Fantasy Basketball Hibernators Part I

You all know what sleepers are and how they can help your fantasy basketball team. That's all good, but a hibernator is a little something different. A hibernator is a player that is producing adequately now, but will more than likely see a hike in production soon. Hibernators are not usually very high on the percent owned in your leagues, but passing on a hibernator could lead to someone picking him up and leaving you wondering why you stalled. Hibernators are worth the chance of a bench spot on your roster. So, let's start with this week's hibernator! The biggest hibernator right now is rookie Jason Thompson from the Sacramento Kings. There is a good chance that you haven't heard of JT. If you haven't, don't feel like a fantasy b-ball nerd, he has not gotten much hype from ESPN or other national sports scenes as a rookie. As a rookie in his first 4 games (not that this is enough games to determine) JT has averaged 14.3 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists with a 62.5 fg%. Hold on, you may say; those are not spectacular numbers. However, JT got those numbers off the bench. Jason Thompson's minutes will only increase with the kings being in a rebuilding phase. Jason Thompson is not a one-dimensional power forward. He can put the ball on the floor and draw fouls, rebound intensely, and dish the ball, among other good court qualities. With JT playing off the bench he has put up competitive numbers with fellow starting rookies Michael Beasley (17ppg, 5.7 rpg in 3 games), Derrick Rose (17.3 ppg, 3.5 apg in 4 games), and Kevin Love (8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg in 3 games) and still has only received a small percent of love in the rookie watch. So what does that mean for you? You get to scoop him up now before he starts getting more attention. While JT is less than 10% owned in leagues you can snatch him, and you should.