Welcome to this week's roundup of the biggest risers and fallers in fantasy basketball!
As the season unfolds, player performances continue to shake up the rankings and impact fantasy rosters. Whether it's a breakout star making waves or a struggling veteran losing ground, staying ahead of the trends is crucial for your fantasy success.
In this weekly breakdown, we'll highlight the top performers climbing the charts and those whose value is slipping, helping you make smarter lineup decisions.
Risers
Scoot Henderson, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
Henderson was a silly-season darling as a rookie last year when he got hot in February and peaked in the final few weeks, averaging a double-double in points and assists in his seven April games. He's yet to be a must-roster player this season, but he played 32 minutes on Thursday and has averages of 11.5 points and 7.0 assists in 28 minutes over his last five games. Get him now and look for him to play at a higher level going forward.
Ausar Thompson, SF/PF, Detroit Pistons
Jaden Ivey suffered a broken fibula and had surgery that will keep him out indefinitely. Thompson is nearly fully recovered from blood clots and has played at least 24 minutes in his last two games. He has racked up seven steals in those two games and should continue to see his minutes ramp up going forward with Ivey sidelined. When Thompson really gets it going, he will to help in points, rebounds and steals, and could be primed for a big second half.
Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic's calf injury will be reevaluated in about three weeks and Dinwiddie has been thriving in his absence. He blew up for a season-high 30 points with six assists on Monday and had scored in double figures in three straight games before scoring just eight points against the Rockets on Wednesday. Doncic isn't coming back anytime soon and Dinwiddie should be guaranteed about 30 minutes on most nights. He should be a very productive fantasy option for at least the next several weeks, if not longer.
Max Christie, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
Christie (rostered in 3.5% of ESPN leagues) broke out for a season-high 28 points and five 3-pointers in 32 minutes on Thursday and has been locked into the Lakers' starting lineup for the last few weeks. He's played at least 30 minutes and has scored at least 16 points in four of his last five games, and as long as Christie sticks in the starting unit for the Lakers, he should be rostered in a lot more leagues.
Jimmy Butler wants out of Miami and a shake up could be coming for the Heat, who on Friday suspended Butler and said they would listen to trade offers. Ware, a rookie out of Indiana, went off for a career-high 25 points and three blocks on Thursday, hitting nine of 11 shots. He had 10 points, five boards and a block in his previous game and appears to be coming on strong. He's not a must-roster player at this point, but deep-league players need to keep a close eye on the young center going forward, as he could be primed for a nice second half if he can get 20 minutes a night.
Fallers
Anthony Edwards, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards has been one of the more disappointing early fantasy picks and complained about getting double-teamed after he hit just 5 of 16 shots for 15 points in Thursday's loss to the Celtics. Aside from 3s made, his production has fallen slightly this season. Edwards still has time to turn his season around and fantasy managers have to hope that his poor showing against the Celtics motivates him to turn back into the player we saw explode on the scene late last season and throughout the playoffs, when he famously dominated Kevin Durant last April.
Jimmy Butler, SG/SF/PF, Miami Heat
Outside of his massive 35-point triple-double on Dec. 16, Butler has been a headache for his fantasy managers, feuding with general manager Pat Riley and saying after Thursday's game that he doesn't think he can find joy while playing for the Heat. He may have played his last game in Miami after being suspended Friday for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team," with the Heat now saying they will listen to trade offers for the disgruntled star. Even if Butler is moved, there are no guarantees that he'll be any better with a different team. He's scored a grand total of 18 points over his last three games and it could be a lost season going forward. I'd trade him away for whatever I could get in fantasy leagues at this point.
Coby White, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls
While White's points, rebounds and assists are still holding up on most nights, he's currently mired in a shooting slump, and hit just 13 of 35 shots over his last two games. He's been particularly bad from downtown, making just four of his last 21 attempts from beyond the arc. He could break out of the funk at any time, but it's been hard to watch him fire away over the last week without seeing many shots go down. This may be a good time to make an offer for White, especially given Zach LaVine's injury history and also the chance that LaVine could get traded out of Chicago.
Mike Conley, PG, Minnesota Timberwolves
Conley played just 19 minutes on Thursday and has scored five or fewer points in six of his last 10 games, while also posting four or fewer assists in five straight. The 19 minutes are a red flag and Minnesota might be ready to give Donte DiVincenzo a bigger role going forward. I wouldn't be surprised to see DiVincenzo replace Conley at point guard in the near future, but either way, there's no reason to roster Conley at this point. Drop him for Dinwiddie and move on. And if DiVincenzo does replace Conley in the starting five, he should quickly turn his own season around.
Justin Champagnie, SF, Washington Wizards
Champagnie made some noise over the last few weeks with Kyle Kuzma out, but Kuzma has returned from his rib injury after missing a month of action. Kuzma hasn't done much in his two games since returning, but his minutes are going to increase, eventually squeezing Champagnie out of the mix. Champagnie has a chance to make some late-season noise if the Wizards shut players down and roll with their younger players, but he's going to be tough to hang onto as long as Kuzma is healthy. I'd much rather have Christie going forward as long as he's starting for the Lakers.