TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
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: Nikola Vucevic and Victor Oladipo?

Hello our dear readers and welcome to our Week 9 fantasy basketball buy low and sell high column right here at RotoBaller.

Today, we will be changing it up a bit. Although there are several buy low players playing below their realistic levels like Paul George and Rudy Gobert, two guys have really lit the NBA on fire with their recent performances and they warrant our attention. So instead of having one buy low and one sell high options, we will advise you to capitalize on two investments while their stock is at an all time high.

Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic have been cruising lately and while they will probably stick around in the top-30, it is possible that their superstar-like run could net you a player more likely to help you win your league. Here we go!

Featured Promo: New Novig users get a $25 purchase match (50% discount up to $25) on your first Novig deposit, and 6 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

 

Sell High, Sell Higher Advice for Week 9

Are You for Real, Victor Oladipo?

Victor Oladipo is on fire! The young stud has finally come into his own since arriving in Indiana and he is relishing the opportunity put in front of him. The proof of that is easy to find in his season averages of 24.5 PTS with 2.7 3PM on 48.5 FG% and 77.3 FT%, 5.3 REB, 4.0 AST, 1.8 STL, 1.1 BLK and 3.3 TO in 34 mintes per outing. That is flirting with top-20 value on the year.

But what's more, Dipo has been smashing these "puny" averages and returning a mid top-10 value in the last two weeks by hitting an insane 54.3% of his field goals including 3.9 three-pointers for 29.1 points along with grabbing 6.3 boards, dishing out 4.7 assists and a league leading combination of defensive stats - with 2.4 steals and 1.7 blocks in just under 37 minutes a game. If he managed to hold his turnovers in check (3.7) and hit his free throws (71.1%), his fantasy game would have been near perfect.

Oladipo is a great talent, and he is starting to reach his full potential as an NBA player and a fantasy asset, but it's just not realistic for him to keep THIS up. For one, Darren Collison, Indiana's primary ball handler has missed their last game and was limited to a maximum of 26 minutes over the previous three. That directly led to more touches for Oladipo. Furthermore, Myles Turner who is expected to be Indiana's leader in the future and the face of the franchise has been struggling offensively this season. So when Collison is back and Turner gets his confidence up, it might lead to Vic taking a slight dip.

But that's not the real reason we should expect him to stop being incredible. He can co-exist with Collison, who is sort of a pass-first PG. And he is a bigger offensive threat now than Myles can hope to be in the next year or two. The real reason we can expect his value to drop is pure statistics.

Over the past 14 days he is shooting better than Stephen Curry. He has neither averaged over two three-pointers a game, nor more than 44.2% from the field in his career before. Over that same period he is getting more combined steals and blocks than Giannis Antetokounmpo or Draymond Green. His season best is under two steals and under one block.

Don't get me wrong, Dipo has impressed and you should by no means sell him at a discount. The point I'm making here is that this kind of performance is golden for a good negotiator to profit on a player's hot streak. If a mate of yours is holding a top-10 or 15 asset and is looking to get burned by Dipo's hot streak who are you to deny him? A Russell Westbrook owner fed up with his disastrous shooting or a Karl-Anthony Towns owner who doesn't think much of his new role in a star filled team are hard to come by. But if you find a rare butterfly, at least try and take a picture.

Baller Move: Sell high

 

How High Can You Go, Nikola Vucevic?

Remember when Orlando traded Oladipo and some other assets (including the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis) to acquire Serge Ibaka from Oklahoma City? And then they signed Bismack Biyombo to a four-year, $72 million contract just a few weeks later? It seemed that the Magic were giving up on Nikola Vucevic and looking to change direction. Boy would that have been a mistake!

Luckily for Orlando, they ended up letting Ibaka go instead and Vooch is making them smile about that decision. Let's stick to the same time frame we were using for estimating Oladipo's performances and look at Nik's last 14 days stats. With 19.4 PTS with 1.3 3PM on 54.0 FG% and 91.7 FT%, 11.5 REB, 4.5 AST, 0.8 STL, 2.0 BLK and 1.8 TO he is worthy of the #3 spot in my head-to-head 10-cat (counting all the standard categories plus double-doubles) Yahoo league. Yup! Vooch has more value in my league lately than The Greek Freak, Russ or Kevin Durant.

