In fantasy basketball, success is often determined not by securing the most obvious stars, but by identifying undervalued players who can outperform their draft position. Sleeper guards, in particular, present unique opportunities: they regularly contribute across multiple statistical categories, gain increased usage through evolving roles, or emerge as beneficiaries of roster and coaching changes. While consensus rankings highlight the league's established elite, the margins are where competitive managers find their advantage. This article examines the top sleeper guards for the upcoming season, focusing on players with measurable upside, favorable team contexts, and the potential to deliver consistent value well above their average draft cost.
Top Sleeper Guards to Target in Fantasy Basketball
Payton Pritchard, Celtics 
There's certainly a lot to like here. Jayson Tatum (Achilles) is expected to miss the entire season, setting up Pritchard to soak up a considerable amount of usage. Pritchard's usage rate was nearly 3% higher with Tatum off the floor in 2024-25. Additionally, the Celtics have gutted their depth due to salary-cap concerns, as they are now without Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. The Celtics did bring in Anfernee Simons as a potential sixth man, but he's already rumored to be on the trade block. This is very clearly Pritchard's and Derrick White's backcourt, and Pritchard already gave us a taste of what he can do as a starter. In three starts last season, he averaged 21.7 points, 7.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 3.0 3-pointers.
Jaden Ivey, Pistons 
Ivey
In fantasy basketball, success is often determined not by securing the most obvious stars, but by identifying undervalued players who can outperform their draft position. Sleeper guards, in particular, present unique opportunities: they regularly contribute across multiple statistical categories, gain increased usage through evolving roles, or emerge as beneficiaries of roster and coaching changes. While consensus rankings highlight the league's established elite, the margins are where competitive managers find their advantage. This article examines the top sleeper guards for the upcoming season, focusing on players with measurable upside, favorable team contexts, and the potential to deliver consistent value well above their average draft cost.
Top Sleeper Guards to Target in Fantasy Basketball
Payton Pritchard, Celtics
There's certainly a lot to like here. Jayson Tatum (Achilles) is expected to miss the entire season, setting up Pritchard to soak up a considerable amount of usage. Pritchard's usage rate was nearly 3% higher with Tatum off the floor in 2024-25. Additionally, the Celtics have gutted their depth due to salary-cap concerns, as they are now without Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. The Celtics did bring in Anfernee Simons as a potential sixth man, but he's already rumored to be on the trade block. This is very clearly Pritchard's and Derrick White's backcourt, and Pritchard already gave us a taste of what he can do as a starter. In three starts last season, he averaged 21.7 points, 7.3 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 3.0 3-pointers.
Jaden Ivey, Pistons
Ivey hasn't played since Jan. 1 due to a broken left fibula, and he kind of feels like the forgotten man in Detroit. Before his injury, he was well on his way to a breakout with 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 29.9 minutes across 30 regular-season appearances. His 3-point shot improved tremendously, as he shot 40.9% from long range after hitting below 34% in his previous two years. He also posted his best steal rate at 1.5%, so there are some signs that he's putting it together defensively. The Pistons didn't make any big waves during the offseason, allowing Ivey to pick up where he left off, and that's exciting. Over his final five games of the 2024-25 campaign, Ivey averaged 19.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.2 3-pointers on 59.7% shooting from the field.
Kevin Porter, Bucks 
Milwaukee made some drastic changes during the offseason, parting ways with the injured Damian Lillard while bringing in Myles Turner. After a summer full of rumors, however, Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to return, while the rest of the roster looks pretty familiar. Porter signed a two-year, $11 million deal to return to the Bucks, and by all accounts, he's positioned to get the first crack at the starting point guard job with Cole Anthony and Ryan Rollins in reserve roles. Porter had a 26.2% usage rate with Lillard off the court in 2024-25, an indication that he's going to be very busy in this backcourt. Per 36 minutes, Porter averaged career bests in points (21.2), rebounds (7.1), and assists (2.3) in his 30 appearances, shooting an impressive 49.4% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc. He appears to be a really good value in drafts based on early Average Draft Position data.
Keyonte George, Jazz 
The Jazz completely gutted their veteran backcourt depth over the offseason, waiving Jordan Clarkson and then trading away Collin Sexton. The Jazz have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA and will likely be at the bottom of the Western Conference once again. They aren't fooling themselves and know what they're doing, and it's clear that the youngsters are going to play a ton right out of the gate. George has major efficiency concerns, as he shot 39.1% from the field for the second year in a row in 2024-25. He also turned the ball over 2.7 times per game, and his steal/block rates leave a lot to be desired. But he's a sleeper in the late rounds for a reason, and you won't find many players in his draft range with his usage potential. When Clarkson and Sexton were both off the court in 2024-25, George's usage rate was just shy of 28%. For some context, Damian Lillard's usage rate last season was at 27%. George will be busy, but there is one player standing in his way. Isaiah Collier replaced George in the starting lineup to close the season, but it needs to be taken with a grain of salt with how aggressively the team tanked.
Stephon Castle, Spurs 
The No. 4 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Castle is the reigning Rookie of the Year winner, but he's getting very little love around the fantasy community. His stat profile wasn't mouthwatering by any means as a rookie, but the learning curve for point guards in the NBA is steep, and Castle showed a ton of promise. His mentor in Chris Paul is gone, but he's now set up to share the backcourt with De'Aaron Fox with No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper soaking up reps off the bench. Castle started in the Spurs' final 18 games of the regular season, and over that span the rookie first-round pick averaged 19.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals over 30.8 minutes per contest. Targeting second- and third-year players has worked well for me in the past, and Castle is someone I really like at his bargain-bin ADP.
Jrue Holiday, Trail Blazers 
Why on earth do I have a 35-year-old point guard who is coming off one of his worst NBA seasons on my list? It's pretty simple. Holiday was a ghost in Boston, as he was often the fifth or sixth option on an offense that featured a ton of heavyweights. He posted a tiny usage rate of 15.8% and attempted just 9.2 shots per game. Things could be a lot different in Portland, however. Scoot Henderson doesn't seem to be trusted enough to start yet, so Holiday figures to start in the backcourt. He also spoke about being used all over the floor, as he seems eager to show Henderson the ropes. It's a very safe bet that Holiday's usage will rise in Portland, increasing his upside in points, assists and 3-pointers. Defensively, he's always been sound with elite steal rates and a handful of blocks from the guard position as well. When you consider where he's going in drafts, there's really nothing but value here with other fantasy managers searching for unproven upside.
Essential Resources for Fantasy Basketball Success
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
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