NBA Fantasy – Salary Cap Edition: Week 11 Breakdown

There have been countless memorable moments for players of the NBA Fantasy Salary Game, and based on the early part of the season, it looks like there are many more exciting moments to come in the new year.

Here’s what you need to know for Week 11:

Games to Watch

Dallas Mavericks (20-13) vs. Houston Rockets (21-11), Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET

This won’t have quite the same luster with

Luka Dončić

out, as the star forward/guard suffered a left calf strain on Christmas Day and will be sidelined until at least Feb. 2. The Mavericks might even be without one or both of

Kyrie Irving

and

Klay Thompson

after the two missed Monday’s game and maintain day-to-day status as of Tuesday.

But these are still the 2023-2024 Western Conference Champions we’re talking about. They currently stand fourth-best in the west, and after losing three of their last four, have a new test on deck with the third-place Rockets. That constitutes a big-time battle.

Alperen Sengun

has been the perpetual driving force for Houston, racking up 1396.4 total fantasy points (TFP) – 11th in the NBA – on 42.3 fantasy points per game (FPPG) – good for 20th. Support has primarily come from

Fred VanVleet

and

Jalen Green

, each of whom either just cracked 1000 TFP or are nearing that plateau. VanVleet is on a bit of a tear with 35 or more fantasy points in his last four outings and 45.4 in his latest last Sunday.w

Boston Celtics (23-9) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (26-5), Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET

For the first time in a long time, the Celtics look vulnerable. The defending champions are 7-6 this month following a commanding 16-3 start to the season, punctuated by a rough 2-4 stretch across their last six games. 

Defense has been a recurring point of concern. Though Boston’s defensive rating still qualifies as ninth-best in the league, opponents have had their way with the Celtics in the paint and in transition as the reliability of

Kristaps Porziņģis

and

Al Horford

continues to be tested. Oklahoma City – winners of six in a row – will look to exploit that in a matchup that was a trendy preseason pick for the 2025 NBA Finals.

The Thunder remain guided by remarkable contributions from

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

through 1661.8 TFP and 53.6 FPPG, good for second and fifth in the NBA, respectively. But the group has particularly thrived since the injury-delayed arrival of

Isaiah Hartenstein

in Week 5 – only failing to notch 35 or more fantasy points in five of his 16 games played – while also being buoyed by

Jalen Williams

’ 18th-best 1275.6 TFP.

Transaction Tips

It was rough sledding last week for fantasy owners of players on the Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies (22-11) as both squads became riddled with key injuries. But don’t fret – there are prime candidates to replace that missing production, and they’re names that all fantasy fanatics should get to know.

Quentin Grimes

may very well be one to embrace a larger role in Dallas. The fourth-year guard has seen up-and-down results while averaging 21.6 minutes played, producing nine games with 25-plus fantasy points but also notching 14 outings with 15 or fewer. Granted, eight of those came before Week 4, after which he’s become more involved in the offense.

Recent weeks have been kind to Grimes, as he’s tallied 20 or more fantasy points in five of his last seven showings, and played 32 minutes Monday against the Sacramento Kings (14-19) to mark his third-most in a game this campaign. He brings 561.3 TFP and 18.1 FPPG for a price of $5.1M, and should he make the most of greater opportunity, you’ll get terrific value for your money.

When it comes to Memphis, recently having lost

Ja Morant

and

Santi Aldama

with week-to-week injuries, keep a close eye on

Scotty Pippen Jr.

He currently ranks third among all Grizzlies in TFP with 818.5 and has exceeded 20 fantasy points in five consecutive games, highlighted by 42.5 versus the Atlanta Hawks (18-15) on Dec. 31.

Pippen Jr. has scored in double figures in each of his last five, which is the first time that’s happened since a seven-game stretch from Week 2 to 4. And he’s been efficient in doing so – only playing upwards of 23 minutes once in these quintet of contests. At a cost of $8.0M, he may prove to be a steal from the transactions tab in the weeks to come.

Weekly Advice

Now is a great time to make a short-term investment in the Los Angeles Lakers (18-13). “The Lake Show” has four games between Tuesday and Sunday that include faceoffs with the Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers (11-21) – a pair of mid- to low-tier defenses.

Dorian Finney-Smith

will be the center of attention as he debuts in the purple and gold Tuesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers (28-4), having just been acquired via trade from the Brooklyn Nets (12-20) on Sunday. How his 3-and-D play translates to Los Angeles should be a point of intrigue for fantasy players, as he’s currently shooting a career-best 43.5% from beyond the arc, but availability has been an issue in missing 12 of the Nets’ last 22 games.

Little needs to be said about the dominant seasons

Anthony Davis

and

LeBron James

are having. The former possesses 1582.2 TFP and 52.7 FPPG, good for third and sixth in the NBA, respectively, while the latter isn’t far behind with 1311.0 TFP and 46.8 FPPG of his own. Both are more than capable of filling up the stats sheet on any given night, and with Finney-Smith now in the fold, gaudy numbers could be in store.

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