Isaiah Collier has now notched eight outings with 25 or more fantasy points in the last 15.
It was a blockbuster weekend for the ages. Big teams, bigger names, and even bigger surprises – all packed into two days that shifted the NBA landscape for years to come.
Considering the implications these major moves have for NBA Fantasy Salary Game players, a fantasy microscope is necessary to reveal their potential impact.
Here’s what you need to know for Week 16:
Familiar Faces, Unfamiliar Places
Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Naturally, the Lakers are guided by LeBron James’ 2064.1 total fantasy points (TFP) and 46.9 fantasy points per game (FPPG), but they also benefit from exceptional youth in the form of Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura’s 2399.1 TFP combined. That being said, Los Angeles only boasts two players with over 1000 TFP, indicating much room for offensive improvement.
Dončić – arguably the second-best player in the world when healthy – can produce crooked numbers in any basketball context. He’s only played 22 games this season in light of wrist and calf injuries, but averaged a league-fifth-best 53.7 FPPG regardless, featuring 11 outings of 50 or more fantasy points.
Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks
Injury limitations for Dončić allowed Kyrie Irving to establish a leading role, and he’s largely delivered as a primary scorer with 1539.7 TFP on 39.5 FPPG, including 14 showings with upwards of 40. Neither P.J. Washington nor Daniel Gafford are far behind with 1373.2 and 1336.9 TFP, respectively.
Now a 10-time NBA All-Star center – the fifth-best player in all of fantasy with 2230.3 TFP – enters the Dallas equation. Prior to suffering an abdominal strain on Jan. 28, Davis had played 42 of 45 games for Los Angeles, assembling terrific extended play to the tune of 25 contests with 60 or more fantasy points.
Transaction Targets
This campaign has been unforgiving for the last-place Utah Jazz (11-36), but Isaiah Collier has hinted at a promising future. After cracking 20 fantasy points just three times across Utah’s first 28 games, Collier has now notched eight outings with 25 or more in the last 15.
Not one member of the Jazz has racked up more than 1300 TFP, and considering their bottom-half offensive rating, there’s little enthusiasm among fantasy general managers to invest. Collier at $5.2M, though, warrants some attention having scored 25-plus fantasy points in six of his previous eight contests.
Elsewhere at the bottom of the Western Conference is a New Orleans Pelicans (12-37) team that will rely even more heavily upon Jose Alvarado following a season-ending injury to Dejounte Murray. There have been fragments of intrigue – seven games with 30 or more fantasy points – and Alvarado’s numbers should improve with Murray’s team-leading 1241 TFP out the window.
The fourth-year guard demonstrated what he’s capable of with 37.6 fantasy points last Friday, submitting a far better showing than his three previous games of 43.3 combined. His $5.9M salary doesn’t break the bank, and may very well pay dividends in the near future.
Weekly Advice
If you have Giannis Antetokounmpo at your disposal, he should be a shoo-in selection for the captain’s chip. His Milwaukee Bucks (26-21) go against the Oklahoma City Thunder (38-9), Charlotte Hornets (12-34), Atlanta Hawks (22-27) and Philadelphia 76ers (19-29) this week.
The nine-time NBA All-Star – second with 58 FPPG and third with 2376.3 TFP – has continued to victimize defenders on a nightly basis, and with the Hawks allowing a particularly poor 118.8 points per game, look to their Friday matchup as the setting for some big numbers.
