Welcome to Buy Low, Sell High! This one actually ran on Tuesday afternoon which is when you should expect it going forward. Let’s dive right in. You can follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Buy Low
John Collins (suspension), Deandre Ayton (suspension), Marvin Bagley (thumb) and Zion Williamson (knee surgery) are all available in some leagues. They’re all going to be out for at least another few weeks, but all might be stashable for use later in the season when the fantasy playoffs start. As far as sitting on these guys, I’d rank them as follows: Marvin Bagley (targeting late November), Deandre Ayton (Dec. 17 return), John Collins (Dec. 23 return), Zion Williamson (targeting mid-December). I don’t have much faith in Zion (at all), but the other three guys should hit the ground running when they are back.
It was also announced on Tuesday that Victor Oladipo (ruptured quad surgery on right knee) has been given a G-League assignment, meaning he’s getting closer, even though he’s still without a target date to return. I’m actually not sure if I like Oladipo as a buy-low or a sell-high player. He’s ultra-talented and had as much upside as any fantasy player before he went down, but he hasn’t played basketball in more than a year, is coming off a major injury/surgery and the Pacers are off to a 6-4 start and have a rotation they’re happy with. Oladipo could hurt Malcolm Brogdon, but it’s also possible the Pacers will bring Oladipo along very slowly and make him a frustrating fantasy player to have to deal with. I’m leaning towards selling him high to someone who thinks he’s going to hit the ground running. But this one could go either way.[[ad:athena]]
Jrue Holiday – He had an 18-9-11 line on Monday but hit just 6-of-21 shots and committed six turnovers as well. Brandon Ingram’s knee injury could really open the door for Jrue, but even if Ingram is fine, Holiday simply has to figure this out and get better. He’s been bad, his owners have been frustrated and might be happy to receive an offer from you in their inbox, even if it’s on the low end.
Ja Morant – Morant is coming off a missed game (rest) and a 2-of-12 night with nine points and three assists. The days of rest should be few and far between and nights like he had on Monday should also not be the norm. His trade value isn’t great at the moment and I think a savvy owner can probably get a nice deal on Morant right now. Especially with Memphis coming up on a two-game week when 13 teams play four times and the Sixers have a rare five-game week starting on Nov. 18. Use the games-played angle to your advantage, as most of us can be swayed by the thought of getting a four- or five-gamer in our lineup instead of a two-gamer.
RJ Barrett – Barrett hasn’t scored more than nine points in his last two games, the sky is falling in New York and he’s made just 32 percent of his shots in November (five games). The kid still has a chance to win Rookie of the Year and is apparently going to have to put the Knicks on his back and carry nine power forwards if he’s going to save coach Fizdale’s job. The time to buy low on him is perfect.
Editor’s Note: Drafting is only half the battle. Dominate all season long with our Season Pass! Use our NEW Start/Sit Tool, Trade Analyzer, Weekly Tiers, Rest-of-Season Rankings, Projections and more on your way to a championship! Click here for more!
Nikola Jokic – Jokic gets the Hawks on Tuesday night and opposing centers have torn them up for as long as I can remember. Jokic has been better in November, scoring at least 20 points in three of his four games, while he had three straight games of 13 or fewer points to close out October. The buy-low window is closing quickly, and I fully expect him to light up the Hawks tonight. He’s not going to come cheaply if you decide to try to get Jokic, but this could be the last call to be able to get him for a reasonable price this season.
Jayson Tatum – Today’s the day to make a low-ball offer on Tatum after he missed 17-of-18 shots against the Mavericks on Monday night. Tatum is one of my favorite NBA players and he’s going to have to help pick up the slack in the absence of Gordon Hayward (broken hand). Jaylen Brown is rolling, and I suspect Tatum will be right behind him. His owner in your league probably isn’t stupid and isn’t just going to give him away, but now looks like the ideal time to make a move for Tatum without having to give up the farm.
Bradley Beal – Beal has yet to shoot 50 percent in a November game and I wish I would have taken Luka Doncic instead of him in one league, but my skeptical Rotoworld cohorts may have gotten into my head. Beal’s been fine, but the shooting has been suspect, the steals have been lacking and he’s showing up as a sixth-round player on Basketballmonster.com. Show that to a fellow owner and make him an offer he can’t refuse. Beal was a first-round pick for a reason, but we just haven’t seen that reason to come to fruition yet. Jabari Parker for Beal? Sign me up (they’re currently ranked 68thand 69thon BBM).
Kristaps Porzingis – Porzingis backed up his Saturday day of rest with a disastrous 1-of-12 performance on Monday night against the Celtics. I’ve watched every one of his games this season and he looks fantastic, for the most part. Yes, I’m worried about the load management and injuries, but then again, I’m worried about that for every player in the league at this point. Porzingis will sit out back-to-backs, but I think he’ll otherwise play, as long as he stays healthy. He’s got great chemistry with Luka Doncic and is primed for a big season.
Myles Turner – Turner’s another injured guy (ankle) whose value has taken a hit after sitting out every game in November thus far, and he’s not going to play tonight. Turner got off to a hot start this season and should pick up where he left off when he’s healthy.
Jonathan Isaac – A little known secret about Isaac is that he’s ranked as the No. 13 player on Basketballmonster.com right now, despite the fact he’s only averaging 12.1 points per game. He’s blocking shots, hitting 3-pointers and racking up steals, shoots it well from both the field and line, and may be in the process of fully blowing up right before our eyes. His owner may be frustrated by some inconsistency and the low scoring and my sense is you can get a decent buy-low on Isaac right now. He’s only going to get better, but Orlando plays just two games in Week 5. This might be the perfect storm to swipe Isaac from an unsuspecting owner.
