RADIO
Hello, our dear readers. The buy low, sell high column is back for the 2018-19 season. This is my first in-season article for the new NBA year and it's great to be writing for you again.
As always, there are some guys who started the season red hot, and of course others who are still in preseason form. If you are able to take advantage of these streaks and trade for a more valuable player just because he is not playing well at the moment, it could come back around in a few weeks time and you will have made yourself a bargain when your new guy hits form again.
Check out our Sell High and Buy Low candidates for Week 2 of the NBA season, right here at Rotoballer.
Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Will Priester (@ChiefJustice06) from RotoGrinders leads the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with his 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 2
Are You for Real, DeAndre Jordan?
It was somewhat expected that Jordan will have a larger offensive role on a hopeless Dallas team, and when their (probably) first offensive option, Harrison Barnes, went down with an injury it was even more obvious. Also, Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. are great facilitators, and Wesley Matthews has been doing a great job spreading the floor, so it doesn't come as a surprise that Dallas was able to provide DJ with some nice looks near the basket. But despite all this, DeAndre was still able to positively surprise us!
He's doing all his regular stuff, but also, he is scoring 17.0 points a night, his blocks are back to 2.3, he's managing a steal per game, and he hit nine of his ten free throws so far! Furthermore, he is on 70.0 FG% with 12.7 boards and just 1.7 turnovers in 32 minutes a game. This has him at #3 in Yahoo rankings in 9 cat leagues, without punting FT%.
Who'd a thunk it?
Snap back to reality. There's no way DJ can keep this up!
17 points on 70% from the field? Highly doubtful.
90% from the charity stripe!? That's definitely a fluke!
I'm not saying he won't still be a top-50 player or even a top-30 player, even if we're counting FT%. But he can't keep being this good.
If you aren't punting FT% and you can find a trade partner who is willing to give up a top-25 player for him, I would definitely consider it. It depends on your strategy of course, but a player like John Wall, Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons could provide more value coming forward then Jordan.
Of course, if you're punting FT% than just sit back and enjoy DJ's music.
Baller Move: Sell high
Time to Panic on Klay Thompson?
So, you drafted Klay, eh? I feel for ya!
I've got him in one of my dynasty leagues where I'm punting FT%. He and CJ McCollum - another buy-low candidate, by the way - managed to effectively kill my FG% with their awful shooting in the first week of the season.
Here's what Klay had in store for his owners in his 4 games this season so far: 14.3 PTS with 0.8 3PM on 37.3 FG%, 4.5 REB, 1.3 AST, 0.3 STL, 1.0 BLK and 1.8 TO. Thankfully he hit all 10 of his free throws or this could have been a total disaster.
We are just not used to such poor shooting from the Splash Brother. And just 0.8 threes!? Most of us have him on our rosters so he can lead our team in 3-pointers. 0.8 made from 5.5 attempts from downtown (that's 13.6% if you were wondering) is not what we signed up for!
The positive about Klay's abysmal fantasy performance so far is that it's mostly due to a cold hand from beyond the arc. Most of his other stats are pretty close to his standard - assists and steals are a little down, but blocks and rebounds are up.
So the stats that have Thompson all the way down to #178 in Yahoo 9-cat fantasy rankings are all mendable with one quick fix. If... Actually, when Klay reheats his hand, it will improve his FG%, his 3PM, and his points totals. This will single-handedly (see what I did there?) get him back to top-50, probably even top-30.
So, if you're a fellow owner keep your faith. He just needs to start hitting them again. And he is a Splash Brother. There's no doubt in my mind that he will get his mojo back.
If, on the other hand, you're looking to buy Thompson low, I would encourage you to do so. Depending on your team build I would look to tempt Klay's owner with someone like Julius Randle, Tim Hardaway Jr. or Steven Adams. You could pay even more, but be a bit wary since all Warriors players could be subject to a rest day or two come fantasy playoffs.
Baller Move: Hold or buy low
