Deni Avdija dropped a 32-11-11 triple-double and 74 fantasy points in a buzzer-beating defeat to the Bulls.
We’re over a month into the 2025-26 NBA season and while the Western Conference standings appear to be chalk so far, that hasn’t been the case in the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons, currently on a 12-game winning streak, sit atop the East with a surprising Toronto Raptors squad right behind them.
The Pistons have been an interesting case study for High Score fantasy basketball. Cade Cunningham will always be an elite play among the top scorers week-to-week. Injuries had opened up opportunities for players like Paul Reed, Daniss Jenkins and Isaiah Stewart. But Detroit is getting healthy again and Jaden Ivey just returned to make his season debut. The Pistons are dominating opponents and have one of the deeper rosters in the NBA. While Cade and big man Jalen Duren will be High Score staples all season, it could be difficult to trust anyone else on the roster to consistently get us there.
You know who is going to consistently get us there all season? MVP favorite Nikola Jokić, who had 71+ High Score fantasy points in three of four games this week. He’s among the top-six performers in High Score for Week 5. Let’s take a look at the perfect lineup.
Top performances overall by position from Week 5. (Graphic via Taylar Sievert)
More on the top performers
Tyrese Maxey: Arguably the best draft pick relative to ADP so far, Maxey is chasing his first scoring title this season. With Joel Embiid out last Thursday, the former Kentucky guard took the game over, dropping 54 points in an OT win over the Bucks. He also added 5 boards, 9 dimes, and 6 stocks (a pretty high total for him). Maxey is very easily among the top-five players in High Score this season, averaging 61.4 fantasy points per game.
James Harden: Charlotte is going to get picked on by superstars this season and Harden’s back to getting elite usage with Kawhi Leonard still sidelined. The Beard dropped 55 points, the 25th time in his career he’s had over 50 points in a game. Harden shot 17-26 from the floor and 10-16 from distance. He also added seven assists but took care most of the scoring in a Clippers blowout win. Harden finished among the top producers in High Score on the week at 62.5 fantasy points per game.
Nikola Jokić: While Maxey is a top-five asset, Jokić is the top asset. He’s your leader in fantasy points per game at a whopping 72.2 on the season. He’s the perfect combination of floor and ceiling, and there’s really no reason Joker doesn’t finish the year as the best player in fantasy. To start a four-game week, the Nuggets dropped a rare game at home to the Bulls. However, Jokić dominated with a 36-18-13 triple-double with three stocks. That was good for just shy of 90 fantasy points, the fourth time the big man has broken the 80-point threshold this season. It’s going to be difficult to lose with Jokić in your lineup.
Deni Avdija: The Bulls got rung up by a few stars on this list this week. Chicago allowed a huge game to Jokić and also Avdija a few days later. The young wing is finally putting it all together in his sixth season, averaging north of 25 points per game. He dropped a 32-11-11 triple-double in a buzzer-beating defeat at the hands of Chicago on Wednesday. Avdija has been a bit volatile but has the type of ceiling you’re looking for in High Score.
Jalen Johnson: With Trae Young out, Johnson has been doing a lot of the ball-handling for the Hawks. He’s averaging 7.6 assists per game this month and has at least eight dimes in eight straight games. That has elevated Johnson’s ceiling and we saw said ceiling last week when he threw up 98 fantasy points, one of the highest scores of the season. Johnson needed 25 points, 8 boards, 9 assists and 4 stocks to crack this lineup again in Week 5.
Luka Dončić: The Lakers star had a chance to jump into one of the guard slots for the perfect lineup but fell short at just 69 points on Sunday night. Still, Dončić did enough earlier in the week to make it as the utility spot. It was the tale of two games against the Jazz — one was a track meet and the other a slogfest. The track meet is where Dončić was able to post his high score for the week of 74 on 37 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds, plus 4 steals. It’s only a matter of time before we see Dončić break the system; he’s notched only one triple-double all season. Perhaps he goes off in a revenge spot at home vs. the Mavericks on Friday.
