Yaxel Lendeborg should continue his high-usage role for Golden State.
After an exciting opening to the new NBA season, we’re set for our first full week of action. Good health still largely prevails around the Association, and we now have at least a cursory idea of roles and rotations for each team.
Each week, we’ll spotlight six players who have an especially bright fantasy outlook for Yahoo’s High Score contests, often focusing on those with the maximum number of games that week. Because only each player’s best score of the week counts toward a High Score lineup of six, we’ll target high-upside players with a strong matchup, a big opportunity, or both.
Without further ado, here’s our six players to consider for your Week 2 High Score lineups:
Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Week 2 schedule: @HOU, MIA, CLE, @NOP
Johnson easily makes the cut for one of our two top-tier entries in this week’s article. The highly versatile forward has gotten his season off to exactly the type of start expected of him, as he’s averaged 21.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest. As impressive as those numbers are, it’s worth noting they’ve been accomplished with Johnson not even coming close to his typical shooting efficiency.
Johnson’s drained just 44.4% of his attempts, including 14.3% from behind the arc, during his first three games. With those numbers due for significant improvement over time and four games on his ledger this week, Johnson is a surefire, high-end consideration for your High Score rosters after posting tallies of 46, 54 and 73 High Score points in Week 1.
Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Week 2 schedule: POR, @LAC, @GSW, TOR
Dončić is as automatic a click as it gets in all fantasy formats, yet he still bears highlighting this week based on schedule and Week 1 output. The superstar guard delivered one of his highest-percentile performances against the Jazz on Sunday, generating a 52-point, 10-assist double-double that also included eight rebounds and two steals.
That effort netted a whopping 86 High Score points, making the impressive tallies of 59 and 46 he opened the season with somehow pale in comparison. It’s worth keeping in mind that we could be breaking new ground with Dončić over the course of the season, as this will be his first full campaign without LeBron James, and the rest of Los Angeles’ starting five is thin on offensive potential outside of backcourt mate Austin Reaves.
Amen Thompson, Houston Rockets
Week 2 schedule: ATL, @MIL, @DAL, OKC
Thompson has ceded last year’s point guard spot to the returning Fred VanVleet, but even while working at the two, the former is still stuffing the stat sheet early in the new season. Thompson has quickly churned out three double-doubles in as many games to start the new campaign, averaging 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals across 36.3 minutes per contest. The efficiency has been there as well, as Thompson has shot 48.7%, including 50.0% from 3-point range.
Thompson is encouragingly averaging 18.0 field-goal + free-throw attempts per contest, solid usage that should always be subject to a slight bump on nights when VanVleet is given one half of a back-to-back set off, as was the case Saturday. Houston has one such instance coming Friday and Saturday this week, and Thompson, who already has 43- and 50-point High Score tallies as part of his Week 1 resume, is therefore a strong candidate for inclusion in lineups this week.
Naz Reid, Charlotte Hornets
Week 2 schedule: WAS, @DET, @WAS, PHI
Reid went into his Hornets tenure with elevated expectations attached, as the big man was set to finally have an opportunity to demonstrate what he could do with an extended starting run. Reid hasn’t disappointed through three games, averaging 20.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists. The veteran is flashing his usual floor-spacing prowess as well, connecting on 47.1% of his attempts from the field overall, including a blistering 46.2% from 3-point range.
Reid has averaged 37.7 High Score points over that span, supplying individual game totals of 45, 30 and 38. While those are already fine numbers, Reid figures to only get more comfortable on his new squad and will once again play most, if not all, of the coming week without Coby White and Kon Knueppel due to their respective calf and hamstring injuries. The fact he draws a pair of games against the Wizards only serves to brighten his outlook and helps offset a pair of markedly tougher defensive matchups in those presented by the Pistons and Sixers.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State Warriors
Week 2 schedule: @DEN, @MIN, LAL, LAC
Lendeborg has gotten his career off on the right foot with averages of 18.3 points (on 44.4% 3-point shooting), 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. The rookie 11th overall pick has averaged a robust 40.4 High Score points in the process, with tallies of 52 and 48 in the last two games specifically.
The Warriors are still winless through three games and in need of all the playmaking they can get, so Lendeborg, who’s already averaging 19.7 field-goal + free-throw attempts per game, should continue in a high-usage role that will allow him to contribute across the stat sheet. Stephen Curry and Brandin Podziemski are both back for Monday’s game against the Nuggets, yet Lendeborg’s aforementioned 52-point High Score effort notably came while playing alongside both on Friday against the Grizzlies.
Zach LaVine, Sacramento Kings
Week 2 schedule: @SAN, @NOP, @MEM
We’re making an exception to the four-game rule this week with LaVine, because the veteran guard’s early-season body of work commands attention, and he’s still available on the wire in many leagues. Through three contests, LaVine has been in absolute vintage form, harkening back to his glory days in Chicago, pouring in 29.0 points per game on 49.2% shooting and complementing them with 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per outing.
LaVine is averaging 27.4 field-goal + free-throw attempts per game, helping lead to a massive 28.2% usage rate. While an argument might be made that those figures will normalize some over time, it’s also worth keeping in mind this is partly the effect of the departure of DeMar DeRozan this offseason, and the enhanced responsibility could therefore have some real sticking power. Despite the three road games and matchup against the Spurs, it’s impossible to ignore a player who averaged 44.1 High Score points right out of the gate, a number fueled by a 55-pointer Sunday against the same Grizzlies squad he’ll face to finish off Week 2.
