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Buy, Sell, or Hold: Lou Williams and Eric Bledsoe?

Milos Zvekic's buy low, sell high trade advice for Week 17 of fantasy NBA. His buy/hold/sell recommendations for Lou Williams and Eric Bledsoe in fantasy basketball leagues.

Picking the right moments to buy, hold or sell your fantasy players can prove to be the difference come the end of a fantasy season. If you managed to sell your guy who was on fire just before he went cold again and get someone back who was slumping at the time, but is now back to his old valuable self, that could give you a significant advantage when fantasy playoffs start. And with the Trade Deadline looming, this is the right time to try and get away with some of those moves.

The Clippers made it clear that they are not looking to compete this year with them trading away their best player in Blake Griffin. It is quite possible that the Blake trade is just a gateway to more trades. And the players that are featured in almost all the Clippers' rumors are DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams. And while DJ should keep his value wherever he goes, as he does not need ball in his hands to be productive, and he will be utilized by any team that is willing to trade for him, it could prove difficult for Lou to hold on to this usage and therefore fantasy value on most other teams. More on what to do with Lou is coming up shortly.

The Bucks have just had two of their point guards fall victim to injury. Would you believe it, not one of them is Eric Bledsoe!? If you're interested in the probable outlook for Bledsoe for the rest of the season and my take on his value going forward, keep reading. Welcome to our Week 17, Buy Low/Sell High column right here at Rotoballer.

Upgrade To VIP: Save 50% on any NBA Premium Pass using discount code SMASH. Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 17

Are You for Real, Lou Williams?

The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Lou Williams found himself traded to the LA Clippers in a deal for Chriss Paul last offseason and, with Patrick Beverley, Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic all in the team's backcourt, figured to once again be the offensive force coming off the bench, but not much more than that.

But all three of his aforementioned teammates have been having trouble with injuries. Beverley is out for the season, Rivers hasn't played yet in 2018 and Teo is healthy now, but has missed over half of the Clippers' games so far. All this has Lou riding the biggest usage % of his career at 30.1%. The increased opportunity translated very well into fantasy output with Lou averaging 23.3 PTS with 2.8 3PM on 43.9 FG% and 90.0 FT%, 2.5 REB, 5.3 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.2 BLK and 2.9 TO in 33 minutes a night. He is a top-35 fantasy asset in most formats with this contribution.

So what's to keep Sweet Lou from keeping up this magnificent form?

Well, the rumors are heating up that the Clippers are looking to get younger and are shopping their older, valuable players to accomplish their goal of competing in a few years instead of right away. Lou fits exactly into what teams that want to win now want, and what the Clippers are looking to sell. With Griffin's deal going through, it seems like there's no time like the present for Clippers to pull the trigger on a deal for Lou. And there aren't any spots where Lou can land where he can keep getting the kind of run he's been getting so far. Likely suitors for his services are quality competing teams who already have strong rosters, and who need Lou mostly as a strong bench player, not the leader of their offense, which is his role on the Clippers at the moment. So any trade away from LA would have him lose at least some of his fantasy appeal.

What if Lou stays? Even if the Clippers are unable to find a satisfying deal for Lou Will, it is still unlikely that he will be able to keep it up at this level. Griffin is out of town, but in that deal, the Clippers received a guard, Avery Bradley, who can eat up some of Lou's minutes, and a high usage guy in Tobias Harris. In the two games with them in the lineup, Lou's usage is down to 28.2. So even if Williams was to stay a Clipper, he wouldn't be guaranteed the minutes or usage to keep producing at a top-35 pace.

If you own Lou and have an owner in your league with faith in him to stay in LA, or to keep up this sort of production, it could prove a wise move to try and sell at a high price. Most players from the top-50 have safer ROS value than Lou and I would probably take a guy like Khris MiddletonDeMar DeRozan or Robert Covington if I was offered one of them.

Baller Move: Sell high

 

Time to Panic on Eric Bledsoe?

