The 2017-2018 NBA season is barely a week old and it’s already been crazy. Between all the stars that changed teams during the summer and the elite names that have suffered injuries so far, a lot of shuffling has happened up and down the fantasy basketball landscape. For some of the players listed below, an injury or trade has been a boon to their fantasy value. For others, a detriment. We might only be barely a week in, but it’s already time to cut ties with struggling players or buy low on rising stars. There’s nothing worse than missing a buy-low opportunity or holding on to dead weight too long.
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Players to Buy
Jaylen Brown (SG/SF – BOS)
After the dust settled from the gruesome season-ending leg injury to Gordon Hayward, one thing immediately jumped to mind: It’s Jaylen Brown’s time to shine now. Please, tell me one player on the Celtics outside of Kyrie Irving that you can guarantee will score more than Brown this season. There are a few names you could throw into the mix, but with Hayward out, the Celtics desperately need to fill some of that scoring void. Early indications are that Brown is going to be that guy.
It’s certainly not ideal for all of this pressure to be put on the 2nd year wing, but that’s what Boston has to do. Through four games, Brown is averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.0 3s per game on 47.6% shooting. On top of that, he’s averaging less than one turnover per game which is great for a player as young as he is. There’s no reason to believe that Brown can’t produce like this for the entire season, and frankly, this might just be the tip of the iceberg. He’s a great player to trade for now before his price continues to rise as the season progresses.
John Collins (PF/C – ATL)
There’s no need to sugar coat it, this Atlanta team stinks. And I’m not talking about the stink from your armpits after a pickup basketball game. I’m talking about the stench you smell when you leave fish remnants in the trash for a week. Why am I going into such detail about this? Because there’s no reason for the Hawks to play any of their veterans. I’m looking at you, Dwayne Dedmon. Outside of Dennis Schroder, the player with the most fantasy upside on this team is rookie John Collins and he’s beginning to showcase that potential over the last two games.
Through his first four career games, Collins has averaged 19.3 minutes off the bench and the stats have been downright impressive. Instead of looking at those stats, let’s look at his per36 stats to show what he is capable of in a starting role.
| PPG | RPG | SPG | BPG |
| 22.0 | 14.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 |
As you can see, those are pretty good, to say the least. Grab Collins now if you can cause he’s only going to get more time as the season progresses. The arrow is firmly pointed upwards here.
D’Angelo Russell (PG/SG – BKN)
Say hello to one of the few bright spots on a pathetic Brooklyn roster. Coming into the season, D’Angelo Russell was already thought of as a late mid-round fantasy talent. Following the season-ending injury to Jeremy Lin, Russell now has the opportunity to truly flourish and put up early round value. Through four games, Russell has averaged 23.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers per game with surprisingly decent shooting percentages. The turnovers are certainly going to be high with his style of play, but Russell is definitely one to target in a trade before the rest of your league realizes how good he really is. He can honestly be a borderline top-12 point guard the rest of the way.
Players to Sell
Dwyane Wade (SG – CLE)
There’s no doubting that Dwyane Wade is a hall of fame player, but what he’s accomplished in the past doesn’t help fantasy owners this season. It always boils down to how a player is performing in the present, and in Wade’s case, that’s not a whole heck of a lot. Through three games, Wade has averaged 5.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on just 28% shooting.
After that type of start, there’s no place to go but up right? Not quite. Not only is Wade struggling out of the gate, he’s not even going to start moving forward either. You could say that the move to the bench opens up more shots for Wade, but I’m not buying it. The more you’re on the floor with LeBron James, the better. Unless Wade magically starts scoring 15+ PPG, he’s not worth rostering in standard leagues.
Julius Randle (PF – LAL)
This is another prime example of how important playing time is. For the last two seasons, Julius Randle has held onto late-round value while playing close to 30 MPG. In those minutes last season, Randle averaged 13.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 48.8% shooting. Notice how I mentioned only those four stats? Well, that’s because that’s all he produces in. The modern-day new-age big man can usually do one of these things. Either he can contribute from beyond the arc or in the defensive statistics. Randle falls in that very small minority that can’t do either. Now that he’s been relegated to the bench, he’s just not going to get enough minutes to put up stats worthy of being rostered in standard leagues.
Gorgui Dieng (PF – MIN)
A lot of what was said above about Randle can be applied to Gorgui Dieng as well. He’s gone from starting all 82 games last season to backing up the uninspiring Taj Gibson through the first four games. Most of Dieng’s value came from his defensive stats. In each of the last three seasons, he has averaged over one steal and one block per game. Add in good shooting percentages, rebounding, and around 10 PPG, and you had a solid mid-round big man the past few years. Call me captain obvious here but it’s hard to provide much fantasy value averaging only 13.5 minutes each game. The Wolves are a deep team, especially in the frontcourt, so getting back to near 30 MPG will be a very tall task. Don’t totally forget about him, but Dieng is not worth rostering right now.
Eric Cross is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Eric, check out his archive and follow him @EricCross04.
