At the numerical halfway point (at least for some teams) of the NBA season, it’s crunch time for making the best of your roster situation in fantasy basketball. There are a multitude of injuries and role changes that will make some low-rostered players the key to bringing you a championship this year.
My favorite difference between the NBA and the NFL is that there is a game every single night. You have a rough night in fantasy basketball? Ok, that’s fine. Get over it! Tonight is a new night! That said, it can be tough to stay up to date on the entire league’s dealings, injuries, role changes, and performances.
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
Vince Williams Jr., Memphis Grizzlies, SF
He’s only 10% rostered in leagues at the moment, and in the last 5 games, his playing time has ranged between 27 and 38 minutes. With Ja Morant out for the season, and Morant’s previous suspension putting them in a hole in the standings, it appears Memphis has waived the white flag, and acknowledged the fact that they are better off seeing what they have in their seldom-used young talent. The 23-year-old is in his second season and averages 11/8/3 per 36 minutes. With his playing time very clearly on the rise, you’d be wise to scoop him up now. There isn’t a lot of nightly double-double potential just sitting on the waiver wire. Get on it!
GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies, PF
We can essentially just copy and paste what I wrote above for Vince Williams, but GG Jackson (also known as Gregory Jackson) is a slightly more appealing prospect. The rookie is only 4% rostered, and he’s played over 20 minutes in his last two appearances. He had 20/6 in both of those appearances. He’s got all the tools of a lottery pick but was drafted in the second round, so Memphis wasn’t under tremendous pressure to play him. He’s shooting 48% from three (albeit on low volume, but the stats are the stats), 48% from the field, 73% from the line, and 1 stock per game (steals + blocks). At 6’9″, he’s able to cover multiple positions on the court (which will keep his playing time stable), but his counting stats will be there even in limited minutes, as he’s holding a 25% usage rate. You can’t go wrong with either of these picks, but make sure to grab at least one.
Sell High
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Golden State Warriors, PF/C
I have to take the “L” here. I thought the rookie’s performance would’ve solidified his spot in the rotation, but I was wrong. While the Warriors are still tinkering with their lineups to find something that sticks, TJD has become a casualty. And that was before the return of Draymond Green from suspension. In Green’s first game back, TJD only played 10 minutes. I’m not going to stick around to hope that number climbs higher over the next few weeks. We have to make tough decisions now, and waiving TJD isn’t that hard of a decision if we’re being honest. Onward.
TJ McConnell, Indiana Pacers, PG
I’ve already admitted I was wrong once. Why not do it again? I thought TJ McConnell would’ve been a no-brainer pick after Tyrese Haliburton went down with his hamstring injury, but instead, his minutes have gone…down. The Pacers currently hold the 6th seed in the East right now, so I won’t be calling for Rick Carlisle’s head or anything. I should just admit that if McConnel’s minutes haven’t gone up by now, they just aren’t going to. He’s 36% rostered at the moment, and that number will probably trend downward over the next few days.