The calendar turning to April means that the end of the regular season is almost here. For some, their fantasy championship has already been decided. For others, it's still a battle right down to the final day of the regular season. Let's take a look at the season as a whole and highlight some of the biggest surprises in fantasy, both good and bad.
The Good
Dyson Daniels, Atlanta Hawks 
After being selected with the eighth pick in the 2022 Draft, Daniels had a difficult time establishing himself during his first two seasons with the Pelicans. He only averaged 22 minutes per game last season, but he showed his ability to have an impact defensively by averaging 1.4 steals per game. During the offseason, he was traded to the Hawks in the deal that landed Dejounte Murray in New Orleans.
Daniels went undrafted in many fantasy leagues. In the leagues that he was selected, it was likely in the last few rounds. However, he started for the Hawks right out of the gate and has averaged 34 minutes per game this season. He is almost single-handedly helping fantasy managers win steals, averaging 3.1 of them per game. In addition to his stellar defensive contributions, Daniels has averaged 14.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 three-pointers per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field. His only real downside has been him shooting 60.0% from the free-throw line. Expect him to be selected early in fantasy drafts next season.
OG Anunoby, New York Knicks 
Anunoby hasn't come out of nowhere like Daniels. He is an established veteran who has a major impact on both ends of the floor throughout his career. It's not a surprise that he has averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 2.3 three-pointers per game this season. This would be the third season of his career that he has averaged at least 16.8 points per game and the fifth straight season that he has averaged at least 2.0 three-pointers.
The reason that Anunoby is on this list is that he has already played in 69 games. He hasn't played at least 70 games in a season since he was a rookie in 2017-18. He has played 50 or fewer games in three of the previous four seasons. Not only has he appeared in a lot of games, but he is logging a career-high 37 minutes per game. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau likes to play his starters heavy minutes, so it's a surprise that with Anunoby's checkered injury history, he has held up this well.
Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets 
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left the Nuggets to sign with the Magic during the offseason. While he didn't put up gaudy stats, he was a key reason for Denver's success the last two seasons. He appeared in exactly 76 games in each season and averaged 31 and 32 minutes. The Nuggets didn't make any significant additions to replace him, leaving Braun with the potential for added playing time.
Braun went from averaging 20 minutes a game last season to logging 34 minutes per game this season. He has parlayed that increase in playing time to averages of 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 three-pointers per game. He has shot 57.4% from the field, which is more than 11 percentage points higher than last season. He has also appeared in 74 games already. Those who took a flier on him in the late rounds of drafts, or who added him off waivers early in the season, have to be pleased with the returns on their investment.
The Bad
Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers 
George left the Clippers during the offseason to sign with the 76ers. With Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey already in the fold, the 76ers had their sights set on winning a championship. However, injuries have completely derailed their season. The biggest loss has been Embiid, who appeared in just 19 games before being ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
George (groin) has also been ruled out for the season after appearing in just 41 games. As bad as that is, that's not the main reason why he made this list as a disappointment. Even when he was on the floor, he didn't play well. He finished with averages of 16.2 points and 2.3 three-pointers per game, while shooting 43.0% from the field. Excluding the 2014-15 season in which George played in only six games, this was his lowest scoring average since his second season in the league. It also broke a streak of seven straight seasons in which he averaged at least 2.8 three-pointers per game. With him appearing in 56 or fewer games in five of the last six seasons, George will be a risky option heading into fantasy drafts next season.
Terry Rozier, Miami Heat 
Rozier was an excellent fantasy option during his tenure with the Hornets. While he wasn't an overly efficient shooter, he had a stretch of four straight seasons in which he averaged at least 18.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.6 three-pointers per game. He was dealt to the Heat during the middle of last season and saw his scoring average decline to 16.4 points over 31 games with the team.
While it was difficult to expect Rozier to match his production from his tenure with the Hornets during his first full season with the Heat, his fall from grace has been steep. He has averaged just 11.1 points and 1.5 three-pointers per game, while shooting 39.6% from the field and 30.2% from deep. His struggles early on resulted in him being benched. He has logged just 26 minutes per game, leaving him to average just 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. With him becoming a drop candidate in many leagues, Rozier ended up being a major disappointment.
Kyle Kuzma, Milwaukee Bucks 
The Wizards didn't have much success during Kuzma's first three seasons with the team. However, he was a valuable fantasy option during that time. Entering this season, he was coming off back-to-back campaigns in which he averaged at least 21.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 three-pointers. Last season, he even shot a career high 46.3% from the field while appearing in 70 games.
Kuzma's fantasy value took a significant hit this season with him averaging 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 three-pointers over 32 games with the Wizards. He shot a paltry 42.0% from the field, including 28.1% from behind the arc. A trade to the Bucks hasn't helped his fantasy value. Over 26 games with the team, he has averaged 14.5 points, shot 43.3% from the field and 30.3% on three-pointers. His usage rate has also dropped to 20.9%. While still currently rostered in 83% of Yahoo leagues, a case could be made for dropping him in many formats.
