NBA Fantasy: High Score 100 entering Week 19

The Clippers’ Bennedict Mathurin ranked 23rd in High Score over the past seven days.

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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.

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Here’s a breakdown of the biggest movement heading into the season’s final weeks — with the complete High Score 100 at the bottom of the article. I’ll be updating my rankings every Tuesday throughout the fantasy season.

Risers — Opportunity is knocking

Jarrett Allen — FC, Cleveland Cavaliers

69th overall (⬆️ 21)

James Harden is a big man whisperer. Outside of Allen’s outlier 40-point, 17-rebound, 5-assist, 4-block performance in early February, he’s been regular for most of the season. He landed on the fallers’ list a few times, but since Harden’s arrival, it’s unlocked a more aggressive side of Allen.

He’s getting three more touches in the paint per game from Harden while being on the receiving end of 31% of his assists with the Cavs (leads the team). Over his last six games, he’s averaged 20.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and more than a stock per game. He’s shooting an astonishing 75% from the field. His bump in production led to a 21-spot jump in the ranks, as he’s been producing as a top-50 player over the past two weeks.

Hopefully, the stocks go up, but fantasy managers can’t be complaining with the substantial rise in scoring and rebounding these days. Allen is one of the deadline winners who could man the center spot for many fantasy champions by the end of the season.

Bennedict Mathurin — G/FC, LA Clippers

74th overall (⬆️ 18)

Mathurin’s fantasy upside has been shining since landing in L.A. at the deadline. Over his first three games post-All-Star break, he’s averaging 28.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32 minutes per game. That includes tying a career-high 38-point performance against Denver on Feb. 20, followed by 26 against the Lakers and 21 versus Orlando.

The Clippers are letting him rock as the 1B to Kawhi Leonard, with PG Darius Garland still unable to make his debut since the trade. Mathurin’s putting up three more shots per game while getting a star whistle, going to the line almost nine times per game as a Clipper. When adding in his significant jump in usage rate to 31% with this unexpected rise in steals and assists, he’s been ballin’ in High Score formats.

Mathurin ranked 23rd in High Score over the last 7 days and 36th over the last 14 days. If he keeps this scoring pace up, there’s room to climb even higher.

Isaiah Collier — G, Utah Jazz

87th overall (⬆️ 14)

Collier’s been awesome in relief of Keyonte George and is taking full advantage of his promotion to the starting lineup. Collier’s been one of the best facilitators in basketball in February, dishing out over 10 assists, while chipping in 16 points with 3 boards and 2.5 steals per contest. He’s been a top-20 player in High Score for a month, so the leap into the top 90 is no surprise despite ranking just outside the top 100 for the season.

Until George is back, continue starting Collier with confidence. Even when George returns, he’s more than capable of providing enough counting stats — especially steals in less than a 30-minute per game capacity. The Jazz want to see what they have with their young players, so keep Collier locked in.

Fallers — Injuries leading to setbacks

Franz Wagner — FC, Orlando Magic

95th overall (⬇️ 45)

Wagner’s fantasy season is likely finished. I’ve left some margin in case he beats his recovery timeline, but don’t be surprised if he’s off the list by next week. He’s missed 28 games already thanks to his lingering ankle injury. He tried to return for two contests before the All-Star break, but recent tests confirmed he needs more time to rehab. The Magic will re-evaluate him in three weeks, which means he’s missing at least 10 more games.

Wagner averaged 21.3 PPG in 28 games this season, but sitting on the bench won’t help fantasy managers at the most dire stretch of the season. He ranks 52nd among players in High Score on a per-game basis, so the production was strong when he was available. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, they need to decide whether it’s worth holding out hope in an injured list spot or cut bait.

Darius Garland — G, LA Clippers

82nd overall (⬇️ 12)

Garland’s been out with an ankle injury since Jan. 24, so Clippers fans and fantasy managers are anxious to get him back into the lineup. Garland’s been participating in practice but not taking contact, so being deemed week-to-week doesn’t leave much optimism for an immediate return. Still, fantasy managers should continue to hold. The latest dip stems from his return timeline moving further to the right. At least the Clippers are teetering between the 9th and 10th seeds and are still actively competing for a playoff spot. That push should get him on the floor at some point in the next couple of weeks. When he’s ready, he’ll likely be second in usage to Kawhi and offers plenty of potential as the future lead guard in L.A.

Kristaps Porziņģis — FC, Golden State Warriors

90th overall (⬇️ 11)

The 11-spot slide is a bit generous considering we’ve only seen KP play in 18 games this season. It’s not his fault, as POTS is a very unpredictable disease where you don’t know when he’ll feel healthy enough to play. The Warriors had hoped to see him on the floor since they desperately need his scoring and rim protection, but he’ll miss at least the next two games — possibly more. When healthy, KP is easily a top-100 player in High Score. However, I don’t expect to see him on a consistent enough basis to trust him for fantasy, which is unfortunate.

Complete High Score 100 rankings

The High Score 100 is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production.

Note: Kings FC Domantas Sabonis was removed from the High Score 100 rankings after being ruled out for the remainder of the season.