And he topped it all off with his first career triple-double on Dec 9 against the Hawks, dropping 31 points, vacuuming in 13 rebounds and handing out 10 dimes in that one. He topped it all off with a steal, a block, four three pointers on 72.2% from the field, a lone make from the line and just two turnovers in 37 and a half minutes. Now that's one of the stat lines of the year so far and it has catapulted Nikola into a fantasy value furnace.

But it came with both Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier, Orlando's best offensive options next to Vucevic, sidelined. Meanwhile, their primary ball handler Elfrid Payton is in a bit of a slump. Once they're all back to their best, it's difficult to imagine Nikola having such a big usage and impact on the offense.

If you are able to cash in your hot'n'spicy chips with Nikola Vucevic for a top-20 fantasy asset, I wouldn't wait around too much. Jimmy ButlerKyle Lowry or Damian Lillard are all guys who should be worth more than the Montenegrin center the rest of the way. Unless your league is counting double-doubles too. Than I would double-double check the math just in case.

Baller Move: Sell them while they're hot

 

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

Josh Lowe

Angels Acquire Josh Lowe in Three-Team Trade
Kyle Tucker

Signs Four-Year Contract With Dodgers
Kyle Kuzma

Available Versus Spurs
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Active on Thursday
Cooper Flagg

Sidelined Thursday
Ricky Pearsall

Questionable to Play on Saturday Night
Sam Darnold

Questionable With Oblique Injury, Expected to Play
Tobias Harris

Active on Thursday
Isaiah Stewart

Jalen Duran and Isaiah Stewart Set to Return Against Suns
Anthony Edwards

Out Again on Friday Night
Damon Severson

Back for Blue Jackets Thursday
Adin Hill

Available Thursday Night
Darius Garland

Won't Play on Friday Evening
Brandon Montour

Activated From Injured Reserve
Joel Eriksson Ek

Misses Third Straight Game Thursday
Jonas Brodin

Placed on Injured Reserve, Out Week-to-Week
Domantas Sabonis

Might Return on Friday Night
Miro Heiskanen

Misses Second Straight Game
STL

Robert Thomas to Miss at Least Two Weeks
Jerami Grant

Likely to Play Against the Hawks on Thursday
Tom Wilson

Remains Out Thursday
Deni Avdija

Ruled Out Thursday
Jakob Chychrun

Available Thursday
Clayton Kershaw

to Pitch for Team USA in World Baseball Classic
P.J. Washington

Questionable Against the Jazz
Max Christie

Unlikely to Return to Action on Thursday
Mitchell Robinson

Will Sit Out Thursday
Landry Shamet

Could Return Thursday
Jalen Brunson

Out on Thursday Against Golden State
Daniel Gafford

Questionable Thursday Against the Jazz
Patrick Mahomes

Says Rehab Going "Great," Goal is 2026 Week 1 Return
Cooper Flagg

Is Unlikely To Play Thursday Against Utah
Lauri Markkanen

Will Not Be Available Thursday Against Dallas
Davion Mitchell

Ruled Out Thursday
Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Will Not Play Against the Celtics
Nico Collins

a "Long Shot" to Play in Divisional Round
CFB

Auburn, Ohio State the Lead Suitors for Kyle Parker
CFB

Oregon QB Transfer Bryson Beaver Linked to Georgia, Kentucky
CFB

Jake Merklinger Commits to UConn
New York Giants

John Harbaugh Finalizing Deal With Giants
Mackenzie Blackwood

Activated From Injured Reserve
Ben Griffin

Looks To Stay Hot In 2026
Tom Wilson

Cleared for Contact, Could Return Thursday
Neal Pionk

Lands on Injured Reserve, Out Week-to-Week
Jamie Drysdale

Activated From Injured Reserve
Corey Perry

Unavailable Wednesday
Teuvo Teravainen

to Miss at Least One Game
Connor Bedard

Returns to Practice
Alexandre Texier

Canadiens Sign Alexandre Texier to Two-Year Extension
New York Giants

Giants Making "Massive Push" to Hire John Harbaugh on Wednesday
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Agrees to Five-Year Deal With Red Sox
CFB

