The Timberwolves’ Julius Randle has notched two triple-doubles early in the 2025-26 NBA season.
It’s Week 4 of fantasy action, and it’s time to gauge how the season is going so far for some of the NBA High Score Creator League teams. We hit up four of the teams’ managers to get their thoughts on a couple of key questions that fans have asked as the season begins to take shape. Check out their answers below:
Who is the most surprising player on your roster?
Hoop Venue: The most surprising player on my roster has easily been Julius Randle. I drafted him with the intention of grabbing a frontcourt player who could stuff the stat sheet in numerous ways and hit good “highs” throughout the week, but he’s far exceeded those expectations with career-high PPG, APG, and SPG averages while recording his highest FG% and lowest turnover numbers since 2018! He’s currently averaging the 14th-most fantasy points per game, so if he’s able to sustain this, I’m getting early second-round value from my eighth-round pick!
Jason Zone Fisher: Well, it’s no secret that my squad is struggling to start the fantasy season in the NBA High Score Creator League, as I’m 0-3 out of the gate and have already been hit hard by injuries. My top pick, Anthony Davis, has missed more games than he’s played. Walker Kessler, who looked poised for a monster season, was lost for the year just five games in. And I was forced to cut Jaden Ivey, who I was excited to have stashed on my bench, to clear up roster spots for some healthy bodies. Perhaps this fate shouldn’t have surprised me given past injury histories, but alas, I am still surprised at how quickly it has materialized.
The most surprising player on my roster has been the underperformance of Jaren Jackson Jr. After the former Defensive Player of the Year opened the season with an 18-point, eight-rebound, six-block night, I was hopeful of the heights he could reach in his 8th NBA season. He then went on to record a total of just two blocked shots over his next six games. While the season is still very much just getting started, JJJ’s production is currently down across the board. For my squad to turn things around, I’m going to need more big games from JJJ. I’m only asking for one per week! I know he’s got the skill set to get it done, but clearly a lot of questions hang over the Grizzlies and their rocky start to 2025-26.
Tyy2.0: The most surprising player on my roster is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s currently ranked No. 2 in points per game (32.8) in the NBA and has been carrying my fantasy team.
StrictlyBBall: The most surprising player on our roster is Desmond Bane. He definitely has had a slower start to the season fantasy-wise, but I’m expecting him to turn things around as he gets more comfortable in a Magic uniform.
NBA High Score Creator League standings via Yahoo.com
Who are the best trade targets early in the season?
Hoop Venue: This early portion of the season is all about detecting who’s taking a leap, figuring out what’s sustainable long-term, and what isn’t. For example, if a player is shooting 55% from 3-point range, chances are they aren’t able to sustain that for 82 games, but if their teammates are shooting 27% off of their passes, chances are they’re leaving some assists on the board. In my opinion, a few players who seem to be taking sustainable leaps this season are Austin Reaves, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Josh Giddey, Jalen Duren, and Deni Avdija. So if I were looking to make a trade that would move the needle for my team, those are the names I’d be looking into first.
Jason Zone Fisher: When targeting players in early season trades, you clearly want to look for opportunities to buy low. I like to target players who have yet to make their season debut, especially when rostered by managers in need of healthy players and eager to put wins on the board. Unfortunately, thus far in the NBA High Score Creator League, I am the manager in need of those healthy bodies! If your team is in a position to take some chances and hold a player who might not help you immediately, I would consider targeting players like Tyler Herro, Jalen Williams, LeBron James, Brandon Miller, and Kevin Porter Jr. Trading for a player who is already dealing with an injury can certainly be high risk, high reward, but there are plenty of opportunities available across leagues to get All-Star level talent at a highly discounted rate.
Tyy2.0: I feel like we need other frontcourt options. Some trade targets I’m looking at are Julius Randle and Anthony Davis.
StrictlyBBall: Two big-time trade targets every fantasy manager should consider trading for are Josh Giddey and Alperen Sengun. Both players put up tons of numbers in every statistical category and will be top performers just about every week.
