SAS 114, DET 103: Victor Wembanyama Tops Fantasy Charts With 65 ESPN FP
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student ยท Dallas Mavericks fan
Spurs Survive Slugfest in Detroit, Wembanyama and Vassell Lead the Way
Final: Spurs 114, Pistons 103
This wasn't pretty, but it was effective. San Antonio squeezed out an 11-point road win in Detroit that tells you everything you need to know about where these teams are right now. The Spurs got contributions across the board and executed down the stretch. The Pistons fought hard but couldn't string together enough offense when it mattered. For fantasy purposes, this game had some wild swings and a few guys who absolutely feasted.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | 65.0 | 65.4 | 21/17/4 | 24.2/11.3/2.9 | -3.2 |
| Cade Cunningham | 41.0 | 50.2 | 16/6/10 | 25.3/5.8/9.8 | -9.3 |
| Jalen Duren | 49.0 | 46.3 | 25/14/1 | 18.0/10.5/1.7 | +7.0 |
| Stephon Castle | 39.0 | 39.3 | 16/4/11 | 16.6/5.0/6.9 | -0.6 |
| Devin Vassell | 52.0 | 38.4 | 28/2/4 | 14.2/3.8/2.4 | +13.8 |
| Ronald Holland II | 32.0 | 34.2 | 15/11/0 | 8.3/4.4/1.4 | +6.7 |
| Julian Champagnie | 40.0 | 33.7 | 17/6/1 | 11.1/5.9/1.4 | +5.9 |
| De'Aaron Fox | 24.0 | 32.9 | 10/7/7 | 19.1/3.9/6.3 | -9.1 |
| Duncan Robinson | 24.0 | 24.1 | 13/3/5 | 12.3/2.7/1.9 | +0.7 |
| Paul Reed | 27.0 | 24.0 | 10/5/0 | 6.9/4.4/1.2 | +3.1 |
Wembanyama Makes His Argument
Victor Wembanyama is doing what All-Defensive players do, just with a fantasy slant. 65.4 Yahoo points on 21/17/4 with 6 blocks shows why he's the most valuable big in fantasy right now. Yeah, he went -3.2 on scoring volume, but who cares when you're pulling 17 boards and protecting the rim? He didn't explode offensively but he didn't need to. The game script favored him getting boards and blocks, and he delivered exactly that.
The story here is consistency. Wembanyama is basically the fantasy lock of the year. You can ride him to the Finals if your league makes it that far.
Devin Vassell Just Took Over
This is the sneaky storyline nobody's talking about yet. Devin Vassell went nuclear for 28 points on 10-14 shooting with 7 threes. That's +13.8 vs his season average. 36 minutes. In a game the Spurs controlled for most of the second half.
Here's the thing: Vassell has been hovering around 14 PPG all season, so this is the ceiling for him. He's not suddenly a 28-point guy. But 25+ minutes and offensive touches like this? That's the version you want to see. If the Spurs keep feeding him when he has a hot hand, you lock him in on game days. Right now he's only 6.8% owned on ESPN, which feels criminal.
Jalen Duren Finally Showed Up
Jalen Duren dropped 25 points on 10-13 shooting with 14 boards. That's +7.0 on his scoring average and exactly what you draft him to do. The Pistons' big man went off in limited minutes (29) and didn't need to jack up shots. This is the efficient version of Duren that makes him usable.
The problem for Detroit is that it wasn't enough because nobody else could carry the load offensively. Cade Cunningham struggled hard, going 5-26 from the field despite putting up decent line (16/6/10). That's -9.3 on scoring, and it shows what happens when your lead ball handler can't find his stroke.
The Bad News: Cade's Night
Cade Cunningham put up 50.2 Yahoo points on the assist total (11 dimes), but the shooting line was brutal. 5-26 is unplayable territory even for an All-NBA caliber guy. He still got his dimes and even snagged 2 steals, which saved him from a total disaster. But this is the kind of game where you see how much Cade's scoring matters. When he can't get buckets, it limits his ceiling even with great playmaking.
The Depth Play Nobody Expected
Ronald Holland II is putting teams on notice. 34.2 Yahoo points on 15/11 with 26 minutes of action. That's +6.7 on scoring and +6.6 on boards. He's not a fantasy staple, but if he keeps getting 25+ minute slots, he's worth stashing in deeper leagues. The Pistons are experimenting with their frontcourt rotation, and Holland is winning those auditions.
Spurs' Role Players Showed Up
Julian Champagnie added 33.7 Yahoo points with 17 points on 6-12 shooting and 5 threes in 36 minutes. That's +5.9 on his scoring average and the kind of production you get from a solid role player having a good night. Not a game-changer, but solid. Same energy with Stephon Castle, who hit 39.3 Yahoo points on 16/4/11 with only -0.6 on scoring. Castle didn't blow up but did his job running the offense.
De'Aaron Fox Gets Points for Trying
De'Aaron Fox managed 32.9 Yahoo points but took a brutal 4-17 from the field. That's -9.1 on scoring, which tells you everything. He tried to facilitate (7 dimes) and it saved his game from being a total wash. In a close game, Fox's inefficiency probably cost Detroit down the stretch.
What This Means for Fantasy This Week
Wembanyama stays locked in as a build-around center. Vassell is getting added by sharks who watched this game, but manage your expectations on his ceiling. Duren is still a hold for now, but Cunningham needs better efficiency moving forward or you're looking at swapping him out.
The Pistons showed they can compete but need multiple guys cooking at once. Tonight only Duren delivered. That's a recipe for losing games.