It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.
Buy low, sell high is one of the oldest terms in fantasy, but it’s more involved than that. You have to look at the “low” and “high” of it to make sure you’re maximizing value. We can also buy the player but question the team and role they are in when it comes to maintaining the pace they are on.
Most importantly, here, with any call you make, you have to be willing to lose the deal or accept that you made the wrong call. It happens all the time when we think we are selling at the highest value, only for that player to buck the trend and play like a stud as we advance.
Now that you have an idea of what to expect for this column week to week let’s get to the players.
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Buy
Jae’Sean Tate (HOU – SF/PF)
Tate has been up and down all season, but he’s a top 100 player even with those inconsistencies. We’re not exactly chasing his 32-point breakout performance from Wednesday night because that’s not who he is as a player.
But he is a player who can score 15 points and chip in with rebounds and assists, with the occasional three. The Rockets are a mess, which we knew heading into the season, but with an injury to Christian Wood and reoccurring injury to Kevin Porter Jr.s thigh, Tate should continue to see high usage in the coming games. He’s a short-term buy and long-term cautious buy.
Anfernee Simons (POR – PG/SG)
It’s time to be worried about Damian Lillard, right? He’s been battling abdominal tendinopathy all season, and now he’s going to miss the next ten days – at a minimum – but it could be an injury that lingers all season.
If you have Dame, you’re holding him. If you don’t, you’re likely not trying to acquire him for more than pennies on the dollar. Enter Simons, who scored 24 points Monday night, and followed it up with a 12/6/5 performance Wednesday night. He’s a short-term buy, but it could turn into a long-term investment depending on how long Lillard is out for.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (PG/SG/SF – WAS)
Inconsistent? Yes. Quick trigger? Yes. Productive? Also yes. KCP has been a big addition for the Wizards this year, and while he’s the 60th player on the season, he’s also been a top 25 player over the last two weeks.
Pope has scored at least 14 points in six of his last seven games and routinely hits two or more threes per game. We know the inconsistency is there, and he’ll be maddening at times. But there’s no reason he can’t continue to be at least a top 80 player for fantasy. I’m buying.
Sell
Isaiah Hartenstein (LAC – PF/C)I’ve been back and forth on Hartenstein this year. When he gets run, I like him, but he’s too inconsistent on a night-to-night basis to be trusted. He hasn’t cracked 20 minutes since November 18, so that makes him a sell candidate for me, despite being the 43rd-ranked player in the last 14 days.
Gary Harris (ORL – SG/SF)
Don’t do it. Don’t buy into what we’ve seen from Harris over the last few games. He still has some name value from the hype he had in Denver, but even with the recent solid stretch (38 points while averaging more than 30 minutes per game), he’s still ranked 269th on the season, which isn’t so nice. He has value in deeper leagues with the Jalen Suggs injury, but that’s about it.
Bobby Portis (MIL – PF/C)
Giannis Antetokounpo has been the ninth-ranked player in the last two weeks. Sitting at 11th overall is Anthony Davis. Sandwiched in between is Portis. He’s been fantastic this season, and even after his four straight games with a double-double, Portis has continued to help fantasy managers with scoring, rebounds, and hitting shots from behind the arc.
Here’s the thing, though. Brook Lopez is on his way back, and the Bucks just signed DeMarcus Cousins for what that’s worth. Portis is the most skilled of the three, but there will be a logjam if nothing else as Milwaukee finds the right rotation for its big men. So I’m buying as a top 100 option but selling as a top 60 player.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.