‘Tis the season for holiday hoops. Emphatic dunks, filthy crossovers and dagger 3-pointers are sure to accompany the festivities.
For general managers in NBA Fantasy — Salary Cap Edition, the gift of fantasy points will be under their Christmas trees. And that’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Here’s what you need to know entering Week 10:
Last week’s story
San Antonio came up just short of an NBA Cup title, but ever since, has played a winning brand of basketball. The Spurs (21-7) have won a league-best six in a row and risen to second place in the Western Conference. They now sit 4.0 games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder (25-3).
Victor Wembanyama continues to lead the way with a team-high 56.8 fantasy points per game (FPPG). That ranks sixth-highest in the entire league. He’s cooled down since a blistering start to the season, but dating back to his Dec. 13 return from injury, has averaged 44 FPPG. The third-year forward/center isn’t cheap at $18.6M, but when healthy, is a major fantasy boost.
Teammates De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell haven’t been popular selections. Just 0.8% of fantasy general managers feature Fox on their roster, while Vassell is on 0.4%. Their production simply doesn’t wow for their respective salaries. Stephon Castle, meanwhile, has been a consistent contributor with 40.5 FPPG and no less than 32 fantasy points in his last six outings.
Peak performances
As he’s so often done this season, Luka Dončić brought the boom in Week 9, narrowly missing the elusive 100-fantasy-point plateau. The five-time All-Star racked up an 99 on Thursday in a barnburner of a victory, 143-135, for the Los Angeles Lakers (19-8) over the Utah Jazz (10-17). He poured in 45 points scored, 11 rebounds, 14 assists and five steals to secure his fourth outing with 80-plus fantasy points. Dončić still ranks second with 66.5 fantasy points per game (FPPG).
Another familiar name topped the charts. Nikola Jokić stamped his name all over a 128-125 overtime win for the Denver Nuggets (20-7) against the Houston Rockets (17-9), delivering 83 fantasy points Monday. The three-time MVP produced yet another triple-double with 39 points scored, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, one block and two steals, pushing his season total to a league-leading 13. Now at 1867 total fantasy points (TFP), he’s quickly closing in on 2000.
Rounding out the cream of the crop is Jalen Johnson, who’s been on an absolute tear. The fifth-year forward accounted for 78 fantasy points Thursday despite the Atlanta Hawks’ (15-15) loss by a 133-126 score to the Charlotte Hornets (9-19). He submitted 43 points scored, 11 rebounds, nine assists, one block and one steal. That was one assist shy of a would-be sixth triple-double in eight appearances. Johnson has stormed up the TFP leaderboard, sitting third.
Transaction tips
There are 11 different teams who play four games this week. Above all others, one of them should be on your radar — the Detroit Pistons (22-6). They face the Portland Trail Blazers (12-16) on Monday, Sacramento Kings (7-22) on Tuesday, Jazz on Friday and LA Clippers (7-21) on Sunday. That constitutes a busy schedule against weaker defenses.
Several Pistons should thrive. Naturally, Cade Cunningham tops that list with 58.4 FPPG and 1462 TFP, leading the team in both regards. He’s an expensive addition to your roster, though, at $17.2M, so exploring the bargain bin would be wise. Detroit also offers Isaiah Stewart, who has produced 28.2 FPPG across his last four games — more than his season-long average of 25.3.
For high-value additions elsewhere, consider Keyonte George ($10.8M) and Deni Avdija ($12.5M). George has been exceptional as of late, scoring 50-plus fantasy points in four straight games and in 11 of his last 15 appearances. He now sits 18th in the fantasy value rankings. Avdija is right behind him, and on a heater as well, posting 50 or more in nine of his last 10.
