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Fantasy Basketball Buy/Sell (1/31)

Fantasy Basketball Buy/Sell (1/31)

It’s been one heck of a week in the NBA, hasn’t it? John Wall and Kevin Love are now out for upward of two months, and Blake Griffin is now a Detroit Piston. That just doesn’t sound right, does it?

All these injuries and moves have created some shakeup in the fantasy basketball landscape, and with the trade deadline drawing nearer, there’s plenty more shakeup to come. So fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.

Players to Buy

Myles Turner (C – IND)
It looks like Turner didn’t need much time to shake the rust off after his nine-game absence. His recent injury and “down” season thus far, make Turner an intriguing buy-low candidate for the rest of the season.

Turner was one of the most popular breakout picks coming into the 2017-18 season and for good reason. He was coming off averages of 14.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, and looked poised to build off that this season. Well, he hasn’t quite done that, but there’s reason to believe it’s coming down the stretch run.

Firstly, he appears to be back to 100%. The elbow didn’t seem to be bothering him at all Monday night when he dropped 22 points on eight-of-11 shooting with four three-pointers. Secondly, with the Pacers battling for one of the last playoff spots in the East, they need Turner to step up and become a significant factor alongside Victor Oladipo.

This is likely the lowest that Turner’s value will be the rest of the season. If you need a boost in rebounding or blocks, now is the time to swoop in with a buy-low offer.

John Collins (PF/C – ATL)
Okay, I might have a small man crush on John Collins. I also, may or may not have cursed Mike Budenholzer’s name a few times over the last couple months when he gives Collins minutes in the teens.

With the Hawks going nowhere, it’s likely that one of their big men get moved before the trade deadline on February 8. The two most likely candidates are Ersan Ilyasova and Dewayne Dedmon. Regardless of who is or isn’t moved, more minutes appear to be heading Collins way down the stretch.

Outside of Dennis Schroder, Collins has the most fantasy upside on this lackluster Hawks roster. Over the last two weeks, Collins is posting near top-50 value with 9.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 62.8% shooting. Those numbers are likely going to be his floor going forward.

If he can get 30 minutes a game, averages of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks are very much attainable. Now is the time to get yourself some Collins stock before his value begins to rise even more.

Boban Marjanovic (C – LAC)
The Blake Griffin trade does wonders for Marjanovic’s value. The seven-foot-three Serbian giant should get some more run in the Clippers frontcourt than he did in Detroit and has the potential for major fantasy value if DeAndre Jordan gets shipped out of town as well.

Let’s take a look at some per 36 numbers, shall we? I sure do love per 36 stats, and Boban’s are particularly pleasing to the eye with averages of 24.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.3 blocks. The blocks might seem low for a guy his size, but you can’t complain about those points and rebounds.

Now, it should be noted that Marjanovic will probably never average over 30 minutes a night in his career, but he doesn’t necessarily need those type of minutes to be productive. Averages of 15 points, eight-to-10 rebounds, and a block with solid percentages are very much attainable if given 15-20 minutes a night. And it’s looking like that might be on the horizon very soon.

Players to Sell

John Wall (PG – WAS)
This one is for anyone not comfortably in their league’s playoff picture. If you’re anywhere from fifth place on down, listen up. Knee surgery will keep superstar point guard John Wall out for the next two months.

Guess what starts in under two months? That’s right, the fantasy basketball playoffs. Call me Captain Obvious, but Wall isn’t going to help you reach the playoffs while he sits on the sidelines wearing clothes that you and I can’t afford.

My motto has always been, “Make the playoffs, then go from there.” You might not want to deal Wall, but it’s a wise move to make.

In a redraft league, you’ll need to target one of the top teams that can afford to stash him until March. That might suck to face them in the playoffs, but anything can happen in one week, and you might not even make it that far with Wall wasting space on your fantasy squad.

Take everything I just said and apply it to Kevin Love, too, as he’ll be out six-to-eight weeks with a fractured hand.

Avery Bradley (SG – LAC)
After a career year in 2017, Bradley hasn’t been able to build off of that success. The scoring is still there, but the rebounding has dropped dramatically.

It doesn’t help that Andrew Drummond gobbles up every ball that bounces off the rim. Bradley has barely been clinging to late-round value this season, and that’s now gone after being dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Blake Griffin deal.

Through 40 games, Bradley is averaging 15.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.9 three-pointers on 40.9% shooting overall. The threes and assists are holding steady from last year, but the points, field goal percentage, and rebounds are all down.

Now on the Clippers, Bradley will have more competition for playing time in the backcourt with Milos Teodosic, Austin Rivers, and Lou Williams. Granted, the Clippers might not be done wheeling and dealing, and any of these guys, including Bradley, could still be traded.

Oh, and did I mention that Bradley is nursing a groin injury? He was barely worth owning before the deal, and now it’s safe to cut Bradley for a hot free agent.

Eric Cross is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Eric, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @EricCross04.

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