DAL 130, CLE 120: P.J. Washington's 54.2 Yahoo FP Leads the Way
Jake Morrison
Computer Science Student ยท Dallas Mavericks fan
Mavs Steal One in Cleveland, But the Real Story is P.J. Washington's Breakout Game
I'm still riding the high from this one, not gonna lie. The Mavs pulled off a 130-120 road win in Cleveland, and while everyone's gonna talk about the final score, the fantasy takeaway is way more interesting. This game had some legitimately weird performance spikes that need immediate attention before your waiver wire gets chaotic.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P.J. Washington | 61.0 | 54.2 | 20/11/2 | 13.9/7.0/1.9 | +6.1 |
| Cooper Flagg | 57.0 | 52.2 | 27/6/10 | 20.2/6.6/4.4 | +6.8 |
| Donovan Mitchell | 55.0 | 48.7 | 26/1/11 | 28.2/4.4/5.9 | -2.2 |
| Evan Mobley | 44.0 | 45.2 | 18/11/4 | 17.9/8.7/3.6 | +0.1 |
| Naji Marshall | 47.0 | 41.5 | 25/5/7 | 15.1/4.8/3.1 | +9.9 |
| Max Strus | 43.0 | 34.1 | 24/8/1 | 24.0/8.0/1.0 | +0.0 |
| Brandon Williams | 33.0 | 27.9 | 12/2/5 | 13.0/3.0/3.8 | -1.0 |
| James Harden | 20.0 | 26.5 | 13/5/7 | 24.0/4.9/8.0 | -11.0 |
| Ryan Nembhard | 29.0 | 25.1 | 11/3/3 | 6.3/1.9/4.7 | +4.7 |
| Max Christie | 33.0 | 24.9 | 9/2/5 | 12.7/3.3/2.1 | -3.7 |
P.J. Washington Just Became the Most Interesting Buy-Low Target in the League
This dude went for 54.2 Yahoo FP with a quiet 20/11/2/5/1 line, and honestly I'm shook. Washington's been averaging just 13.9 points and 7.0 boards all season, so a +6.1 point game doesn't sound crazy until you realize he also grabbed 4 extra rebounds and added 5 steals. That's not a random hot night, that's a role adjustment.
The 8-16 shooting clip is clean. The 3-pointers are flowing. 33 minutes of run. This screams "role expansion" to me, and if the Mavs are starting to lean on him more in the playoff push, you need him before everyone notices. He's at 5.9% ESPN ownership still. That number's about to jump.
Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall Just Made the Mavs' Bench Stupid Good
Cooper Flagg went for 52.2 Yahoo FP with a 27/6/10 explosion, and that's the kind of line that gets people's attention. He's up +6.8 points from his season average. The 10-17 shooting is legit, and the free throw line was kind to him (6-8). This isn't a fluke either, he's been rock solid all season.
But the real dark horse here is Naji Marshall. Dude put up 41.5 Yahoo FP on a 25/5/7 line with 8-8 from the stripe. That's +9.9 points versus his season average and frankly that's the biggest outlier in this game. Marshall's been averaging 15.1 points, but he just went nuclear against the Cavs. Part of it was probably role expansion with whoever wasn't playing, but also he was just hitting shots. The 8-12 from the field is real.
If Marshall's getting this many minutes going forward, he's a sneaky league-winner candidate on a playoff Mavs team.
Donovan Mitchell Was Fine, But Not Special
Donovan Mitchell put up 48.7 Yahoo FP with 26/1/11, which sounds insane until you realize he's an All-NBA guy averaging 28.2 points. So yeah, he actually came in -2.2 points below his normal line. He's still a lock, obviously, but in a game where everyone around him either overperformed or exactly hit their average, Spida was the one guy who came in slightly short.
The 10-24 shooting tells the story. Sometimes elite scorers have off shooting nights and still find other ways to contribute (hence the 11 assists), but fantasy-wise, you want him back at 27+ points on better efficiency.
James Harden Absolutely Cooked and I'm Not Hedging
James Harden put up 26.5 Yahoo FP on a 13/5/7 line, and that's -11.0 points below his 24.0 point season average. The 4-12 shooting is the killer. 37 minutes on the court and he still couldn't get it going. This is a guy you're probably rostering in most formats, and seeing him come in that far below average should concern you.
Against a Cavaliers defense that's been legit this season, Harden just couldn't get into rhythm. If you've got him in your lineup, this is one of those nights where you're taking the hit and moving on. But if you're thinking about trading for him, this is a data point worth noting.
The Waiver Wire Moves Worth Making Right Now
Marvin Bagley III is up +0.2% ownership to 5.9%, and I get why people are looking at him after a 15-minute appearance where he put up 13 Yahoo FP. But don't chase that. He's not suddenly the guy. He's a veteran depth piece who got run because the game got out of hand. Wait a week.
Jarrett Allen is getting dropped (down 0.4% to 87.6% owned), but that's probably panic selling. The Cavs center just didn't play in this game, which is suspicious. Check the injury report before you make any moves there, because if he's healthy, he'll bounce back. An 87.6% owned player getting dropped means league-wide chaos, and that usually means someone made a mistake.
The smart play is adding Naji Marshall if he's available. He's clearly getting more minutes, and the efficiency was elite. In 12-team leagues he's probably on waivers still.
The Bottom Line
This was a classic road win where the Mavs' bench went off and the Cavs just didn't have enough to keep up. From a fantasy perspective, the story is about depth players stepping up and role expansion. The guys at the top all mostly delivered on expectations (except Harden's rough night).
Watch the Mavs' lineup status after this. If Washington keeps getting 30+ minutes and Marshall stays in the rotation, you're looking at two potential league-winners on the waiver wire.
And if you're still rostering Harden, don't panic sell after one bad game. But yeah, definitely don't trade for him at peak value right now.