Buy? Sell? Hold? Picking your Indian Wells Fantasy Tennis team

Anyone who knows tennis knows that March is one of the highlights of the calendar. With Indian Wells – widely acknowledged to be the ‘fifth Slam’ – and Miami running back to back, there are points and prestige on the line.

But not just for the players at these events.

The next month is crucial for anyone involved in FantasyTennisLeague.com. With the whole month packed in to just two Game Weeks, not to mention an opportunity to set your team and make minimal trades until April, it’s a key time to make a thorough re-assessment of your team.
With monthly competitions and mini-tournaments, it’s never too late to enter fantasytennisleague.com.

With that in mind, we thought we’d poll four Fantasy Tennis fanatics around the office to find out which three players they want to have in their team, and who they are planning on selling before the Sunday night lockout.

Viv Christie:

Buy
David Goffin ($12.49m): Momentum is on David Goffin’s side. After two losses to Grigor Dimitrov at earlier 2017 events, he finally beat the in-form Bulgarian en route to the Rotterdam final and as a semifinalist at Indian Wells in 2016, he’s a proven performer at the event.

Jack Sock ($9.81m): After wins over Milos Raonic, Alexander Zverev and Richard Gasquet late in 2016, Jack Sock already has two titles in 2017; the next step is a big result at a bigger event and you sense it would most likely occur at home in America.

Anastasia Pavyluchenkova ($7.37m): She withdrew from Acapulco but whether that was for an injury (as she reported) or a rest ahead of big hard court events is debatable. Wins over the in-form Elina Svitolina and Svetlana Kuznetsova (twice) in 2017 highlight how the powerful Russian can thrive on a hard court.

Sell
Simona Halep ($8.75m): was the Indian Wells champion in 2015 but the injury-affected world No.4 has just two match wins in 2017, with losses occurring against Katerina Siniakova and Shelby Rogers.

Paul Moore:

Buy
Karolina Pliskova ($12.13m): A world No.1 in the making. With a huge game perfectly suited to hard court, I feel like she is the favourite going in to Indian Wells.

Elina Svitolina ($12.27m): The in-form player on the WTA at the moment, the Ukranian has just cracked the Top 10 and will be a real contender for at least one title in March.

Lucas Pouille ($5.73m): The most undervalued player in the game? Pouille started to turn it around in Marseille, will be dangerous on the hard courts and is capable of springing plenty of upsets.

Sell
Novak Djokovic ($21.2m): Is his current form worth the lofty price tag? Or look at it a different way: one Novak is the same as a Pliskova and a Cilic…

Matt Trollope:

Buy
Jack Sock ($9.81m): the American is a new entrant to the top 20 and continues to improve his week-to-week consistency and potency. With a good draw on home soil on the slow hard courts at Indian Wells, he could really do some damage.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ($13.26m): Jo-Willy has rarely enjoyed such consistency. Back to back titles in Rotterdam and Marseille will have filled him with confidence ahead of the Masters event at Indian Wells, where he’ll be chomping at the bit to test his game against a full-strength field.

Ana Konjuh ($5.81m): the young Croat has blazed to a 9-4 start this season, with natural power and on-court calmness shining through. In the wide-open landscape that is currently the women’s game, she is an affordable player who could rack up some hefty points.

Sell
Sara Errani ($5.07m): the former world No.5 almost can’t win a single match. Initially on my radar as a cheap inclusion with career credentials and experience in spades, she’s 1-4 in 2017 and down to 99th in the rankings. Not sure how long she’ll last in my team.

Leigh Rogers:

Buy
Shuai Peng ($5.99m): Her comeback from a career-threatening back injury is gaining momentum, can be a dangerous player.

Marin Cilic ($8.42m): The Croatian hasn’t made the brightest start to 2017, but typically thrives on American hard courts.

Lucie Safarova (6.54m): Form is improving and has encouragingly jumped 24 ranking spots so far this season. Price is rising, so get in quick.

Sell
Juan Martin del Potro ($9.4m): Is an expensive option and his lower ranking makes him too vulnerable to tough draws.