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 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
Russell Westbrook has been brutal. Like, really bad. Imagine if they were paying him $1.7 million instead of $44 million.
Monk, on the other hand, is only making $1.7 million but has been key the past couple of weeks for the Lakers and for fantasy managers alike.
Monk looks to be the second option in the LeBron Lakers offense right now, as Westbrook isn’t getting it done and Anthony Davis is injured still.
Monk has shown flashes in the past but has been an inconsistent player throughout his career. However, in the last month, he’s a top 20 fantasy player, where he’s averaging 20.2 points, 3.7 boards, 2.3 assists, 2 stocks, and 3.8 made threes per game.
I’m buying Monk until AD comes back.
Jones holds the most value when Ja Morant is out, and while there was a thigh scare for Morant last week, his viral highlights of the last few days shows that he’s doing just fine, thanks.
And so are the Grizzlies, who are winners of 10 straight games, in third place in the Western Conference, and just took down the Warriors Tuesday night.
One of the reasons for that play is Jones, who has been a marvel of late. Jones is still seeing around 20 minutes per night, and he’s scored at least 12 points in seven of his last eight games.
In the aforementioned win over Golden State, Jones hit five threes, tying a career high.
The Grizzlies are firing on all cylinders, and Jones is a consistent rotation player for Memphis, whose biggest strength is its depth. He’s not a must-roster player at tall, but I’m buying him as a deep-league option and one to strongly consider in 12-team leagues.
Giddey became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double when he achieved the feat Jan. 2 against the Mavericks. He just missed going back-to-back with a 14-point, 15-board, and six-assist game his next time out.
Over the last month, Giddey is a top 80 player for fantasy, and he’s the 30th-ranked player over the last two weeks.
His percentages still aren’t what you want to see, but you can see the strides he’s taking each time he takes the court. You’re looking at a player with a top 50 upside for the rest of the season.
And he’s only 19 years old.
Sell
Omer Yurtseven (C – MIA)I have never, in my entire life, wanted to be wrong about something more than this. I am the No. 1 Yurtseven fan outside of Miami, and in two weeks, I will happily say that I am wrong with a smile on my face.
The thing is, Bam Adebayo is “believed to be a week or so away” per Sports Illustrated’s Shandel Richardson.
When he comes back, as well as with the return of Dewayne Dedmon, what does it mean for Yurtseven?
He shouldn’t lose time to Dedmon, you’d hope, but his minutes dipped below 30 for the first time since Dec. 31 in Dedmon’s return to the floor Wednesday.
Yurtseven is by far the superior option, but the time to sell may be now with us having no idea how the rotation will take shape with Adebayo’s looming return.
Lance Stephenson (SG/SF – IND)
I don’t know what you could realistically get for Stephenson. A fourth-round rookie pick? Udonis Haslem? LiAngelo Ball? Whatever it is, you should take it.
Stephenson had a couple of nice showings in his return to the Pacers, but with Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, and Chris Duarte back, it’s the end of the road for the veteran.
We’ll never forget you, Lance.
Klay Thompson is back, which is amazing NBA and fantasy fans everywhere. There’s no player as beloved as Thompson. But with his return, what does it mean for Payton and Jordan Poole?
So far, so good for Payton, as Thompson is still being ramped up with his minute restrictions. We know that Steve Kerr loves him, too, as he was shadowing Ja Morant in the Warriors’ loss to the Grizzlies Tuesday night after making some defensive adjustments.
But for the long term, we may see Payton’s minutes dip around 15 or so per game, making him a tough player to roster for the rest of the season. Test the waters and see what interest there is in him.
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
