Looks like high scores are back on the menu! It figures that the minute Nikola Jokić gets back into the Nuggets lineup, we see a shift away from Luka Dončić dominating the perfect lineup week-after-week. But it wasn’t Joker who topped the scoreboard in Week 16 in fantasy basketball — it was the reigning Rookie of the Year.
Let’s take a look at the perfect lineup from this past week, which featured a few players we haven’t seen in here before.
Week 16 High Score Perfect Lineup. (Photo by Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)
More on the top performers
Stephon Castle, guard: Castle is your best score of last week, coming (virtually) out of nowhere. We say that because the Spurs PG hadn’t topped 60+ fantasy points in a game all season long. In fact, his highest output since Dec. 10 was 54 points prior to Saturday, when Castle had a 40-point triple-double with 12 apiece in rebounds and assists while adding 4 stocks. Plenty of teams have had their rosters gutted after the trade deadline last week and are in full-tank mode. Look out, because those will be prime teams to target against when it comes to fantasy.
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Isaiah Collier, guard: Collier has been in and out of the Jazz lineup thanks to injuries and the deadline. Utah shipped out four players as part of the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade, plus third-year guard Keyonte George has been dealing with an ankle injury. In a rare win over the bottom-dwelling Pacers, the Jazz ran a seven-man rotation, which helped Collier play the ENTIRE 48 MINUTES last Tuesday. As a result, Collier dished out an insane 22 assists to just two turnovers in the victory.
Nikola Jokić, frontcourt: Jokic has been back for five games entering play on Monday as we approach the All-Star break. He had a few tough matchups, so of course, a date with the Bulls, who had a very active deadline, was the perfect High Score remedy. Managers who had seen Joker posting 80+ fantasy points consistently were glad to see him return to that realm in Week 16 with 22-14-17 with 5 stocks in just 33 minutes.
Jalen Johnson, frontcourt: The Hawks now-top player had a very consistent week with three triple-doubles, coming three counting stats away from a fourth on Saturday versus the Hornets. Atlanta acquired Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield in a deal with the Warriors prior to the deadline and both players have yet to make their team debuts. Gabe Vincent was also brought in, so those three should join the rotation and could take some usage and minutes away from Johnson. Though, for High Score, all we need is one ceiling game, not four, in any given week.
Trey Murphy III, frontcourt: The Bucks are a team in purgatory with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined. That allowed the Pelicans (and Murphy) to take advantage despite losing in OT last Wednesday. In a track meet, Murphy was sublime, going 15-of-28 from the field and 12-of-19 from distance for 44 points in 40 minutes. Murph should get every opportunity to chuck the rest of the season with the Pelicans not bound for the playoffs.
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Jalen Brunson, utility: Talk about a player who could use the All-Star break. Brunson hasn’t been at his best the past month-plus. In January, he only averaged 23.3 points per game and is clearly battling through injuries. While he’s been shaky in February, he did pop off in a 2OT win over the Nuggets with 42 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds in 47 minutes. We should see more hero ball from Brunson as the Knicks jockey for seeding in the Eastern Conference down the stretch.
