Over the past week, the 76ers’ VJ Edgecombe is averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists.
The High Score 100 — the top 100 players in Yahoo’s newest fantasy basketball format — is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production. Each weekly update captures who’s actually delivering value and who’s fading.
Here’s a breakdown of the biggest risers and fallers through the 11th week of fantasy basketball — with the complete High Score 100 at the bottom of the article. I’ll be updating my rankings every Tuesday throughout the fantasy basketball season.
The Risers: Young players seizing their opportunity
Anthony Black – G/FC, Orlando Magic
90th overall (⬆️ 15)
Black earned his spot on the risers list while cracking the top 100 for the first time this season after amassing 65 and 60 fantasy points in the last two scoring periods in High Score. Jalen Suggs is out indefinitely, leaving a gulf of opportunity for the third-year guard. Over his previous 16 games spanning December to early January, Black’s been worthy of Most Improved Player honors, averaging 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
The game is slowing down for him as he matures into both a facilitator, scorer and defensive disruptor. Black’s fantasy relevance has shot up with his usage (around 25% in the past month) and he’s been one of the best waiver pickups of late. Don’t sell too early because this breakout is for real.
Onyeka Okongwu – FC, Atlanta Hawks
71st overall (⬆️ 14)
Okongwu’s recent productivity is no fluke. With Kristaps Porziņģis in and out of the lineup due to health issues, Okongwu is stepping up once again. Okongwu played his way into the starting lineup, averaging 17/8/4 with over 2 stocks per game with the first unit.
His jump from the mid-80s into the low-70s reflects both his production and promotion in Atlanta’s rotation. He’s posted consecutive weeks with at least 50 fantasy points in High Score and 40 fantasy points per game is becoming a conservative floor as long as he continues playing around 30 minutes per night.
VJ Edgecombe – G, Philadelphia 76ers
87th overall (⬆️ 9)
Edgecombe is turning heads as a legit two-way guard, making several Dwyane Wade-like plays over the past week and for much of the season. And then, even doing things I’ve never seen before.
He’s been a top-20 player over the past week, averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 4.5 stocks and 51.2 fantasy points per game. I was skeptical that he would continue producing at this level with Joel Embiid and Paul George healthy. However, the Bahamian Mamba is flourishing alongside Tyrese Maxey on both ends of the floor, while becoming a reliable backcourt option for fantasy managers in High Score. Keep him locked in your lineups.
Fallers: Injuries with an underperforming star
Kristaps Porziņģis – FC, Atlanta Hawks
81st overall (⬇️ 11)
Porziņģis took a dip in the rankings this week because he (rightfully) hasn’t done much since returning to play. He’s been dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which has made it challenging to be available for his typical workload. In his two games in Week 10, KP put up an average of 21 fantasy points. On a per-minute basis, he’s been quite effective in the second unit; however, coming off the bench with a minutes restriction that tops out at 20 minutes is far from ideal in fantasy.
Fantasy managers have no choice but to leave him on the bench until his minutes trend up again. He’s becoming one of the hardest players to trust in fantasy, so if he has a spike game, use that as an opportunity to sell.
P.J. Washington – FC, Dallas Mavericks
100th overall (⬇️ 5)
Washington hasn’t eclipsed 40 fantasy points since Dec. 18. The Mavs forward suffered an ankle injury over the weekend and is looking doubtful to start Week 12. Despite leaving his last game early and scoring 7 fantasy points, his other two performances in Week 11 were very underwhelming, scoring 21 fantasy points versus the Trail Blazers and 27 points against the Sixers.
It was a frustrating week for anyone expecting the 30+ fantasy point output and his latest injury leaves no other recourse but benching or dropping him.
Bam Adebayo – FC, Miami Heat
58th overall (⬇️ 4)
Adebayo’s fall is more subtle but still noticeable. He’s gone for a longer stretch than Washington in failing to hit 40 fantasy points. The last time Bam did it was on Dec. 9. He hasn’t scored 20 points in a game since Dec. 15. Adebayo is on pace for a career low in field goal percentage; his assist and steal rates are his lowest since his rookie season. All this to say that Adebayo is underperforming. He missed a couple of games in Week 10 with a back injury, and perhaps that’s still bothering him. Either way, fantasy managers would like to see Bam perform at least at his ADP (32.3), but he’s pacing to be more of a top-60 guy right now.
Complete High Score 100 rankings
The High Score 100 is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production.
