Fantasy Basketball Update: Who To Target In Trade Rumor Season
Ishan gives a fantasy basketball update as we head into the end of December and trade rumor season.
Fantasy Basketball Update 12/22
Opportunity Is Paramount
The Bulls are…winning again?! A lot?! Coby White is shooting 66% overall and 60.9% from 3 in fourth quarters in the last 11 games. In his eight-game stretch as a starter, he averaged: 25.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 6.8 APG, 51% FG, 50% 3P, and 82% FT. Coby White is the fastest riser in fantasy value and the hottest name for the rest of the season as his usage grows game by game.
Zach LaVine being out has shown the Bulls they may have a franchise guard they always hoped to find. With LaVine almost definitely on the move sooner or later, Coby White and Patrick Williams are so key to keep an eye on. Coby White is now rostered in 75% of leagues, but Patrick Williams still remains at 10%. That number is guaranteed to increase if DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, and Alex Caruso are traded out of Chicago. The NBA is all about opportunity, White is seizing it, and Patrick Williams is showing flashes:
?s=20Patrick Williams is starting to get comfortable, and so are the Bulls. Make sure you look into stashing a guy who can get you one or two stocks (steals + blocks) a game, along with 15-18 points on solid percentages. If you can’t now, make sure you’re the first to snag him when the injuries or trades come along.
Of course, this doesn't just apply to the Bulls. There may be other players out there who can explode just like White has if given the opportunity. It's always worth adding players who are projected to get extra minutes as a result of a trade or injury.
Want to dominate your fantasy basketball league? Sync your league with the Fantasy Assistant to get rankings, waiver help, trade suggestions, optimal lineups, and more, and check out our NBA Trade Value Chart to make sure you win your trades!
Managing Matchups
In an NBA where defense is stacked on certain teams and heavily lacking on others, it’s key to play players in spots that are most advantageous for them. It’s of course key to prioritize mostly matchup-proof players, but when assessing the margins, it’s all about those small details.
For example, the Kings play the Suns tonight — talk about offense. We can tell from roster construction in the NBA and where the game of entertainment is going that offense is a priority for players, fans, and the product of the NBA. Some teams like Sacramento, Phoenix, Indiana, and the Warriors work on defensive principles at high rates to account for their smaller sizes and high-powered offenses. Others don't even bother, just preferring to boat-race their opponents. Picking up players going into fast-paced games is mostly beneficial for fantasy owners who need extra games in weeks.
The biggest picture lies in future fantasy drafts. When drafting, fantasy basketball managers have to assess if they want to lean into defensive statistics with less offense or high-powered offense with little defensive stats. Soon, there will be so much offense for everybody that fantasy owners will have to adjust in trying to build the strongest overall teams out there.
All-Around Players, High Scorers.
Fantasy leagues require game-changers, but they can come in many forms. Spot start 18 and 11 performances, players who boom for you like Anfernee Simons and Cam Thomas, and locked-in superstars from draft day like Nikola Jokic and LeBron James. Those final players can be the key pieces that spearhead your offensive attack. You can also use players like Simons and Thomas to complement a defensive attack of Giannis Antentokounmpo, Evan Mobley (if healthy), and Kristaps Porzingis.
It's also important to remember that while the best players get you far, the right players help you win it all. The best players on the best NBA teams will dominate throughout the first 95% of the season, but managing the last few weeks of the season is where fantasy champions are made. Accounting for older guys like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Steph Curry resting if they have locked up playoff seeding is key. On the other hand, if they are in a fight for the play-in or a fight for seeding, you will see those guys motivated. It's not too early to start preparing for these last few weeks. Mostly, we see elite teams resting guys for the playoffs, and players who play a lot on bad teams at the end of seasons are key to pay attention to.
Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire
Here are my favorite waiver wire targets of the week:
- Collin Sexton, Utah Jazz
- Talen Horton-Tucker, Utah Jazz
- Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks
- Trayce-Jackson Davis, Golden State Warriors
- Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls
