It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.
Actually this week, I’m not sure if any of us know what it means. With COVID running rampant throughout the league right now, teams are putting players into safety protocols and canceling games (rightfully so in both instances).
It’s hard to highlight players this week whose performances haven’t been shifted due to missed time (or elevated by playing the Kings, really), so we are doing something different this week. We are looking at six different rookies and deciding whether or not we buy their current production.
Buy low-sell high is one of the oldest terms in fantasy sports, 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 that they are in when it comes to maintaining the pace that 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 going forward.
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
Barnes has been so damn good for the Raptors, and there are no signs of him slowing down anytime soon. On the season, he’s the 48th player in fantasy, but in the last two weeks, he’s 18th.
Heading into this week, Barnes was second to only Cade Cunningham in points per game (15.1), second to Evan Mobley in rebounds per game (8.2), and third in field goal percentage at 48.6 shooting from the field.
It seemed like Jalen Suggs going to Toronto at fourth overall was a lock, but taking Barnes has paid off and then some for the Raptors.
Cade Cunningham (DET – PG/SG)
When you’re the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, you have a lot to live up to right away. Were it me, I’d take Mobley first overall, but Cunningham has more than lived up to the hype so far in his first two months in the league.
Cunningham leads all rookies in scoring entering the week (15.8 points per game), is second to only Josh Giddey in assists per game (4.6), and he leads all rookies in steals per game (1.4). What’s more, this past weekend he went toe-to-toe with Kevin Durant, showing incredible poise for a 20-year-old.
He’s the 142nd ranked player on the year, but remember he got a late start to the season. Over the last month, he’s 66th. I expect him to easily be a top 50 player moving forward.
So we talked about two of the first four picks in the NBA Draft so far. Way to dig deep, Mike.
OK, what about Jones? Jones was a second-round pick, known for his defense, who has made across-the-board contributions for fantasy managers and the Pelicans alike.
Jones entered the week second in steals per game among rookies (1.42) and fourth in blocks (.88). He’s consistently playing 30-plus minutes per game, and he’s been a top 120 player in fantasy while scoring 9.5 points, 3 boards, and 2.3 assists over the last two weeks.
If you want a high-volume player, grab Jones who is available in 80 percent of leagues.
Others I’m Buying: Evan Mobley, Alperen Sengun, Franz Wagner
Sell
Davis had me fooled and I bought into him. But of late, he’s been the ninth or 10th man in the rotation for the Kings, and he’s failed to eclipse 22 minutes since December 10 against the Hornets. That doesn’t seem like it was long ago, but that was five games ago for the Kings, who the schedule makers apparently hate.
Unless Davis is able to work his way back into the mid-20s in minutes, he’s better left on fantasy waiver wires.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (OKC – SF/PF/C)
JRE was another guy who had me excited for his possibility of getting extended run. When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was hurt, JRE was starting and playing a ton. When SGA returned, JRE remained in the starting lineup.
But he’s playing inconsistent minutes, and rightfully so, as his production has been just as inconsistent. Over the last two weeks, JRE is averaging just 5.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game with one total STOCK (steal+rebound) in the month of December.
There’s dynasty upside here still, of course, but it’s fine to move on from the 32nd overall pick in redraft leagues.
I wrote about Boston last week in this column, and I had him in this very sell section. It’s not about the talent, but it’s about him being relevant this year compared to the long term.
Drafted 51st overall, Boston turned heads with a 17-point performance and a 27-point performance in back-to-back games a couple of weeks ago. Since then, though, he’s combined for 11 points in two games (not including a DNP) on 4-16 shooting from the field.
What’s more, he’s been stuck at 16 minutes in the last two games, and Paul George and Nicolas Batum haven’t even returned to the lineup yet.
You can go ahead and drop him in redraft leagues, but he, like JRE, has dynasty appeal still.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.