It’s never too late to buy low in fantasy basketball. There will always be players underperforming. You should buy low on fantasy basketball players you think can play better the rest of the way. If there are players underperforming, then there are players likely overperforming in fantasy basketball. You should sell high on players that you don’t believe can sustain their current production. For nine-category leagues, we take a look at a couple of fantasy basketball targets you should consider buying low on and a couple you should cash out on.
Fantasy Basketball Buy Low
Robert Williams
Robert Williams was injured to start the season but returned to the court roughly two weeks ago. He’s been around that 20-minute mark in six of his seven games. That’s a dropoff from the 30 minutes per game Williams was playing last season. Naturally, his per-game fantasy basketball value is down. Williams is the 87th-ranked fantasy basketball player this season in 9-cat leagues (per game).
As his conditioning and minutes ramp up over the next few weeks we could start seeing something closer to the top 20 fantasy basketball asset from last season. If the Robert Williams’ manager in your league is impatient it might be time for you to pounce. I’d recommend offering a top 75 fantasy basketball player in your trade attempt to acquire the Time Lord.
Mike Conley
Mike Conley is 35 years old making him a trade candidate for the Utah Jazz. Since returning from injury he hasn’t looked great. For fantasy basketball purposes, Conley has been the 144th-ranked player on a per-game basis in 9-cat leagues this season. Last season he was 67th. What happened? Conley is taking fewer shots this season. He’s also not shooting well. The last time Conley failed to average 10PPG he was a rookie. Also, his field goal percentage is a career-worst 37.7%. However, his assists are at a career-best 7.5 per game. With assists being scarce and hard to find on the waiver wire, Mike Conley’s fantasy basketball value should be a little higher than his actual rank.
I’m hoping Conley can find his rhythm and start knocking down his shots. If the Jazz are keen on moving him, they should be looking to build up his value from now until the deadline. Furthermore, Collin Sexton is injured again which could create more of an opportunity for Conley (not that it helped previously). If you need assists on your fantasy basketball squad feel free to target Mike Conley. Maybe you can complete a deal by offering a top 150 guy?
Fantasy Basketball Sell High
Lauri Markkanen
I previously told you to sell high on Lauri Markkanen and he’s only gotten better since. His shooting was ridiculous in December. We are talking 53% from the field, 48% from three (on high volume), and 90% from the free throw line. Over the last two weeks alone Markkanen has been the third-best player in fantasy basketball. For the season he’s 16th. He’s been a five-category juggernaut (PTS, 3PM, REB, FG%, FT%). There’s no question in my mind this will end up being Lauri Markkanen’s best season to date, but I do question whether he can sustain his current production.
Markkanen’s previous best finish in fantasy basketball was in 2018-19 where in finished 40th for averaged stats in 9-cat. Last season he was 69th. The historical data doesn’t mean much here because he’s blown it out of water in this perfect Utah Jazz setup. Even though we are in this uncharted territory, I don’t think the field goal percentage is sustainable if Markkanen continues to be this high-volume three-point shooter. I also worry about the minutes a little bit. The Jazz have been losing a lot games lately. If they decide to full-on tank, it probably doesn’t make sense for Markkanen to continue playing a career-high 34 minutes per game. He could also mysteriously miss a few games here and there. If I can get a healthy and reliable second-round fantasy basketball asset in exchange for Markkanen I’m doing it.
Christian Wood
I need to disclose that I’m not really a fan of Christian Wood as an NBA player. I do acknowledge he has real fantasy basketball value. In fact, over the last two weeks, he’s been a top 10 contributor! In that time he’s averaged over two and a half threes made with three blocks per game. Not to mention the low turnovers. For the season, he’s been the 66th-ranked player in fantasy basketball for 9-cat. His best season on a per-game basis for fantasy was in 2020-21 where he finished 64th. Last season, Wood finished 80th.
Would it be absurd if Wood finished in that top 60-70 zone this season? No, although I’m not super confident that will happen. However, I do think there will be a manager in your league that will be enamored by his recent play. If you can get a top 40 player by pawning Christian Wood off on someone else, great do it. Top 50 is something I would do if the incoming stats from the trade were ones that better suited my fantasy basketball build.
Have you bought low or sold high in fantasy basketball this season?