DeAndre Ayton has been on fire in fantasy basketball. Sell high on him and Derrick White. You may also want to try buying low on Cam Johnson and Wendell Carter Jr. This is your sell high and buy low column for Week 20 of the fantasy basketball season (9-category leagues).
Fantasy Basketball Sell High
DeAndre Ayton
DeAndre Ayton has been on a wicked tear. He may not be shooting threes or dishing out assists, but he’s filling up the rest of the stat sheet while shooting the lights outs. Over the last 7 games, Ayton has been the second-best player in all of fantasy basketball on a per-game basis. He’s been a pretty volatile player with really high highs and really low lows. This is your final chance to sell high in a redraft league. Don’t forget Kevin Durant is probably going to enter the lineup sometime this week. This season Ayton has been a super strong contributor in rebounds and field goal percentage. He’s been a negative in threes made, assists, steals, and free throw percentage. Historically, Ayton has only finished as a top 35 player in fantasy basketball twice on a per-game basis (2018-19 & 2019-20). What is the most you can hope to get when trading DeAndre Ayton? Maybe you can sucker someone into giving you a top 15 guy, but I would happily settle for a top 25 asset.
Derrick White
Derrick White has been a top 20 fantasy basketball player over his last eight games. It’s hard to believe he’ll continue scoring over 20 points per game as he did over this hot stretch. For the season, White is averaging 12 points per game. It’s not a strong category for him. His best categories are blocks and free throw percentage. As the Celtics get healthy the touches should spread out. Thus limiting White’s upside. The low turnovers boost his value in fantasy basketball aiding in the career year that’s made Derrick White a top 85 value this season. Target a top 50 player before the fantasy basketball trade deadline if you wish to sell high.
Fantasy Basketball Buy Low
Cameron Johnson
Cam Johnson was one of the players traded in the blockbuster Kevin Durant trade. It was unclear initially how the trade would impact Cam’s fantasy basketball value. He hasn’t shot the ball well since joining the Nets which has tanked his value quite a bit. That’s no reason to worry. In fact, it creates a nice buy-low opportunity. This season Cam Johnson has been a top-90 fantasy basketball asset on a per-game basis. Last season he had better shooting percentages but was essentially the same player from a fantasy angle. If you plan to acquire Cam it’s for the category of threes made. He doesn’t force a punt situation in any category and the low turnovers are a massive plus. The Nets are loaded with role players so it was definitely a question of how Cam would fit in their rotation. He’s playing a few more minutes and getting more shot attempts so that is no longer a concern. If you need threes and low turnovers Cam Johnson is the guy to target. If you can obtain him without giving up a top 100 player you should do it. [Sunday Update: Cam Johnson is making his shots at a high clip again].
Wendell Carter Jr.
Wendell Carter has been tough to stomach in fantasy basketball over the last month. He hasn’t been a top 200 player in that period. Wendell’s stats have been slightly down across the board, but free throw percentage has hurt him the most. Over his last 12 games, he’s only shooting 63% from the free throw line. That’s 10% lower than his career average and for the season he’s shooting 73.9%. The hope is that he shakes off the rust from the charity stripe. Wendell is a major plus for rebounds and is also a plus in field goal percentage. Last season he was the 83rd-ranked fantasy basketball player (per game). This season he’s currently the 129th. If Wendell Carter fits your team build he’s worth giving up a player outside the top 120.