The first full week of hardwood action in the new calendar year featured some standout performances. Even with the flip of the calendar, however, some things stayed the same – Nikola Jokic once again led the fantasy pack, with four other stars putting together impressive weeks in their own right but still struggling to keep pace with the uniquely talented big man.
The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum):
#1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets 
Last Week: 71.0 FP/G Season Rank: 1 (65.8 FP/G)
Jokic missed the first two games of the Nuggets' four-game schedule with an illness, but he still managed to set the pace this week. Upon his return Wednesday against the Nets, Jokic put together a 35-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound triple-double that also included four steals, laying the foundation for his spot atop the leaderboard. He followed it up with a rather ordinary-by-his-standards 19-point, 18-rebound-double-double that also featured nine assists and two steals versus the Mavericks on Sunday to cap off another stellar week.
#2. LaMelo Ball, Hornets 
Last Week: 61.6 FP/G Season Rank: 9 (48.5 FP/G)
Ball stood out during what turned out to be just a two-game week for the Hornets as a result of the cancellation of Saturday's game against the Clippers due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Ball opened the week by lighting up the Suns for a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included seven assists and four steals and
The first full week of hardwood action in the new calendar year featured some standout performances. Even with the flip of the calendar, however, some things stayed the same – Nikola Jokic once again led the fantasy pack, with four other stars putting together impressive weeks in their own right but still struggling to keep pace with the uniquely talented big man.
The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum):
#1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Last Week: 71.0 FP/G Season Rank: 1 (65.8 FP/G)
Jokic missed the first two games of the Nuggets' four-game schedule with an illness, but he still managed to set the pace this week. Upon his return Wednesday against the Nets, Jokic put together a 35-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound triple-double that also included four steals, laying the foundation for his spot atop the leaderboard. He followed it up with a rather ordinary-by-his-standards 19-point, 18-rebound-double-double that also featured nine assists and two steals versus the Mavericks on Sunday to cap off another stellar week.
#2. LaMelo Ball, Hornets
Last Week: 61.6 FP/G Season Rank: 9 (48.5 FP/G)
Ball stood out during what turned out to be just a two-game week for the Hornets as a result of the cancellation of Saturday's game against the Clippers due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Ball opened the week by lighting up the Suns for a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included seven assists and four steals and featured a season-high-tying number of boards. The talented guard then put together a 25-point, 11-assist double-double as an encore in a rematch versus Phoenix on Saturday, adding six rebounds, three steals and one block in the process. Ball notably got to the No. 2 spot with the help of sheer volume, as he shot only 39.6% over the two games but put up 53 attempts overall in that span.
#3. Domantas Sabonis, Kings 
Last Week: 58.4 FP/G Season Rank: 11 (47.8 FP/G)
The Kings enjoyed a 3-0 week despite De'Aaron Fox missing two of those games due to a glute injury, and Sabonis was a principal reason why. The versatile big man took full advantage of the extra opportunity afforded by his star teammate's absence over that first pair of contests, averaging 22.0 points, 23.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.0 blocks across 44.5 minutes per game, a span that included a double-overtime win over the Heat and a career-high 28-rebound effort against the Celtics. Sabonis then closed out the week Sunday by keeping up the standout numbers despite Fox's return, posting a 22-point, 15-rebound double-double complemented with eight assists and 80% shooting in a victory over the Bulls.
#4. Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies 
Last Week: 56.9 FP/G Season Rank: 27 (41.1 FP/G)
Although Ja Morant was able to return from a five-game absence due to a shoulder injury for the Grizzlies' last two contests of the week, Jackson still put together a noteworthy three-game run that saw him average 29.7 points (on 56.5% shooting), 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.3 blocks and 2.0 steals across 34.0 minutes per game. Jackson had 35- and 33-point tallies against the Mavericks and Timberwolves, respectively, in that sample, the latter coming Sunday with Morant on the floor.
#5. Alperen Sengun, Rockets 
Last Week: 52.7 FP/G Season Rank: 20 (43.3 FP/G)
Sengun and the Rockets had just a two-game week because of the postponement of Saturday's game against the Hawks due to winter weather, but the versatile center maximized his pair of opportunities to take the floor. Sengun capitalized on favorable matchups against the Wizards and Grizzlies to put together two of his better offensive performances of the season and paired them with highly productive showings on the glass, generating 26-point, 10-rebound and 32-point, 14-rebound efforts against those respective opponents. Sengun added a pair of steals versus Washington and averaged 5.5 assists in those games as well to sneak into the top 5 just ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo (52.6 FP/G).
This Week's Preview:
The following players are top fantasy point producers and play at least three games next week with fewer than two matchups against top-10 defenses:
Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (55.1 FP/G) - @LAL, MEM, MEM @MIA
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (53.6 FP/G) - @PHI, CLE, @DAL, BKN
Anthony Davis, Lakers (53.2 FP/G) - SAS, MIA, BKN, @LAC
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks (50.0 FP/G) - DET, @PHI, MIN
Jayson Tatum, Celtics (49.7 FP/G) - @TOR, ORL, ATL
