3 Sleepers That Fantasy Basketball Players Must Consider Using Amid the NBA Finals

The stats favor these three players to sprout beyond projections and become sleeper picks in NBA Finals Fantasy Basketball.

May 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) reacts after making a three point basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during overtime in game one of the eastern conference finals during the 2026 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The lights will be shining bright over the next 1-2 weeks as the NBA Finals will bring either the New York Knicks or the San Antonio Spurs to glory. Jalen Brunson leads his squad in orange and blue while the Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama, leads his men in black and white.

Amid all the firepower of the teams' best players, there are role players. Those role players have value to be offered. Landry Shamet has shown that, throughout his explosive playoff run, while many others have done the same across both rosters. Today, we search for sleepers; players that offer high upside at a low cost in DFS formats. We know the markets will be heavily played, ensuring high payouts.

Landry Shamet

In his last 6 games, Shamet has achieved 12 or more points 4 times. He is the Knicks' sharp-shooting bench player. The Knicks will have to avoid Wembanyama's 8-foot wingspan in the paint. That shall favor perimeter shooting in volume, with Shamet attempting 5.2 three-pointers per game and making them at an insane 60% clip this postseason.

Shamet will be a bit boom-or-bust, but if he dings home at least 2 three-pointers, DFS owners are golden as his price is widely below 5% of total salary available on DFS platforms.

Keldon Johnson

The Spurs' 6th man can do it all. In fact, Johnson won the NBA 6th Man of the Year Award.

Johnson shoots on the wing, drives, and plays good defense. He can deliver a balanced stat line. The Knicks will offer tough defense, but Johnson's play off the bench will put him in an easier defensive matchup. He will also offer a higher floor.

In the Western Conference Finals, Johnson achieved 5x of his salary in 6 of the 7 games played. The Thunder have a slightly tougher defense than the Knicks on paper. The risk is very low.

Carter Bryant

The series may honestly deliver most value through the highest caliber of its players. For the Knicks, Brunson plays to a 30% usage rate and 32% of team shots while on the court.

As for the Spurs, Wembanyama has a 27% usage rate while Stephon Castle is at 24% and De'Aaron Fox is at 22%. This is to be deciphered in multiple ways.

The Spurs will favor their top guys when they are on the court. That also means that a smart DFS player may want to stack some bigger players. To gain the best value, use an ultra-sleeper to earn 5x salary while spending basically nothing.

Bryant is $1,200 on FanDuel and DraftKings for Game 1. Given that salary, Bryant would have achieved over 5x of salary in 5 of 7 games in the Western Conference Finals. These all happened in tighter games as well, so we didn't have to bank on garbage time. For such a low price, it is not far-fetched for Bryant to well-exceed 5x of his salary. It is the ultimate budget play.