🖥 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE NEW
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Buy, Sell or Hold: LaMarcus Aldridge and Nikola Jokic?

The first week of the season is over. And boy what a week it was! Too many injuries put a damper on a very exciting start to the NBA season. The reigning champions Golden State lost two out of three, and their arch nemesis Cleveland was humiliated a few days ago by Orlando, who was missing two of their starters, by the way. Phoenix already decided to thank their head coach Earl Watson for his services and Bledsoe's "I don't want to be here" tweet is having a ripple effect on the franchise, and on our fantasy lives.

Amid all of this drama, a few players surprised us with how they performed. Some pleasantly, some not so much.

Let's take a look at some early over- and under-achievers in our Week 2 fantasy basketball buy low and sell high column here at RotoBaller.

Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 3 free months of RotoBaller's "Big-4" Premium Pass (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) which includes exclusive tools for Betting, Props, DFS and more! CLAIM IT NOW

 

Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 2

Are You for Real, LaMarcus Aldridge?

The answer is: Probably not.

First of all, let's take a look at how good Aldridge actually was over his first two games. He averaged 26.5 PTS with 0.5 3PM on 46.7 FG% and 90.9 FT%, 10.0 REB, 3.5 AST, 0.5 STL, 2.0 BLK and 2.0 TO while playing 36 minutes a game. Now let's put that into perspective by comparing it to his best season averages. If he were to keep this up, LMA would set career highs in points, three-pointers made, blocks, assist, free throw percentage and would come dangerously close to his best rebounding season (11.1 in 2013-14).

LaMarcus is a great player, but there's just no way he can keep this up. Why you ask? First of all, he is 32 and is playing for Gregg Popovich who is notorious for taking it easy on his "Old Stars." Second, he has seen most of his stats decline each year since coming to San Antonio two years ago. Third, and probably most important, the Spurs' leader and best player Kawhi Leonard has been absent with an injury and is set to return sooner or later. Once Kawhi returns LMA will see his usage and probably even playing time take a dip.

There's been some speculation that Kawhi is still a ways away from returning so Aldridge will have the increased opportunity in the near future, but it may be a good idea to cash in your chips now if the right opportunity comes up.

I would give up LaMarcus for most players in the top 30, and if some poor sap is willing to swap his struggling Nikola Jokic or Jimmy Butler for your Aldridge, you could count yourself very lucky.

Baller Move: Sell high

 

Time to Panic on Nikola Jokic?

Nikola Jokic is a top 10 fantasy player when he plays like he can. He showed that last season after Denver sorted out their rotation issues and unleashed him. He showed that this year in the preseason. He hasn't shown it yet in his first two regular season games though with averages of 3.5 PTS and 0.5 3PM on 23.1% from the field, 10.5 rebounds, 7.5 assist, 0.5 steals, no blocks and 3.5 turnovers in 33 minutes per game. That's just appalling.

He saw his usage drop from team-leading 23.4% last season to just 13.6% in those two games. Now Nikola is a team player, but that's just too much. It's enough to say that he hasn't taken a single free throw yet.

One could make a point of Paul Millsap's arrival eating into the Joker's offensive touches. But Millsap is not James Harden or Russell Westbrook to make such drastic an impact on Nikola's stats. Also, Millsap and Jokic played together during the preseason and they worked together just fine. So the real reason for this slip is probably just a bad game or two. I must remind you that this is still the same guy who averaged 17.7 PTS with 0.6 3PM on 57.5 FG% and 84.2 FT%, with 11.6 REB, 6.1 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.6 BLK and 2.8 TO in just under 30 minutes a game after the All-Star break last season. And he is only going to get better.

If his owner is panicking, this is the right time to try and get him. Nikola Vucevic, Marc Gasol, Blake Griffin are all bigs that have vastly outperformed Jokic so far this season, and all of them will most probably be less valuable to their fantasy teams going forward. So if you can get the Joker for any of these guys, or any player outside of the top 15-20, I would take it!

Baller Move: Hold or buy low

 

More Fantasy Basketball Analysis

 

NBA DFS Premium Subscription

Get a free trial of our powerful NBA Premium Tools. Our famous DFS Cheat Sheets, and NBA Lineup Optimizer & Generator with daily matchup projections.

Win more. Try the most advanced lineup optimizer in daily fantasy basketball.

