Welcome to this week’s roundup of the biggest risers and fallers in fantasy basketball!
As the season unfolds, player performances continue to shake up the rankings and impact fantasy rosters. Whether it’s a breakout star making waves or a struggling veteran losing ground, staying ahead of the trends is crucial for your fantasy success.
In this weekly breakdown, we’ll highlight the top performers climbing the charts and those whose value is slipping, helping you make smarter lineup decisions.
Risers
Josh Giddey, PG/SG/SF, Chicago Bulls (90% rostered in ESPN leagues)
Giddey had a monster game Thursday with 27 points, 16 boards and 4 3-pointers in 34 minutes against the Knicks. Matas Buzelis, Nikola Vucevic and Coby White have been struggling, and the Bulls have lost five straight games. The one positive constant has been Giddey, who is having his best month of the season in February. He’s contributing greatly in scoring (18.4 PPG), rebounds (7.0 RPG), assists (4.3 APG), steals (1.3 SPG), blocks (1.0 BPG) and 3-pointers (2.60 3PM) this month, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Kawhi Leonard, SF/PF, LA Clippers (87%)
While there are still injury concerns surrounding Leonard, he has been a trooper for the sixth-seeded Clippers, scoring 25 points with full stat lines in his past two games and playing almost every night. Norman Powell is out with a knee injury, which will put the ball in Leonard’s hands even more. Leonard has been particularly effective from beyond the arc, hitting almost 41% of his 3-point attempts in February and he looks as healthy as he has in a couple of years. Even when Powell is back, Leonard should continue to contribute everywhere outside of shot blocking, although he did have a three-block game back on Feb. 4.
Brook Lopez, C, Milwaukee Bucks (76%)
Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games, clearing the way for Lopez to get all the minutes he can handle for the Bucks going forward. With his ability to score, hit 3-pointers and block shots, Lopez has top-25 potential the rest of the season for the fifth-seeded Bucks. On nights when Damian Lillard (hamstring) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) are out, Lopez will be a top offensive option for Milwaukee. It also doesn’t hurt that Khris Middleton is now in Washington, leaving the Bucks dangerously thin up front.
Max Christie, SG, Dallas Mavericks (31%)
The Mavs need Christie to be a star after trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Christie has scored 15 to 23 points in all six of his games with the Mavericks and has also been racking up 3-pointers, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks for his new team. He’s playing 34 MPG and has played 39 minutes in his past two outings, while also shooting very well from both the field (50%) and free throw line (81%) in February. Make sure he’s not sitting on your league’s waiver wire.
Jeremy Sochan, PF, San Antonio Spurs (27%)
With Victor Wembanyama out for the season, several Spurs should get a boost in his absence. But Sochan should end up being the big winner and his versatility allows him to play all five positions, if necessary. Sochan’s numbers don’t jump off the page and he has scored in single digits in two of his past four games, but he does a little bit of everything and could take off with Wemby’s season suddenly coming to an end. Charles Bassey, Keldon Johnson and Chris Paul will get a boost from Wemby’s absence, but Sochan is the player I think will make the biggest leap.
2:59
Fantasy basketball midseason awards
Andre Snellings hands out his choices for fantasy basketball midseason MVP, top late-round pick and best waiver wire pickup.
Fallers
LaMelo Ball, PG, Charlotte Hornets (100%)
Ball sat out Thursday against the Nuggets for right ankle injury management and the clock is ticking for him to be shut down for the season. He has appeared in only three games in February and while he looked great in a win over the Lakers on Wednesday, I just don’t see any way he finishes out the season for the 14-win Hornets. The next time he plays in a game for the Hornets might be his last, so I’d look to trade him in fantasy the next time he plays. Once the calendar hits March, Ball’s odds of being shut down will skyrocket.
Zion Williamson, PF, New Orleans Pelicans (97%)
Like Ball, the shutdown clock should be ticking on Williamson, as well. The Pelicans have just 13 wins and are in last place in the Western Conference. They’re solidly in the hunt in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and simply don’t need to win games. The Pelicans won’t let Zion play in back-to-back games and they have four more sets of them, meaning he’s going to miss at least four more games. But the deeper we get into the season schedule, the better the chances become that the Pelicans shut him down. Let him have another big game or two and then consider moving him before it’s too late.
Paul George, SF/PF, Philadelphia 76ers (93%)
Not only is George a big injury risk, but the Sixers are still struggling, sitting outside of the playoffs as the 11th seed in the East. George has had a rough February, scoring two to 14 points in five straight games before finally showing signs of life against the Celtics on Thursday, when he scored 17 points with three 3-pointers. He has averaged just 11.3 points while shooting 42% in his six games this month, and he simply doesn’t look like the player he once was. Let him get hot again, and then try to move him. If the Sixers give up on the playoffs, George will be a top shutdown candidate.
Naz Reid, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves (81%)
Reid has been great in Minnesota and has scored 22 to 30 points in five of his past seven games, playing 34.4 MPG in February. However, Julius Randle appears to be nearing a return from his groin injury and has been cleared for five-on-five activities after last playing on Jan. 30. Randle is going to take shots and rebounding opportunities out of Reid’s hands once he’s healthy again, so fantasy managers would be wise to shop Reid while his value is still at its peak. There’s no need to panic, as Reid will still provide some fantasy value alongside a healthy Randle, but the production will not be where it is currently.
Aaron Gordon, PF, Denver Nuggets (52%)
Russell Westbrook is back from a hamstring strain and while he wasn’t great Thursday, he did play 26 minutes after being sidelined for the previous three weeks. He should eventually work his way back into the starting unit for the Nuggets, and while chances are that Gordon will also stick in the starting five, Westbrook’s presence will limit Gordon once he’s up to full speed. Gordon scored more than 13 points in only three January games, when Westbrook was healthy and playing at a high level. Gordon didn’t have more than six rebounds in any of those January games and is a more valuable player to the Nuggets than he will be to fantasy managers once Westbrook is fully healthy again.