The first few weeks of the NBA regular season will usually provide a decent indication of what to expect in NBA fantasy leagues for the remainder of the season. However, there are always situations where players overachieve based on situation and they open the year producing at an unsustainable level. There are a handful of players that have surprised early on but could have a difficult time keeping it up throughout the course of the season. Here is a look at four sell-high candidates in NBA fantasy leagues right now.
PG: James Harden, Houston Rockets
Harden’s marriage with head coach Mike D’Antoni has led to unbelievable production from Harden early on. The All-Star point guard has averaged 30.3 points, 12.6 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 37.4 minutes per game this season and for as impressive as his numbers are it will be very difficult for him to sustain them throughout the course of the season. Harden has never averaged more than 7.5 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game so while his point totals should remain high it will be difficult for him to continue to put up the elite peripheral numbers. Harden is the perfect fit for what D’Antoni wants as his premier ball-handler but even if Harden continues to put up substantial numbers it will be difficult for him to continue at this pace throughout the course of the entire regular season.
PG: George Hill, Utah Jazz
Hill has been the perfect fit in Utah as the veteran point guard that management felt could help take the team to another level this season. Hill has averaged 20.4 points, 5.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 33.9 minutes per game with the Jazz but even as their floor general it will be hard for him to produce at this level throughout the entire year. Hill is 30-years-old and he is already dealing with a thumb injury that kept him out of Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Hill is a talented point guard that should continue to put up decent numbers but he could be a strong sell-high candidate based on his unsustainable level of production early this season.
C: Myles Turner, Indiana Pacers
Anybody that watched Turner’s play in last year’s first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Toronto Raptors understood that he was becoming something special and he has carried over his strong play early on this season. Turner has exceeded all expectations as he has averaged 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in just 27.0 minutes per game. Turner is coming in to his own as one of the top young big men in the Eastern Conference but even still it will be difficult for him to keep up his current elite level of production. Turner’s numbers have been a pleasant surprise for his owners early on so he might be worth selling high before his numbers eventually dip.
PG: Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics
It’s understandable that Bradley wasn’t going very high in NBA fantasy league drafts before the season and while his production has been a pleasant surprise it might be worth moving him while his value is at its highest. Bradley has averaged a ridiculous 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and while he deserves a ton of credit for his play early on it will be nearly impossible for him to maintain this current level of play throughout the season. Bradley has benefited from the absence of Al Horford, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart but once they return Bradley’s production should take a hit. Fantasy GM’s that selected Bradley in their fantasy basketball league drafts should be thrilled with his production so far but it would make sense for them to attempt to stay ahead of the curve and sell him while his NBA fantasy value is at its highest right now.
F: T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns
Warren has had a very impressive start to the year as he’s averaging 17.7 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals. However, you can already start to see that the hot start could be coming to an end as he had just two points in his last game and eight in the one before (although it does look like he’s dealing with an injury). You could ride it out or you might just want to trade him while his value is high in NBA fantasy.
