The key to any NBA fantasy draft is identifying players who will outperform the position you select them. That's easier said than done, of course, but you can start by identifying sleepers. These undervalued players–either by ADP rankings or other members of your fantasy basketball league–can provide huge boosts to your roster and increase your chances of success.
Last year, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels entered his third season with an NBA fantasy ADP of 137.9, equal to the middle of the 12th round in a 12-team draft. When it came to fantasy basketball auction values, Daniels' price hovered around just $4. Thanks in large part to his league-leading 229 steals and 76 games played, he finished with first-round value just ahead of the likes of LeBron James, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell.
Plenty goes into identifying sleepers–if everyone knew about them, they wouldn't have that tag–but a few key factors can help fantasy owners find value late in their draft and come out on top. It starts by preparing with a fantasy basketball draft kit.
Why Sleepers Are Key to Winning Your Fantasy Basketball League
There's an old adage in fantasy sports that leagues can't be won in the first few rounds, but they can be lost. In such a star-driven league, the first few picks for any owner are littered with the game's best players. It's no surprise that any fantasy basketball rankings list has the league's biggest stars at the top.
The difference between good and great fantasy basketball teams is finding hidden value in the draft. With Daniels, the owner who grabbed him in the later rounds essentially added an additional first-round pick to his team at little cost. The two players next to Daniels in ADP rankings were Daniel Gafford (who finished 127th) and D'Angelo Russell (168th).
Daniels had shown promise through two NBA seasons, but few NBA projections had him pegged for such a dominant fantasy season.
Hidden Gems in the Draft Kit That Can Outperform Their ADP
One of the best ways to identify sleepers is through analyzing your NBA fantasy draft cheat sheet and looking for players who finished strong last season. Clippers center Ivica Zubac is the opposite of a sexy pick, but he averaged 19.1 points and 13.5 rebounds on 64% shooting over the season's final month.
That ranked him 26th on a per-game basis over that time period, over the likes of fellow centers Domantas Sabonis, Rudy Gobert and Evan Mobley. He was a top-50 player and has little competition at the position heading into 2025-26. He has also played 76+ games in three of four seasons.
Another strong finish came from Sixers' forward Quentin Grimes. He averaged 24.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists over the final 13 games of the season for a tanking Philly squad. Though he won't replicate those numbers with Tyrese Maxey, Paul George and Joel Embiid healthy to begin the year, he should be penciled in for heavy minutes at small forward and should have plenty of open looks with those three attracting so much attention.
Checking in with the NBA injury report to see the statuses of George and Embiid, specifically, throughout the year could make him even more valuable.
Breakout Candidates the NBA Draft Kit Identifies Before Everyone Else
The NBA postseason turned into an ugly affair of injuries to key players, which shifted a handful of NBA starting lineups heading into the 2025-26 season. Though Payton Pritchard won Sixth Man of the Year last season, he'll essentially play starters' minutes for a Celtics' team missing Jayson Tatum (Achilles).
He's penciled in at No. 54 on the 2025-26 player rankings, as part of RotoWire Draft Kit, and is someone who could thrive in an even larger role this campaign.
Similarly in Milwaukee, Damian Lillard's Achilles injury and subsequent release opened up 36.1 minutes at point guard for the Bucks. Milwaukee brought back Kevin Porter Jr., who was a top-40 player over the final month of the regular season. He should easily exceed his ADP and is slotted accurately at No. 72 in Rotowire's rankings.
How to Spot Undervalued Players Using Fantasy Draft Kit Data
Points, rebounds and assists may drive headlines, but other categories are equally important. Daniels extracted the majority of his value from steals last season, while blue-collared Jarrett Allen made his way into the top-15 because of his strong field goal percentage and blocks.
Young players with new opportunities have sleeper potential, but so do players who provide scarce statistics that are harder to come by later in rounds. Identifying them could be the key from transforming your team from a contender into a champion.
For the best list of sleepers and players who could outperform their ADP, make sure to subscribe to RotoWire for your fantasy basketball needs.
