NBA players are full of surprises. Hot and cold streaks, injuries and playing time all have an impact on a players current fantasy value. If you are a good merchant, you could sell a player for more than he is worth based on just him getting more playing time and stringing together a couple of strong performances. That move could end up crucial later on, when the guy you sold cools off.
Below are my Week 8 fantasy basketball buy low and sell high candidates. We will be taking a look at who is overachieving, why isn't he likely to keep it up, and who to expect in return. Also, we will look into a guy who's not at his best at the moment, ponder about weather or when he will come back around and if you should hold onto him if you own him or try to pry him away from his owner for pennies if you don't.
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Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 8
Are You for Real, Rudy Gobert?
Rudy Gobert is on a tear, a poet might say. Well, so shall I. From Nov. 17 until today he has NOT double-doubled in only three of his 14 games. In that period he is producing some league leading statistics. His 3.3 BLK per game have him at #1 in the NBA. So does his 73.6 FG%, if you only count players with 10 or more games during that period. His 12.9 REB are third, and only Harden and Westbrook had more double-doulbes in the last 30 days. Those are some kick ass stats! He is also averaging 13.8 PTS, 0.6 AST, 0.4 STL, just 1.5 TO in 34 minutes per game and is hitting 72.8% from the line in that period. The FT% is a vast improvement compared to his 60.3% career average. There is no question about it, Gobert is a top-10 fantasy asset during that stretch.
Now why would anybody trade a player with those kind of stats? Well coincidentally, his huge rise came just when his frontcourt partner Derrick Favors went down with an injury. George Hill is also on the shelf for about the past two weeks, and the Jazz had Gordon Hayward and Rodney Hood sit out a few games too. Those circumstances have seen Rudy get 34.4 minutes per game instead 29.8 he was averaging before Favors' injury. Favors has returned with 13 minutes on Dec. 15 and Gobert played just under 30 in that game. He played under 30 minutes only twice in the period without Favors and both of those games were blowouts. That indicates that his minutes will go down with Favors back. Furthermore, Gobert was getting 9.6 PTS, 10.3 REB, 2.2 BLK and shooting 60.3% from the field and 61.9% from the charity stripe prior to Favors' being sidelined. That is a more likely scenario for him going forward with Utah getting healthy.
Even though Gobert is playing wonderfully, the return of Favors is bound to take away some of his minutes, rebounds and maybe even blocks and offensive touches. His owners could get a top-15 player back in a trade for Rudy at the moment, depending on the teams needs and other owners in the league. Paul Millsap, Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler and even Paul George could be obtainable. But it's up to their respected owners to decide if Gobert is worth keeping or if him being on fire is a great opportunity to get another good player in exchange for him.
Baller Move: Sell high
Time to Panic on Tobias Harris?
Tobias Harris is swimming in some cold water at the moment. He saw his averages drop down to 11.0 PTS, 1.0 3PM, 2.7 REB, 1.3 AST, 1.3 STL and no blocks, with 1.7 TO on 48.1 FG% and 66.7 FT% in 29 minutes of action in the last seven days. In addition to him not performing on his level, there is another reason Tobias' minutes are down. Jon Leuer is playing pretty well with averages of 12.7 PTS, 4.0 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.3 BLK and 0.3 TO in 27 minutes and is shooting lights out with 63.6 FG% and 90.9 FT% in those last three games. It's hard to believe Leuer can keep it up. Harris and Leuer getting around the same amount of time on court is not something you would expect. And it is hard to think it will remain that way the rest of the season.
One other possible reason for Tobias not playing well is the fact that Reggie Jackson is back from his injury. Jackson demands minutes and although most of them will come at the expense of backup PG Ish Smith, other players, like Harris, will take small hits here and there. Moreover, Harris fit in with the Pistons very well last season after his trade from Orlando, and it might just take some getting used to Reggie being back to make it all click again.
Tobias' season averages of 16.3 PTS, 1.2 3PM on 48.6 FG% and 88.4 FT% along with 4.7 REB, 1.7 AST, 0.8 STL, 0.6 BLK and just 1.5 TO in 33 minutes of action, are deserving of a 3rd to early 4th round pick. A small slump shouldn't worry his owners too much. He will get his minutes back to over 30 a game and his stats will bounce back. So if there is an owner who is panicking and willing to sell Harris below his real value, you should jump on the opportunity to do so. A player like Evan Fournier, Danilo Gallinari or Aaron Gordon after his performance on Dec 15, could tempt an owner to let you have Tobias. His upside is a high one, and so is his floor, so don't be too hesitant to try and get him cheap from his current owner.
Baller Move: Hold or buy low