Sign Up Now!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Possibly Out 10-14 Days
Moussa Diabaté

Moussa Diabate Returning Returning on Monday
Brandon Miller

Available on Monday Versus OKC
Kon Knueppel

Will Play Against OKC
Coby White

Back on Monday Night
Yanic Konan Niederhauser

Upgraded to Probable for Monday
Kon Knueppel

Probable For Monday
Matthew Schaefer

a Game-Time Call Tuesday
Jamie Benn

to Miss at Least Two Games
Seth Jones

Out Week-to-Week
James Harden

Lands on Injury Report Monday
Zach Bogosian

Unavailable Monday Night
Joel Embiid

Probable For Monday
Trevor Moore

Remains Out Monday
Aliaksei Protas

a Game-Time Call Versus Ducks
Jakob Poeltl

Sidelined at Least One More Week
Tom Wilson

Won't Play Monday
Jamal Murray

Sidelined Monday
CFB

Ty Simpson Undecided on 2026 Plans
CFB

Quarterback AJ Hill Following Ryan Silverfield to Arkansas
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Have Requested an Interview With Klint Kubiak
Deshaun Watson

Browns Expect Deshaun Watson to be on the Team Next Year
Wan'Dale Robinson

Dealing With Fractured Ribs
Cam Skattebo

Hopes to be Back by Training Camp
Cameron Ward

Won't Need Surgery on his Shoulder
Davante Adams

Rams Expect Davante Adams to Return in Wild-Card Round
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Fire Head Coach Jonathan Gannon
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Fire Head Coach Pete Carroll
Malik Nabers

Unsure if He Will Be Ready for Week 1 of 2026 Season
CFB

Trinidad Chambliss Will Return to Ole Miss If Granted Sixth Year of Eligibility
Cincinnati Bengals

Zac Taylor Will Return as Bengals Head Coach in 2026
New York Giants

Giants Expected to Show Interest in Former Browns Head Coach Kevin Stefanski
Daniel Jones

Colts, Daniel Jones Appear to Have "Mutual Interest" in a 2026 Reunion
John Klingberg

to Sit Out at Least Three More Games
Cleveland Browns

Browns Fire Kevin Stefanski After Another Losing Season
Matthew Tkachuk

Joins Panthers for Road Trip
Connor Bedard

Set to Return Before Olympic Break
Jamie Benn

Injured in Sunday's Loss
Devon Toews

Not Expected to Make Quick Return
Gabriel Landeskog

to Miss "Some Time"
Zay Flowers

Goes Off for 138 Yards, Two Touchdowns in Loss
Bo Bichette

Phillies Have Interest in Bo Bichette
Amon-Ra St. Brown

Dominates in Week 18 Win
Cameron Ward

Believed to Have Grade 3 AC Joint Sprain in Right Shoulder
Colston Loveland

Leads Bears in Targets, Receptions, Receiving Yards in Week 18
Santi Aldama

Available on Sunday Evening
Ja Morant

Downgraded on Sunday Night
Puka Nacua

Finishes the Regular Season as Top-Scoring Receiver
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Fire Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot
David Njoku

Wants to Re-Sign with Browns
Ray Davis

Runs Wild in Final Game of Regular Season
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Good to Go Against Sacramento
Trae Young

Won't Play on Monday Night
Grayson Allen

Still Out on Sunday Night
Kansas City Royals

Matt Quatraro Signs Three-Year Extension With Royals
Logan Stanley

to Sit Out One Game With Suspension
TOR

Chris Tanev Could Be Done for Rest of Regular Season
Sean Monahan

Expected to Return Tuesday
Alexander Wennberg

Lands Three-Year Extension
John Beecher

Handed One-Game Suspension
Devon Toews

Unavailable Sunday
Seth Jones

Out Against Avalanche
Jamal Murray

Will Play on Sunday
Christian Braun

Will Play on Sunday
Aaron Gordon

Will Play on Sunday
Ja Morant

Questionable Against the Lakers
Michael Porter Jr.

Off Injury Report, Set to Face Nuggets
CFB

Transfer QB Billy Edwards Commits to North Carolina
CFB

Sam Leavitt Visiting Texas Tech on Saturday
Nathan MacKinnon

Takes Over Scoring Lead With Four-Point Effort
CFB

DJ Lagway Expected To Visit Florida State
Kyle Tucker

Blue Jays "Remain the Favorite" to Sign Kyle Tucker
CFB

Joey Aguilar Undergoes Surgery to Remove Tumor on Friday
CFB

Texas the "Team to Beat" for Transfer Running Back Isaac Brown
CFB

Rocco Becht to Follow Matt Campbell to Penn State?
CFB

Texas Targeting Cam Coleman in Transfer Portal
CFB

Former Texas Running Back CJ Baxter Visiting Kentucky
CFB

Beau Pribula Visiting Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech
Bo Bichette

Yankees Showing Interest in Bo Bichette
Houston Astros

Astros Sign Tatsuya Imai to Three-Year Deal
CFB

Lane Kiffin Interested in Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby at LSU

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP