This article is part of our Player Rankings series.
Fantasy basketball managers playing in deep leagues need their own set of sleepers. When your league goes 175 players deep, 200 players deep, or even deeper -- upside becomes increasingly important. Below are eight players who qualify as deep fantasy basketball sleepers for 2024-25. They're all being drafted in fewer than 10% of Yahoo leagues and are sorted by percentage drafted. And don't forget to check out RotoWire's Fantasy Basketball Rankings for our top 150 players.
Fantasy Basketball Deep Sleepers 2024-25
Kevin Porter Jr., Clippers 
9% of leagues
The elephant in the room – Porter may face suspension by the NBA. He sat out all of last season after being arrested in September 2023 and eventually reaching a plea deal in a domestic assault case. He's had other, less serious, incidents in the past, causing him to bounce from the Cavaliers to the Rockets and now to the Clippers.
Talking basketball – he's talented. He averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 2022-23. I think Porter will come off the bench this season behind James Harden but could see sixth-man minutes. And if Harden misses any time, it's a massive opportunity for KPJ to step in as a playmaker. This team is thin on that front, especially when Kawhi Leonard is shelved.
If you're in a deep league and draft Porter at something like pick 150 or 175, you can probably handle a 25-game suspension if it comes. And when he's eligible to play, he might still be startable on four-game weeks if he's seeing 24 minutes per night.
Rob Dillingham, Timberwolves 
8% of leagues
Minnesota traded up to pick No. 8 to get Dillingham in this summer's draft. A microwave scorer, the Kentucky product was the SEC Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman last year. He continued to show that off in Summer League, though his passing was arguably more impressive. Dillingham's preseason has been a mixed bag, but the upside is clear.
This was a better deep sleeper suggestion before the Timberwolves traded for Donte DiVincenzo (and of course, Karl-Anthony Towns). Dillingham will also have to compete with Nickeil Alexander-Walker for backup minutes, though NAW has the length to play small forward. Regardless, Minnesota needs a playmaking punch off the bench to go with Naz Reid. I think they had the right idea in drafting Dillingham.
Don't expect efficient or consistent shooting from Dillingham right out of the gate. What you're banking on by drafting Dillingham are some pop games where he posts 16 and 6 in 22 minutes. You may also see a bump if Mike Conley rests or gets injured in his age-37 season.
Cam Whitmore, Rockets 
5% of leagues
In the real NBA Draft, Whitmore was often mocked in the top 10 last year. However, he slipped to pick 20 due to injury concerns and weak pre-draft workouts. After spending the beginning of the year with the G League, the 6-foot-7 Villanova product became a regular rotation piece off the bench starting in January.
Whitmore knows how to score. He averaged 23.7 points and 3.2 threes on 45/36/68 shooting per 36 minutes as a rookie. The 1.4 assists to 1.9 turnovers has to be corrected, but 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.7 blocks (all per 36) is nothing to scoff at.
Whitmore's path to minutes this season is complicated – as is everyone else's on the Rockets. This team has eight players who would easily see 30+ minutes per game some environment. I wouldn't project Whitmore for more than 24 minutes. That said, if one or two players on Houston suffer an injury, he could be asked to be a primary scoring option for that stretch. There are a lot of "ifs" here, but when you're looking for deep sleepers, betting on pure talent and hoping for some injuries is the name of the game.
Jalen Smith, Bulls 
4% of leagues
Smith was considered a reach by the Suns at pick 10 of the 2020 NBA Draft, and he hasn't been able to carve out a starting role since. However, he's coming off the best season of his career and is joining the rebuilding Bulls at 24 years old.
The big man out of Maryland is behind starting center Nikola Vucevic, who has been a staple of health lately. But Vooch is entering his age 34 season, and with Chicago leaning young, there are more negative variables for him than in years past. Smith has also shown some ability to play power forward, giving him a higher minutes floor. He only needed 17.2 minutes per game last year to average 9.9 points and 1.0 threes on 59/42/68 shooting, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.6 blocks.
