NBA

Fantasy Basketball Weekend Must-Begin: Kyshawn George is ready to take flight

ballervisions 2026年1月17日

In the top leagues, it all comes down to the weekend. You can have a comfortable lead in many stages or by a lot of points, but if you don’t make the most of the weekend, you can end up losing.

13 teams play twice this weekend, including the Lakers, Pelicans, Bulls, Nuggets, Rockets, Nets, Pacers, Trail Blazers, Kings, Raptors, Hornets, Timberwolves and Wizards. Prioritize those groups if you are looking to increase your games played. The Bucks are the only team without a game this weekend in the league.

That’s what usually comes out of the average points and divisional leagues, but it’s not always the case. Leagues with some sort of game cap or best ball formats like Yahoo!’s High Score Leagues just don’t want volume, or having two chances on a big night is a good strategy in top ball leagues.

Absolute must-start: Kyshawn George, Washington Wizards

George’s production in his sophomore season has been up and down, but he has the potential to pile the numbers on legendary managers. His points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers and field goal percentage all increased from his rookie season. He has shown flashes of brilliance this season and should be considered one of the pieces for the Wizards during their rebuild.

This weekend, Washington faces the Kings and Nuggets, and both teams are ranked in the bottom five of the NBA in their last 10 games. In addition, Bilal Coulibaly and Khris Middleton both did not play on Friday, and even if they return on Saturday, George will have at least one game using the big bump.

Guards:

Tre Jones, Chicago Bulls

Jones continues to be a solid producer with Josh Giddey (hamstring) on the sidelines, and while Giddey is nearing a return, Jones should be a reliable option until that happens. They play the Nets twice this weekend, and Brooklyn has the league’s sixth-worst defensive rating in their last 10 games. Jones was able to consistently put out dimes, though that didn’t hold true for scoring. However, he has managed to have a big night lately.

Bones Hyland, Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards (foot) was ruled out of Houston on Friday and could sit out against the Thunder on Saturday. With Edwards out Wednesday, Hyland came off the bench to contribute 23 points, five assists and a triple in 21 minutes. The matchups are tough, but Hyland has excelled when given the chance this season.

Craig Porter Jr., Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland only plays one game this weekend, but Porter has enough upside to be eligible with Darius Garland (foot) sidelined. When he got the chance to play big minutes, he was able to pour in rebounds, which also helped the defensive statistics. Scoring isn’t his strong suit, but he does enough in other categories to be successful. The lack of healthy guard options in Cleveland should allow Porter to play enough to make a big impact on the box score.

Leaders:

Collin Murray-Boyles, Cleveland Cavaliers

CMB has been a nightmare lately, and with Jakob Poeltl (back) sidelined, that should continue this weekend. Since entering the starting lineup, he has averaged 10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 steals and a block in a successful shooting split. Matches with the Clippers, without Kawhi Leonard, and the Lakers are good possibilities for him, especially with how short the Raptors are.

Naji Marshall, Dallas Mavericks

Marshall has been one of the elite broadcast options in fantasy basketball over the past few seasons when he got his first chance. Both Cooper Flagg and PJ Washington were out Thursday with ankle injuries, and if one is out against the Jazz on Saturday, Marshall should shine again. Only one game, but it’s a good game against Utah.

Jaylon Tyson, Cleveland Cavaliers

Darius Garland (foot), Sam Merrill (hand) and Dean Wade (knee) are all out Friday against the 76ers. It’s a one-game weekend for Cleveland, but Tyson should have a big night for the shorthanded Cavs. He’s thrived when he’s had the chance to play big minutes this season, and Friday is his chance to get past 30 minutes.

Institutions:

Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls

It’s been the most disappointing season of all time, but Vucevic has been on fire lately. In the last two weeks, he averaged 20.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.7 triples per game. They take on a Nets team that ranks 22nd in defensive rating and rebounding percentage over their last five games. This is a recipe for Vucevic to have two great performances.

Moussa Diabate, Charlotte Hornets

Diabate took over as the starting center in Charlotte, helping them become the best rebounding team in the league in their last five games. Over the past two weeks, he’s averaging 9.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 65.6 percent from the floor. The Warriors don’t have an easy game on Saturday, but they face the Nuggets, who have the third-worst shooting percentage in their last five games, on Sunday.

Derik Queen, New Orleans Pelicans

Queens gets to compete against the Pacers and Rockets this weekend, and the Indiana matchup is the one to watch. Queen has been inconsistent lately, which is not surprising for a rookie, but he had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists without missing a shot in his last game with the Pacers and had 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three blocks against the Rockets in December.