Fantasy Basketball Buy, Sell, Hold: De'Aaron Fox and D'Angelo Russell

Aaron Phung looks at whether fantasy basketball managers should be buying, selling, or holding De'Aaron Fox and D'Angelo Russell 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.

De'Aaron Fox

De’Aaron Fox went into this season with guns blazing. Over the first 16 games, he has been averaging 25.9 points and 6.4 assists. While these stats were a significant increase from his 23.2 points and 5.6 assists last year, it did not come as a total surprise. With Tyrese Haliburton gone after last year’s trade, the Kings are now Fox’s team, giving him the freedom to blow by defenders and create havoc. His increased production seemed to indicate a breakout season and possibly his first All-Star appearance.

However, the sixth-year guard has been struggling as of late. Over his past seven games, he’s only been averaging 16.1 points. Not to mention, he is shooting just 39.4 FG%. Could Fox’s brilliant start to the season just have been a hot streak?

There’s no doubt that Fox’s level of play at the beginning of the season was abnormally high and unsustainable. After all, he was averaging 54.5 FG% over the first 16 games. It is extremely rare for a guard to even shoot 50% from the field for an entire season. While it would have been great if you sold high during that time, don’t worry if you didn’t. His recent struggles will not be a regular thing. 

Fox revealed to reporters that he has been dealing with right foot pain. “It’s been hurting for a while,” he said. “Since Orlando, actually.” The Kings played the Orlando Magic on November 5, meaning he’s dealt with this issue for about a month. An MRI showed that he had a bone bruise, which isn’t a major injury but can certainly be bothersome if not taken care of. 

This issue could be the reason for Fox’s decreased production, especially since Fox has been playing through the pain for such a long time. He decided to miss the Kings game on December 9, which is a good sign that he is being cautious with his injury. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem too serious, so he shouldn’t miss a significant amount of time. 

When healthy, Fox is a difficult guy to stop. Over the past three years, Fox has been averaging 23.3 points over the last three years on 47.7  FG%. So if you have De’Aaron Fox on your team and are thinking of letting him go, wait a little longer. And if another manager in your league has him, try to negotiate and get him for a low price. Fox will continue being the Kings’ number 1 option; he just needs a little time to get back to his usual form.

Baller Move: Buy Low/ Hold

D'Angelo Russell

The Timberwolves lost a crucial part of their team when Karl-Anthony Towns went down during their game against the Washington Wizards on November 28. It was announced the next day that Towns suffered a right calf strain and would miss 4- 6 weeks. The absence of Towns leaves a huge gap in the Timberwolves' offense, but it also gives other players on the roster more opportunities to shine.

One player that has been taking advantage of Towns’ absence is D’Angelo Russell. In the four games without the Timberwolves’ star forward, Russell is averaging 25 points on an astounding 56.3 FG%. Prior to Towns’ injury this season, Russell was only averaging 14.3 PTS on 42.4 FG%. 

Based on this data, it is apparent that Russell’s improved play is directly correlated to Towns’ absence. And since Towns should be out for another 3-5 weeks, most fantasy managers would want to hold onto Russell and try to sell him shortly before the team’s All-Star returns. There is certainly nothing wrong with this strategy either. Russell has been seeing increased usage, taking 4.3 more FGA over the last four games compared to the rest of the season, and he should continue to do so. 

It is his efficiency that seems unlikely to continue. As mentioned earlier, he was only shooting 42.4 FG% this year while playing with Towns. In addition, he has not shot the ball better than 43.1% in any of his full seasons with the Timberwolves. So don’t expect him to maintain his level of play for much longer. Although Russell will keep on getting a lot of looks, his shooting efficiency should dip back down to sub-50% levels.

This makes now the best time to sell Russell. While he’s still hot, try trading him for someone who is more consistent.

Baller Move: Sell High