Cory Joseph – De’Aaron Fox is out for at least three weeks and CoJo should take over at point guard. We don’t really know what he’ll do, but he’s played well when given opportunities in the past. I don’t know that he belongs on a buy-low list, as he should still be available in a lot of leagues. I think he’s going to be worth owning for the next three weeks and maybe longer. The Kings go 3-3-4-4 games per week starting next week (Week 5).
Mike Conley – The buy-low window is closing on Conley as he’s finally figuring out how to play with his new team. He’s scored 22 and 20 points in each of his last two games but is still averaging just 3.4 assists and shooting under 41 percent in his five November games. He’s a good player as is only going to get better in Utah, but his owner may have the fact he’s really struggled stuck in their head. And he’s currently showing up as a 16th-round player on BBM.
Joe Ingles – Another struggling Utah player, Jingles is showing as a 15th-round fantasy player on BBM. I’m not sure he’ll ever get it going, but if you can swipe him off waivers or pick him up for a song, he should eventually come around and get it going. He’s averaging just 7.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.4 3-pointers on 37 percent shooting thus far. He simply has to get better.
Sell High
Kevin Love – As you may know by now, I’m not a big Love guy so he’ll probably be on this list more than he should be. But his injury history and tendency to not finish out seasons makes him a serious load management concern, and the fact the Cavaliers aren’t going anywhere just adds fuel to that fire. He’s averaging 18.3 points and hasn’t missed a game yet. You can throw ancient Tristan Thompson in the same boat for the 4-5 Cavs. Neither player is in a must-trade situation in fantasy, but my thinking is the sooner you get rid of them and get something good in return, the better the chances are you won’t regret not moving them later.
Luke Kennard – I’m a Kennard enthusiast and he’s been awesome this season, averaging a ridiculous 36 minutes, 20.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.8 3-pointers. That’s good for sixth-round value on BBM, although it feels like he’s playing even better than that. The return of Blake Griffin should eat into Kennard’s touches and usage, while he also likely isn’t as good as he’s played so far this year. Kennard might be the ultimate sell-high guy right now, so don’t be shy in trying to get a really good player in return for him whether it’s a 1-for-1 deal or if you make him part of a package.
Aron Baynes – Baynes has been completely serviceable and has done a nice job filling in for Ayton. But Ayton will be back on Dec. 17 and those four weeks will fly by. And once he’s back, Baynes’ fantasy value is going to go bye-bye. Baynes checks in with averages of 15.8 points, 5.8 boards, 3.1 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in 24 minutes, meaning you might be able to find someone to give you something for him. Sacramento’s Marvin Bagley (thumb) should be on about the same timeline as Ayton and his teammate, Richaun Holmes, is in a similar situation to that of Baynes, making both of them low-end sell-high players.
Jabari Parker – Parker has been out of his mind since savvy owners picked him up when John Collins’ suspension was announced. And Collins still has a ton of games to go in street clothes, as his suspension isn’t over until Dec. 23. But that’s only a week longer than Ayton’s return and just like Ayton’s, Collins’ return will be here before we know it. Parker has a real chance to hold some of his value once Collins is back, but it would likely have to come at the expense of De’Andre Hunter, and I’m just not sure the Hawks really want to do that. Ride Parker for another couple weeks and then see if you can find someone who’s in love with the numbers he’s been putting up. If you don’t move him before Collins is on the horizon, you may not get anything for him.
Stephen Curry – Curry says he’s going to come back and play toward the end of the season in order to get some chemistry with the young kids on the Warriors. But he’s going to be reevaluated in three months and will need another procedure to remove the pin from his hand. I’ll be shocked if he plays before the All-Star break and I’d put his over-under for games played at 12. Matt Stroup traded Curry for Tomas Satoransky the other day, while I just flat-out cut him the day his injury was announced. Curry announcing that he will play should give his value a small boost and you might be able to get a player better than Satoransky back for him. And if you have a great team that will make the playoffs and you feel like you could handle stashing Curry until March, feel free to go out and acquire him for next to nothing.
Draymond Green – Green came back on Monday from his finger injury, didn’t do a whole lot and then got thrown out of the game for arguing with officials. The Warriors are tanking and have basically said as much, so Green’s season is going to be pretty dicey. Rotoworld’s Jared Johnson is offering Draymond up for guys like Ayton, Bagley or anyone else he can get because nothing about Green’s season in Golden State is appealing. If you own Green and want to move him, wait until he has a big line and then float some offers. Trying to trade him in his first game back after getting ejected is not the ideal plan. But I’m glad I don’t own any shares of Green this year.
Kyle Lowry – No, he’s not really a sell-high guy because he’s injured and not even playing for the next few weeks. But the difference between Lowry and a guy like De’Aaron Fox is that Lowry’s being pushed by Fred VanVleet, who is a very credible threat, while Fox is backed up by Cory Joseph. FVV already had a major role in Toronto’s scheme and will become even more entrenched while Lowry’s nursing his thumb injury for the next several weeks. After a rocky shooting start to the season Lowry was really turning it on and playing ridiculous minutes when he went down and now we have to wonder if the Raptors are going to continue to overwork him when he returns, as well as whether his thumb injury may linger as the season rolls on. Not to mention that FVV may end up stealing part of his role and minutes. Lowry’s trade value isn’t going to be super high while he’s out with this injury, but those three weeks will be up before you know it.
