With the rash of recent injuries and the flood of Fantasy owners checking injury updates daily to see if their player is going to start playing any time soon, what many owners are failing to look at are all the new Fantasy Sleepers that are currently available.

Normally you only look at Fantasy Sleepers prior to the draft, when nobody has actually picked any players. Who is starting for their team? Will they improve on last year’s numbers.

I have found myself recently going into the available players on a regular basis and finding a couple of guys sitting around waiting to be picked up and scoring over 20 points a game, among other notable stats.

Why are these players available?

Because Fantasy owners are busy stuffing their stars onto the bench and checking injury updates rather than figuring out who is taking their place.

Let’s take a look at some of the games that have appeared over the last week, either because of injury or because of some other reason.

Earl Boykins has started for two games now with strong fantasy numbers to show for it. He was already pretty good as a sixth man, but if he continues in his starting role, he will be a very strong pick up. It’s amazing that he is even available in any leagues, but I found him in one of my leagues. He’s bound to be available in others. With Andre Miller in Philly, he is making the most of his time.

Ruben Patterson made the most of his start in the place of the injured Michael Redd. With Redd not taking the lion’s share of the shots, Ruben has a chance to be a factor for the next month or month and a half. He is normally a decent pick up anyway although his numbers over the last month were less than stellar. Look for him to take advantage of his new-found time (at least until Redd returns).

Dikembe Mutombo. You probably never thought you’d hear his name in Fantasy circles again, backing up Yao Ming and being somewhere near 100 years old. Now he is starting, in place of the injured Yao Ming, and his rebounding numbers are great. If you are in the look for rebounds (and a few blocks as well), he might just be your man. He’s probably available in just about every league out there.

Tony Allen is making the most of his new found time in Boston, thanks to the injury to Paul Pierce. His numbers are fairly consistent, and he may be looking at good stats along side of Paul Pierce if he keeps this up. Most leagues have already found this gem, but if he is still available, snatch him up.Injured the day after writing the article.

Earl Watson is starting in place of Luke Ridnour now. Earl was on the cusp of being on Fantasy teams for his assist numbers as a 6th man. In the starting position, he should be a lock for 6-8 assists per night. If you are struggling in assists (or if recent injuries to your point guards require your assists to be supplemented for the short term), take a long, hard look at him.