Yes
— Is Anthony Davis Hurt? (@ISBROWHURTYET) January 8 2020
OUCH…. If it was two or three years ago, Davis would have been already ruled out for the next two months., but the Lakers need to stay competitive so he should be back at the earliest opportunity. It is always a shock to see NBA athletes of that size take such falls or collisions, but it is a contact sport after all. However, Andre Robertson had a similar awful injury three years go and he has yet to return in any resemblance of form. Let’s hope AD is fine because he is having an awesome season and has ever so slightly gotten rid of the injury prone label.
Regarding last week’s suggestions, I will freely admit that it was a bad week. I blame it on too much food during the holiday season. Or I was just in a suggesting slump that I will surely shake off during the next game. Both help me sleep better at night so I’m sticking with them. More specifically, Gary Payton II’s hot start is a distant memory and Delon Wright’s emergence is not happening, unfortunately. Both were terrible this past week and I dropped them already in standard leagues. Only De’Anthony Melton was usable but, with the Memphis returning to full strength, he will also struggle to find meaningful minutes.
Buy
Ish Smith: After two consecutive high level performances, scoring 27 and 32 points respectively, this unforgettable moment happened in the career of Ish Smith…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUFO8y-As88
With all due respect to the hardworking Smith, when your fans start chanting “MVP MVP” for Ish, you know it’s a lost season…However, for fantasy purposes, it’s a great time to pick him up, because Isaiah Thomas is slumping and Bradley Beal will be in constant danger of random or not so random rest days. The Wizards have every reason to be extra cautious with their star player so it should officially be the reserves show in Washington soon (40% owned).
Jordan McRae: The situation in Washington can positively affect McRae as well. Despite the reputation that there is no shot that he doesn’t like, he is a capable scorer and the Wizards will need all the buckets they can get without Beal. He is a must start when Beal sits and a good stash for the rest of the season (45% owned).
Sekou Doumbouya: Blake Griffin is injured…Again…
Shocking, I know. At least this time it wasn’t due to a not-so-friendly punch to his “not-so-friend after the incident” trainer. The optimistic view of the situation is that Detroit can focus on its future and if that means heavy minutes for Sekou Doumbouya, then I’m all for it. He is still raw but has great length and has performed admirably since starting. In those four games, he is averaging 13/1.3/2.3/2.3/1/0.3/0.8 on 60.9% shooting, which has him ranked inside the top 100 (30% owned).
Daniel Gafford: This suggestion is based more on speculation of an injury to Wendell Carter Jr. He sprained his right ankle badly and is already listed as out for today’s game, so it looks like a safe assumption. His absence should be covered by Gafford, who possesses similar rim-protecting ability, as demonstrated by his 4.1 swats per 36 minutes. He is worth a streaming spot to see how his minutes will be affected (6% owned).
Sell
LaMarcus Aldridge: What an awesome fantasy year it’s been for Aldridge, who has supplemented his usual rebounding and scoring efficiency with 1 triple and 1.9 blocks, a career high by a mile. It’s no wonder then that he ranks 4th during the last month and 8th during the last two. However, the Spurs are barely hanging onto a playoff spot with Memphis, Portland, and Sacramento competing for the same position. If/when San Antonio falls behind in this race, more rest days and less minutes are coming his way, so as his owner, I would be testing the market to see what I can get in return.
Alec Burks: Burks has been awesome since he got major minutes with the Warriors and has grabbed the opportunity both in real life and in fantasy. He has been a top 50 player for the past two months, but the trade deadline is approaching fast and he is a valuable trade chip for team that is not contending this year. Furthermore, he is on a minimum deal and that makes him even more desirable for teams looking for a scoring burst from the bench. If a trade indeed happens, that will crush his fantasy value, so a sell high trade right now is not the worst idea in the world.
