The High Score 100: The biggest rankings risers and fallers as we navigate Week 15 in fantasy basketball

Published 2 hours ago
Source: sports.yahoo.com

The High Score 100 — the top 100 players in Yahoo's newest fantasy basketball format — is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production. Each weekly update captures who's actually delivering value and who's fading.

[It's not too late to create or join a High Score league, a new way to play Fantasy Basketball on Yahoo with simple rosters and scoring]

Here's a breakdown of the biggest risers and fallers through the 14th week of fantasy basketball — with the complete High Score 100 at the bottom of the article. I'll be updating my rankings every Tuesday throughout the fantasy basketball season.

Jusuf Nurkić — FC, Utah Jazz: 75th overall (⬆️ 22)

Nurkić just rattled off three straight triple-doubles and is shooting 44.4% from 3 over the past week while averaging 16/13/12. The playmaking has been ridiculous. When defenses trap Keyonte George, Nurkić is finding cutters and hitting pick-and-pop 3s.

With the February 5 trade deadline approaching, I expect his name to be floating around along with his $19M expiring contract. Despite that unknown, Nurk's seen a resurgence in Utah, playing wayyy better than his recent stints with the Hornets and Suns. Because he's been playing so well, it smells like a prime moment to sell high.

Immanuel Quickley — G, Toronto Raptors: 60th overall (⬆️ 15)

Quickley just made NBA history, becoming the first player to record 40+ PTS, 10+ AST and 5+ 3s while shooting over 80% from the floor. One of those very specific types of stats, but still, a substantial accomplishment nonetheless. He racked up 68 fantasy points in High Score from that performance and it helped him win Eastern Conference Player of the Week for Week 14, averaging 25.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 6.8 APG and 2 steals over the past seven days.

The timing couldn't be better with trade deadline noise everywhere. After an injury-wrecked 2024-25, IQ is back to ballin, making a statement for fantasy managers and Raptors fans.

Amen Thompson — G/FC, Houston Rockets: 35th overall (⬆️ 6)

Thompson is starting to find his stride, finishing Week 14 inside the top 20 and is in the top 35 over his last 14 days. He's averaging 18.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.6APG, and 2.1 stocks in January with no signs of letting up.

He's once again making his case for All-Defensive first-team and his six-spot jump from 41 to 35 shows he remains a critical asset to fantasy managers weekly.

Mikal Bridges — G/FC, New York Knicks: 73rd overall (⬇️ 13)

The Knicks are 4-8 over their last 12 games, and Bridges has disappeared. He's averaging 27.6 fantasy points over the past two weeks and just 24.8 over the past week — both outside the top 150. During a five-game stretch, he averaged 12.6 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.

New York gave up FIVE first-rounders for this guy. His scoring dropped from 16.5 PPG in December to 13.8 PPG in January, while his efficiency declined (his TS% dropped from 62% to 51%). The 13-spot decline to 73 reflects what we've seen all year: he just hasn't been consistent enough to trust.

Isaiah Hartenstein — FC, Oklahoma City Thunder: 94th overall (⬇️ 10)

Hartenstein missed 15 straight with a recurring calf strain that's left him with no timetable for his return. OKC continues to list him as questionable on the injury report, only to rule him out later. It's not looking good, and the fewer answers fantasy managers have, the more we're running out of patience keeping him stashed in IL.

When healthy, Hartenstein was putting up a low-end double-double with three dimes and nearly two stocks per contest. His absence, among others, is telling as the Thunder have lost three of their last five games. Hartenstein will continue to slide if we don't get any meaningful updates.

Desmond Bane — G/FC, Orlando Magic: 68th overall (⬇️ 5)

Not a big slide by any means, but Bane hasn't put together a 40-point fantasy performance in High Score since Jan 11. The Magic are slumping hard right now and their defense is starting to look as bad as their offense.

Last week, Bane averaged 20/4/2 with 1 steal per game, not really enough for fantasy managers to keep in their lineups all week. He was brought in to help solve their issues offensively — primarily 3-point shooting — but it seems he's caught up in the Magic funk, too. Bane is averaging a mere 32 fantasy points across Weeks 13 and 14.

The High Score 100 is a running reflection of year-to-date performance and trending production.

Injury notes:

Jimmy Butler III (torn ACL) has been removed from the top 100. The top player in High Score (and across all formats), Nikola Jokić, remains out with a hyperextended knee. He’s resumed on-court workouts and looks to be on track to return in late January. He's far and away the best fantasy player in High Score. He's the only player averaging north of 70 fantasy points per game and he should still be the No. 1 overall pick if drafting a team right now.