NBA Fantasy: Salary Cap Edition - Week 10 Recap and Analysis

After a thrilling holiday basketball games, NBA Fantasy Salary Game players have a lot to analyze in order to maximize their performance for the rest of the week's festivities.

Here what you need to know midway through Week 10:

NBA on Christmas Day recap 

The league’s merriest tradition lived up to the billing and then some. Three of five Christmas Day games were decided by three points or fewer, with 10 being the largest margin of victory.

Such outcomes also featured flashy fantasy showings. Eight different players across four of these contests scored 50 or more fantasy points.

A 117-114 win for the New York Knicks (20-10) over the San Antonio Spurs (15-15) set the bar high on this occasion – highlighted by two of Wednesday’s three highest fantasy scorers.

Victor Wembanyama

stole the show with 80.6 fantasy points, assembling 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. The reigning rookie of the year reached the 40-minute-played threshold for the first time this campaign and had his biggest fantasy performance all season to show for it.

However, the opposing effort from

Mikal Bridges

was crucial to New York’s fifth consecutive victory. The seventh-year guard/forward racked up 41 points – combined with two steals and blocks apiece – en route to 60.2 fantasy points, representing the day’s third-highest output. Bridges had yet to even crack 50 beforehand.

Tyrese Maxey

, already having accumulated 60-plus fantasy points twice in his last four outings, accomplished the feat once again Wednesday, putting up a game-high 64.8 in the Philadelphia 76ers’ (11-17) defeat of the Boston Celtics (22-8), 118-114. Joining the fantasy fun was

Jayson Tatum

with 59.0 points – a remarkable 14th game this season with 50 or more for the MVP candidate.

Fittingly for a staple of this annual slate,

LeBron James

rounded out the top five, pitching in 58.8 fantasy points against

Stephen Curry

’s 44.2 as the two modern legends traded blows in a 115-113 triumph for the Los Angeles Lakers (17-13) over the Golden State Warriors (15-14).

Transaction tips

To end this week on a high note, make short-term investments in the Memphis Grizzlies (20-10). They’re one of eight teams playing three games from Thursday to Sunday and have the easiest schedule of any – including back-to-backs against the Toronto Raptors (7-23) and New Orleans Pelicans (5-25).

Jaren Jackson Jr.

has been the steadiest contributor, leading the Grizzlies in total fantasy points (TFP) with 1064.6 – good for 29th in the NBA – while

Ja Morant

complements with a team-high 39.7 fantasy points per game (FPPG), qualifying as the league’s 34th-best. Both are higher-end selections by nature of their salaries exceeding $13.0M, but Jackson Jr. has been comparatively more reliable, only missing two games this campaign while tallying 35 or more fantasy points in 20 different outings.

There are also cheaper options that still pack a punch.

Santi Aldama

and

Scotty Pippen Jr.

have each produced beyond their face value of $9.6M and $8.0M, respectively, with 902.6 and 736.8 TFP apiece. The former has 18 games with 30-plus fantasy points to his name while the latter has 11, but take caution with Pippen Jr., as he’s also failed to cross 15 fantasy points on eight occasions.

Memphis is one of the hottest squads overall – victors in 12 of their previous 15 contests – and it’s always wise to feed the hot hand.