NBA Fantasy – Salary Cap Edition: Week 12 preview

A new year means a ⁢fresh start for many, and even if your fantasy team is struggling during the league season,⁣ hope is not lost.

Plenty of moves can be made⁤ to ensure NBA Fantasy Salary⁤ Game players are in great shape before the 2025⁢ NBA All-Star Break arrives in February. As ‍teams continue to trend in‍ opposite directions, there’s ⁣always more to learn in fantasy circles.

Here’s what you need to know for Week 12:

Games to⁢ watch

Boston‍ Celtics (26-10) vs. Denver Nuggets ⁣(20-14), Tuesday at 10 p.m.ET

The two previous NBA champions will square off for the frist time this campaign, and with both⁣ clamoring for on-court consistency, ⁣this could prove to be a crucial litmus test. The Celtics are a rocky 5-5 ⁣in their last 10 games but regained some ground with four wins in five before losing to the Thunder. Over in the Western Conference, the⁤ Nuggets are only marginally better ⁣at 6-4 in the same span, having claimed ⁤four of their previous⁢ five matchups.

Jayson tatum still⁢ spearheads ⁣the fight for Boston ‍with 1654.0 total⁢ fantasy points (TFP) and⁣ 42.5 fantasy⁢ points per game (FPPG) ⁤– good for sixth and seventh in ⁢the league,⁢ respectively. Derrick White and Jaylen ‍Brown have⁣ been neck-and-neck behind him, pitching in over 1100 TFP apiece, but⁣ the latter⁢ is typically a better bet with a comparatively higher 40.4 FPPG.

The 2000 TFP ceiling ⁤was smashed by Nikola ‍Jokić last week as he looks comfortably in contention for a fourth Kia NBA MVP award as 2020-2021. Russell Westbrook and Jamal murray ⁤ have stepped up in creating ‍scoring opportunities⁣ for the⁤ 10th-year center, and that’s helped push Jokić toward three games of 80-plus fantasy⁣ points in his ‍previous four outings after totaling three all season beforehand.

Oklahoma⁣ City Thunder (30-5) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (31-4),Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET

It’s arrived ⁤at last. ‍The best of the best going head-to-head for ultimate midseason bragging rights.And the timing is ⁤poetic, as Oklahoma City’s remarkable winning ‍streak has hit 15 – ⁢the ⁤very number at which cleveland’s undefeated start ended.

The Cavaliers have rather ‍quietly strung together 10 victories in a row despite the Thunder commanding recent headlines. Extremely well-balanced scoring has been at the heart of what’s become a 5.5-game lead over ‍the Celtics ⁤for first place in the Eastern Conference, with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen all averaging more than 30 FPPG. Better yet, they rank 22nd, 27th, 29th and 35th in the league for TFP, respectively.

Nothing has changed for the Thunder moving into 2025. The ⁤squad remains as dominant as they were⁤ in December, most recently securing a 105-92 triumph over the Celtics on Sunday. Whether production has come from Shai Gilgeous-alexander, Jalen Williams ⁢ or isaiah Hartenstein,Oklahoma City just finds a way to win,and ⁢it has come this far without Chet Holmgren’s 37.7 FPPG – injured as Nov. 10 and projected to⁣ return in early February.

Transaction Tips

There have‍ been few positive things to say about the Washington Wizards (6-27) as proprietors ⁢of the NBA’s worst record, but Justin Champagnie ⁤ has emerged⁢ as a name to watch.‍ The fourth-year⁢ guard/forward ⁤has scored 20 or more fantasy points ⁢in six of his last seven outings and has ⁤averaged 27.2 FPPG since ‍Week 8. That⁢ qualifies as solid value for the $5.5M investment he requires.

Elsewhere, Yves Missi continues to make the most of a arduous situation. he’s a regular on the list of ⁢GameDay⁣ top value scorers – featuring a $5.7M price tag – and boasts four performances of 30-plus fantasy points in his last seven games. With the star-strapped ⁣new Orleans ‍Pelicans (7-29) continuing to grant greater minutes to their bench, Missi has taken the team lead with 941.5 TFP over