Injuries can happen at any time, of course, but best I can tell, Milwaukee Bucks PG/SG Jrue Holiday and New Orleans Pelicans PF Zion Williamson are the lone players selected in the first four or five rounds of most ESPN average live drafts to miss considerable time so far. You knew -- or should have known -- that Williamson was going to be out after foot surgery, and his minutes and performance could be an issue for a while. There was no such worry about Holiday. He just happened to sprain an ankle two weekends ago. Stuff happens.
Holiday may miss Tuesday's likely win over the Detroit Pistons but the weekend features a home game with the emerging New York Knicks and a road tilt with the surprising Washington Wizards. The Bucks figure to be closer to full strength for those statement games, and trying to trade for Holiday in fantasy after he returns is still and will always be a good idea, but the value and price changes. There is always a window of opportunity to trade for compromised stars... and then it abruptly ends. Do not wait!
In case you forgot -- and since he is down to 94.8% rostered in ESPN standard leagues, you may have -- Holiday is a fantastic fantasy option. No, he is not likely to be among the leaders in scoring or assists, but his combination of counting numbers and excellent shooting percentages is tough to beat. This is why Holiday was a top 20 option on last season's final Player Rater and a strong third- or fourth-round choice in October drafts. Do not run away from Holiday. Try to trade for him!
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo keeps handling more usage sans the valuable Holiday and, for Sunday's competitive loss to the terrific Utah Jazz, underrated SG/SF Khris Middleton (illness). C Brook Lopez has played in only one game. Who knows when PG/SG Donte DiVincenzo makes his season debut after offseason ankle surgery? This is a big week for the Bucks (and Knicks and Wiz, for that matter) so it will be interesting to see who actually plays for them. Holiday should be there and Lopez must be close as well. Try to get these players before they return and, if betting is your thing, the Bucks are still gonna fly past 50 wins, so do not worry about a 3-4 start.
OK, time to mention a flurry of other players in our latest hoops Trade Index. Sure, it remains early in the NBA season, but we can tell by roster percentages which players are falling in and out of favor (does anyone possess patience?), while also presuming interest by strong and slow statistical starts.
We will try to avoid repeating names from week to week, but you should know that Brooklyn Nets PG/SG James Harden is going to be fine, you should avoid dealing for his colleague Kyrie Irving, and the same is true of a certain 6-foot-10 Philadelphia 76ers point guard who will go nameless in this space.
Trade for
Jonas Valanciunas, C, New Orleans Pelicans: It sure looks like this longtime fantasy provider is still getting better. The scoring/rebound numbers may cool off a bit when Williamson returns (whenever that is, which is sort of the point) but Valanciunas can still post career bests in scoring and boards even with him around. I was surprised Valanciunas fell to Round 7 in ESPN ADP. Convince a fellow league manager to sell high, but I think Valanciunas can be a top 25 option in fantasy.
Mikal Bridges, SF, Phoenix Suns: OK, so one Bridges is among the top players in fantasy, and you will not find this Bridges among the current top 100 on the Player Rater. Weird times! It is a bit misleading, too. Mikal Bridges will get steals. Frankly, it is a good thing that Bridges is getting more field goal attempts and hitting 56% of them. Could be a career year pending. Watch him end up among the top 50 on the Rater again, even if the other unrelated Bridges is the fantasy superstar.
Trade away
Tyler Herro, PG/SG, Miami Heat: Watching this Kentucky product is loads of fun, but expecting him to average 22.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG and 4.5 APG for much longer -- all of it off the bench! -- seems like a reach. As great a start as this is, Herro is still not among the top 50 on the Player Rater (roto), in part because has only one steal in six games.
Carmelo Anthony, SF/PF, Los Angeles Lakers: This has nothing to do with the future Hall of Famer being 37 years old. It has to do with him being able to score at this rate for much longer when he stops hitting 52% of his 3-point attempts, which he will. He is not a Curry brother. It is fine to add Anthony to teams, but he is not likely to keep hitting 3-pointers at this rate. On Sunday, he blocked four shots. He had two steals. Your best bet is to add Anthony and see if you can get a current top-100 fantasy option for him quickly.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C, Dallas Mavericks: Perhaps his lower back tightness is a short-term thing and he returns to play any day now. He could also return and leave that game prematurely with the same issue and then, his value drastically changes. Porzingis fills up stat sheets for sure, but durability is always an issue, and this is not the same as the Jrue Holiday injury. Be concerned.
More information needed
Jalen Green, SG, Houston Rockets: Green turns 20 in February and as such, we should expect a wild ride this rookie season. We thought field goal shooting would be an issue, but making half his shots in only one of six games so far is worrisome. More than half Green's attempts come from 3-point range. Will that continue? Perhaps Green can hit 42% of his shots, average 16-plus PPG and contribute in other areas as well, but it is tough -- even after two weeks -- to leave a 33% field goal shooter in active rosters for too long.