X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

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
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Buy, Sell or Hold: Nicolas Batum and Aaron Gordon?

By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA (Aaron Gordon) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
What Appears In This Article? hide

All aboard the NBA fantasy value roller coaster! Getting a good player currently undervalued in a trade for an overpriced guy who is going to drop in performance in the near future can make a world of a difference come fantasy playoffs.

Below are my Week 10 fantasy basketball buy low and sell high candidates. Let's take a look at a good player who is too hot to handle at the moment, but is also too hot not to burn up a bit, and at a talented prospect who is likely to get even more room to improve if everything falls into place, and there are more and more indications that it will.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NBA and NFL Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

 

Buy Low, Sell High Advice for Week 9

Are You for Real, Nicolas Batum?

Nicolas Batum is a well-rounded, do it all player. You can always count on him for multicat contribution without hurting you much in any particular category. So far this season he is averaging 14.8 PTS with 1.8 3PM, on 40.3 FG% and 81.7 FT%, 7.7 REB, 5.9 AST, 1.3 STL, 0.4 BLK and 2.4 TO in 34 minutes per game. Apart from a spike in rebounds and steals and a slight dip in percentages those stats are similar to his last year's averages. And that is pretty much what his owners can expect from him on a normal day.

But Nic hasn't been "normal" lately. He is a top-10 player in the last 7 days with averages of 20.0 points with 1.5 triples on 48.3% from the field and 88.9% from the line, 9.5 boards, 7.8 dimes, 2.0 steals, 0.5 blocks and just 2.3 turnovers in 36 minutes a night. Whoaaa!!! Those are some Russell Westbrook counting stats, just with fewer TO and better percentages and defensive stats! Furthermore, in his 15 games in the month of December Batum has double-doubled in eight of them, triple-doubled once and has scored in single digits (seven and nine points) in just two of those games.

Now that we have established that Batum is a great player whose game is very fantasy friendly, lets take a look at why it's unlikely for him to keep this torrid pace up. Before December Nic had just two double-doubles in 17 games and his averages were 13.4 PTS with 1.8 3PM on 38.6 FG% and 81.0 FT%, 6.7 REB, 5.2 AST, 1.0 STL, 0.5 BLK and 2.3 TO in 34 minutes per game. Nice stats, but not top-10 nice are they?

If you own Batum, and agree that he isn't going to fly this high the rest of the way, now is a good time to test the market in your league. What you should be looking to get in return is definitely a top-15 or top-20 player. Kyle Lowry, Paul GeorgeDraymond Green or even Hassan Whiteside with his recent slump could be obtainable depending on what type of league you're in.

Baller Move: Sell high

 

Time to Panic on Aaron Gordon?

The Orlando Magic have made some contradictory moves in the past year. First they ship Tobias Harris off for next to nothing in February 2016 to clear some room for Aaron Gordon to develop. Then they trade for Serge Ibaka and acquire Bismack Biyombo in free agency to crowd the front court up again. Those moves saw Gordon shift to play more minutes at the small forward, even though in the 2015-16 season his best games came when he was playing at the power forward spot.

Now it seems that the Magic are again looking to free up some minutes in the frontcourt. Nikola Vucevic has had his name dragged through a bunch of trade rumors in the last couple of days. And although all of the players in the frontcourt rotation consisting of Ibaka, Vucevic, Biyombo and Gordon have played pretty well, the minute sharing surely takes away some fantasy appeal from all of them, so if Vooch is traded, fantasy owners should expect all of them to get a rise in playing time and value.

Gordon's stats this season aren't too flashy with him averaging 10.6 PTS with 1.0 3PM on 43.2 FG% and 61.8 FT%, 4.3 REB, 1.6 AST, 0.7 STL, 0.5 BLK and 1.0 TO in 26 minutes per game. But he has been much better in his last three games with 13.7 PTS with 1.7 3PM on 50.0% from the field and 85.7% from the line, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and just 0.3 turnovers in 28 minutes per outing. So Gordon is proving he has potential. Moreover, so far this season he has managed a double-double, hit four three-pointers in a game twice, turned the ball over more than twice in just two games (three TO in both) and most importantly hit 30 or more points in two games. Not everyone can accomplish that, especially when averaging minutes in the mid 20s. If Vucevic does get moved, Gordon should be looking at minutes in the early 30s with more time in his more natural PF spot which would increase his value for sure.

You don't want to overpay though, since Gordon is currently ranked outside of the top-100 on the season. A player around that value should be good enough for you to obtain him. Again depending on your league settings, your team's needs and the wishes and views of Gordon's owner you should be looking to offer someone like T.J. Warren, Mason Plumlee or Taj Gibson for Gordon. You can go even higher than that if you have faith in him and in Orlando giving him more time, touches and responsibilities going forward. And you should expect that since the Magic have been showing signs of trust in Gordon.

