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!

Upgrade To VIP: Save 50% on any NBA Premium Pass using discount code SMASH. Win more with our NBA and DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Jamie Calandro and Dan Palyo lead the RotoBaller team in 2024-25 with exclusive DFS picks, Prop picks and more. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

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

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sterling Shepard's Stock Rising for Buccaneers
Cam Talbot

Collects Third Straight Win
Connor Bedard

Shines With Three Assists
CFB

Jermod McCoy Officially Out for Alabama Matchup
Zach Benson

Records Four Assists In Season Debut
CFB

Jam Miller Questionable to Face Tennessee
Cam York

on Track to Make Season Debut Thursday
John Klingberg

Deemed Day-to-Day
Will Borgen

Battling Lower-Body Issue
Hampus Lindholm

Still Day-to-Day
Jaden Ivey

Considered Day-to-Day
Josh Hart

Making Progress
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Busy in Preseason Debut
Keegan Murray

Lands Five-Year, $140 Million Extension
Domantas Sabonis

Sustains Hamstring Injury Wednesday
Jaylen Brown

"Fine" Following Wednesday's Early Exit
CFB

Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt Probable For Saturday
Jake Walman

to Remain Out Thursday
Dmitry Kulikov

to Miss Five Months Following Surgery
Darcy Kuemper

Day-to-Day With Lower-Body Injury
Anze Kopitar

Listed as Day-to-Day
Jacob Markstrom

Out for "Couple of Weeks"
Kevon Looney

Slated to be Sidelined With Knee Injury
Nick Foligno

Out on Wednesday
Lucas Raymond

Misses Wednesday's Game
New York Knicks

Malcolm Brogdon Calling it a Career After Nine NBA Seasons
Russell Westbrook

Inks Deal With Kings
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Open 21-Day Practice Window for Khalik Mack
Quentin Johnston

Will Practice Wednesday
Travis Hunter

Jaguars Plan to Expand Travis Hunter's Role on Offense
Anthony Volpe

Undergoes Left-Shoulder Surgery
Deshaun Watson

"a Good Month Away" From Practicing
CFB

Jayden Gibson No Longer with Oklahoma Program
David Njoku

Not Practicing Wednesday
Rashee Rice

Chiefs "Allocating a Heavy Workload" for Rashee Rice Right Away
Puka Nacua

a "Long Shot" to Play in Week 7
Emeka Egbuka

is Expected to Miss Week 7
Jalen Suggs

Participates in Contact Drills
Mark Williams

Progresses to Five-on-Five Work
Gary Harris

to Miss 1-2 Weeks
De'Andre Hunter

Sustains Knee Contusion Tuesday
Karlo Matković

Karlo Matkovic Hurts Elbow in Loss to Houston
Jalen Duren

Returns to Action Against Cavaliers
Stuart Skinner

Records Eighth Career Shutout
Matthew Knies

Dishes Out Three Assists in Tuesday's Win
Maxwell Crozier

Likely Out on Friday
Brett Howden

Dealing With Lower-Body Injury
Adin Hill

Sustains Lower-Body Injury Versus Flames
Matt Duchene

Injured in Tuesday's Win
Emmanuel Clase

to be Banished for Life After Gambling Allegations?
Alex Bregman

Plans to Opt Out of Contract With Red Sox
Jalen Green

Reinjures Hamstring, Will be Reevaluated in 10 Days
Trey Murphy III

Set to Suit Up Tuesday
Joel Embiid

Could Play in Friday's Preseason Finale
Alexey Toropchenko

to Remain Out Wednesday
Paul George

Participates in Team Activities During Practice on Tuesday
CeeDee Lamb

"Looking Good" for Week 7
Kevin Huerter

Could Be an Option Thursday
D'Andre Swift

Breaks Out for 175 Total Yards and Touchdown in Win
Drake London

Explodes for 158 Yards and Touchdown in Win Over Bills
Bijan Robinson

Erupts for 238 Total Yards and Touchdown Against Bills
Christopher Bell

Sits Third in Points After Quiet Third-Place Finish
Chase Briscoe

Passes Denny Hamlin at the Start, but Hamlin Gets Him in the End
Joey Logano

Falling Out of Playoff Picture Despite Other Contenders' Crashes
Ryan Blaney

Stage 1 Crash Puts Ryan Blaney in Severe Playoff Trouble
Denny Hamlin

Wins at Las Vegas and Will Compete for the 2025 Cup Series Title
Kyle Larson

Dominates at Las Vegas but Ends Up Second
Chase Elliott

Struggles to Gain A Solid Finish at Las Vegas After Pit-Road Penalty
William Byron

Strong Run Ends In A Wreck at Las Vegas
Garrett Wilson

Expected to Miss "a Couple of Weeks" With Hyperextended Knee
Dalton Kincaid

Ruled Out for Monday Night
CFB

Sam Leavitt Viewed as Day-to-Day with Undisclosed Injury
Anthony Santander

Scratched From Game 2 of ALCS With Back Tightness
Deebo Samuel Sr.

Expected to Play on Monday Night
Brock Bowers

Could Sit for the "Long Haul"
CeeDee Lamb

has a Chance to Play in Week 7
San Diego Padres

Mike Shildt Retires as a Manager
Tennessee Titans

Titans Fire Head Coach Brian Callahan
Mateusz Gamrot

Suffers Second-Round Submission Loss
Charles Oliveira

Gets Back In The Win Column
Montel Jackson

Drops Decision
Deiveson Figueiredo

Gets Split-Decision Victory
Vicente Luque

Outclassed
Vicente Luque

Joel Alvarez Outclasses Vicente Luque
Jhonata Diniz

Suffers Second-Round TKO Loss
Mario Pinto

Remains Undefeated
CFB

Matt Rhule Denying Interest in Penn State Head Coaching Job
CFB

Le'Veon Moss Not Believed to Have Suffered Season-Ending Injury
Ricardo Ramos

Suffers First-Round Submission Loss
Chris Godwin

Not Expected to Return in Week 7
Bucky Irving

Not Expected to Return in Week 7
Puka Nacua

Rams Think Puka Nacua has Avoided a Long-Term Injury
Kaan Ofli

Scores Comeback Win
CFB

Bill Belichick Says he's Committed to North Carolina
Tiger Woods

Undergoes Back Surgery
CFB

UAB Fires Head Coach Trent Dilfer After 2.5 Seasons In Birmingham
CFB

Penn State Fires Head Coach James Franklin After 10.5 Seasons
CFB

Penn State QB Drew Allar Will Miss The Rest Of 2025 Season With Ankle Injury
Brandon Woodruff

Will Not be on NLCS Roster
Max Scherzer

Added to ALCS Roster
Bryan Woo

Makes ALCS Roster
Bo Bichette

Won't Make ALCS Roster
Christopher Bell

the Favorite to Win at Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin

on the Pole at Las Vegas
Joey Logano

Can Joey Logano Get Lucky in Las Vegas Again?
William Byron

has the Fastest Car in Practice at Las Vegas
Ty Gibbs

Speed of Ty Gibbs a Good Sign for Toyota at Las Vegas
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Should Contend at Las Vegas
Ross Chastain

Scrapes Wall in Practice But Qualifies 15th at Las Vegas
Chris Buescher

Looking for Improvement at Las Vegas
Austin Cindric

It Has Been Hit or Miss for Austin Cindric at Las Vegas
Chase Elliott

Should Run Well at Las Vegas
Kyle Larson

Conservatism May Keep him from Replicating Previous Las Vegas Drive
Josh Berry

After Josh Berry's Las Vegas Win, Ryan Blaney Should be a Top Contender
Chase Briscoe

has Definitely Improved on Intermediate Tracks
Gleyber Torres

Will Undergo Surgery to Repair Sports Hernia
Bryan Woo

Expected to be on Mariners' ALCS Roster
CFB

CJ Baxter to Miss Saturday's Game Against No. 6 Oklahoma
CFB

Syracuse QB Steve Angeli Will Miss Significant Time
Cody Bellinger

Plans to Opt Out of Contract
MLB

Munetaka Murakami Will be Posted This Winter
Nathan Eovaldi

has Hernia Surgery, Should be Ready for Spring Training
Mateusz Gamrot

Set For UFC Rio Main Event
Charles Oliveira

Returns At UFC Rio
Montel Jackson

Set For UFC Rio Co-Main Event
Deiveson Figueiredo

Returns At UFC Rio
Joel Álvarez

Joel Alvarez Set for his Welterweight Debut
Vicente Luque

A Huge Underdog
Mario Pinto

Looks To Remain Undefeated
Jhonata Diniz

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kaan Ofli

Looks To Secure His First Octagon Win
Ricardo Ramos

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Michael Aswell

Looks For His First UFC Win

RANKINGS

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