PHI 139, SAC 118: VJ Edgecombe Goes Nuclear With 67.9 Yahoo FP
Marcus Thompson Jr.
Fire Lieutenant ยท Golden State Warriors fan
76ers Roll Over Shorthanded Kings, VJ Edgecombe Goes Nuclear
The 76ers showed up ready to work on Friday night, and the Kings showed up without half their roster. Philadelphia 139, Sacramento 118 doesn't tell the whole story, but it tells enough: when your best players don't play, fantasy gets weird, and some deep bench guys are gonna eat.
VJ Edgecombe put on an absolute clinic. 38 points, 11 assists, 16-28 from the field, and he was in charge for 38 minutes straight. That's 67.9 Yahoo FP, and honestly, that's the kind of performance that makes you wonder if we're finally seeing what everyone thought he could be. Coming in at 15.3 PPG for the season, he just doubled his usual output plus added 7.1 more assists than his average. This wasn't a fluke either, not with that shooting percentage and the minutes. Edgecombe was the best player on the court, and if the 76ers are getting this version of him regularly, he's a different tier of fantasy asset going forward.
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VJ Edgecombe | 80.0 | 67.9 | 38/7/11 | 15.3/5.5/3.9 | +22.7 |
| Justin Edwards | 59.0 | 44.0 | 32/0/4 | 5.7/1.7/1.3 | +26.3 |
| Quentin Grimes | 45.0 | 42.5 | 27/5/7 | 13.5/3.7/3.4 | +13.5 |
| Maxime Raynaud | 50.0 | 40.8 | 30/4/2 | 11.4/7.3/1.3 | +18.6 |
| Andre Drummond | 44.0 | 40.2 | 13/11/4 | 6.5/8.6/1.1 | +6.5 |
| Russell Westbrook | 31.0 | 31.6 | 11/3/8 | 15.2/5.5/6.6 | -4.2 |
| Dylan Cardwell | 29.0 | 31.1 | 9/13/3 | 5.2/7.6/1.3 | +3.8 |
| Dominick Barlow | 33.0 | 30.6 | 12/8/2 | 8.2/4.7/1.2 | +3.8 |
| Adem Bona | 23.0 | 24.0 | 8/10/0 | 4.7/4.4/0.4 | +3.3 |
| Daeqwon Plowden | 27.0 | 22.9 | 20/2/1 | 8.6/3.2/1.1 | +11.4 |
Justin Edwards is a name you need to know now. 32 points off 11-18 shooting with seven threes? That's 44 Yahoo FP for a guy who's averaging 5.7 PPG on the season. He was +26.3 from his average, and that's not sustainable, but it's also not a complete mirage. Edwards got legitimate playing time (33 minutes), and he didn't waste it. In a league where depth matters in April, this is the kind of breakout you keep your eye on.
The 76ers bench went off. Quentin Grimes with 42.5 Yahoo FP on solid efficiency (10-20 FG, 4 makes from three), Andre Drummond doing his thing with 11 boards and somehow knocking down three threes. That's not the Drummond we know, but fantasy loves it when centers start shooting.
On the Sacramento side, Maxime Raynaud was the only bright spot. 30 points, 5 threes, perfect from the line, and that 40.8 Yahoo FP is a real line. He's been sneaky valuable all season (11.4 PPG average), and nights like this remind you why. Raynaud just got added in 45% of leagues, which feels about right for a solid contributor who had a career game.
Daeqwon Plowden with 20 points on 7-13 shooting is interesting, but it's a one-game sample against a team that wasn't trying hard by halftime. Don't get cute adding him in deep leagues just yet.
The elephant in the room: Sacramento was absolutely decimated. Domantas Sabonis, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George, Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and Zach LaVine all out means the Kings were basically playing a G-League team. This blowout tells you nothing meaningful about playoff implications or anything that matters when both teams are healthy.
Russell Westbrook scored 11 with 8 dimes but shot 4-10. He was right at his season average, which for Russ is acceptable, but not inspiring. Dylan Cardwell grabbed 13 boards in 21 minutes and played solid defense, adding 31.1 Yahoo FP. That's the kind of production that keeps him relevant in 12-team leagues if minutes keep coming.
What matters now is whether these Sacramento guys are actually hurt or if this was a scheduled rest game. Check the injury reports tomorrow morning before you make any moves. A healthy Sacramento team is completely different from what we saw tonight.
For the 76ers, Edgecombe and Edwards just made a statement. If the core rotation keeps getting opportunities with this distribution, Edgecombe especially looks like a must-own in any format going forward. His +7.1 assists above average wasn't just noise, that's his role expanding.