Apart from his career high 2.1 steals per game and a somewhat decent (for a guy who takes almost five threes a game) 44.3% from the field, all other fantasy-relevant stats are down from his previous years. This is expected since he's been playing "just" 30 minutes a night, which is a three-to-four minute drop off from his previous years in Phoenix. But with his biggest competitors for minutes out for a couple of weeks (Malcolm Brogdon 6-8 and Matthew Dellavedova 3-4), Bledsoe should get all the run he can handle.

Expect his 16.8 points, 1.5 threes, 3.5 boards, 4.1 dimes and also his 2.9 turnovers per game, all to rise with the increased opportunity he is bound to get. Giannis AntetokounmpoKhris Middleton, and Bledsoe will be running the offense so it's difficult to imagine that he will still be limited to 13.5 field goals per game with almost 14.5 shots being up for grabs from the injuries of Brogdon and Delly.

Do be careful though, Bledsoe is quite an injury risk. He has missed less than 15 games in just three of his seven NBA seasons so far. And with the burden of injuries to his peers falling mostly on his shoulders, and Bucks in the midst of the battle for NBA playoff seeding, Bledsoe probably won't get rested enough and his body might not endure the effort.

While I would advise caution, I still believe that Bledsoe can be a decent fantasy, and can really up his value from his current top-75 form. If you can obtain his services for a player in that same range but with less opportunity or a worse outlook for the rest of the season I would certainly advise you do so. Jonas ValanciunasHarrison Barnes, and Evan Fournier have all outperformed Bledsoe fantasy-wise this season, but all have lower ceilings and, barring any injury, should have less value the rest of the way. So if you own one of these players and Bledsoe's owner doesn't trust him, it would be a mid-risk high-reward move for you to make the swap.

Baller Move: Hold or buy low

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis




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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

GG Jackson II

Out on Friday
Marcus Smart

Rejoins Lakers Lineup
Luka Dončić

Luka Doncic Returns Against Grizzlies
Jalen Suggs

to Return to Magic Lineup Saturday
Anthony Davis

to Miss at Least Two Games
Guerschon Yabusele

Available Friday
Mitchell Robinson

Won't Have Minutes Restriction Friday
Karl-Anthony Towns

Ready to Face Bulls
Connor Brown

Considered Questionable for Saturday
Malik Monk

Won't Suit Up on Saturday
Gleyber Torres

Undergoes Sports-Hernia Surgery
Dylan Strome

Remains Out Friday
Elias Lindholm

to Miss Several Weeks
Donovan Mitchell

Unavailable For Friday's Matchup With Raptors
Jarrett Allen

Won't Play on Friday Night
Kaapo Kakko

Could Be an Option Saturday
Gustav Nyquist

Ruled Out for Saturday
Bo Bichette

Not Expecting to Need Offseason Knee Surgery
William Nylander

Considered a Game-Time Call for Saturday
Chris Kreider

Returning to Ducks Lineup Friday
Obi Toppin

Will Undergo Foot Surgery on Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Questionable For Matchup Versus Sacramento
Joel Embiid

To Remain On Minutes Restriction On Friday
Amen Thompson

Fourth-Year Option Picked Up on Friday
LaMelo Ball

Questionable For Saturday's Game
Nico Collins

Officially Cleared to Face Broncos on Sunday
Jalen Williams

Undergoes Follow-Up Procedure, Will Miss More Time
Brock Purdy

Questionable to Play, but Won't Start in Week 9
T.J. McConnell

Out of Action on Friday
Travis Hunter

ACL is Intact
Cleveland Cavaliers

Chris Livingston Reaches Two-Way Deal With Cleveland
Brandon Miller

Fourth-Year Option Picked Up on Friday
Mitchell Robinson

Returning To Starting Lineup On Friday
Alvin Kamara

Questionable for Week 9, Trending Toward Playing
George Springer

Back in Leadoff Spot for Game 6 of World Series
Michael Penix Jr.

