We’ve arrived at the halfway point of the 2025-26 fantasy season. The past months have offered plenty of storylines as players continue to trend up and down around the league.
There was a historic start by Victor Wembanyama. It’s been a career year for Jalen Johnson. And dominance by Nikola Jokić has once again defined NBA Fantasy — Salary Cap Edition.
Here’s what you need to know entering Week 13:
Last week’s story
The LA Clippers (15-23) are sailing on smooth waters, at last. It was a rough start to the campaign, with the group at 6-21 midway through last month. That even included a difficult 3-19 skid from Nov. 3 to Dec. 18. But LA has now won nine of its last 11 contests to turn the tides.
Something just seems to have clicked. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have become one of the league’s best one-two punches, averaging 51 and 49.9 fantasy points per game (FPPG), respectively. Leonard has stepped up to produce 59.2 FPPG during the 11-game turnaround.
Among back court players, Harden ranks seventh with 1787 total fantasy points (TFP), while Leonard comes in at 20th for front court players with 1399 of his own. With the duo’s guidance, the Clippers improved from 14th place on Dec. 7 to 11th place on Jan. 11 in the West.
Peak performances
Luka Dončić made his usual mark by dropping 77 fantasy points Wednesday for the Los Angeles Lakers (23-13) in a 107-91 loss at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs (27-12). The league’s scoring leader boasting 33.3 points per game submitted 38 points scored, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to secure his fourth triple-double in 2025-26. The five-time All-Star is up to 65.2 FPPG, which is bested only by the 70 Jokić set before his Dec. 29 knee injury.
The reigning MVP and Finals MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, also got busy last week. He racked up 70 fantasy points Wednesday to guide the Oklahoma City Thunder (33-7) to victory over the Utah Jazz (13-25) via a 129-125 score in overtime. The three-time All-NBA selection tallied 46 points scored, six rebounds, six assists, one block and one steal in the performance. Gilgeous-Alexander ranks second with 2106 TFP and has 13 outings with 60 or more points.
Another major star made major strides in fantasy — Giannis Antetokounmpo. On Sunday, the nine-time All-Star delivered 70 fantasy points despite a 108-104 defeat for the Milwaukee Bucks (17-22) against the Denver Nuggets (26-13). Antetokounmpo posted 31 points scored, eight rebounds, 11 assists, two blocks and one steal, now standing sixth with 55.5 FPPG. A calf injury sidelined him for eight games from Dec. 5 to 26, but in the eight since, he’s averaged 52.5 FPPG.
Transaction tips
Now is a good time to have one or two Lakers on your roster. Los Angeles is the only team in the league with five games on its schedule this week, featuring the Sacramento Kings (9-30) on Monday, Atlanta Hawks (20-21) on Tuesday, Charlotte Hornets (14-25) on Thursday, Portland Trail Blazers (19-21) on Saturday and Toronto Raptors (24-16) on Sunday.
Jake LaRavia offers the most bang for your buck with 838 TFP on a salary of $7.1M, and could be a useful quick addition in that regard. The fourth-year forward has averaged 30.5 FPPG across his last eight games compared to his season average of 23.2. Also consider Deandre Ayton, who for $11.0M, can bring 29.3 FPPG to your roster.
Although he’ll require you to release one of your stars, LeBron James has made a strong case for himself lately after a slow start to his 23rd season. He’s scored 50-plus fantasy points in each of his last four games played and has averaged 51 FPPG dating back to Dec. 7.
