Week 24 was one for the ages in both the on-court and fantasy realms, as the two most versatile big men in the league put on multiple head-turning performances to rocket to the top of the rankings. We also had a pair of new faces enter the top five, as well as a prolific shooter who compiled stellar numbers while making up for the absence of a fellow star.
The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum):
#1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Last Week: 78.1 FP/G Season Rank: 1 (64.6 FP/G)
It's naturally difficult for Jokic to outdo himself given his standards, but he found a way during Week 24 where he averaged 45.0 points (on 62.0% shooting), 12.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2.0 steals across 42.9 minutes per game, and Denver still somehow went 0-3. The tone was set with Joker's jaw-dropping 61-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in double overtime against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, and he bookended one of the most prolific fantasy weeks in recent memory with a 41-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist haul at the expense of the Pacers on Sunday. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still the heavy odds-on MVP favorite, Jokic's career-high averages of 30.0 points and 10.2 assists portend what should be an intriguing postseason run for him and the Nuggets.
#2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Last Week: 76.0 FP/G Season Rank: 2 (57.2 FP/G)
Somehow, Antetokounmpo nearly overtook Jokic for the
Week 24 was one for the ages in both the on-court and fantasy realms, as the two most versatile big men in the league put on multiple head-turning performances to rocket to the top of the rankings. We also had a pair of new faces enter the top five, as well as a prolific shooter who compiled stellar numbers while making up for the absence of a fellow star.
The following players averaged the most fantasy points per game last week (two-game minimum):
#1. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
Last Week: 78.1 FP/G Season Rank: 1 (64.6 FP/G)
It's naturally difficult for Jokic to outdo himself given his standards, but he found a way during Week 24 where he averaged 45.0 points (on 62.0% shooting), 12.3 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 2.0 steals across 42.9 minutes per game, and Denver still somehow went 0-3. The tone was set with Joker's jaw-dropping 61-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in double overtime against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, and he bookended one of the most prolific fantasy weeks in recent memory with a 41-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist haul at the expense of the Pacers on Sunday. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still the heavy odds-on MVP favorite, Jokic's career-high averages of 30.0 points and 10.2 assists portend what should be an intriguing postseason run for him and the Nuggets.
#2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Last Week: 76.0 FP/G Season Rank: 2 (57.2 FP/G)
Somehow, Antetokounmpo nearly overtook Jokic for the top spot this week despite the latter's otherworldly exploits. Unlike his fellow star big man, the Greek Freak's efforts weren't in vain when it came to the standings, as he led Milwaukee to wins in all three games he played with the help of back-to-back triple-doubles versus the 76ers and Heat on the road before sitting out Sunday against the Pelicans due to a shoulder injury. Antetokounmpo shot an ultra-efficient 63.8% as well, and he extended his streak of games with double-digit free-throw attempts to 10 by getting to the charity stripe an average of 12.3 times per contest.
#3. Deni Avdija, Trail Blazers
Last Week: 59.6 FP/G Season Rank: 72 (33.2 FP/G)
Avdija also missed his final game of the week Sunday – in his case due to a thumb injury – but the work he put in over the first three contests was enough to comfortably vault him into this week's top five. The breakout wing already came into the week with some serious momentum after averaging 28.5 points and 8.0 rebounds during his last two Week 23 games, and he proceeded to churn out a trio of double-doubles while exceeding 30 points twice, including a season-high haul of 37 points against the Bulls on Friday night. In all, Avdija finished with 31.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.3 steals across 35.7 minutes per game, a body of work that would have often earned him the top spot had it not been for the superhuman efforts of the two big men ahead of him.
#4. Jalen Duren, Pistons
Last Week: 51.4 FP/G Season Rank: 83 (32.1 FP/G)
Like Avdija, Duren represented some new blood in the upper fantasy echelon on this penultimate week of the regular season, as the big man helped make up for another pair of absences from Cade Cunningham due to a calf strain. Duren opened his two-game week with a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double that also included a pair of blocks against the Thunder, before stepping up with 21 points, 18 boards, six assists, four blocks and one steal over 36 minutes versus the Raptors on Friday. Duren missed a third opportunity to build up his numbers when he missed Saturday's contest against the Grizzlies due to a leg injury, but his performance against Toronto corroborated his ability to shoulder a bigger load offensively if necessary.
#5. Devin Booker, Suns
Last Week: 50.8 FP/G Season Rank: 24 (41.8 FP/G)
Booker continued to put the Suns and their furious and likely futile late-season quest for a play-in spot on his shoulders in the ongoing absence of Kevin Durant, leading to some of the best numbers of his entire season. Booker's usage unsurprisingly went through the roof in KD's absence, averaging 30 shot attempts per contest through his three games. Booker still found his way to double-digit assists in the first game of the week against the Bucks, and his final tally for the scoring period was an impressive 38.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds on 50.0% shooting, albeit in a trio of losing efforts.
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:
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (64.6 FP/G) - @SAC, MEM, @HOU
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (57.2 FP/G) - MIN, NOP, @DET, DET
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (54.0 FP/G) - LAL, @PHO, @UTA, @NOP
Anthony Davis, Mavericks (51.6 FP/G) - LAL, TOR, @MEM
Cade Cunningham, Pistons (47.7 FP/G) - SAC, NYK, MIL, @MIL
