Rising Sleepers for Next Season

As the season winds down, let's look at players that are making bids for higher drafting positions next year. Most of these players had no fantasy relevance last draft but the situation is changing next year.

Chris Kaman
He has blossomed into a solid player at the toughest position in the NBA: center.  He is a guy who will give you solid all around numbers (ala Big Z and Brad Miller).  He won't WOW you on a nightly basis because the LA Clippers are stacked but if you need consistency and reliability, he deserves a mid 4-5 round look.  I would take him on my team because centers with good FT% are hard to find.

Delonte West
Another surprising player.  No one had heard of him before this season but this year proved that he is worth a spot on your team.  Does everything pretty well but excels at BLKS at the PG position.  If you are weak in that category, he will definitely help you out.

Mehmet Okur
He always had the potential in past years but now that he is the focal point on the Utah team, he has put up incredible numbers all season long.  He is a guy who will help you in the scoring, %s, and pretty good at other categories.  He won't hurt you, that is for sure.

Darko Milicic
He is still raw and very inconsistent but with his limited playing time, he has been a shot blocking monster.  With 42 blocks in 17 games with a 20 minutes per game average, just imagine what he can do for your team if he plays 35 minutes.  My prediction is that he will be a 10 PTS, 8 REBS, and 1 STL, 3 BLKS per game guy next year.  But be aware of this high TOs and terrible FT%.

Charlie Villanueva
A multi-position player who can do it all.  The scores, rebounds, shoots some 3s, steals, and blocks.  However, although he has high potential, he is a guy who is not a good FT shooter. A lot of other fantasy managers are high on him but personally, I would pass on him unless he falls after the 8-9 round.