SAS 126, GSW 113: De'Aaron Fox Stars With 60 ESPN FP
Maya Chen
UX Designer ยท Golden State Warriors fan
Warriors Got Cooked, But Your Bench Guys Went Off
Look, I'm gonna be straight with you, this one stings. The Spurs just walked into Chase Center and beat the Warriors 126-113, and yeah, I had money on this game (don't judge me, my spreadsheets said it was close). But here's the thing, fantasy-wise, this game was actually a gift if you had the right bench guys. Let me break down who actually mattered.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | 52.0 | 50.8 | 26/9/4 | 24.4/11.1/2.8 | +1.6 |
| De'Aaron Fox | 60.0 | 46.0 | 27/0/8 | 19.4/3.8/6.3 | +7.6 |
| Draymond Green | 40.0 | 41.4 | 17/12/8 | 8.6/5.7/5.2 | +8.4 |
| Gui Santos | 34.0 | 34.0 | 9/5/6 | 5.7/2.9/1.5 | +3.3 |
| Keldon Johnson | 38.0 | 33.2 | 21/6/2 | 13.5/5.9/1.4 | +7.5 |
| Dylan Harper | 38.0 | 32.0 | 14/5/8 | 10.9/3.4/3.7 | +3.1 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 40.0 | 29.1 | 17/3/7 | 11.7/2.8/2.4 | +5.3 |
| Brandin Podziemski | 26.0 | 27.0 | 16/5/2 | 12.0/4.6/3.5 | +4.0 |
| Moses Moody | 28.0 | 24.8 | 17/4/2 | 11.5/3.3/1.5 | +5.5 |
| Gary Payton II | 25.0 | 22.5 | 10/0/5 | 5.3/3.1/1.6 | +4.7 |
The Real Story: Role Guys Saved Your Week
Draymond Green is the headline here, and I'm not even mad about it. He put up 17/12/8 for 41.4 Yahoo points, which is +8.4 above his season average. That's not a fluke stat line either, it was all there: 6-14 FG, 2 threes, and 3 assists in just 29 minutes. When the Warriors need someone to make plays and defend, Draymond is still the guy. The All-Defensive team recognition from last season isn't getting old.
But the Warriors got exposed. No Steph (0/0/0 in 0 min) is a problem they apparently couldn't solve. I don't have injury details in the data, but that 0 min is loud. Without him? The rest of the team couldn't carry it.
De'Anthony Melton went 6-7 from the field with 5 threes. That's 17/3/7 for 29.1 Yahoo FP, +5.3 above his average. If you had him on your bench, you got a steal tonight. Moses Moody was similar: 17/4/2 with 3 threes in 35 minutes. Both guys turned up when the team needed scoring depth.
Gui Santos getting 34 Yahoo points is wild, but look at the context, 6 assists in just 29 minutes. He was running things and it worked. That's +4.5 assists above his average. He's got deep league value if the Warriors keep using him like this.
The Spurs Did What They Should
Victor Wembanyama had a quiet efficient night: 26/9/4 on 8-17 FG, +1.6 on points but nothing crazy. He's an All-NBA Third Team talent, and 50.8 Yahoo FP is solid but not a career night. The real damage came from De'Aaron Fox, who absolutely cooked for 27/0/8 on 11-16 shooting. That's +7.6 points above his season average and it came on clean efficient buckets. 8 assists on a night when the Warriors couldn't defend is exactly the kind of performance that wins these games.
Keldon Johnson (21/6/2, +7.5 pts) and Dylan Harper (14/5/8, +3.1 pts) both went off. Harper especially: 8 assists means the Spurs were playing team basketball against a Warriors squad that had holes to fill.
What This Means for Your Roster
If you own Draymond, hold him tight. He's still a building block and tonight proved he can carry a team when needed. If you've got De'Anthony Melton on your bench, he might be a higher-upside play than you thought. That 6-7 shooting night isn't necessarily a one-off if he keeps getting these minutes.
Brandin Podziemski was fine (16/5/2, +4.0 pts) but didn't need to do much. Gary Payton II got 14 minutes and put up 22.5 Yahoo FP, which is basically him being Gary Payton II: efficient on a small sample.
The Warriors are down a star tonight (presumably Steph), and that changes everything. When that gets sorted, your Warriors fantasy assets look different. For now, if you're in a points league, the bench guys saved you. If you needed a reason to check the injury report, now you have one.