The trade deadline is beginning to put Woj and Shams to work, and when Woj and Shams get busy, that means we have information to act upon. The point of this article is to get ahead of things BEFORE they happen, in order to make sure your fantasy basketball squad profits from the breaking news.
That’s where our NBA Fantasy Basketball Hype Report comes in! Every week, we’ll give you two players you should be buying low on (either via trade or waiver wire), and two players you should be selling high on (dropping, trading, or benching). When it comes to fantasy sports, FantraxHQ will always have your back! Let’s get into this week’s Hype Report.
Fantasy Basketball Buy Low, Sell High
Buy Low
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks, SG/SF
He’s 65% rostered, so I’m obviously not breaking any news by saying Bogdan is a very good player. However, what is newsworthy is that his role has a high probability of changing for the better going forward. It seems as though Dejounte Murray is all but a lock to be traded by the deadline this season. So much so, that he’s been commenting that he would “welcome a return to the Spurs.” What?! Brother,…you’re already on a basketball team. Don’t talk about anyone else’s squad. Regardless, if Murray is traded, that’s a 25% usage rate that will be vacated. The most likely outcome is that Trae Young’s usage rate will increase to a large degree, but Bogdanovic will have more of a scoring responsibility, no matter who’s involved in the return for a Murray trade. He’s already averaging 17 PPG this year. Tack on an additional 5+ shots per game, and he becomes a sneaky superstar in your lineups. If you’re lucky enough to have him on your waiver wire, pick him up. Otherwise, he should be at the top of your list for a potential fantasy trade, and he’s likely not untouchable to whoever currently rosters him. Act quickly!
Marvin Bagley III, Washington Wizards, PF/C
The Wizards are a horrendous basketball team and are likely to continue that trend for the next couple of years. That said, they have two Centers on their roster that actually get minutes. Daniel Gafford and the newly acquired Marvin Bagley. Bagley is a former lottery pick, whose playing style is largely antiquated in the pace-and-space NBA of today. He primarily plays with his back to the basket, and won’t venture out to the perimeter to shoot a bunch of threes. While that’s not exactly preferred in fantasy, Bagley remains a stat stuffer when given the minutes. In two games with the Wizards where he played 30+ minutes, he had 20+ points and 10+ rebounds. In the one game he played under 20 minutes, he still had 14/7. Very respectable. He’s only 17% owned at the moment, and there’s no reason to think that his playing time won’t continue to grow. He’s a low priority on the waiver wire, and quite frankly, he should not be.
Sell High
Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards, SF/PF
As the best player on (arguably) the worst team in the NBA, he’s having a career year. Kuzma is averaging career highs in points, assists, and usage rate, in his 7th year in the league. He’s becoming a coveted trade piece for many teams around the league who need strong wing play, and switchable defending. According to the NBA rumor mill, it looks like the Mavericks are the leading contender to grab him. Regardless of where Kuzma ends up, he’s going to be on a team that will no longer view him as the number one option. That means he will shoot less and likely be relied upon to play more defense. His usage rate will fall from 30% to somewhere closer to his 24% career average. Perhaps even less. It makes more sense to sell him now, while he’s still a top ten fantasy wing in the league. If he’s on your roster now, you should ship him out!
Zion Willamson, New Orleans Pelicans, PF
Similar to my Anthony Davis call, I just don’t believe they can continue to stay healthy. Zion has never demonstrated the ability to play (essentially) a full season, so why expect him to do that this year? The All-Star break is coming up, and that means it’s celebration/relaxation time for some of the world’s best athletes. Zion could be an injury/rest casualty after the All-Star break, and as incredible as he is, once he’s hurt, he’ll have almost no trade value. If I rostered him (and I do), I would try and trade him as soon as possible (and I will).