ATL 125, PHI 116: Johnson's Double-Double Keys 58.5 Yahoo FP
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Hawks Steal One at Home, Johnson Goes Nuclear in 9-Point Win
Final: 125-116 Hawks
Look, I'm not gonna pretend I'm not hyped that my Hawks got the dub at home, but we need to talk about what actually happened last night because there's some real fantasy takeaways buried in this one.
Atlanta came out and punched Philly in the mouth early, then held on when it got tight late. That's the basketball story. The fantasy story? It's messier and way more interesting than the final score suggests.
Top Fantasy Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Johnson | 64.0 | 58.5 | 35/10/7 | 22.7/10.5/8.0 | +12.3 |
| Tyrese Maxey | 50.0 | 44.9 | 31/2/5 | 28.9/4.2/6.7 | +2.1 |
| Quentin Grimes | 42.0 | 39.7 | 26/6/3 | 12.5/3.6/3.4 | +13.5 |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | 41.0 | 37.0 | 24/5/4 | 14.3/4.7/1.7 | +9.7 |
| Dyson Daniels | 41.0 | 35.8 | 15/9/4 | 11.4/6.6/6.1 | +3.6 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 39.0 | 34.4 | 24/2/6 | 19.8/3.5/3.7 | +4.2 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 33.0 | 29.7 | 10/6/5 | 16.2/7.9/3.2 | -6.2 |
| CJ McCollum | 24.0 | 28.1 | 17/3/7 | 18.7/3.4/3.6 | -1.7 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | 33.0 | 26.8 | 8/4/2 | 10.2/3.7/1.3 | -2.2 |
| Cameron Payne | 30.0 | 25.2 | 6/1/6 | 3.3/1.0/1.8 | +2.7 |
Jalen Johnson is Playing a Different Game Than the Rest of Us
58.5 Yahoo FP. 35 points on 12-19 shooting. Perfect 9-9 from the line. This wasn't a hot night, this was a masterclass. Johnson went +12.3 points above his season average and did it on elite efficiency.
Here's what matters for your fantasy team: this is who Johnson CAN be, but it's not yet who he consistently IS. He's averaging 22.7 PPG all season, which is great. But look at his eFG%, his touches in rhythm, his role in the offense. When he gets 38 minutes and gets the green light like last night, he absolutely can put up 35 and hit his threes. The problem is consistency.
You already know if you have him. You're either riding or dying with his upside. Don't panic sell after one game, but also don't suddenly expect 35 every night. He's a buy-low candidate if someone in your league freaks out about his normal 22-25 point nights, but last night was the ceiling showing up, not the norm locking in.
Quentin Grimes is a Sneaky Waiver Add in Deep Leagues
26 points, 6 boards, shot 9-15 with three threes. On a 12-team league, Grimes shouldn't be available, but in 14+ team leagues or if he somehow got dropped, go get him. +13.5 points above his season average is huge, and he got 41 minutes which means Philly trusted him in crunch time.
His season average of 12.5 PPG is already solid for a bench guy, but the role is trending up. He's becoming Joel Embiid and Paul George's third option when they need scoring punch, and that's valuable real estate in fantasy even if neither of those All-NBA guys were playing last night.
The Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker Show
Both Hawks wings showed up in a big way. Dyson Daniels dropped 35.8 Yahoo FP with 15/9/4 on efficient 7-10 shooting and the Defensive Player of the Year is still the Defensive Player of the Year. He's a glue guy who won't dunk on anybody but won't lose you a week either. Steady 6-7 rebounds, solid passing numbers.
NAW went off for 24 points with four threes. He's hitting his shots in a larger role right now, and at 84% ownership he's already basically universally owned, but if you don't have him, that's a mistake. He's not a star, but he's reliable scoring off the bench in the mid-20s PPG range.
Onyeka Okongwu Got Cooked, and That's Concerning
Here's the thing about Okongwu: he came into this game averaging 16.2/7.9/3.2, which is solid center production. Last night? 10/6/5 on just 4-7 shooting. That's -6.2 from his average, and he only played 28 minutes which means his role shrunk too.
This is worth monitoring. Either he's dealing with a minor injury we don't know about yet, or the Hawks' rotation is shifting and he's losing minutes to other bigs. Check the injury report before you make any moves, but if this becomes a trend of sub-30 minute nights, Okongwu could drop from a solid starter to a streamer pretty quick. Don't panic yet, but don't ignore it either.
Tyrese Maxey is Still Cooking Despite the Philly Loss
31 points, 5 assists, 3 steals. +2.1 from his season average of 28.9, which actually tells you everything. Maxey did his part. Philly just couldn't get enough depth scoring without Embiid and George in the lineup. Cameron Payne had 25.2 Yahoo FP off the bench with great passing numbers (6 dimes), but that's not enough to replace All-NBA talent.
The takeaway: Maxey stays a locked-in fantasy starter. When Embiid and George come back, his scoring might dip a tick, but his elite playmaking and reliability in the first round make him untouchable anyway.
Kelly Oubre Jr. is a Sneaky Buy-Low
37 Yahoo FP with 24/5/4 and four steals is a seriously underrated performance. He shot 10-15 and got 35 minutes. +9.7 from his season average means he's stepping up in a big way. If Oubre can maintain 35+ minutes and keep shooting 65%+ from the field, he's a legitimate fantasy contributor that nobody's talking about.
Watch his minutes going forward. If this holds, he's a valuable role player in 12-team leagues. If it was a one-off game, it doesn't matter. Either way, he's not being added much right now (trending at basically 0% adds league-wide), so if he does become a rotation regular, you'll have intel before your league catches up.
The Bottom Line
Hawks got a win at home against a depleted Sixers team, which is nice for my fandom but honestly not that impressive without Embiid and George on the floor. Fantasy-wise, this was a story about role clarity and efficiency. Johnson proved his ceiling, Grimes found his niche, and Okongwu's floor might be lower than we thought.
Don't chase last night's performances. Do pay attention to the guys who showed up on 30+ minute rotations. That's where your value is hiding.