National Basketball Association

Top 5 Fantasy Basketball Sleepers: Shooting Guards

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:29 p.m. ET

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These five shooting guards may not be on the radar of most fantasy basketball players, but could be the key to a successful draft heading into the 2016-17 season.

Dec 20, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic forward Evan Fournier (10) drives to the basket past Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) during the second quarter of a basketball game at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The start of the 2016-17 NBA season is less than a week away and that means fantasy basketball drafts will take place on cell phones, tablets and computers around the world this weekend.

Leading up to this weekend, we will be taking a look at the sleepers at each position. We already went over the point guards and now it’s time to take a look at the 2-guards.

If you have the opportunity to acquire one of the top shooting guards, like James Harden, Klay Thompson or Jimmy Butler, then of course those players are worth taking early in the draft.

However, shooting guard is a position where there is a significant drop off from the top-tier players and the next level.

This is a position where it might be a good idea to wait until the later rounds and grab a solid under-the-radar option.

For instance, why spend a third-round pick on a second-tier shooting guard when you could snag one of these sleepers in the closing rounds, and the production will not be much different?

Before we list the top five sleepers, here are some players who just missed the cut.

Honorable Mentions:

Rodney Hood: Especially valuable in leagues where three-point shooting is a priority.

Eric Gordon: High risk, high reward if he stays healthy.

Devin Booker: Averaged 13.8 points per game as a 19-year-old and scored 19.2 points per game after the All-Star Break. If Suns trade Bledsoe or Brandon Knight, he could become the star of the team. It’s hard to call Booker a “sleeper” in the first place, as the league has certainly taken notice of his rise.

Buddy Hield: Possible Rookie of the Year, should see plenty of minutes, could up end up with high scoring totals on a bad Pelicans team.

Will Barton: Candidate for Sixth Man of the Year in 2015-16, but cooled off after the All-Star Break. Averaged 14.4 points per game on the season.

Oct 18, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith (5) reacts with forward LeBron James (right) from the bench in the second half at the Jerome Schottenstein Center. The Wizards won 96-91. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

5. J.R. Smith

After a long holdout and signing with the Cavaliers less than two weeks away from opening night, Swish is back with his defending champion teammates.

Some would say that J.R. Smith could be in store for a down year, now that he received his four-year, $57 million contract.

The people who worry about that should look no further than his Cavalier teammate, Tristan Thompson.

Thompson was labelled “overpaid” by many fans and pundits prior to the 2015-16 season, but he went out and earned every penny of that contract, posting double-doubles on a regular basis.

The LeBron James Effect makes everyone around him better than they would be on an average team.

Smith will have plenty of wide open looks throughout the season because of the attention drawn by Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love.

He is a motivated player on a championship team and is dedicated to his craft, more so than he was during his time in New York.

Although Smith would not be an ideal first choice as a starting shooting guard, he is a nice option to have on days when your starting shooting guard does not have a game, and every so often, he can explode for 18-25 points.

Oct 13, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Arron Afflalo (40) moves with the ball while being defended by Los Angeles Lakers forward Yi Jianlian (11) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) during the third quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports

4. Arron Afflalo

This guy is Mr. Consistent. Whereas Smith is more of a boom-or-bust option, you pretty much know what to expect from Afflalo every night.

Afflalo has averaged 12 points or more in six straight seasons heading into 2016-17.

Most of that time was spent on teams near the bottom of the league in the standings and it will be no different this time in Sacramento.

The Kings are a mess, as usual, and Afflalo may be one of the few bright spots along with DeMarcus Cousins.

The point guard situation is shaky in Sacramento, with Darren Collison and Ty Lawson as the two main options.

Rudy Gay will be the second scoring option behind Cousins, but the cupboard is bare after that.

Afflalo is a veteran with a high basketball IQ and brings a hard-working mentality, even on bad teams.

This could be a season for his scoring numbers to increase, as there should be plenty of opportunities for “garbage time” in games that feature the Kings.

The only slight concern is that he is 31 years old, but the guy behind him on the depth chart is Ben McLemore, who has underachieved in his first three seasons in the league.

Afflalo provides a reliable option as a backup shooting guard on your roster, and has never missed more than 20 games in a season over his nine years in the league.

Apr 16, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) drives to the basket against the Boston Celtics during the first half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

3. Kent Bazemore

It’s a new day in Atlanta, as the departure of Jeff Teague and Al Horford, along with the arrival of Dwight Howard, gives this team a completely different identity than the last four seasons. Though he’s technically a small forward, you should be able to plug him in at the 2-spot as well.

This season could potentially be a breakout year for Bazemore, who had a solid 2015-16, averaging 11.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. His role should expand in 2016-17, and with that comes more scoring.

Bazemore was already a good option to provide steals and rebounds from the shooting guard position and he improved as the season went along.

The 27-year-old is entering the prime of his career and is going to be one of the main contributors going forward. If the Hawks end up trading Paul Millsap — a definite possibility by mid-February — Bazemore could become the leading scorer on Atlanta’s roster.

Even if they keep Millsap around all season, Bazemore is in a great spot to put up 15 points consistently.

Oct 7, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) drives against Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson (1) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

2. Jordan Clarkson

Clarkson has been a good under-the-radar option for the last two seasons and is still only 24 years old. He averaged 15.5 points per game last season, even with Kobe Bryant taking a high volume of shots.

Clarkson should see more playing time and have a real chance to develop in 2016-17, rather than letting a one-man retirement tour steal the show. Along with D’Angelo Russell, the potential scoring from that Lakers’ backcourt should be fun to watch.

New head coach Luke Walton is well aware of the rebuilding process and now that the team can start completely fresh, it appears that veterans like Nick Young and Lou Williams will not be given as much of the spotlight as they received in the past two seasons, as both of them are over 30 years old.

Don’t be surprised if Clarkson’s scoring numbers increase this season, but even if he just stays close to his production from last season, he would be a solid option on anyone’s roster.

Oct 16, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier (10) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at Amway Center. The Hawks won 105-98. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

1. Evan Fournier

Forget shooting guards. Fournier might be the top fantasy basketball sleeper in the league, period.

The 24-year-old is coming off of a great 2015-16, when he averaged 15.4 points per game. After the departure of Victor Oladipo, Fournier will be relied upon to do an even bigger share of the scoring in Orlando.

The Magic frontcourt now features Serge Ibaka, Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, and Bismack Biyombo. Aside from Fournier, the rest of the guards on the roster are below average.

As the shooting guard develops, that scoring average of 15 points per game could only be the base of better things to come.

Don’t be surprised if Fournier ends up somewhere close to 20 a game in 2016-17.