invested heavily in Kemba Walker, but Sessions can hold Charlotte together as needed if they hope to put together some wins this season.
  • Aaron Brooks (PG) SAC – Brooks has a strong chance to overtake the starting point guard position out in Sac, playing at the new but same (?) Sleep Train Arena. Hoping to pump some life into this talented group of young players, Brooks might be able to come in and bring some consistency.

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers – Forwards (F)

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers - Jared Sullinger (PF)

  • Paul George (SG/SF) IND – George is not a real 2012 fantasy basketball sleeper. You can get him in the 5-6th round in most standard drafts and he’s going to push top 30 results. That jump in value warrants a headliner spot here.
  • Evan Turner (SG/SF) PHIET is on a lot of peoples’ radar, and for a good reason. He should fill in quite nicely for Iggy, as they both have a very good all-round game. Look for Turner to develop into the team’s primary ball handler for long stretches, boosting his overall fantasy value.
  • DeMar DeRozan (SG/SF) TOR – Often gone overrated in previous years, this is a great time to take advantage of his depreciation and swoop in on some solid rotation stats in the 9-11th rounds. With Kyle Lowry running the show, look for Toronto to be more uptempo, fitting DeRozan’s strengths.
  • Harrison Barnes (SF) GS – Barnes was probably a coin flip away from being picked number two overall in this years draft to Michael Jordan’s Bobcats. I wouldn’t have blamed his Airness for that one either. I won’t blame him if Barnes turns into a beastly All-Star either, which is conceivable. MKG is just as much a game changer as Barnes, but Harrison has the biggest upside offensively.
  • Jared Sullinger (PF) BOS – The Celtics always manage to come through with franchise player-type guys when it counts (Rondo). After last season they were on the brink of an implosion. Sullinger was a top 10 pick if he came out in 2011, but now he gets to learn from one of the game’s best all time PF’s, Kevin Garnett. He should play his way into 26+ minutes, which is enough to be effective.
  • Jae Crowder (PF) DAL – There’s no way the Mav’s can’t carve out a role for Crowder’s energy. A similar player to Denver’s Faried, and Crowder can also hit a 3-pointer. Dallas is deep, so it might be tough to crack the rotation, but once he does there’s no turning back.
  • Terrence Jones (SF) HOU – Houston has so many assets they don’t know what to do with them, don’t mesh well, and don’t have a clue what their identity is. Jones could emerge as a defensive leader and in turn be rewarded on the fast break. His hard-nosed work ethic could be what this team needs, and could be a nice cog to rebuild around.

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers – Centers (C)

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers - Anderson Varejao (PF/C)

  • Amar’e Stoudemire (PF/C) NYK – Another player who is not supposed to be on any sleeper list but for some reason he’s lasting until the 5th or later in most mock drafts. Don’t let him slip past the top of the 4th, and I couldn’t blame you for taking him in the 3rd if he fit your team’s strengths. He’s bringing back the 22 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block averages as the Knicks push for Tri State supremacy.
  • Anderson Varejao (PF/C) CLE – Is he still a sleeper if I’ve had him on this list the last 2 years? He has proven what he can do; now he just needs to stay on the court. Top 50 potential going after the 8th round in most drafts.
  • Festus Ezeli (C) GS – Festivus for the rest of us! The Nigerian native looks to be the next I-Blocka, I mean Ibaka. His footwork is developed due to his soccer experience, and at least in preseason (you know what that means, not much) he looks to be a great fill in should Bogut be staggered. He’ll be hard to own unless you really need the blocks.
  • Elton Brand (PF, C) DAL – Backing up both Dirk and Kaman, Brand is set to receive a decent amount of minutes as is. Then add in the facts that Dirk is hobbling into the season and Kaman has yet to play a full season since his rookie year. Look for the Mavs to lean on Brand’s experience to keep them in contention out West.
  • Bismack Biyombo (PF/C) CHA – He will need to offer more than just blocks if he wants to become a bigger factor for the Bobcats. If he can get closer to (which I think he can) 10 points, 9 boards and 2-3 blocks he would definitely pay off almost wherever you took him.
  • Spencer Hawes (C) PHI – Stepping into a starting role next to Andrew Bynum isn’t bad. The Sixers are going to start two 7 footers, with Hawes benefiting from the double teams Bynum will draw. If Andrew starts missing games, which is likely, then Hawes becomes a more valuable starter.

2012 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers – Other Notable Mentions

  • Derrick Williams (F) MIN
  • Enes Kanter (C) UTA
  • Carl Landry (F) GS
  • Nikola Pekovic (C) MIN
  • Brandon Roy (SG/SF) MIN
  • Mo Williams (PG) UTA
  • Landry Fields (SG/SF) TOR

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