CHA 117, DAL 90: Ball's 49 ESPN FP Leads the Way
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student ยท Dallas Mavericks fan
Charlotte Hornets Torch Dallas 117-90: The Fantasy Blowout Nobody Saw Coming
Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat this. As a Mavs fan, this game was absolutely brutal to watch. But from a fantasy perspective? Charlotte just handed us a masterclass in role players stepping up and carrying the scoring load when it matters. The Hornets won 117-90, and the fantasy scoreboard tells you everything you need to know about why.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LaMelo Ball | 49.0 | 48.5 | 15/5/9 | 19.2/4.8/7.4 | -4.2 |
| Brandon Miller | 40.0 | 35.0 | 17/5/4 | 20.9/4.8/3.4 | -3.9 |
| Kon Knueppel | 31.0 | 31.7 | 13/6/5 | 19.2/5.5/3.5 | -6.2 |
| Sion James | 34.0 | 29.1 | 13/8/1 | 5.5/3.5/2.0 | +7.5 |
| Brandon Williams | 25.0 | 27.3 | 18/4/1 | 13.1/2.9/3.8 | +4.9 |
| Daniel Gafford | 31.0 | 27.0 | 10/5/2 | 8.2/6.3/1.0 | +1.8 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 33.0 | 26.5 | 10/5/3 | 8.0/6.0/0.8 | +2.0 |
| Dwight Powell | 25.0 | 25.3 | 12/4/3 | 3.3/3.8/1.0 | +8.7 |
| Miles Bridges | 19.0 | 25.1 | 11/3/5 | 17.7/6.0/3.5 | -6.7 |
| Ryan Nembhard | 25.0 | 25.0 | 6/5/4 | 6.7/1.9/4.9 | -0.7 |
LaMelo Did His Thing (But It Wasn't Enough)
LaMelo Ball was LaMelo. 48.5 Yahoo FP on 15/5/9 with five steals in 29 minutes. Yeah, he shot 5-19 and came in 4.2 points under his season average, but the efficiency didn't matter because Charlotte's entire roster went nuclear around him. The dude still hit 4 threes and got his 9 assists. If you had LaMelo in fantasy, you're not mad at that output, even if the 27% shooting was rough to watch.
Real talk though, he's basically been locked in at 99.2% ownership all season. There's nobody left to add him. If you don't have him by now, that ship sailed months ago.
The Hornets' Bench Absolutely Cooked Dallas
Here's what got me: Charlotte had FIVE different guys drop 25+ Yahoo FP. That's not a star performance, that's a full-squad demolition. Brandon Miller (35 FP), Kon Knueppel (31.7 FP), Ryan Kalkbrenner (26.5 FP), and Grant Williams (24.3 FP) all contributed without any of them needing to go nuclear. It was the most balanced attack you could ask for.
Sion James is the one I'm flagging though. The guy went +7.5 points above his season average (13/8 on solid shooting), grabbed 8 boards in just 24 minutes, and looked completely comfortable. In a blowout, that's the kind of efficiency you notice. If James stays in the rotation as Charlotte keeps winning, he's a sneaky add in deeper 12+ team leagues. He won't blow up, but 25-30 Yahoo FP is doable on nights like this.
The Mavericks Bench Couldn't Keep Up
On the flip side, Dallas got contributions from literally everyone except the starters. Brandon Williams led with 27.3 Yahoo FP (18 points on 10-11 from the line), Dwight Powell went +8.7 above his season average with 25.3 FP, and Ryan Nembhard posted 25 FP with a solid assist line. The problem? The game was already out of hand by the time the Mavs got rolling.
Marvin Bagley III got dropped by 0.6% ownership after going scoreless tonight. Not shocking. The guy has been inconsistent all season, and a blowout loss doesn't help his case. If you're holding Bagley in a 10-team league, I'd be looking to move him or drop him for waiver wire depth. His 7.4% ownership tells you most people aren't buying what he's selling anyway.
The Minutes Crunch Is Real
Here's what concerns me as a Mavs fan (and this hurts to admit): Daniel Gafford only got 21 minutes. Yeah, he put up 27 Yahoo FP on efficient shooting (5-8 FG), but the fact that he was sitting in the fourth quarter of a blowout tells you Charlotte's defense was suffocating. Khris Middleton played 29 minutes and felt like an afterthought. P.J. Washington only got 27 minutes too.
When the Mavs are getting blown out like this, the fantasy relevance craters. Gafford is still a solid center option, but if Dallas can't keep games close, his minutes are gonna suffer. Worth monitoring heading forward.
Who's Actually Worth Chasing on Waivers
Dwight Powell went +8.7 above his season average. The dude is averaging just 3.3 FP per game, so 25.3 is an outlier, but if Powell is suddenly getting consistent minutes in the teens with usage, that's a 15-20 FP floor in blowouts. Not a league-winner, but solid depth in 14-team leagues.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is interesting too. 26.5 Yahoo FP in 18 minutes with 4-4 shooting. He's not gonna stay at that efficiency, but if he's cracking 18+ minutes regularly for Charlotte, he's a deep league stash.
Nobody is getting desperate enough to add Kon Knueppel though, despite the 31.7 FP. He shot 6-14 and is still a role player. Don't chase the shooting display.
The Bottom Line
Charlotte just flexed. This was a 27-point win without anyone needing to have a career night, and that's the kind of team performance that matters in fantasy. If you have Hornets guys, you're feeling good. If you're holding Mavs players outside of maybe Gafford, you're sweating the next few games.
This one stings as a Dallas fan, but it happens. At least the fantasy takeaways are clear: depth matters, and when a team clicks like Charlotte did, everyone eats.