It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.
I’m not sure if any of us know what it means this week. With COVID running rampant throughout the league right now, teams are putting players into safety protocols and canceling games (rightfully so in both instances).
One thing is for damn sure, and that’s that the league is going to do whatever it takes to get through its Christmas game$. Yes, even if that means Joe Johnson is one of the spotlighted players.
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 they are in when it comes to maintaining the pace 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 from now on.
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
Tyrese Haliburton (SAC – PG/SG)
Just how good has Haliburton been for the Kings? Well, over his last three games, he’s averaged 24 points, 10.7 assists, 4.7 boards, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field.
Yeah, that’s pretty good.
Over the last week, he’s the No. 1 player in fantasy, and he’s been a top 35 player over the past month. We typically don’t talk about buying high on a guy, but he’s one I absolutely would ask the manager to name their price on. He’s entering that elite status.
Kemba Walker (NYK – PG)
As much as the Knicks want to, they can’t keep Walker down. He was out of the rotation for a few weeks, but then once COVID hit the Knicks, they were forced to play him, and he looked good! But short-lived, right?
Wrong.
With Derrick Rose out for the next eight weeks, Walker should remain in the rotation for the Knicks, and you should roster him in all 12-team leagues. In his last two games, after not playing since November 26, Walker player 37 and 40 minutes, respectively, while scoring a combined 50 points. I’m buying him for the next two months.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC – PG/SG)
Man, if SGA were playing anywhere else – except maybe Sacramento – people would realize what a stud he is. Fantasy managers know that, of course, as he’s been putting up third-round value so far this season.
The Thunder have fun pieces, but imagine how much better he’d be if he had better talent surrounding him.
Wednesday night, he went off for a 27/11/12 triple-double, and he’s scored 101 points over his last four games.
In dynasty, he’s a top 15 player for me. I’m buying him as a top 30 player for the rest of this year.
Sell
Max Strus (MIA – SG/SF)Miami always has someone, don’t they? They don’t get enough credit for churning players out at their rate.
The latest has been Strus, who has been good all season in real life but has stepped up for fantasy managers over the last couple of weeks.
Strus has played 34-plus minutes in three straight games, and he’s averaged 24.6 points per game in those contests.
There’s a catch, though. The production has come without Jimmy Butler, who will miss Thursday’s game, as well. So Strus is a fantastic short-term streaming option, but Strus should go back to the waiver wire as soon as Jimmy Buckets is back. I’m selling his long-term appeal.
JaVale McGee (PHX – C)
Maybe I should be buying into McGee. He’s been really good! He’s been a top 60 player over the last two weeks, and he’s been an offensive contributor, too.
The thing is, we have such a long track record with the 33-year-old that it’s hard to ignore that larger sample for a smaller one.
What’s more, he’s always been capped, and that makes him a per-minute monster, but after a string of 20-plus minute outings, McGee hasn’t played more than 16 minutes in a game since December 13.
It’s a great time to float him out there in trade talks with teams desperately needing bodies.
Chuma Okeke (ORL – PF)
Okeke is such a polarizing player, and it makes sense as he shows flashes of being a key cog for a fantasy team.
He’s the No. 2 player in fantasy over the last week, and a lot of that has to do with his defensive play with a pair of six-steal games over his previous three games.
He’s worth rostering and a quick spoiler – he’s going to be recommended as our steals guy in the upcoming category analysis piece coming out on Christmas.
But he’s hard to trust offensively, so unless you need the defensive help in your roto or categories league, I’m good selling on him to get help elsewhere. He should settle in as a mid-round pick when all is said and done.
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.
