Fantasy Basketball Buy, Sell, or Hold: Fred VanVleet, Anfernee Simons, and CJ McCollum

December 7, 2022

Aaron Phung looks at whether fantasy basketball managers should be buying, selling, or holding Fred VanVleet, Anfernee Simons, and CJ McCollum based on their recent play in the 2022-23 NBA season.

Trading in fantasy basketball can help you improve your team in the short as well as long term. More than that, it's just plain fun. Negotiating with your mate, going back and forth with offers, and hopefully reaching a mutually beneficial agreement in the end.

It's not always easy to find the right deal that both parties could agree upon, so using the current form to your advantage could be helpful for you to get a deal done, and perhaps even get the most out of it.

Here are our current Sell High and Buy Low candidates for the NBA season, right here at RotoBaller.

Fred VanVleet

There’s no other way to put it: Fred VanVleet is playing badly right now. Really bad. Over his past nine games, he has only been averaging 13.9 points on an abysmal 29.4 FG%. If his cold streak was just for a couple of games, it would not be too concerning. However, his poor shooting slump has been going on for almost a month now, and it’s showing no signs of improving. Many managers are starting to think VanVleet is a bust at his draft position.

Don’t give up on the Raptors' point guard just yet. He has been a reliable second option for his team during the past three years, averaging 19.2 points on 40.2 FG% during that time span. Even this year, he showed flashes of brilliance. In the three-game span from November 6 to November 9, he averaged 29.7 points on 46.6 FG%. Considering how long VanVleet has been scoring at a high level, it would be too hasty to write him off as a poor fantasy option this year. 

This makes VanVleet a perfect buy-low candidate this week. Fantasy managers with him on their team are certainly frustrated and looking for ways to trade him. Take advantage of this opportunity to get the star guard at a heavily discounted price. If you have VanVleet, hold onto him a little longer. He will find his groove again over time, and once he does, it will be a scary sight for the rest of your league.

Baller Move: Buy Low/ Hold

Anfernee Simons

Last year, we witnessed the rise of Anfernee Simons with the absence of Damian Lillard for the majority of the season. After averaging just 7.8 points in the 2020-2021 season, Simons made a huge leap, averaging 17.3 points last year. What’s even more encouraging to see is that Simons is still continuing to grow this year, even with Lillard back. He is currently averaging 24.7 points on 44.3 FG%, incredible stats for someone who is the second and even third option at times. 

When Simons is given the keys to be the primary scorer of the team, he’s shown that he can take his scoring to another level. While Lillard was recovering from a reaggravated calf strain, Simons has been on a tear. Simons put up an impressive 29.4 points over this seven-game span compared to an average of 22.5 points during the rest of the season. He also has more opportunities to be a playmaker. His assist average increased from 3.8 to 5.4 in the absence of Lillard. 

With the return of the Trail Blazers’ 6x All-Star, Simons will most likely see his role reduced. This may seem like an automatic sell-high, but I would not give away the young guard so quickly. Of course, if you can get a third or fourth-round player like Jrue Holiday or Bam Adebayo in return, then by all means go for it. However, Simons has shown he can still thrive playing as the second option. Unless you can get a great fantasy asset in return, hold onto Simons and see how much more his game can develop.

Baller Move: Sell High/ Hold

CJ McCollum

Last year marked CJ McCollum’s ninth year with the Trail Blazers, the team that drafted him back in 2013. He has always been loyal to the organization, and he shined as the second option, averaging 21.9 points on 45.7 FG% from 2015 to 2020. His long tenure with the Blazers is why everyone was shocked when they traded him to the Pelicans in the middle of the 2021-2022 season. 

Despite the sudden change in environment, McCollum’s performance surprisingly improved. His averages of 24.3 points and 49.3 FG% last year with the Pelicans were career highs. Going into this season, fans expected that his numbers would take a slight hit with Zion Williamson returning, but not by much.

Unfortunately, the fans have been wrong so far. In the 19 games he’s played, he’s only averaging 17.4 points on 39.8 FG%. Especially in McCollum’s past two games, he’s been shooting horrendously, only scoring 12 total points on 22.7 FG%. Of course, this could be due to him missing the four previous games due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols, but this does not make his performance any less underwhelming. 

Given his current situation and his consistency in the past, now would be the perfect time to buy low for McCollum. He’s most likely still recovering from his short absence and will return to his usual form very soon. If you do not act soon, you may miss out on getting a solid fifth-round pick at a lower price.

Baller Move: Buy Low/ Hold