Dante Moore Not Entering 2026 NFL Draft, Will Return to Oregon
NFL

Mike Tomlin Doesn't Plan to Coach in 2026
Travis Hunter

Expected to Play More Defense in 2026
CFB

FBS Coaches Unanimously Vote to Expand Redshirt Eligibility to Nine Games
CFB

Ohio State Transfer Mylan Graham Signs with Notre Dame
CFB

Caden Durham Withdraws from Transfer Portal, Will Stay at LSU
Leon Draisaitl

Has Three Points in Tuesday's Loss
Joel Hofer

Controls Hurricanes Tuesday
Jordan Spieth

Perhaps the Most Intriguing Player at Sony Open
Jeremy Swayman

Posts First Shutout of the Season
Zach Werenski

Totals Three Points in Tuesday's Win
Chandler Stephenson

Available Wednesday
Aaron Rai

Looking For Putting Confidence at Waialae Country Club
Collin Morikawa

Isn't The Safe Play He Used to Be Ahead of Sony Open
Kurt Kitayama

Needs His Putting to Turn Around For Success at Year's First Event
Ryan Weathers

Yankees Add Rotation Depth, Acquire Ryan Weathers in Four-Player Deal
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Fire Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman
Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin Stepping Down as Steelers Head Coach
CFB

Georgia Tech the Favorite to Land Justice Haynes?
Nolan Arenado

Cardinals Trade Nolan Arenado to Diamondbacks
Tom Kim

Desperately Needs a Solid Week at Sony Open
Billy Horschel

Hoping For a Fast Start to New Season at Sony Open
Corey Conners

Looks to Have a Return to Form in 2026
PGA

Chris Gotterup a Decent Play at Sony Open
Gary Woodland

Could Prosper at the Sony Open
Keith Mitchell

Unlikely to Contend at Sony Open
Robert MacIntyre

Looking for a Good Performance at the Sony Open
Michael Kim

Hopes to Start Sony Open Better This Week
Tom Hoge

Tries to Erase Poor 2025 Second Half in Hawaii
Brian Harman

Seeks Fresh Start in Hawaii
Eric Cole

Looks to Last Year for Success at Sony Open
Daniel Berger

Starts Off 2026 at Sony Open
Nico Collins

Suffers Concussion Against Steelers
Nico Collins

Carted to Locker Room for Concussion Evaluation
Kyle Tucker

Mets Meet With Kyle Tucker
Dalton Kincaid

"Should be Fine" for Divisional Round
Brooks Koepka

Officially Returning To PGA Tour
Tucker Kraft

Hopes to be Ready for Week 1 of Next Season
CFB

Georgia Lands Kentucky Transfer Dante Dowdell
Matthew Stafford

has "Little Sprain," Should be "Good to Go"
CFB

Sam Leavitt Expected to Sign with LSU
Green Bay Packers

Packers Expected to Work Out New Deal With Matt LaFleur in the "Coming Days"
CFB

Dylan Raiola Commits to Oregon
CFB

Isaiah Horton Landing with Texas A&M
George Kittle

Suffers Torn Achilles on Sunday
Omarion Hampton

Active for Wild-Card Round Against Patriots
George Kittle

Ruled Out After Non-Contact Achilles Injury
Las Vegas Raiders

Raiders Request Interview With Ejiro Evero
Los Angeles Rams

Mike LaFleur to Interview With Raiders and Cardinals
MacKenzie Gore

Yankees Pursuing Trade for MacKenzie Gore
Alex Bregman

Cubs Sign Alex Bregman to Five-Year, $175 Millon Contract
Freddie Freeman

Withdraws from World Baseball Classic

RANKINGS

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