Jan. 11 -- A week later, but I still feel the same way: That national championship game, Texas versus USC, was quite possibly the greatest game I've ever seen, and easily the best football game I've ever witnessed. I rarely watch college football since I view it as an infinitely weaker NFL version, but I had to witness this first hand. With USC's loss, I am finally able to say USC was overrated and throw it in the face of my many friends who just happen to be USC fans (it's because I'm in Southern California or just that bandwagoners will be bandwagoners), although I won't lie and say I didn't doubt Texas. Regardless, a win is a win, and even though I am in no way a fan of Texas, the fact that I hate USC so much, for really no reason at all other than myself believing they are overrated, made this the sweetest victory for me.

I've liked Ike Diogu as a rookie sleeper candidate from day one, as he is built like Elton Brand with a terribly large wingspan, and had a very polished low-post game already. While he has not even remotely approached EB-like numbers, he has showed off his low-post proficiency, shooting 64% from the field on the year. While it's hard to see starter-worthy minutes with Troy Murphy and Adonal Foyle ahead of you, leaving Diogu to fight for the frontcourt remains amongst Chris Taft and Andris Biedrins, he has proven to be at least the first big man off the bench. Just due to that, Diogu is worth looking into in deeper leagues, and possibly investing in the short term pending Foyle's back issues.

I try not to be too obvious here, but since I'm still seeing Speedy Claxton on free agent lists, no matter what size a league you're in, pick him up immediately! He's a top-10 point guard for the few weeks he starts, and since he was fantastic in steals and modest in assists beforehand, he should have been on someone's bench weeks ago.

Kwame Brown...to many, it's like uttering a curse word, but I still have his back. A week ago he was quite worthless, but with just one start he's now back on the fantasy radar (similarly, while browsing on another leading fantasy website, one night Kwame was hailed worthless, but the very next day worthy of him on the fantasy radar—fickle would be an apt word). He's displaced Brian Cook as the starting power forward, and since Brown wasn't playing particularly well, and Cook is the Lakers' very best shooter, management must indeed be behind Brown. Even in his start, he wasn't particularly impressive despite logging a double-double (it took him nearly 40 minutes to do so), but I am still loyal to him, and when good things come, I can be the only person to say I was by his side with a straight face.

Besides being maybe the most entertaining thing to do in a fantasy basketball league, trading away a player at his peak point when it's a near-certainty he'll drop from the clouds—otherwise known as selling high—is the easiest and most efficient way to experience a substantial long-term increase in your team's productivity other than picking up (oftentimes getting lucky) one of the year's best free agent pickups. The whole point of selling high is to trade the shooting star because his recent surge is temporary, and acquire a player who's on the same level (or sometimes even better) as that player, but one whose long-term value is much healthier. Marcus Camby owners are no doubt kicking themselves if they didn't do it, while everyone else was screaming at them to do so (though if everyone knows someone's trying to sell high on him, it's very hard to get an advantage). Of course, they aren't all as easy as Camby, or it wouldn't be so fun and addicting to try to get it right.

The hard part is that if you're wrong—imagine if Camby played 80 games and kept up his torrid early pace—you're really going to lose out. Because the trading partner is taking some risk in acquiring your "damaged goods," you're probably not getting a truly equal player back, at least not at the moment. Since the moment is often the only thing that matters, a lot of people end up missing out. Having the right information means you'll always be right regarding this decision, but there is never a factual certainty until it happens (who says Camby can't play a career-high number of games?). Educated guesses, as always, are the way to go, but occasionally there is no rhyme or reason for an aberration. It's most effective to sell high with reasonably established players; you're not going to get great value for a player everyone knows is only a temporary fix (an apt example would be Claxton right now). Someone who's kept it up since the beginning of the season looks that much safer. Regardless, here's my official sell high list of 2006, and if I'm wrong, as always, I deny I ever said it at all.

Mehmet Okur, C, UTA: It's been a fun ride for Okur owners, but it'd be wise to try to maximize value for him soon. His shooting has weakened throughout the year, from 48.8% from the field in November, 43.9% in December, to an intolerably low 39.2% in January (similarly, his three-point percentage has plummeted as well, which naturally means fewer made threes). While his rebounding numbers have only increased, Carlos Boozer's return is nearing, as Jazz owner Larry Miller hinted at a Saturday return. Though that information may not be 100% accurate, it does point towards Boozer's imminent return, which would put a damper on Okur's rebounding numbers. It's not yet time to panic, but trading Okur now would be the smart play.

Smush Parker, PG, LAL: A point guard who gets negligible assist numbers? Damon Jones has some company this year. Due to Kobe Bryant being Kobe Bryant, and since Lamar Odom (5.4 assists per game) is the man who initiates the Laker offense more often than not, Parker is a spot-up shooter from the perimeter. While he's flourishing in the role, finding his three-point shot (shooting over 40% from beyond the arc this year; his previous high was 32.2%), besides his plethora of steals (1.7), he brings little else to the table. Essentially a two-trick pony, Parker's perceived value is much higher than his actual contribution to your fantasy team, especially if you're not dying in steals and threes. Worse, with Sasha Vujacic seeing a more increased role as the season wears on due to his tenacious defense, Parker's minutes have started to creep down as well. Bail sooner rather than later.

Chris Duhon, PG, CHI: Duhon's been a relatively quiet contributor this fantasy year as he's a well-rounded guard who just doesn't score, but with Ben Gordon recently inserted into the starting lineup, Duhon's seen a lack of minutes as a result. With Gordon feeling it since the promotion—he's had three 21-plus-point games in six starts, compared to four in the 26 prior games—and with Kirk Hinrich serving as the lineup's rock, Duhon's minutes, and therefore his productivity, will decline. While a precipitous drop will not follow, his value won't be any higher for the rest of this season.

Brevin Knight, PG, CHA: The last time Brevin Knight played in over 66 games was in the 1997-98 season. It's been eight years! Combine Raymond Felton breathing down Knight's neck, an extensive injury history, and trade rumors, and the obvious conclusion is that Knight's value is on a precarious, day-by-day hold. With Felton around, the Bobcats really don't need to hold onto Knight, and many a veteran team with playoff aspirations (the Grizzlies have been mentioned) would love to have the efficient Knight on their roster. Consider cashing in your stock now rather than risking it all.

James Jones, SF, PHO: Amare Stoudemire isn't much more than four-to-six weeks away from stepping on the court again, so it's time to get a head start on some contingency plans. When Amare comes back to the starting lineup, the Suns' swingman rotation will be that much more crowded, leaving Jones, Boris Diaw, Jim Jackson and Raja Bell fighting for minutes. Diaw and Bell have dominated the minutes throughout the year, leaving it likely that Jones will be the odd man out. He's a massive contributor from downtown—pouring in two threes per game—and that one category has made him rather valuable, but it's best to sell Jones off before it becomes impossible to do so.

Adam Madison is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column The Tao of Roto runs every Wednesday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at Adam@TalentedMrRoto.com.

The views expressed by the TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.