<
        >

          Fantasy basketball mailbag: Time to move Jeff Teague?

          Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague has struggled over the past month after an All-Star season.

           Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports
          • Tom Carpenter, ESPN Staff WriterJan 17, 2016, 09:16 AM ET
            Close
              Tom Carpenter is a fantasy basketball analyst.
            Follow on X

          Whether it's a potential trade or a waiver-wire claim you are mulling, the short- or long-term expectations for a specific player or anything else that is on your mind when it comes to fantasy hoops, I'll help you out each Thursday with my Twitter mailbag Q&A.

          If you have a question, tweet me @AtomicHarpua or with #FBAMailbag before Thursday morning each week, and I'll cull some of the better ones to answer here.

          At the root of this question are two things: Will he turn things around and is this the right time to trade him?

          Unfortunately, you probably won't like either answer I have for you.

          What made him special last season was that he was a point guard with a healthy 46.0 FG% and quality scoring (15.9 PPG), assists (7.0 APG), steals (1.7 SPG) and 3s (1.0 3-PPG). That combination of across-the-board production warms the hearts of fantasy owners.

          However, the catch with that production was twofold. First, none of those numbers separately is eye-popping, which means that even a slight dip across the board makes him an ordinary fantasy player. Second, his overall production waned in the second half of last season.

          That brings us to this season, during which his numbers have gone from good in November to middling in December to downright awful in January.

          I am highly skeptical about his ability to turn things around and make a significant impact in the second half of this season. And a player who is averaging just 10.6 PPG, 1.2 3-PPG, 3.0 APG and 1.2 SPG with a 40.4 FG% plus shaking off an ankle ailment won't generate much trade value in return.

          My advice is to hold tight until he strings together a couple of good games before trying to ship him away, so you can at least get something decent in return -- likely as part of a multiplayer deal.

          Go big or go home, eh, Daniel?

          My mantra typically is that I want to do as many two-for-one deals as possible where I trade two and land the best player in the trade. Obviously, Stephen Curry fits the bill here, since he is the clear-cut stud of studs in fantasy this season.

          However, the second part of that mantra is that I am trying to collect as many top 10-25 players as possible. Obviously, both Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving fit that bill, so there is no cut-and-dried answer here.

          Deciding whether to take this offer will depend on what the rest of your roster looks like and which categories you are strong and weak in for your roto standings.

          Being an eight-team league, it's safe to assume that you can plug some sort of an impact player into the empty spot you'll have in this 2-1 scenario, so add that player's value to Curry's and ask yourself whether that combo will do more good for you in the standings than the Irving-Green combo.

          I have no idea how Ish Smith can be available in nearly three-quarters of ESPN leagues, but he should be owned in all formats. The same goes for Chandler Parsons, who is getting back to full speed, and Louis Williams, who has been on a roll as a starter.

          Going a little deeper, we should all be riding Amir Johnson before his bubble inevitably bursts and Cody Zeller, with Al Jefferson out for the foreseeable future.

          Also, I'm going to keep pushing Jusuf Nurkic, because I expect the Denver Nuggets center to come on strongly in the second half of the season. He is a quality investment to stash on your bench in the short term.

          Throughout the second half of his career, Rick, Tim Duncan's fantasy value has bounced from overrated to underrated and back and forth. When he stopped being a dominant scorer, his subpar FT% made him overrated. Once fantasy owners adjusted to that, he became underrated due to his ability to chip in quality dimes, hit the glass and block some shots while maintaining a quality FG%.

          This season, he is taking just 7.3 FGA per game, making his 52.4 FG% all but meaningless, so you are left with a player who doesn't score and contributes nothing but a smattering of boards and blocks to go with a few dimes. We can also expect plenty of DNP-CDs down the stretch. So he is back to being overrated in my book.

          I think he is more of a player who can round out a starting lineup in 12- and 14-team leagues but not someone who is worth keeping over a quality free agent (see above), who can bring you more upside going forward.

          I have Darren Collison in a few leagues, Joe, and intend to keep him locked in for the foreseeable future. Even working as a reserve, he has been averaging a solid 30 minutes per game. You can pretty much pen him in for about 13 points, 5 assists, 1 3-pointer, 1.0 steal, 47.5 FG% and 85.0 FT%. Those are pretty helpful numbers.

          I'm doubtful that Rajon Rondo will be traded, despite being in a contract year, but it is possible with the deadline coming up next month. Let's not forget that Rondo has long been prone to dealing with long-term injuries, so there is another way that Collison could jump into an even larger role.

          It's also possible that Collison could be traded, since he has just one year left on his contract and is affordable ($5.2 million for next season) to teams that may be interested.

          So I'm holding on to him as an investment who can contribute now and may pay off big later. That having been said, if you need different stats, he is not a must-keep player, especially if you can drop him for an Ish Smith- or Chandler Parsons-type player who already has a starting gig and a green light.