Maybe the Vucevic trade/injury never happens and Smith doesn't pop. You're still getting someone who qualifies at a position of scarcity (center) that puts up good per-minute numbers. I'd certainly snatch him up at pick 200, but I'd hear a case for 175 and maybe 150 in two-center formats.
Yves Missi, Pelicans 
3% of leagues
Missi has lost some steam after it was announced the Pelicans would be starting Herb Jones at center. That may transition to Trey Murphy once he's healthy. The experiment could also completely fall apart, and a traditional center is back in the lineup by January.
Missi was the No. 21 pick in this summer's draft – a one-and-done traditional center out of Baylor who made the Big 12 All-Defensive team as a freshman. He was an excellent offensive rebounder and shot-blocker in college and has continued to demonstrate that throughout Summer League and preseason.
I don't like his fit with Zion Williamson. Daniel Theis is more suited for that. But I also have a soft spot for bigs who crash the offensive glass and send shots into the fifth row. And if you don't trust Zion to stay healthy, or for the small-ball experiment to work, you have more reason to believe in Missi's upside. He's the only traditional center on the team, and sometimes you need that.
Tre Mann, Hornets 
2% of leagues
My reasoning for Mann isn't too different from Dillingham. A microwave scorer and playmaker with upside for sixth-man minutes. It helps, of course, that he's looked great in preseason – while also bringing back baggy shorts.
Mann, the No. 18 overall pick out of Florida in 2021, spent the first two and a half seasons of his career with the Thunder before being dealt to the Hornets at the 2023-24 trade deadline. With LaMelo Ball shelved, Mann started the final 28 games of the campaign and averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.1 minutes.
I don't label Ball as injury prone…yet, but plenty of people do. If you're one of those people, I think you have to naturally be higher on Mann this season than consensus. I think he'd be worth rostering in a 14-team league even if he just played 24 minutes per game. So, if you're in a deeper league than that, he should be drafted for upside.
Peyton Watson, Nuggets 
Less than 1% of leagues
Watson was the No. 30 overall pick in 2022 and earned a stable bench role last season. Losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes the Nuggets a thinner team than they already were. Who knows if Christian Braun is ready for 30 minutes per game? Not to mention, Michael Porter Jr. remains an injury concern due to his troublesome back.
Watson's offense is still in development, but he's shown excellent defensive potential. Across his 103 total games, the 6-foot-8 forward has averaged 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per 36 minutes. That's in addition to 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
I don't think he's some massive breakout candidate lying in wait, but there is an opportunity for Watson to see regular minutes in the mid-to-upper 20s. The blocks upside alone in that workload is intriguing. Add in some offensive development, and you have someone that could pay off if your league goes 200 deep.
Delon Wright, Bucks 
Less than 1% of leagues
Wright has been a journeyman lately, switching franchises each of the past six seasons. One thing has remained constant, though. The man can steal a basketball. Over his past 174 games, Wright is averaging 2.5 steals per 36 minutes, not to mention 9.7 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds.
I think the shooting guard spot in Milwaukee is Gary Trent's to lose. But don't be surprised if he loses it. The Bucks need defense just as much as they need spacing from that spot, and Wright plays better D in addition to being a competent low-volume three-point shooter. Coach Doc Rivers was starting Patrick Beverley at the end of last year for that exact reason. Khris Middleton's health has also been poor lately, and Milwaukee backcourt depth is rough. Minutes are available.
Wright has posted two seasons in the top 110 in per-game 8-cat fantasy value. The most recent of those was in 2022-23 with the Wizards in 24.4 minutes per game. The other was 2020-21 with the Pistons and Kings across 27.7 minutes per game. There's enough there for me to take a gamble on Wright at the end of a deep draft, especially if I need steals.
Fantasy Basketball Draft Strategy
Check out RotoWire's How to Play Fantasy Basketball guide for a complete walkthrough, but here is some basic advice:
- Check out custom NBA Fantasy Projections
- Look into Fantasy Basketball Mock Drafts
- Listen to a Fantasy Basketball Podcast
- Check in on Fantasy Basketball Player News
- Read Fantasy Basketball Articles
- Dive into RotoWire's Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit
- Study NBA Depth Charts
- See RotoWire's Fantasy Basketball Dynasty Rankings