Not Listed on Injury Report For Week 9
Drake London

Practices in Full on Friday, Will Play in Week 9
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Officially Cleared to Return in Week 9
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Ruled Out for Week 9 Due to Groin Injury
Rico Dowdle

Will "Start and Get the Bulk of the Carries" in Week 9
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Ruled Out for Sunday
Trey Hendrickson

Doubtful vs Bears
Calvin Ridley

Officially Ruled Out for Week 9
Rhamondre Stevenson

Officially Ruled Out for Week 9
Joe Flacco

Questionable to Play Against Bears
Travis Hunter

to Miss the Rest of the Season?
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Good to Go for Week 9
Jayden Daniels

Will Start on Sunday Night Against Seattle
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Returns At UFC Vegas 110
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Set For Co-Main Event
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In Search For His Second UFC Win
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Chris Grier Out as Dolphins GM, Mike McDaniel Safe for Now
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A Favorite At UFC Vegas 110
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Standing Out at Practice
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Looks To Return To The Win Column
Yadier del Valle

Looks To Remain Undefeated
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Arizona State Quarterback Sam Leavitt Out for the Season
Travis Hunter

Will Be Placed on Injured Reserve After Suffering Knee Injury
Isaac Dulgarian

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
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Looks For His First UFC Win
Charles Radtke

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Allan Nascimento

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 110 Main Card
Cody Durden

In Dire Need Of Victory
Puka Nacua

Says He'll Return in Week 9
Jason Dickinson

Aggravates Shoulder Injury Thursday
Gustav Nyquist

Sustains Injury in Thusday's Win
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Injured Versus Predators
Elias Lindholm

Hurt Against Sabres
Seth Jarvis

Makes Early Exit Thursday
Brock Boeser

Exits Win Early
Jordan Harris

to Miss Two Months After Ankle Surgery
Ilya Mikheyev

a Game-Time Call Thursday
Samuel Ersson

Lands on Injured Reserve
Alexander Romanov

Returns to Action Thursday
Roope Hintz

Still Out Thursday
George Springer

"Strong Possibility" That George Springer Returns in Game 6 of World Series
Matt Duchene

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Martin Necas

Inks Eight-Year Extension With Avalanche
Mathew Barzal

Scratched on Thursday for Disciplinary Reasons
Bryce Miller

Not Expected to Need Elbow Surgery
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Nationals Finalizing a Deal to Hire Blake Butera as Next Manager
CFB

Arch Manning Listed as Questionable for Vanderbilt Matchup
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Arion Carter Listed as Questionable Ahead of Oklahoma Matchup
Minnesota Twins

Twins Name Derek Shelton as Their New Manager
CFB

Jordyn Tyson Questionable for Iowa State Matchup with Hamstring Injury
George Springer

Not in the Lineup for Game 4 of World Series
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Pulled Early in Game 3 With Side Injury
Baltimore Orioles

Orioles Finalizing Deal to Hire Craig Albernaz as the Next Manager
William Byron

Dominates at Martinsville and Advances to the Championship Round
Kyle Larson

Advances to the Championship Round After Top-Five Finish
Ryan Blaney

Falls Short of the Victory and Title Contention at Martinsville
Chase Elliott

Eliminated From 2025 Title Contention Despite Strong Martinsville Run
CFB

Behren Morton Will Start Against Kansas State
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Lane Kiffin Says Money Won't Impact his Decision-Making
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Arch Manning in Concussion Protocol, Misses Practice Monday
Christopher Bell

Eliminated From Championship 4 After a Too Conservative Season
Joey Logano

Lack of Championship-Caliber Speed Leads to Elimination
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Last at Martinsville
Denny Hamlin

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Fight With Tom Aspinall Ends In No-Contest
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Mackenzie Dern

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Mario Bautista

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Umar Nurmagomedov

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Alexander Volkov

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Azamat Murzakanov

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Daniel Suarez

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Joey Logano

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Shane Van Gisbergen

Now Competent on Ovals, but Don't Start Him Here
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