2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Forwards
The 2022-23 NBA season tips off today! It’s here! So if you do fantasy basketball, you’re probably looking at some last minute edits to your cheat sheet or draft preps however you see fit! Today, I’ll be diving into some NBA forwards I like relative to their fantasy ranking — also known as my “sleeper” rankings. (I still haven’t come up with a better name for it!) Let’s dive into it!
(Note: All of these positions/rankings are based on ESPN’s current Head-to-Head points rankings ahead of the season.)
Honorable Mentions:
- Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers (F9)
- Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat (F18)
- Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors (F25)
- Mikal Bridges, Phoenix Suns (F38)
- OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors (F41)
- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (F47)
- Jonathan Isaac, Orlando Magic (F57)
Real Rankings
Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings (F7)
He might’ve not produced the most fantasy points last year, but, personally, I can’t leave Sabonis off this list. He’s one of my favorite second-round go-tos in fantasy because of his production as a rebounder and passer to go with his efficiency and ability to rack up a steal per night. His durability *could* be a slight cause for concern if you’re looking at him towards the end of the first round in deeper leagues, though he’s won me leagues, he’s probably won you leagues, too (or lost them, depending on what side you’re on.) So I’m not going to detract you away from him.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans (F13)
We haven’t seen Williamson play basketball in a year-and-a-half, which is part of the reason now he’s not a top-10 forward fantasy-wise. Color me gullible, but I’m buying stock! Williamson did leave Wednesday’s preseason game against Miami early due to a foot injury, but that was more precautionary over anything. We might not see Point Zion under Willie Green, but Williamson is a freak athlete that gets to his spot whenever he wants on the court and can average 23-7-3 on 63.0 percent true shooting. That’s attainable, should he remain healthy. He’s a great buy-low sleeper in the middle rounds.
Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers (F16)
Trey and I touched on it on our NBA Short Cleveland Cavaliers preview, but Mobley is a freak of nature that did everything for the Cavaliers last year. He might not be that good of a screener yet, but guess what? That didn’t show up on the stat sheet last year! The 7-footer was fluid as a ballhandler and playmaker, was an excellent rim protector alongside Jarrett Allen and was a multi-faceted scorer that could showed flashes of two-level scoring. The 21-year-old is only going to get better — yes, even with Donovan Mitchell in town — and I’m very confident he could vault his way up into potential top-15 — maybe in top-10? — forward territory by the end of the season.
Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic (F34)
If last year was any indication, the Magic will have two good building blocks at the wing with Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Wagner averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.9 steald on 46.8/35.4/86.3 shooting splits as a rookie. The 21-year-old barely finished outside of the top-30 in forwards last year, but I can definitely see him vaulting into the top-25 if he continues to progress as a rebounder and a primary offensive threat on a bad (yet frisky) Magic squad. Wagner is sneaky good young talents across the NBA.
Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers (F53)
Injuries did limit Grant‘s production a year ago, but it marked the first-and-only season where Grant’s failed to play in 75 percent of his team’s games. A healthy Grant is likely a No. 2 or 3 scorer next to Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons. He averaged 20.9 combined points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.0 minutes per game on 42.8 percent shooting, including 35.3 percent from distance (5.8 3PA) and 84.2 percent shooting from the charity stripe. He’s a great sleeper option that you can snag late in drafts.
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