The High Score 100: The biggest rankings risers and fallers as we navigate Week 12 in fantasy basketball

The High Score 100 (the top 100 players in Yahoo’s latest fantasy basketball game) reflects performance and trends so far this year. Each weekly update documents who is actually creating value and who is disappearing.

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest upside and downside for Fantasy Basketball Week 11 – with the full High 100 at the bottom of the article. I will be updating my rankings every Tuesday throughout the fantasy basketball season.

advertise

[High Score is a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring. It’s not too late to create or join a league]

📈 of Rising Stars: Young players seize opportunities

Anthony Blake – G/FC, Orlando Magic: No. 90 overall (⬆️ 15)

Black, who finished the past two high-scoring periods with 65 and 60 fantasy points, cracked the top 100 for the first time this season and earned a spot on the risers’ list. Jalen Suggs is out indefinitely, leaving a chasm of opportunity for the third-year guard. In 16 games from December to early January, Blake averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game, worthy of the Most Improved Player honor.

advertise

The game is slowing down for him as he develops into a facilitator, scorer and defensive disruptor. Black’s fantasy relevance has skyrocketed along with his usage rate (around 25% over the past month), and he’s been one of the best off-waiver options of late. Don’t sell too early because this breakout is real.

Onyeka Okongwu – FC, Atlanta Hawks: No. 71 overall (⬆️ 14)

Okongwu’s recent productivity is no fluke. With Kristaps Porzis in and out of the lineup due to health concerns, Okongwu once again stepped up. Okongwu worked his way into the starting lineup, averaging 17/8/4 and more than 2 rebounds per game in the starting lineup.

His jump from the mid-80s to the low-70s reflected his performance and promotion in Atlanta’s rotation. He’s been scoring at least 50 fantasy points in high-scoring weeks in a row, and as long as he continues to play around 30 minutes a night, 40 fantasy points per game becomes a conservative lower limit.

advertise

VJ Edgecombe – G, Philadelphia 76ers: No. 87 overall (⬆️ 9)

Edgecombe is turning heads as a legitimate two-way guard, having had several Dwyane Wade-like games over the past week and much of the season. And then, even doing things I’ve never seen before.

He has been a top-20 player in the league over the past week, averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 51.2 fantasy points per game. I doubt he can continue to perform at this level with Joel Embiid and Paul George healthy. However, the Bahamian Mamba thrived on both ends of the floor alongside Tyrese Maxey while becoming a reliable backcourt option for fantasy managers in High Score. Keep him locked into your lineup.

advertise

📉 Fallers: Underperforming stars get injured

Kristaps Porziņģis – FC, Atlanta Hawks: No. 81 overall (⬇️ 11)

Porzis dropped down the rankings this week because he (rightly so) hasn’t done much since returning to action. He had been suffering from postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which made it difficult for him to complete his normal workload. In two games in Week 10, KP averaged 21 points. On a per-minute basis, he’s quite efficient in the second unit. However, substitute appearances are limited to a maximum of 20 minutes, which is far from ideal.

Fantasy managers have no choice but to bench him until his playing time ramps up again. He’s becoming one of the hardest players to trust in fantasy, so if he has a spike game, use it as an opportunity to sell.

advertise

PJ Washington – FC, Dallas Mavericks: No. 100 overall (⬇️ 5)

Washington hasn’t scored more than 40 fantasy points since Dec. 18. The Mavericks forward suffered an ankle injury over the weekend and looks questionable heading into Week 12. Although he left the last game early with seven fantasy points, his other two games in Week 11 were very underwhelming, scoring 21 fantasy points against the Trail Blazers and 27 against the 76ers.

It’s been a frustrating week for anyone expecting a 30+ fantasy point output, and his latest injury has left him with no choice but to sit on the bench or give up.

Bam Adebayo – FC, Miami Heat: No. 58 overall (⬇️ 4)

Adebayo’s decline is more subtle, but still noticeable. He’s been under 40 points longer than Washington. The last time Bam did this was on December 9th. He hasn’t scored 20 points in a game since Dec. 15. Adebayo is on pace to hit a career low in field goal percentage; his assist and steal rates are the lowest since his rookie season. All of which points to a poor performance from Adebayo. He missed a few games in Week 10 with a back injury, and perhaps that’s still bothering him. Regardless, fantasy managers would like to see Bam at least hit his ADP (32.3), but he’s struggling to become a top-60 player right now.

advertise

Complete high score 100 ranking

The High Score 100 continues to reflect year-to-date performance and trending production.

Please stay tuned for the next article of High Score 100!