Blazers forward Deni Avdija has been on a fantasy tear in March.
The Western Conference playoff race continues to tighten while a slew of new names have emerged as standouts across the league.
That’s only part of the story for NBA Fantasy Salary Game players looking to get a leg up on their competition for the final stretch.
Here are all the need-to-knows midway through Week 22:
Story so far
The Houston Rockets (45-25) lead an intensifying race for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Four teams are right in the thick of it, with the Los Angeles Lakers (43-25), Denver Nuggets (44-26) and Memphis Grizzlies (43-27) each within two games or less.
Houston – owners of the league’s longest winning streak – has now claimed eight consecutive contests following a 5-11 stretch from Jan. 30 to March 4. Their current run qualifies as their best all campaign, and has manifested despite the absences of Amen Thompson for the last six and Fred VanVleet for the first three.
Consequently, production from Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green has been particularly crucial as of late. The two qualify as the Rockets’ top and second-leading scorers, respectively, in total fantasy points (TFP). Green has averaged 40.8 fantasy points per game (FPPG) during the triumphant stretch, while Sengun has pitched in 41.
Tari Eason is making serious moves. The third-year forward has scored 34-plus fantasy points in five of his last seven contests, including 50 or more in two of his past three. That greatly exceeds his season-long average of 29.5 FPPG – he hadn’t even cracked 50 since Nov. 2.
Top performances
Quentin Grimes is the leader so far with 70.6 fantasy points notched Monday in a 144-137 loss for the Philadelphia 76ers (23-46) to the Rockets. His 46 points, 13 rebounds and four assists represented a new personal best for 2024-25, and the fourth-year guard has caught fire in general, tallying 40 or more fantasy points in six straight appearances despite a season average of 24.5 FPPG. With a whopping 11 players appearing on Thursday’s injury report for the 76ers, he should continue to be a force on the floor.
Also appearing in the early-week top three is Deni Avdija, who like Grimes, has reached a whole new level. The fifth-year forward dropped 64.2 fantasy points in a 115-99 victory for the Portland Trail Blazers (31-39) over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. He racked up 31 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists en route to his best fantasy showing all campaign – beating out the mark of 62.2 he just set on March 10. A recent surge has nearly propelled him to the top of Portland’s TFP chart, now trailing team leader Anfernee Simons by just 50.
Green completes the podium with his 62.9 fantasy points submitted Monday in the Rockets’ 144-137 defeat of the 76ers. He totaled 30 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists as part of the effort, and accounts for 40-plus fantasy points in four of his last six outings. The fourth-year guard has now produced 30 or more in 12 of his last 15, and continues to be a catalyst for Houston’s blast-off.
Transaction tips
The injury bug runs rampant in Philadelphia, and that’s been conducive to the rise of some high-value fantasy scorers. Grimes, Jared Butler and Justin Edwards could each be useful short-term additions for games against the San Antonio Spurs (29-39) and Atlanta Hawks (33-36) on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Grimes has come a long way since averaging 7.7 FPPG across his first seven games of the campaign. He gradually took on a larger role in the Dallas Mavericks’ (33-37) rotation before translating that to the 76ers, and since March 9, is averaging a ridiculous 50.3 FPPG for a salary of just $5.4M.
In that same timeframe, Butler has been responsible for 27.4 FPPG, while Edwards has pitched in 22 of his own. The former didn’t even crack 30 fantasy points in a game until Week 11 and the latter hadn’t appeared in any contest until Week 5. You can add Butler for $4.4M and/or Edwards for $4.2M.
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