Baller Move: Hold or buy low




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jordan Clarkson13 mins ago

Won't Suit Up Friday
Caleb Martin33 mins ago

Probable Against Portland
Logan Cooley42 mins ago

Nets First Career Hat Trick Versus Nashville
Frederik Andersen53 mins ago

Continues Winning Streak With Second Shutout
Jackson Chourio55 mins ago

Leading Off In Brewers Opener
Anton Forsberg59 mins ago

Shuts Out Chicago
Kevin Love1 hour ago

Probable On Friday
Joel Eriksson Ek1 hour ago

Makes Scoring Return Thursday
Nathan MacKinnon1 hour ago

Home Point Streak Ends
Jaime Jaquez1 hour ago

Jr. Expected To Play Friday
Ryan Graves1 hour ago

Evaluated For An Upper-Body Injury
Tyler Herro1 hour ago

Remains Sidelined Against Portland
Timothy Liljegren1 hour ago

To Miss "Some Time"
Alec Burks2 hours ago

Questionable On Friday
Dean Wade2 hours ago

Won't Play Against 76ers
OG Anunoby2 hours ago

Ruled Out Again Friday
Nick Senzel11 hours ago

Expected To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Jon Gray11 hours ago

To Start On Sunday
Justin Steele11 hours ago

Likely To Go On Injured List
Anfernee Simons13 hours ago

Out Against The Heat
Max Kepler13 hours ago

X-Rays Come Back Negative On Max Kepler
Keldon Johnson13 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Justin Steele13 hours ago

Has Left-Hamstring Tightness
Matisse Thybulle13 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Davis Bertans13 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Friday
Jusuf Nurkic14 hours ago

Questionable Against Oklahoma City
Dario Saric14 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
Noah Clowney14 hours ago

Probable For Nets Friday
Jonathan Kuminga14 hours ago

Questionable For Warriors Friday
Jerami Grant14 hours ago

Considered Doubtful For Friday
Dennis Smith14 hours ago

Jr. Probable For Friday
Lauri Markkanen14 hours ago

Questionable Against Houston
Toumani Camara14 hours ago

Will Not Play Friday
Justin Steele14 hours ago

Exits Thursday's Start
Richaun Holmes14 hours ago

Out Versus Pistons
David Bednar14 hours ago

Still Dealing With Lat Injury
Rhys McKee15 hours ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Chidi Njokuani15 hours ago

Drops Back Down To Welterweight At UFC Atlantic City
Kyle Nelson15 hours ago

An Underdog Again At UFC Atlantic City
Bill Algeo15 hours ago

Eyes Sixth UFC Win
Joaquin Buckley15 hours ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Vicente Luque15 hours ago

Gets Short-Notice Opponent At UFC Atlantic City
Eduardo Rodriguez16 hours ago

Could Throw Off Mound In 5-7 Days
Max Kepler16 hours ago

Leaves On Opening Day With Injury
Nick Senzel16 hours ago

Suffers Broken Thumb
Jason Foley16 hours ago

Earns The Save For Tigers
Tarik Skubal17 hours ago

Tosses Six Scoreless Innings On Opening Day
Corbin Burnes17 hours ago

Pitches A Gem On Opening Day
Royce Lewis18 hours ago

Exits With Quad Injury
Max Scherzer19 hours ago

Throws Bullpen Session
Clayton Kershaw19 hours ago

"Ahead Of Things" Timetable-Wise
Walker Buehler19 hours ago

Ahead Of Schedule
Corey Seager19 hours ago

Active On Opening Day
Oneil Cruz20 hours ago

Batting Sixth On Opening Day
Bryan Reynolds22 hours ago

In Opening Day Lineup
Aaron Ekblad1 day ago

Returning To Panthers Lineup Thursday
Nikita Kucherov1 day ago

Establishes New Career High With 42nd Goal
Shane Pinto1 day ago

Collects Career-High Four Points
Valeri Nichushkin1 day ago

Nursing A Lower-Body Injury
Samuel Girard1 day ago

Battling An Illness
J.K. Dobbins1 day ago

Visiting With Chargers On Thursday
Oskar Sundqvist1 day ago

To Miss Rest Of Season With Torn ACL
Ethan Bear1 day ago

Enters Player Assistance Program
Mark Hubbard2 days ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson2 days ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Akshay Bhatia2 days ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen2 days ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers2 days ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers2 days ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers2 days ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers2 days ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
Jayden Daniels2 days ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
Tank Bigsby2 days ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Josh Reynolds2 days ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Doug Ghim2 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA2 days ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry2 days ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox2 days ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak2 days ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan2 days ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg2 days ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn2 days ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby2 days ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin2 days ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord2 days ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala2 days ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark2 days ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler2 days ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Sam Ryder2 days ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen2 days ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama2 days ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Taylor Moore3 days ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson3 days ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery3 days ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Amon-Ra St. Brown3 days ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff3 days ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins3 days ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams3 days ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
PIT3 days ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Nick Chubb3 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
D'Andre Swift3 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson3 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell3 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans3 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott3 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley3 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs3 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Pittsburgh Steelers4 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson4 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Amanda Ribas4 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas4 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan4 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson4 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla4 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo4 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron4 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher4 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley4 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr4 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR4 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain4 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott4 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo5 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal5 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott5 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa5 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams5 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin5 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala5 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron5 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF