Fantasy basketball buy & sell: Week 12

Here are three players to buy and three to sell in fantasy hoops this week. The buys are guys who’s stock is down at the moment but will certainly rebound or are just guys who the general public have forgotten about/blatantly overlooking. On the flip side, the sells are guys who’s recent level of production is not sustainable and you should consider selling them at their highest point.

Once I start getting this out weekly, I’ll keep track of how my previous picks have done, but do yourself a favor and go get T.J. Warren. Dude has been straight BALLIN since my last buy & sell article and belongs on every fantasy team. Plus, bonus, he’s still available in a handful of leagues so check yours and add him if you can.

TO THIS WEEK!

BUY

Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards

This my friends is a capitalize quickly situation. Over the weekend, the news broke that John Wall will have surgery on his heel, effectively ending his season. GO BUY BEAL RIGHT THE FLIP NOW!

Beal’s December gave us a taste of what he can do without Wall on the court. Here are his numbers: 26.5 points, 2.3 threes, 5.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals all on 39.5 minutes per game. I highly doubt the minutes will stay up at that level, but the usage is sure to remain at an all time high for Beal.

I was all ready to write Beal as a sell candidate because I thought there was no way for him to keep this level of production up with Wall returning to the lineup, but with the season ending injury, all bets are off. You’re likely going to have to give up a bit to get him, but Beal is now the guy on the team and his numbers will show that.

Justise Winslow, SF, Miami Heat

The Heat might have finally figured out what to do with Justise Winslow. With Goran Dragic undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery a couple of weeks ago, Erik Spoelstra experimented with Wilson running point and it worked so well that he’s locked up the starting job moving forward.

In his last four games, Winslow is averaging 19.3 points, 1.8 threes, 6.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.0 turnovers in 31.8 minutes per game while shooting 51.6% from the field and 38.9% from three. The minutes and opportunity seem to be there in full for Winslow right now and you’d be wise to take advantage. Plus, hopefully he’ll soon get PG designation, meaning you can play him in multiple spots. Always a plus.

Lauri Markkanen, PF, Chicago Bulls

The dumb ol’ holidays might have delayed this enough that it’ll be really tough to trade for Markkanen but it’s certainly worth trying. After starting the season recovering from a sprained elbow, the Bulls’ forward has returned with a vengeance, averaging 17.2 points, 2.6 threes, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.7 blocks in 30.5 minutes per game (playing 14 games so far this season). His field goal percentage is down from last year but I blame that on rust more than anything else. If you’ve got an owner who’s forgotten about Markkanen on his bench, be aggressive and get him on your team.

SELL

Buddy Hield, SG, Sacramento Kings

Hield has broken out in a big way to start this season, averaging career highs in almost every offensive category. He’s scoring 19.7 points per game, hitting 3.1 threes and shooting 46.6% from the floor, 42.3% from downtown. It seems he’s rounding nicely into the offensive weapon many pegged him as coming out of college.

However, fantasy wise, Hield doesn’t offer much outside of offense. His defense is nonexistent, averaging 0.5 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. If Hield hits a slump, there aren’t many other stats to help keep his fantasy numbers afloat. And it’s likely Hield will hit some sort of wall as he’s shooting beyond his career percentages right now. Consider shipping him out while he’s value is high.

Ricky Rubio, PG, Utah Jazz

Pretty Ricky’s fantasy value is never going to be higher than right now. (Of course as I’m writing this he’s day-to-day so actually his fantasy value is probably a bit lower than it was a few days ago, but still, the point stands.)

Over his last six games, Rubio is shooting a staggering 47.8% from three, which has led him to post two particularly strong fantasy performances in that time. It’s also led him to creep into the top 50 in ESPN’s player rating across the last 15 days. Rubio will always have mild fantasy value—his assists numbers will see to that—but don’t think he’s suddenly found his long range shot. Lest we forget, we’re talking about a career 32% three-point shooter here.

Even with the injury designation, I bet you can capitalize on Rubio’s hot streak and get at least a better incoming player.

Marcus Morris, PF/SF, Boston Celtics

As a Celtics fan, I love Marcus Morris and want him to continue playing like a man who’s stumbled upon the talent-rich basketball from Space Jam and now finds himself with the skills of Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues and Shawn Bradley, but even I can recognize that he’s playing well outside of his normal production. And I mean, WELL outside.

For his career, Morris has shot 43.3% from the field and 36.4% from three. This season Morris has been shooting 50% from the field and a staggering 43.7% from downtown. Those numbers are not going to keep up. Plus, his minutes and usage is likely to drastically change at any minute given the amount of talent in Boston. I don’t see Morris holding off Gordon Hayward when (or sadly if) he returns to his old self.