MIN 127, GSW 117: Anthony Edwards Headlines With 72 ESPN FP
Maya Chen
UX Designer · Golden State Warriors fan
Anthony Edwards Goes Nuclear, Timberwolves Edge Warriors in Statement Win
Okay, so this one stung a little. Not gonna lie, watching the Wolves put 127 on the board while the Warriors limped to 117 felt like a personal attack on my living room right now. But that's basketball, and more importantly for your fantasy lineup, that's a masterclass in target allocation with a side of some genuinely concerning absences.
Let me break down what actually happened because the score tells half the story.
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Edwards | 72.0 | 63.1 | 42/8/5 | 29.7/5.1/3.7 | +12.3 |
| Brandin Podziemski | 41.0 | 40.0 | 25/10/2 | 12.8/5.2/3.7 | +12.2 |
| Kristaps Porziņģis | 38.0 | 35.8 | 20/4/2 | 16.6/4.8/2.7 | +3.4 |
| Rudy Gobert | 38.0 | 35.8 | 18/9/2 | 10.9/11.3/1.8 | +7.1 |
| Gui Santos | 38.0 | 34.6 | 17/3/8 | 7.7/3.7/2.0 | +9.3 |
| Ayo Dosunmu | 33.0 | 30.1 | 12/8/7 | 14.2/2.9/3.5 | -2.2 |
| Naz Reid | 32.0 | 27.6 | 12/3/4 | 13.9/6.3/2.3 | -1.9 |
| Gary Payton II | 27.0 | 24.6 | 12/3/2 | 6.3/3.4/1.6 | +5.7 |
| Jaden McDaniels | 24.0 | 21.2 | 15/1/2 | 14.7/4.3/2.8 | +0.3 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 21.0 | 20.9 | 12/2/3 | 13.0/3.0/2.4 | -1.0 |
Anthony Edwards: We're Talking MVP-Caliber Night
Anthony Edwards didn't just win this game for Minnesota, he straight up cooked the Warriors and put up one of the most dominant fantasy nights you'll see all season. 63.1 Yahoo points? That's not a good night. That's a career-defining performance.
42 points on 13-22 shooting with 12-12 free throws is the kind of efficiency that makes you wonder if someone rigged the game in his favor. He was +12.3 on his season average and that feels like underselling it. The reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the better overall season accolade, but on this night Edwards looked like the best player in the Western Conference.
Real talk: this is what we drafted Edwards for. Last year's All-NBA second team selection showed up and reminded everyone why he's a top-20 asset. If you have him, you rode out the injuries earlier in the season for performances exactly like this.
The Warriors Fantasy Catastrophe (Yeah, This Sucks)
Here's where I have to separate fandom from fantasy reality. The Warriors looked broken out there, and it's not just the score.
Steph Curry didn't play. Draymond Green didn't play. Moses Moody didn't play. Jimmy Butler didn't play. If you're a Warriors stack person, you essentially played the Warriors without their top three scoring options. That's not a game, that's a preseason scrimmage.
So let me be clear: the Warriors didn't actually get exposed here. They got decimated by injuries. That said, the guys who DID suit up had some interesting fantasy moments.
Brandin Podziemski was your Warriors hero. 25 points, 10 assists, 5 threes on 35 minutes is exactly what you want from a secondary scoring guard when your primary options are out. He was +12.2 on his season average, which is substantial depth scoring. In a full-strength Warriors team, Podziemski is a nice complementary piece. When he's essentially running the offense with Curry out? He has standalone fantasy value. Grab him in your waiver wire if he's available in deeper leagues.
Gui Santos had a sneaky good game with 17 points, 8 assists on 34 minutes. That +9.3 on his season average shows real upside in a featured role. The assists are what caught my eye here, 8 dimes for a wing is substantial. If he's getting 30+ minutes in the Warriors rotation going forward, he's worth a speculative add.
Kristaps Porziņģis didn't need to do much with Curry out, but he went 7-16 for 20 points in just 22 minutes. Efficient scoring, 4-4 from the free throw line. Not earth-shattering but solid floor-raising stuff when you need it.
The real casualty? Gary Payton II got some minutes and showed flashes (12 points, 2 steals) but only played 18 minutes. Limited role, limited ceiling.
The Timberwolves Role Clarity You're Gonna Want
Minnesota won this decisively, and the fantasy relevance is in role confirmation.
Rudy Gobert went 5-5 from the field, 8-10 from the line, grabbed 9 boards. 35.8 Yahoo points off 35 minutes is exactly what you're paying for with a elite rim-runner center. He was +7.1 on his season average, which matters because it means Minnesota's feeding him efficiently rather than forcing him into bad spots. If you have Gobert, you're trusting that efficiency continues.
Ayo Dosunmu had 12/8/7 on 31 minutes, and that assist total is notable. He's hitting +5.1 on his season assist average, which suggests he's becoming a more featured initiator in the Minneapolis offense. For a guy who's normally a role player, that's a positive development arc.
The one thing to watch: Jaden McDaniels put up 15 points but on a cold 6-9 from the field with limited assists (2). He got 29 minutes and was basically a volume scorer tonight. That's fine, but it's not the well-rounded contribution you ideally want from him.
The Actual Read-Through
The Timberwolves are a better constructed team when Edwards has the ball and everyone else plays roles. Tonight proved that in a vaccuum. The Warriors are genuinely broken with their current injury situation, and if Curry, Draymond, and the other guys stay out, the fantasy value swings to guys like Podziemski and Santos who suddenly have legitimate creation responsibilities.
From a waiver standpoint, Kyle Anderson is getting buzz at 0.5% ownership after getting 14 minutes for Minnesota. That's extremely limited usage. Don't chase that yet.
Bottom line: If you have Edwards, you're ecstatic. If you have Warriors players, check your injury report before setting lineups because this team is not what you drafted.