Dan Titus Fantasy analyst Thu, October 29, 2026 at 6:02 PM UTC · 7 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every week, I'll update my points or 9-cat rankings with a running list of risers and fallers. Since it's the first one, there are no previous ranks to compare against. Instead, here are the players whose production through Wednesday, Oct. 28 has stood out the most, for better or worse, with my complete Yahoo standard points ranking at the bottom of the article. Fantasy points per game (FP/G) are from Yahoo as of Thursday, Oct. 29.
Keep in mind that this is only about 4-6 games of data. My rankings project the rest of the season, so a few players on the fallers list are ranked higher than their numbers right now. I expect them to improve. And naturally, a player who is on fire right now will likely slide over time.
After winning Western Conference Player of the Week honors, it's only right that Jerome leads the risers list in fantasy basketball. He's averaging 29.8 points and 6.3 assists (45.3 fantasy points per game) through four games and is among the league leaders in scoring a week and a half into the season.
Monday brought a reality check, where he scored 15 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Given Jerome's injury history, I'd be open to hearing offers for the eighth-year vet. His volume and usage are elite, but you could extract some serious value in the trade market given how well he is playing right now. I ranked him 20th in my latest rankings because he'll keep putting up big numbers for a Memphis team that's played far above expectations.
This year's rookie class is coming out firing, starting with Yaxel. He's playing like a vet, integrating seamlessly into the Warriors system and providing a much-needed offensive spark as both a scorer and playmaker. The rookie is averaging 22.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 stocks through five games, good for 40.8 fantasy points per game. He went for 31 points, 12 boards and six assists in Monday's win at Denver, then followed it with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and nine rebounds in 34 minutes in Wednesday's 119-114 win at Minnesota. I would not be selling stocks; if anything, I would be looking to acquire more because he's the real deal.
The No. 4 overall pick is averaging 20.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks (38.9 fantasy points per game) through five games. Wilson is already settling in as one of the Bulls' primary offensive weapons despite shooting just 40% from the field. Imagine what his numbers will look like when his shot is falling. He had 30 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday's loss to Washington, then 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 stocks in 38 minutes in Wednesday's 133-127 loss to the Knicks — the third time he's scored at least 20 points in his young career. Turnovers are the only thing holding him back, but he's firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation.
Jalen Williams (leg) and Cason Wallace (torn labrum) are expected to miss most, if not all, of the season, opening a starting spot for Mitchell, who is averaging 15.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 steals (34.1 fantasy points per game) through four games. He dropped 30 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 25 minutes Monday, then played through an ankle sprain Wednesday and had 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 stocks in 27 minutes of a 120-96 loss at Dallas.
He could be a league-winning type of player if he stays healthy. In his first two seasons, he's only played in 57% of games.
Reed is the Pistons' starting center with Duren out, averaging 15.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks (30.3 fantasy points per game) through four games. I wasn't too aggressive with his ranking because Duren's injury is short-term; he'll likely miss a few more weeks with a hamstring ailment. Still, it's worth recognizing Reed's play over the past few games, including 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 26 minutes in Tuesday's loss to the Knicks and 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in 38 minutes of Wednesday's 97-89 win over Charlotte.
Reed's been a solid backup and is doing enough for fantasy managers to hold after Duren returns. Hamstring injuries can be tricky.
I remain bullish on LaMelo even though he's struggling out of the gate. Before Anthony Edwards suffered his knee injury, Ball still wasn't putting up the numbers I projected. As of Thursday, Ball is averaging 13.4 points, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals (26.9 fantasy points per game) over five games, and turnovers are a big part of that. I dropped him to around the third round in my rankings because it's a long season. He'll have no choice but to up his scoring output to keep the Wolves competitive without Edwards. It's only been a handful of games and adjustments will be made. He's a buy-low for me.
Whether it's the wrist injury or just being passive, I don't like what I've seen from Giddey so far. The point guard is averaging a pedestrian 7.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists (26.7 fantasy points per game) through five games. While he is still doing a good job with rebounding and playmaking, his minutes (27) and shooting volume (8 per game) are far lower than his career marks since joining the Bulls. His assist floor keeps him rosterable in points leagues, but I'd sell on him after a big scoring night. There's reason for concern and the wrist injury is clearly impacting his confidence and ability to shoot the basketball.
The Orlando Magic can't seem to dodge the injury bug. First, Paolo Banchero (ankle) will miss 6-8 weeks and then Jalen Suggs went down with a knee injury for at least a couple of weeks. That should be good news for Bane, since he would absorb much of that usage and opportunity, but it hasn't translated yet. Bane started slowly last year and didn't really take off until Paolo or Franz Wagner got hurt.
So far, Bane is averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 stocks (26.9 fantasy points per game) through four games. He's been inconsistent, but it's far more likely he'll see positive regression and reach his 18-20ppg mark soon. I'd continue to hold.
I wasn't particularly high on Gobert coming into the season, but he's playing worse than I anticipated. Through five games, he's averaging 6.6 points and 12.2 rebounds (23.5 fantasy points per game). The rebounds are a safe floor, but the lack of steals and blocks keeps the total down. With Edwards out for up to two months, Minnesota's offense will look different, but Gobert's frying-pan hands and lack of spatial awareness on offense are problems. I'd be watching Joan Beringer closely, because with Gobert in the final year of his deal, the Wolves may have to offset some of Gobert's bad offense with a more competent rim runner and lob threat to pair with LaMelo Ball.
For as good as the Grizzlies have looked, Edey's been very underwhelming. He's averaging 6.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks (23.2 fantasy points per game) through three games. He's playing 21 minutes per contest to manage an ankle injury, so we should expect more middling production until he's ready for a bigger workload. Given his previous ankle injuries, Memphis should be cautious with its big man. However, fantasy managers' patience will run thin if he's a platoon-type player.
Source: Sports
Post a Comment