Buy Low, Sell High: Fantasy Basketball Week 8

Buy Low:
Stephen Curry is averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 threes, along with 32 percent shooting from the floor in his last three games. In his last two games, Curry has managed to accumulate just 17 points and one three-pointer on 6-of-20 shooting from the field. Despite his bouts of dry spells this season, Curry remains a top five stud. His price tag won’t get much lower than this.

Stephen Jackson appears nailed to the bench in Milwaukee, thanks to his everlasting strife with coach Scott Skiles. He’s been nothing short of putrid in his last few games and doesn’t appear to stand a chance at recovering significant value anytime soon. That said, with Drew Gooden potentially out for a while, S-Jax could be in for a few more minutes a night for the Bucks, who will likely have to go a bit smaller. Also, if Jackson is dealt away from the Bucks, his value can only rise. He shouldn’t cost much and could be a smart guy to stash.

Manu Ginobili is finally back after sitting out 22 games with a broken hand. He hasn’t been too impressive in his first three games, but even with those games included, he’s putting up top 25 averages so far this season. Grabbing him on the cheap and will give you big returns during your league’s playoff time.

Kevin Martin is coming off of a 32-point game, but fantasy owners should know by now that his value hasn’t been this unreliable in quite some time. His minutes and production change about as often as Kim Kardashian‘s supposed next target. Still, Martin is a top 40 player when getting steady minutes, which should be the norm before too much longer. If Martin’s owner in your league is getting impatient, swoop in with an offer.

Joe Johnson hasn’t been his helpful self in the past week. He’s struggling with his shooting from the floor and has averaged 11.8 points, 0.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.8 threes in his last four games, along with 36 percent shooting from the field. For the season, Johnson’s been a reliable top 70 asset, and with no news of anything wrong with him, expect him to find his groove again soon.

Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge and any other productive fantasy players who are injured should be considered buy-low candidates.

Sell High:
Luol Deng has racked up 46 points, 11 rebounds, 21 assists and eight three-pointers made in his last two games. This uptick in value comes as Derrick Rose sits out with a bad back. When Rose returns, Deng will still have solid value, but he won’t be dishing out nearly this many assists. His value has reached a peak and Deng’s owners should explore his value.

Jose Calderon is averaging 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 1.1 threes and 52 percent shooting from the field in his nine games this month. However, his tendency to hit rough patches is well-known, and with Andrea Bargnani set to return sometime after the All-Star break, Calderon’s a prime sell-high candidate.

Boris Diaw has had two consecutive decent lines, which is a lot by his standards this season. Nevertheless, he remains wholly unreliable and unappealing and should be dangled in a package deal, especially in deeper leagues where he might be perceived as more helpful.

Chris Kaman has produced two big lines in his last two games, but there are two red flags here: 1) Emeka Okafor‘s absence and 2) the possibility of a trade. If Kaman sticks with the Hornets, he’ll see a decline in value once Okfaor returns. If, however, he’s dealt, his value becomes unpredictable. His owners should trade him now before either of those scenarios happens.

Jason Richardson is finally rewarding his patient owners. Now they should return the favor by dangling him as trade bait. His bothersome knee will likely cause a few DNPs and some inconsistency down the line, so selling him off now is a wise idea.

Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.

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