NBA Fantasy – Salary Cap Edition: Week 12 Recap and Analysis

But with a plethora of impressive performances over the last three days, NBA Fantasy Salary Game players are finding multiple reasons to make changes to their rosters - the journey to fantasy success keeps evolving and surprising.

Here are all the need-to-knows midway through Week 12:

Story so far

A truly worthy foe is often necessary to conquer the seemingly unconquerable. The Oklahoma City Thunder (30-6) looked bulletproof with 15 wins in a row, but that fateful opponent finally arrived Wednesday in the form of the Cleveland Cavaliers (32-4).

In a battle between the top-shooting team and best defensive squad in the league – the top seeds in each conference – the Cavaliers held on late for a 129-122 victory, extending their dominant record at home to 19-1 and supplanting the Thunder for the NBA’s longest active winning streak. Cleveland has now claimed 11 consecutive contests, and having previously opened the season at 15-0, is now the only group with two 10-plus game stretches to its name.

The narrative has rarely changed as production across the lineup and a deep bench have driven the Cavaliers’ success. A remarkable seven double-digit scorers allowed them to endure a rough shooting night by

Donovan Mitchell

– going 3-for-16 from the field – while

Jarrett Allen

and

Evan Mobley

led the effort with 59.2 and 46.5 fantasy points, respectively.

Allen’s mark was his finest all season thanks to 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals, which also qualified as his fifth 50-plus fantasy point performance and third in his past six outings. Cleveland has largely maintained a clean bill of health, and that’s been a major upside en route to boasting four players with over 1000 total fantasy points (TFP).

Top performances

Jaren Jackson Jr.

has thrived in the “Grind City” limelight since the sidelining of

Ja Morant

and

Santi Aldama

. After notching a then-season-high 62.4 fantasy points last Tuesday, he outdid himself Monday, setting a new personal best with 68.1 in a 119-104 triumph for the Memphis Grizzlies (24-13) over the Dallas Mavericks (21-16). The seventh-year forward/center is on his hottest stretch – he’s tallied 40 or more fantasy points in six of the previous seven contests.

Not far behind on the eye-popping shortlist is a smooth 65.5 fantasy points from

LaMelo Ball

from Tuesday, highlighting a rare Charlotte Hornets (8-27) victory over the Phoenix Suns (16-19) by a 115-104 score. The fifth-year guard pitched in 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals en route to the win, and remains the only Hornet to have crossed the 1000-TFP threshold. His 48.1 fantasy points per game (FPPG) rank 10th among all NBA players.

Bringing up the rear is

Domantas Sabonis

with 65.1 fantasy points via his first triple-double since Nov. 29. He turned in 21 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists in a grueling 50 minutes played Monday during the Sacramento Kings’ (18-19) overtime defeat of the Miami Heat (18-17). Sabonis has been an absolute double-double machine – he leads the league with 32 and has secured one in 14 consecutive appearances.

Transaction tips

Consider exchanging one of your stars for Ball ahead of the Hornets’ upcoming three-game stretch. Yes, he’s been a risky option as of late – missing 11 of Charlotte’s last 17 affairs – but risks must be taken to win big in fantasy, and this one could pay off in a big way.

The Hornets are tasked with the Los Angeles Lakers (20-16), Los Angeles Clippers (20-17) and Suns on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Ball has produced well when available, racking up 45-plus fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games played. And as much as his team has struggled collectively, both the Lakers and Suns bear bottom-10 defenses that should be vulnerable to the star guard’s dynamic play.

In terms of cheaper, short-term investments, the Boston Celtics (27-10) have a few worth looking into as the week nears a close. Facing the up-and-down Kings on Friday and lowly New Orleans Pelicans (7-30) on Sunday, there’s a strong likelihood

Payton Pritchard

and

Al Horford

could put up quality numbers.

An early favorite for NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Pritchard carries 26.5 FPPG along with 979.6 TFP, and has notched 25 or more fantasy points in four of Boston’s previous seven games. Horford’s 22.5 FPPG and 653..8 TFP are both comparatively worse, and he costs $1.2M more, though his services have proved useful given

Kristaps Porziņģis

’ struggles to stay on the court.