Why Lauri Markkanen’s fantasy stock is soaring
Yahoo Fantasy basketball analyst Dan Titus offers a few risers and fallers in this week's edition of stock watch.
Video Transcript
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DAN TITUS: All right, let's talk some risers and fallers in week 13. The first player whose stock is up is Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz. Over the last two weeks, he's been top three in per game value after averaging over 32 points, nine rebounds, three triples, 1.2 stocks, 52% from the field, 97% from the line, with only one turnover. Just elite fantasy basketball right there.
He's now cracked the top 15 in per game value. And over the course of the season, he's ranked seventh in totals value. So Lauri Markkanen, no doubt, is going to make his first All-Star team this year. But he'll also be on top of that first team [? all-fantasy ?] list this year. This dude is for real and has been playing absolutely great basketball.
The next player whose stock is up is Gary Trent, Jr., of the Toronto Raptors. He made my fallers list several weeks ago because he was playing awful. But he's really turned it up, finishing eighth in per game value over the last two weeks, and has been 26th in per game value over the last month. His shooting efficiency has really improved, upping it to 48% over that span, as well as shooting 88% from the line and getting almost two 3's per contest, along with 22 points per game.
Now, I think this is a perfect opportunity to sell high because if you look at the history of Gary Trent, Jr., he's only shot over 44% from the field over the course of a season twice. So I don't know that he can sustain that, not to mention he tends to be pretty streaky. So this is a great time to perhaps sell high on Gary Trent, Jr., because I don't know that he'll be able to sustain this level of production, efficient production over the course of the season. But still, a very solid addition for points, 3's, and steals.
All right, let's get into the fallers. The first one who is up is Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. His points, rebounds, and assists are on par with last season. But he's really seen a downtick in his stocks. And that's really why you want Draymond Green, is the stocks and the assists.
His free throw percentage is also below his career average of 71%. But this is the first time since his rookie season that he hasn't averaged at least 1.2 steals per game. He's currently 122nd in per game value. But over the last month, it's dropped to 180.
He really needs Steph back in the worst way. So if you're interested in buying low on Draymond Green, which I don't know that I'd recommend, I would get him before Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins make their returns to the lineup. Because his value is going to go up with them back in the lineup.
And to close out, final faller is Al Horford of the Boston Celtics. He's just been trending down since the return of Robert Williams. 270th in per game value in week 12, 211 over the past two weeks, and 131 in per game value over the last month.
His points and rebounds are on pace for career lows. And his assists are the lowest mark since 2011-2012. While his 3's are solid, two per game, his steals are on pace also for a career low. So I don't see much value in keeping Big Al in shallow leagues.
He's still probably worth rostering in [? 12 ?] [? teams, ?] but it's getting close. So if [? Time ?] Lord remains healthy, I think it's only going to be worse for Al Horford's stock as the season progresses-- something to keep an eye on. All right, see you next week.
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