Several players are off to surprisingly hot starts in fantasy basketball. This article dives into 15 early-season high achievers. Rookies like Kon Knueppel are already posting double-doubles, and vets like Julius Randle and Jrue Holiday are thriving. We'll examine the top surprises, from stars like Josh Giddey to sleepers like Ryan Rollins.
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Early Season Standouts in Fantasy Basketball
Norman Powell is off to a great start to the season, averaging a career-high 24.5 points per game as the Heat's starting shooting guard. He dealt with a groin injury that kept him out for three games, but he has topped the 20-point mark in seven of his eight appearances, including a season high of 33 points. He is also playing with efficiency, shooting 46.0 from the field, with a blistering 45.8 percent on 6.0 three-point attempts per game.
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Ryan Kalkbrenner is off to one of the most impressive starts in NBA history, in that he is shooting an average of 80.8 percent from the field with 5.2 field-goal attempts per game. He has also shown a solid effort on the glass, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game, including 3.3 offensive boards. Additionally, he is showing instinct on the defensive end with 2.3 blocks per game.
Kon Knueppel has scored in double digits in his last
Several players are off to surprisingly hot starts in fantasy basketball. This article dives into 15 early-season high achievers. Rookies like Kon Knueppel are already posting double-doubles, and vets like Julius Randle and Jrue Holiday are thriving. We'll examine the top surprises, from stars like Josh Giddey to sleepers like Ryan Rollins.
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's NBA News or follow @RotoWireNBA on X.
Early Season Standouts in Fantasy Basketball
Norman Powell is off to a great start to the season, averaging a career-high 24.5 points per game as the Heat's starting shooting guard. He dealt with a groin injury that kept him out for three games, but he has topped the 20-point mark in seven of his eight appearances, including a season high of 33 points. He is also playing with efficiency, shooting 46.0 from the field, with a blistering 45.8 percent on 6.0 three-point attempts per game.
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Ryan Kalkbrenner is off to one of the most impressive starts in NBA history, in that he is shooting an average of 80.8 percent from the field with 5.2 field-goal attempts per game. He has also shown a solid effort on the glass, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game, including 3.3 offensive boards. Additionally, he is showing instinct on the defensive end with 2.3 blocks per game.
Kon Knueppel has scored in double digits in his last four games, marking the second such streak through his first 10 outings. He scored a season-high 30 points on November 7th and has two double-doubles in the last three games. His three-point shooting has been one of the most impressive parts of his game, as he is knocking down 40.0 percent from deep with an average of 3.2 makes per game.
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Cade Cunningham has reached the 30-point mark in five of the last seven games, including a season-high 46 points with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the most recent outing. He also has six double-doubles with points and assists, including one outing with 21 points and a season-high 18 assists. He is on pace for the best season of his career but shows room for improvement with his efficiency, as he is shooting an average of 43.6 percent from the field.
Josh Giddey captivated the league's attention by averaging 23.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 0.9 steals through his first seven games. He does a great job pushing the offense for the Bulls, while also getting to the paint for easy buckets. His fantastic start has him emerging as one of the most productive players in the league, on pace for career highs in points, rebounds and assists in his fifth season.
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Jalen Duren averaged a double-double in each of the last two seasons but is taking things to new heights early this campaign, notably in the points column, where he has gone over 30 twice in the last six games. He also already has a 20-20 game and has topped 15 boards three times in 11 appearances. In addition, he is emerging as a more refined rim protector, averaging a career-best 1.2 blocks per game.
Kelly Oubre has been putting together well-rounded statlines for numerous seasons, but he is seldom thought of as a star or one of his team's leaders. Although his ability to chip in steadily behind the scenes may often be taken for granted, he is off to a great start that is a key part of his injury-ridded team's early success, including averaging 18.0 points per game on a career-best 50.7 percent shooting from the field. He has only averaged over 18 points twice in his previous 10 seasons, while he is knocking down 80.6 percent from the foul line, which is the second-best rate of his career.
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Ryan Rollins stepped into the starting point-guard role for the Bucks after Kevin Porter went down with an injury in the first game of the season. Since then, Rollins is averaging 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals through 10 consecutive starts. The impressive streak is a major leap from his production through his first three seasons, and he could be on track to cementing his profile as a starter in the league.
De'Andre Hunter delivered an average of 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists through his first three games but turned up the heat from there, with a 26-point performance and an average of 21.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals over his last five outings. He has dealt with injury trouble through his first six seasons but is in an ideal position to prosper in his first full season with the Cavs, where he is surrounded by a proven and balanced lineup, averaging career highs in points, rebounds and assists.
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Jalen Johnson is back with a bang. After missing most of last season due to injury, he has picked up where he left off, showing that he is pushing to be in the conversation among the best forwards in the game. He is averaging 20.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals through nine appearances, including three double-doubles in his last five outings. He is also shooting an impressive 56.2 percent from the field, reestablishing himself as a focal point of the Hawks' offense.
Deandre Ayton is fitting in well with the Lakers, averaging 16.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He has four double-doubles in 10 appearances, including season highs of 29 points and 15 rebounds on separate occasions. He has the benefit of playing with a couple of elite playmakers in Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves, which goes a long way in providing a great environment for him to continue to shine.
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Brandon Ingram was limited to just 18 games last season due to injury, but he is back in good form and looks to be fitting in well with the Raptors. He has reached the 20-point mark in eight of his 11 appearances this season, including four with at least 25 points and a season high of 29 points on two occasions. He averaged over 20 points per game in each of the previous six seasons, including when was named an All-Star in 2020, and he could be on track to make a push for the honor, once again.
Stephon Castle is quietly putting together a stellar start to his sophomore campaign, including a current streak of three straight double-doubles with points and assists. He is averaging 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting an average of 48.8 percent from the field. His success is definitely helped by sharing the floor with a player like Victor Wembanyama, who commands a significant amount of attention from opposing defenses.
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Julius Randle has been putting up big-time numbers for years, but his 25.4 points per game through 11 outings to start the 2025-26 season is well above his 18.7 points per game from last season. He also turned in two triple-doubles within his last five outings and has reached the 30-point mark four times, with a high of 33. This is his second season with the Timberwolves, after they made the conference finals last season.
Jrue Holiday is averaging 17.0 points per game through his first 10 appearances with the Trail Blazers, which dominates his average of 11.8 points per game through his two seasons with the Celtics. He is playing a vital role as a veteran leader for an emerging young core and is helping to facilitate everyone's success by averaging a career-high 8.1 assists per game.
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