Keeper decisions: Jabari Parker, Victor Oladipo & Dario Saric
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Whether or not you succeeded in reaching the fantasy playoffs, it's never too early to begin looking ahead to the offseason in keeper formats.
For the three players below, the closing weeks of the regular season make for an interesting time to project their keeper value and decide who you should keep -- and which players you should release back into next season's draft pool.
SF Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
With another torn ACL impacting Jabari Parker's availability for the start of next season, fantasy owners face an extremely tough decision here.
Parker's long-awaited breakout finally came this year, as he averaged 20.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in 51 games. Parker also drastically improved his 3-point range, knocking down 46.5 percent of his attempts and hitting 1.3 treys a game. It took two years, but the upside is real.
Nearly all of that work, however, came without the presence of SF/PF Khris Middleton. Middleton, who missed Milwaukee's first 50 games this year due to a hamstring injury, has had a splendid return to Bucks, averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in the month of March. His 22.1% usage rate indicates that he's firmly entrenched in the offense.
Because of his injury history and the assumption that Middleton and franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo are both healthy next year, risking a keeper on Parker is treacherous. A reversion to his 2015-16 numbers of 14.1 points and 5.2 boards would be disappointing. Instead of keeping him, target him in your redraft.
Verdict: CUT
SF Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers
Dario Saric has exploded in the latter portion of his rookie season with Philadelphia, averaging 20.3 points, eight rebounds, and 3.8 assists over his past 16 games. He also notched five double-doubles in those games.
The biggest argument against keeping Saric would be that his best production has largely come without PG Ben Simmons and C Joel Embiid. Undoubtedly, those two will have a dramatic impact on the team dynamic next year. And while it's hard to predict how the Sixers will share the ball, Saric has demonstrated too much upside to pass up on.
Considering Philadelphia has consistently dished out roughly 30 minutes a night to "The Homie" during his late-season charge, it stands to reason another season of starter's minutes should be on deck, with or without Simmons and Embiid on the floor. Trust the process.
Verdict: KEEP
SG Victor Oladipo, Oklahoma City Thunder
It's been a disappointing season for Victor Oladipo. He's hardly made any statistical improvement since leaving Orlando for Oklahoma City. PG Russell Westbrook has a stranglehold on the basketball whenever he steps on the floor, leaving little room for Oladipo or others.
While Oladipo's 16.4 PPG are respectable, his muted rebounding and assist contributions limit him to no more than a decent fantasy scorer. His two 3-pointers a night are helpful but don't scream keeper-worthy. Should the Thunder not alter their team's makeup in the offseason, another underwhelming year of 16-4-3 could be on tap.
With little fantasy appeal on the defensive end and this year's modest 74.8 free-throw percentage, Oladipo doesn't seem like he's blossoming into the star many hoped for as the second-overall pick in 2013. For the time being, he's a fine supporting player -- but not a fantasy stalwart.
Verdict: CUT
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)